Array
(
[text] =>
We were both exhausted after our swim that night. We raced, wrestled and played on the pool until we were both too tired to even think of anything.
Nico was laughing and smiling the whole time. It was the first time I’ve ever seen him that happy. It was a very new sight to me, and I took some time to get used to the carefree side of him.
I like Nico better that way. With a smile on his face.
Who knew that the Cold Prince everyone was afraid to approach could smile and laugh that way. I felt so lucky to see him like that, because I knew for a fact that not everyone could see Nico in that manner.
The thing I was happiest about, though, was the fact that Nico was feeling better. I hope that he never feels that sad over Emily again, I don’t want to see sorrow in his eyes anymore, I don’t want to hear sadness in his voice… I just don’t want to see him cry again.
Is it so weird that I want to make Nico happy so badly?
Is it weird that I was thinking that I would anything to make him happy?
Am I being weird?
Things got weirder for me, after our swim. We were both in the locker room and I just finished taking a shower. I finished drying myself and just got my pants on, when Nico walked out of the cubicle with only a towel around his waist.
Sure, I had seen him shirtless already, but seeing him with only a towel around his waist, was just… different. While we were swimming, I would occasionally steal a glance on his abs; I can’t help myself from admiring his body, but that scene was just different.
I had never questioned my sexuality before, but seeing Nico like that… well… it got me… excited. And that’s all I’m going to say.
I looked away instantly, and calmed myself down. My whole body was feeling so hot, even though I just took a cold shower.
“Get a hold of yourself, Kyle Andrew,” I told myself. “Why are you getting excited with seeing your friend half naked? He’s a guy…” I sighed. “Maybe I should take another cold shower… Wait, this is dangerous, I’m talking to myself…”
Nico’s phone rang and he sounded really exhausted when he answered it. “Yeah, Mom?” He answered. He doesn’t seem so happy about his Mom calling. “I can’t, I’m with someone. No, it’s not her, and just so you know, we’re over, so you don’t have to worry about her anymore.” They’re talking about Emily.
I got curious and turned my head, fortunately for me, Nico had his pants on, but I could still clearly see his naked upper body, and to my frustration, it still had some effects on me.
“Who I am with?” Nico continued his talk over the phone. “Why do you want to know? If you’re worried that I’m drinking right now, I just finished swimming alright. Fine, I’m with Kyle. He’s my friend, Mom.” Hearing him say that made me really happy for some reason. “No, actually you kind of know him…” What is he talking about, how can his Mom know me? Don’t tell me…
“Nico!” I called him and looked at him sharply.
Nico smiled at me. “That’s him, we’re leaving. And Mom, tell them that I’m not interested, so stop wasting everyone’s time,” he said and then hanged the phone.
“You! You were about to tell your Mom that I’m the man you were photographed kissing, aren’t you?” I asked him.
“Ahhh… you found out…” He said quite comically and then chuckled.
I sighed heavily. “Aren’t you on good terms with your parents?” I asked him.
“Usually, we’re on good terms, depending on what they’re trying to make me do,” he replied quite casually as he took up his shirt.
I was already putting my shoes on. “And what are they trying to make you do now to make you sound that irritated?”
“Well, they’re trying to trick me into going to a dinner date with the daughter of their business partner.” Nico sounded really pissed off by the idea.
I chuckled. “Ehhh… so that kind of things really happen in real life…” I teased.
“Haven’t you experienced anything like that before?” He asked, genuinely curious.
“I’m an only child, and my parents really dote on me. Basically I can do whatever I want, and they would still love me no less,” I said proudly and honestly. “Besides, our family is not wealthy as yours, so we don’t have to deal with those kind of stuff.”
“I envy you…” He sighed. “Me and my younger sister have to deal with my parents’ match-making all the time, I mean, I can deal with it, but Paula just turned eighteen and she already has to deal with engagement plans.”
“Wow… how troublesome…” I said. “So, who are they trying to fix you up now?”
Nico sighed after he put his shirt on. “Natalia Robinsons,” he replied shortly.
My heart almost stopped when I heard that dreaded name. What a small world. I never thought that Nico’s family would be involved with such a nasty family. As soon as I heard that name, anger started rising inside me. I would never forget what those people did to my family, my hometown, and me, and I would never forgive them.
“Kyle? Are you alright?” I snapped back form my trance and saw Nico looking at me quite worriedly.
“That family… The Robinsons… you should be careful of them.” I told Nico. I don’t want him or his family to fall victim to the Robinsons’ venom.
“Why are you saying that? Do you know them?” He asked.
