I left the classroom after talking with Professor Romano, my mind still processing her words. There was something in the way she had looked at me, in how she had smiled when she mentioned Sophie.
But I didn't have time to think about that now.
Sophie was waiting for me in the cafeteria.
I arrived and found her at our usual table, with her laptop open and her inevitable cup of coffee. When she saw me, she closed the laptop immediately and I felt disappointed.
"Hey," she said. "Everything okay with the professor?"
"Yes, she just wanted to talk about the readings." I sat down across from her.
There was a moment of comfortable silence as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Gino," she finally said, playing with her cup, "can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
She took a deep breath. "What are we? You and me."
The question caught me by surprise, even though I had been expecting it since the kiss.
"What do you want us to be?"
"No, I asked first." But she was smiling.
I took her hand on the table.
"I like you, Sophie. A lot. I don't want this to be just… something casual. I want to be with you. For real. If you want to."
"I do." Her smile widened. "But slow, okay? I don't want to rush anything."
"At your pace is perfect."
"Good." She leaned over the table. "So… boyfriend and girlfriend?"
My heart sped up.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Or is that too old-fashioned to say?"
"No, no. Boyfriend and girlfriend is fine." I smiled like an idiot. "Boyfriend and girlfriend is perfect."
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED] [Sophie Laurent: OFFICIAL GIRLFRIEND] [Status: EXCLUSIVE] [+50 SP for establishing a formal relationship] [+10 Confidence] (57 → 67)
[Relationship level: BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND] [Next stage available…]
Sophie stood up, walked around the table, and sat next to me instead of across from me.
"So, boyfriend," she said, leaning against my shoulder, "tell me more about you. Things I don't know yet."
And we spent the next hour talking. About everything.
I told her about my loud Italian family. My grandparents who constantly mixed Italian and English. The family meals that lasted for hours. My father who wanted me to be a lawyer like he had dreamed of being.
"Isn't your father a lawyer?" Sophie asked.
"No. He wanted to be, but he couldn't afford college. He ended up becoming an accountant." I paused. "I think he lives a little through me."
"That must be a lot of pressure."
"It is. But it also motivates me."
Sophie squeezed my hand.
Then it was her turn. She told me more about Paris. About growing up with successful lawyer parents. About the pressure to be perfect.
"And then there was Julien," she said, her voice lowering.
"Julien?"
"My ex-boyfriend in Paris." Sophie played with her cup. "We dated for a year. He was… everything you're supposed to want. Charismatic, popular, handsome."
"What happened?"
"I found out he was seeing two other girls at the same time." Her voice was calm, but there was pain in it. "For months. And when I confronted him, he made me feel like it was my fault. Like I wasn't enough."
"He's a complete idiot."
"Yes." Sophie looked sad and tired. "But it affected me a lot. That's why when I came here, I decided to focus only on my studies. Not get involved with anyone."
"So what changed?"
She looked straight at me.
"You. You were different. When you talked to me, you really listened. You didn't try to impress me with lies. And when you took so long to ask for my number…" she smiled, "it was frustrating, but also… refreshing."
[+25 SP] [Deep emotional connection] [Sophie fully trusts you]
"Thank you for telling me," I said. "And I want you to know… I'm not Julien. I'm not going to hurt you."
Sophie blushed slightly.
"I know." She leaned in and kissed me softly. "That's why I'm here."