Chapter 68 - Leaving Santa Barbara
Theo sat down quietly in front of Iris, the faint noise of cutlery and quiet voices all around them.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Iris just stared at him with narrowed eyes, a glass of iced tea already in front of her.
"Good morning," he said, scratching the back of his head.
Iris’s expression changed immediately, a small, warm smile appearing on her face.
"Good morning," she said sweetly.
Her sudden change caught Theo off guard, who had expected much worse.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment.
She wore a simple but beautiful outfit that made her hourglass-like figure stand out without even trying.
Not to mention her long, black hair flowing neatly behind her back.
Theo exhaled quietly, leaning back in his seat.
"You look good today," he said, smiling faintly.
Iris’s smile widened, nodding once.
A waiter approached their table, placing a glass down in front of Theo.
"Your drink," he said politely before stepping away.
Theo gave a small nod in thanks, wrapping his fingers around the glass.
"So," he said, glancing around the restaurant, "you picked a pretty fancy place."
"I figured it’d be worth it," Iris replied, smiling sweetly.
Theo nodded once, a faint sense of happiness and peace settling in as he took a sip.
He placed the glass back down and tilted his head slightly.
"Do you always eat like this?"
Iris shook her head.
"No," she said lightly. "Only for special occasions."
Theo smiled warmly.
It didn’t take long before both had ordered a breakfast meal, and it was delivered to their table.
They started eating, the conversation flowing more naturally after that. Whether it was small remarks or light teasing, it didn’t matter.
After a few minutes, Iris set her fork down.
"I’ll be leaving soon," she said.
Theo paused mid-bite, looking up at her. "Leaving?"
"Yeah, I’m going to study at Ironcrest," she said. She paused briefly. "In a few days, that is."
For a moment, Theo just stared at her.
Ironcrest was a famous military institute in their country, definitely ranked among the top.
’I knew she had a good affinity,’ he thought, a small smile growing on his face.
Then he leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath.
"...Then I guess my news isn’t that bad."
Iris raised an eyebrow, sipping from her straw.
"I got accepted into the pre-admissions for Westridge," he continued. "I’ll be leaving later today."
She looked at him for a second, tilting her head slightly.
Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I figured as much."
Theo tilted his head.
"Really?"
Iris nodded, swirling the drink in her glass around.
"With your talent, it was either that or Aurelion."
They held each other’s gaze for a moment, neither of them needing to say more.
After a few seconds, Iris let go of her glass.
She reached out, lightly tapping his hand.
"We’ll stay in touch," she said, a tinge of red on her cheeks.
Theo nodded once, smiling. "Absolutely."
Iris’s smile grew even wider, her face turning even redder.
After finishing the last of her drink, she stood up, grabbing her coat.
Before he even realized it, she leaned down to his ear.
"Also," she whispered, "don’t forget our dates next time."
Theo froze for a split second.
By the time he looked up again, she had already turned around, walking toward the exit.
’...So that was it, huh,’ he thought as he slowly stood up.
For a brief moment, he remained where he was, his gaze lingering on the exit she had just walked through.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
’I’ll just have to see where this goes from here.’
With that, he also pushed through the doors, leaving the brasserie behind him.
The moment he stepped outside, a cool breeze brushed past him.
Theo paused, glancing at his phone.
His eyes immediately widened.
"Shit, an hour and a half already passed?!"
Not only that, several texts from Owen had come in, each asking where he was.
’I need to get home and pack now!’
As he dashed across the streets, he couldn’t help but think about his parents.
’I’ll have to send them an update later,’ he thought. ’It’s a shame but I don’t have time say goodbye to them in person.’
As he reached his apartment complex, he quickly dashed inside and packed some clothes with a few essential items.
Before finally stepping outside his doors again.
"I have to be quick," he muttered. "...It seems like they are just waiting on me now."
Theo didn’t slow down as he made his way to the Hunter Association building.
The moment he stepped inside, a staff member was already waiting.
"This way," the man said politely.
Theo followed without a word, quickly being led through the halls and into a private office.
As the door opened, he spotted two figures inside.
Owen sat in a chair, his legs on the table as he scrolled on his phone.
Adrian stood near the window, arms crossed, his expression slightly dark.
"...Finally," he said, glancing at him. "If you had taken any longer, I would’ve left without you."
"I apologize," Theo said, nodding once.
All in all, it had been nearly three hours since their first meeting.
Even so, Adrian waved him off immediately before picking up his jacket.
"Enough time wasted," he said. "There’s a private jet waiting for us."
Theo nodded once, turning to follow him.
Owen let out a small breath, swinging his legs off the table before pushing himself up.
The three of them moved quickly through the building, not stopping once as they made their way outside.
A sleek black car was already waiting at the entrance.
Owen let out a whistle, nodding in approval. "Now that’s sweet."
A man in a suit stepped out of the driver’s seat, immediately holding open the doors for them.
Adrian didn’t even spare him a glance as he stepped into the car.
Theo and Owen followed right after him, sliding into the back seats.
The car’s engine immediately roared to life.
Within seconds, it sped away from the Association.
The city blurred past the windows, familiar streets disappearing faster than he expected.
Theo leaned back slightly, exhaling quietly.
’This’ll be it...’ he thought, sliding deeper into his seat. ’The next stage of my life.’