I don’t know what made me do it, but I started telling Nico everything. I just felt that I had to tell him everything and that I shouldn’t keep anything from him. I knew that we just recently became friends, but I feel that I could trust Nico, even with my life.
“When I was seventeen, my Dad got promoted to VP-Marketing by his company. He would have to work longer hours and would be busy with meetings, so my parents decided to move out of our hometown and live closer to my Dad’s company, to save time. The Robinsons were one of my Dad’s clients. He met Sylvia Robinsons, Natalia’s mom. She tried seducing my Dad, and my parents got into a terrible fight over that,” I told Nico. It happened long time ago, but talking about it still made me really angry. “They almost got divorced because of that woman. She almost destroyed my family…” I said, my voice was shaking.
“Ehhh…?” Nico seemed very surprised. “Sylvia did that…? How can she do something like that…?”
“She’s a terrible person, Nico, so tell your parents to be careful,” I told him. “If I didn’t get in between my parents, then my family would’ve been broken by now. Do you want to know what I did to make them talk to each other properly?” I asked with a small smile.
“I suddenly become really curious. So what did you do?” He asked.
“I told them that if they got divorced then I would’ve had to choose between them, and that I would stop talking to whoever I didn’t chose and would start living a life with only one parent,” I said. “That got my parents talking again, because they knew I was serious, and I would really do that. Also, because they knew how broken I would be if they divorced. My family is my life, I would die if I lose any of them.” I became really depressed, just the thought of losing anyone important to me was enough to make me feel really down.
“It’s great then, that they patched things up, because if they divorced, then maybe I wouldn’t meet you, and I wouldn’t see your smile, and you wouldn’t be here for me right now. I think I should really thank your parents, because I got to see a cheerful and lively Kyle now,” Nico said.
Why is it that Nico always finds a way to warm my heart? I was really happy to hear him say that. It was like he knew exactly what to say, at the right time, at the perfect moment. His words were enough to cheer me up, to make me feel a lot better. I wasn’t feeling so angry anymore. All thanks to Nico’s words.
“You’re really something, Director Jovan Niccolo Bellard…” I said and then chuckled. “I think I better stop talking about those people for now, I don’t want ruin my night,” I said and then smiled.
Nico smiled as well. “Right. You can always continue telling me some other day. I’ll listen to you,” he added. “Ahh, I have an idea,” he said. “Why don’t we go to that dinner with Natalia, together?”
“Ehhh… why? I just said that I didn’t want to ruin my night, didn’t I?” I complained. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid to meet those people, I was simply too tired to deal with their kind at that moment.
“I got an idea. We can stop my parents from ever forcing me into dates with anyone, and you could get back at the Robinsons. Don’t tell me you don’t want to get back at them, even just a little bit?”
Actually, I was already working on making those people pay. I set my plan into motion when I was about to graduate from college, and I’m doing pretty well in getting the results I want. “Ok, fine, but let’s not stay for long. I don’t know how long I can hold back when I see any of them.” Honestly, I also wanted to see what Natalia’s expression would be. I wanted to see how surprised and angry she would be. I think it would be oddly satisfying.
I was still unsure whether I should tell Nico about my plans or not. After all, no one else in my family or circle of friends knew about that.
“It’s decided then. Let’s go,” Nico said excitedly.
“Wait. What are you planning on doing?” I asked as we walked out of the locker room.
“Just trust me. This will be really interesting,” he said with a meaningful smile.
I should’ve known from that smile that Nico was planning something really devious. If I have known sooner what he was planning, I wonder if I would’ve agreed to it. After all, it was really crazy.
Natalia Robinsons was waiting in a private room of a luxurious restaurant. She looked really happy when she saw Nico walked in, but that smile didn’t last. That smile turned into an expression of utter surprised, disgust, and then hatred when she saw me walk in.
It was not our first meeting. We had few encounters in the past, encounters that ended up in heated confrontations. Our last confrontation was about a year ago, a book that they published was commissioned to be a TV series and I was appointed as the Creative Producer for the pilot episode. Natalia was present at the contract signing, we exchanged sharp glances, and to cut a long story short, we ended up having a heated exchange of nasty comments.
“You… what are you doing here?” She sounded really surprised. “Why are you with Nico?”
“We came here together,” Nico replied with a small smile. “He’s with me.”
“What?” Natalia looked sharply at me. “How can you two know each other? You… don’t tell me you planned all this. You approached Nico specifically to get to me, didn’t you?” Natalia asked quite hysterically at me.
“Oh please, Natalia, not everything in this world is about you,” I said in very provoking manner. “Didn’t you hear what Nico just said? I’m with him.”
