Friday morning arrived with Aurora already at her desk, staring at the calendar on her laptop. The weekend was getting closer, and so was her second date with Felix.
Well, technically, she was the one planning it, so she supposed it was her responsibility to make sure everything went well.
She leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against the desk. "Alright, Aurora. How hard can it be?"
She opened a new tab on her laptop and began searching for places they could visit. A few minutes later, her screen was filled with restaurant recommendations, outdoor activities, and places she had never even heard of.
She stared at them.
Then she sighed. "This is worse than I thought."
Planning an entire architectural project was one thing. Planning a date for someone she actually liked was proving to be a completely different challenge.
She scrolled through a few more suggestions before closing the tab.
No. A fancy restaurant was too predictable.
A cinema? They could barely talk during the film.
A walk around the city? They had already done that on their last outing.
Aurora dropped her pen onto the desk already feeling exhausted. "Why is this so difficult?"
Her phone sat beside her laptop, and she glanced at it for a moment before picking it up. There was only one person who could help her with this.
Candace.
Aurora immediately opened their chat and typed.
Aurora: Are you busy?
Candace's reply came a few seconds later.
Candace: Depends. Have you finally decided to confess something scandalous?
Aurora rolled her eyes.
Aurora: Can you be serious for once?
Candace: No promises. Anyway, wassup?
Aurora hesitated before typing her next message.
Aurora: I need help planning a date.
For a moment, there was no reply.
Then her phone began ringing.
Aurora stared at the screen before answering.
"Why are you calling me? You could have just replied."
Candace's face appeared on the screen, and the grin on her face immediately made Aurora regret calling her in the first place.
"Wait." Candace leaned closer to the camera. "Did you just say you need help planning a date?"
Aurora sighed. "Yes, Candace."
"With Felix?"
"No, with the delivery guy. Of course, with Felix!"
Candace burst out laughing.
Aurora covered her face with one hand. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."
"Oh, don't you dare hang up on me!" Candace protested, still laughing. "I'm just trying to understand why the great Aurora King needs help planning a date."
"Because apparently, I'm allowed to be good at my job and terrible at this."
Candace's laughter softened into a smile.
"Alright, alright. I'll help you. Now, tell me what you've got so far."
Aurora turned her laptop towards the camera, showing her the list of places she had been considering.
Candace stared at the screen.
"Restaurants? Really?"
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just that you could take him somewhere interesting instead of sitting across from each other and discussing the weather."
"We wouldn't discuss the weather."
"You'd be surprised."
Aurora shook her head. "Do you have any actual suggestions?"
Candace leaned back, thinking for a moment.
"What does Felix enjoy besides skating?"
Aurora paused.
She knew he loved skating. She knew how hard he trained and how much pressure his family put on him to follow their expectations. She knew he could be annoyingly teasing when he wanted to be, and that he always seemed to notice when she was tired.
But what did he enjoy doing when he wasn't skating or worrying about his responsibilities?
Aurora frowned slightly and Candace didn't fail to notice.
"Wait. Don't tell me you don't know."
"I know things about him!"
"Such as?"
Aurora opened her mouth, then closed it.
Candace's eyes widened.
"Oh, my goodness."
"Don't start."
"You don't know what he likes doing in his free time!"
"I never said that!"
"You didn't have to. Your face said it for you."
Aurora groaned, dropping her head against the chair.
Candace laughed again, but this time she didn't tease her further.
"Look, you don't have to plan something extravagant. Think about the things you both enjoyed last time. You laughed, talked, walked around, and had fun together, didn't you?"
Aurora slowly lifted her head. "Yeah."
"Then start there. You don't need to impress him with some perfect plan. Just choose something you'll both enjoy."
Aurora considered her words. That actually made sense.
She had been so focused on making the date memorable that she'd forgotten the most important part.
She wanted to spend time with Felix.
It didn't have to be perfect. It just had to be them.
A small smile appeared on her face. "You're not completely useless after all."
Candace gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? I just gave you excellent advice!"
"Which is why I said you're not completely useless."
"You're unbelievable, Aurora."
Aurora laughed, and Candace joined her.
After they ended the call, Aurora turned back to her laptop. This time, she didn't search for the most expensive restaurant or the most impressive place in Eldlyria.
Instead, she began thinking about what Felix might genuinely enjoy.
Her eyes drifted towards her phone. Perhaps she could ask him a few casual questions without making it obvious.
Then again, Felix wasn't stupid. He might realise she was planning something.
Aurora picked up her pen and tapped it against her chin.
"No," she muttered. "I can figure this out."
She opened her notes and began writing down a few ideas.
For the first time that morning, she wasn't feeling frustrated. She was actually looking forward to it.
Because this time, she wasn't planning a building, managing a company, or trying to prove herself to a demanding client.
She was planning a day with Felix.
And somehow, that made the whole thing feel much more important.