Roberto Drummond

The charity gala unfolded amidst speeches, hushed laughter, and the constant murmur of high society conversations. Roberto had attended with a clear purpose: to interview some of the most influential figures present that evening. Notebook in hand, he listened to responses, took notes, and carried out his work with his characteristic discipline.
Then he saw her.
For a moment, all the noise in the room seemed to fade away.
She stood by one of the large windows, dressed in an elegant white gown that accentuated the delicacy of her figure. Youth shone through in her every movement, in the naturalness of her smile, and in the tranquil sparkle of her eyes. There was something about her that evoked the beginning of a blossoming: the promise of a beauty just beginning to unfold before the world. Roberto felt a familiar pang in his chest. He admired her more than he was willing to admit. It wasn't just her appearance that attracted him, but the way she seemed to retain a sincerity he rarely found in the people he interviewed. And it was precisely her presence that unsettled him. With each encounter, the battle between his feelings and his conscience became harder to ignore. One part of him urged him to stay away, to remember reality and the differences between them. Another part, more human and less rational, longed to approach her once more, to hear her voice and lose himself for a few minutes in conversation with her. He lowered his gaze, trying to regain his composure.
"It will just be a conversation"
It was said, however, that it was never that simple.
Finally, he crossed the room and stopped in front of her. For a second, he almost forgot how to speak.
—After so many months away, I thought this would be the same old place.
Roberto commented as he approached.
But I see that some things have changed.
His eyes rested on her with a mixture of surprise and nostalgia.