“Leave. You’re not invited to this dinner. A person like you doesn’t even fit in here. This is a classy restaurant, not some fast food chain,” Natalia said sharply. “You shouldn’t trust that guy, Nico. He and his family, they’re a nasty bunch of social climbers.”
“Ahhh… it’s been so long since I last heard that,” I said and then looked at Natalia sharply. “I’ve heard that from you too many times already, do you think it still affects me in any way? Come on, Natalia, be a little bit more creative.”
“Leave. Or do you want me to call security to drag you out of here?” Natalia replied.
“There’s no need for that. We’re both leaving,” Nico said. “Actually, I just brought him here to let you know something.”
Natalia looked at Nico confusedly. Me too. I was really curious as to what Nico have up his sleeves. What was he actually planning?
To Natalia’s and my surprise, Nico took my hand and held it up. “You see, Kyle and I are together.” EHHH????!!! This crazy bastard! What is he saying?! I looked at Nico seriously, and he squeezed my hand tighter and then subtly nodded at me. So that’s his plan. This is crazy! I never agreed to this!
Surely, Natalia would pretty mad if she hears about that, and also that might stop Nico’s parents form arranging blind dates if they found out that he’s batting for the other team, so to say, but I don’t think that going this far was such a bright idea.
“What did you say…?” Natalia looked so shaken. Seeing her like that was oddly satisfying, to be honest.
“You heard it; I’m dating Kyle.” Nico said in such a serious tone that even I was convinced.
“This is a lie, right? You’re making this up so your parents would stop arranging dates for you.” Wow, Natalia was very insightful. “Do you think you can fool me? I know you’re secretly with that actress…”
“We broke up,” Nico interrupted. “Then I met Kyle. He helped me through the pain of that break up, he made me forget, that’s when I realized how amazing he is, and that’s when I fell in love with him.” Nico’s voice was so gentle and so soft that it made my heart skip a beat. I know he was just making that up, but I can’t help but feel embarrassed hearing that.
“Stop making lies up!” Natalia stood up as she hit the table. “This is not how things should turn out!” She protested. “I won’t accept this! Everything was going according to plan!” Seeing her that angry was actually pretty funny. If I could see her like that, then I think I can go through this act.
It hit me then. I finally realized who was behind the news of Nico and Emily. I couldn’t say it at that time because I had no evidence, but I think it was all Natalia’s doing. I’m pretty sure she tipped off reporters so that Emily and Nico would be pushed into a corner.
“Then, how should have it turned out?” I asked all of a sudden. “What is going according to your plan?” Natalia looked at me, she was clearly surprised. “You and your family are the still the same as always. Still the conniving evil bunch. You’re behind the scandal about Nico and Emily, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about? Why would I be behind it? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Natalia denied strongly, but her guilt was very obvious in her face and voice.
“You want to push the two of them in a corner,” I replied.
“And why would I even want that?” Natalia asked sarcastically.
“So my parents would dislike Emily even more,” Nico said. His voice was filled with realization. “You know that my parents did not approve of Emily…”
“I see. So you wanted Nico’s parents to blame her for getting Nico involved in such nasty rumors. She would completely lose their support and, as you planned, they would try to make Nico date you instead. You also were sure that Nico and Emily would break up. They did, but too bad things didn’t work out as you planned, since Nico and I met,” I said.
“You have a very active imagination.” Natalia sounded nervous.
“Oh, give it up!” I replied. “You planned everything. Because of you Nico’s image suffered. Because of you, Emily and Stephen’s fans started saying bad things about him. Because of you, he got hurt. I won’t forgive you for that. This is exactly why no man would truly love you, because you’re just an evil witch,” I said sharply at her.
“I will not take an insult from a pathetic son of gold digger like you!” She said angrily.
“Such big words coming from the daughter of a home-wrecker wannabe, the heiress of a shameless and heartless inhuman corporation, and a plain thief,” I replied in a much calmer but still very provoking tone which enraged Natalia even more. There was fury in her eyes, and I love seeing her like that.
“Shut up!” Natalia shouted. “This is not over.” She was obviously trying to hold back her temper in front of Nico. “I would never accept this,” she added.
One thing is for sure; Natalia wanted Nico for herself. Too bad for her, Nico doesn’t seem interested in her at all. “No. This is over,” Nico sounded very serious. “I have no intention of meeting someone so manipulative again. I’d rather end up alone and single forever, than date someone like you,” Nico said. “One more thing, don’t insult Kyle ever again, because I won’t stand for it.”
Nico standing up for me like that, was something that really made me happy. While still holding my hands, Nico turned around and was about to pull me out of the room.
“I’m not as kind as my Mom, Natalia…” I suddenly said. I don’t know what came to me that night, I don’t know what made me say what I was going to say, but I got this feeling at the back of my mind and my heart, that I needed to say those words. It was like I was keeping those words, that sentiment in my heart the whole time. “So if you’re planning to act like your mother and try to take Nico away from me, then I suggest that you think twice. Because unlike my Mom, I would not only humiliate you, I would destroy you,” I said in very stern voice and looked at her with sharp and piercing stare.
I was surprised on how serious I sounded.
Natalia was left in the room, fuming in anger.
“Are you crazy? What were you thinking?” I complained as soon as Nico and I walked out of the door. I took my hand away from Nico’s grip. “We’re dating? How did you even come up with such a stupidly crazy plan?”
“Relax, Kyle. I just thought that if we pretend to be dating in front Natalia then it would keep her and my parents from pushing us into a date. Besides, don’t tell me you didn’t like seeing her that mad? It’s like hitting two birds with one stone. Don’t you think?” Nico said in such confidence that I didn’t know whether to call him genius or naïve.
“Well… yeah… but that’s not my point…” I replied. “What would you do if this gets out? You’re in enough scandals as it is….”
“Mmm… so you’re worried about me…” He said and then chuckled.
I blushed a bit, because he was right. “This is no time for jokes, Nico,” I said impatiently.
“Sorry,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t care about the scandals. If this gets out, I’ll take responsibility, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure that you won’t be bothered by reporters and paparazzi,” he said in a guilty tone.
“That’s not what I meant.” I was actually trying to ask him about what he would do with Emily once she heard the news. I was worried that it might pull them apart even more, and that would just make Nico sad, and I don’t want that. I left out a sigh. “Never mind.” I didn’t want to mention Emily to him, since it might just ruin his mood.
“But, I still can’t believe that Natalia did all that…” Nico suddenly said.
“Trust me, she and her family could do much worst,” I replied. “So, what are you going to do, now that you found out the truth?”
“Nothing,” Nico said. “Even if Natalia didn’t get involved, the truth about Emily and I would still end up being revealed, and the result would still be the same. Emily would still choose to end things with me.” There was certain sadness in his voice.
We were both very quiet as we walked on the street looking for a place to eat. I was still a bit pissed off about Nico’s recklessness.
“Kyle…” Nico finally said. “I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I thought it was a good idea, but…”
“Stop apologizing,” I said. “I’m not angry at all.” I then sighed. “I honestly think that you should start doing something about your image. You’re not bad person at all, and everyone needs to know that. You need to show them that, but if you keep acting crazy and reckless, then that will never happen.”
“Kyle…” Nico muttered.
“Yes, I’m worried, alright. I’m not angry, I’m worried,” I finally said. Saying those things was really embarrassing, but I had to say it, or else Nico wouldn’t realize what he was doing wrong. Nico was about to say something, but I interrupted him, because I was afraid that he might say something embarrassing again. “You should really do something about that attitude of yours, you may not care about what other people think about you, but there are people – who care about you – that do.”
“I’m happy!” Nico said as a smile erupted on his face.
“What?” I was confused by his reaction.
“I don’t know why exactly, but I’m really happy that Kyle worries about me,” Nico said with a full smile on his face.
My whole cheeks burned the very moment Nico said those words. “You’re crazy…” I said shyly as I walked ahead of him.
“Kyle, where do you want to eat? I’ll treat you,” Nico said enthusiastically as he caught up to me. I turned my head and saw that he had a proud and smug smile on his face. What’s wrong with him? Why does he seem to be so happy about something like that?
“Anywhere is fine,” I replied.
For one day, many things happened to me. Nico and I got closer, that’s for sure, but I was worried about the lie we made in front of Natalia. I was afraid that Nico would not get the result that he wanted, quite the opposite in fact.
I know Natalia, I know her family, and I know how their evil little minds work.
I’m pretty sure that she will go after Nico even more, now that she thinks Nico and I are dating. She would do it, not just because she likes Nico, but also because it would make me miserable.
By taking Nico away from me, Natalia might be thinking that I would end up miserable, and that I would drown in sorrow in losing him. It’s not a farfetched thing, since we both hate each other to the bones.
I’m sure if Natalia ends up taking Nico, I would see Nico less and less, and that I might even end up losing Nico as friend, that I might not be able to see him anymore.
I…
I… hate that.
I don’t want to lose Nico… as a friend…
We might’ve lied about dating in front of Natalia, but what I feel for him is no lie.
I really do care for him, and I can’t imagine losing him.
In the end, I might really have to fight for him.
[text_hash] => 57649fb9
)