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For the second time in my life, I was kissing Nico, and it was sweeter and more magical than the first. The taste of that sweetest honey I’ve tasted the first time returned, and it was even sweeter, even more tempting than before.
It was much more special as well, because that time, the kiss wasn’t stolen and it was Nico who kissed me first.
The kiss started innocently. Nico’s lips were touching mine as his hands were both on my cheeks. It was a sweet and tender kiss, but after only a few seconds, Nico initiated a more passionate kiss. His lips parted mine and started kissing me with vigor and passion. It was the first time I have ever kissed someone like that. The sensation was intoxicating, addicting.
At first I was shocked, I didn’t know what to do, how to react. That was the first time I that I kissed anyone like that, and honestly I was nervous, I was afraid that I might disappoint him, but still I let my passion take over me.
I kissed him back.
I kissed him passionately.
I kissed him with all my heart.
My mind went blank, and my heart went haywire. I’ve never been happier in my life. I put my hands on Nico’s back and clutched onto his coat as his hands traveled to the back of my head. Nico started to comb my hair with his fingertips as his kiss got deeper and stronger.
The heat and passion of the moment made it hard for me to breath. It was a new sensation for me. A sensation that I wouldn’t have a hard time getting used to.
My whole body felt hot and my knees were getting weaker. If I wasn’t leaning on the wall and clutching onto Nico’s coat, then I would’ve fallen on my knees already. Nico continued on kissing me, and while I was starting to be out of breath, Nico seemed to be fine.
He has a lot of experience. I thought. It might be petty, it might be childish, but I felt kind of disappointed about that, no, it must be jealousy.
The kiss was long and I thought that it would never end. I’m not complaining, it felt really great, but the longer we kiss, the weaker my whole body gets. My inside was burning as well. Finally, Nico moved away. He put his hands on my shoulders and stared straight in my eyes, and then he smiled at me. The smile was beautiful, even more beautiful than the usual smiles he constantly gives me.
“Drew, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Nico asked worriedly, and that’s when I realized that I was on the verge of tears. Not only that, my whole body felt really hot. I wouldn’t be surprised if my face was burning red at that moment.
“Everything is fine, no, more than fine.” I told Nico as I smiled at him and the tears on my eyes finally started falling. “I’m sorry.” I said as I wiped my tears away. “I’m just too happy.”
When I said that, I saw Nico blush for the very first time. His cheeks were bright red, but unlike me, he didn’t try to hide it, but instead he flaunted it proudly and smiled at me. “Me too…” He said as he pulled for a tight hug.
The sudden turn of events was very overwhelming for me as it is. I never imagined that it was possible for Nico to like me back, but it happened, and I couldn’t be happier. I wanted to shout or even jump for joy, but Nico’s passionate kiss left me with very little energy.
We were still locked in an embrace, and I was savoring every moment of it, when suddenly his mobile phone rang. Nico moved slightly away and then answered his phone. “Right, yeah. I’m sorry, I’ll be there.” Nico said. “It’s Mom, she’s looking for us, the party is about to start.” Nico said and then sighed. “We should probably go.” Nico said and then pressed a button on the elevator.
The door opened and Nico walked out, but I stayed inside.
“Drew… what’s wrong?” Nico said as he looked at me.
“You go on ahead, I don’t think I can come.” I said with a wry smile. I saw the look on Nico’s face and it made me feel really guilty. “I just don’t think I can handle meeting my Dad right now.”
Nico then reached out his hand and then smiled warmly at me. “I’ll be there if that happens. I know it’s hard for you, but right now I want to be with you as much as possible, so please, let’s go together.”
“Nico…” I said hesitantly. “I don’t think…”
“It wouldn’t be the same without you. I wouldn’t get to enjoy the party because all that I would be able to do is to worry about you, if you are feeling alright, if you’re safe.” Nico said. “Drew, I’ll do everything I can to make sure your Dad doesn’t see you at the party, just please, come with me.” Nico said almost pleadingly. “If you don’t come, then I won’t go as well.” He added.
“That’s unfair.” I complained. Nico then chuckled. “You better do a good job of keeping Dad and I apart then.” I said as I walked out of the elevator and walked passed Nico.
“What are you doing?” Nico asked in quite a childishly and sulkily tone.
“Going to the party?” I replied. I was totally confused, I had no idea why Nico was sulking like that. “Why?”
“Hey, didn’t you see me reaching my hand out for you? You should’ve taken it, but you just totally ignored it.” He complained.
“Ahhh…” I said, realizing what he was on about. Seeing Nico act like that was quite amusing, honestly.
“Ahh…” Nico repeated mockingly. “Really, what would I do with you?” Nico said and then took my hand and then held it tight. “Let’s go.” He said and then smiled at me.
I held Nico’s hand back, as tightly as I could. I still can’t believe everything that was happening, it felt so surreal, it felt like no more than a dream. Our fingers were intertwined as we walked towards the party hall. My heart was beating so fast, skipping every now and then.
We let go of each other’s hand before we entered the hall. We didn’t want to draw any attention, and besides, I wasn’t quite ready to go public about us. As soon as we let go of each other’s hand, Nico put his arms around my shoulders. “You didn’t think I would just let go of you like that, did you?” Nico said with a smile. “Now that I have you, there’s no way that I would let you go.” He added. Then Nico whispered to my ears. “You’re mine.” And that made my heart explode.
“There you are!” Rose Bellard said when she saw us by the entrance of the hall. “I’ve been looking all over for the two of you, especially you, Nico.” She said. “Where have you two been?”
“I’m sorry.” I said. “I wasn’t feeling too well so Nico brought me to the clinic.” I lied. It’s the best excuse I could think of, at that given moment.
Nico looked at me, he was surprised, I could tell. He must be really surprised that I could make up a lie that easily and casually. It’s not like I have a talent in lying, I just am good at making stories.
“Is that so?” Rose said worriedly. “Are you alright?” Nico’s mother is really kind. Every time I would visit Nico at their house, she would take extra care of me. She likes baking, so she would feed me with sweets she baked every time. I never feel out of place in Nico’s home because of her.
“I’m alright now.” I said with a smile. “Nico took extra good care of me.” I said and then smiled meaningfully at Nico.
“I have some chocolate, it would help you feel a lot better. Do you want some?” She offered with a bright smile. That smile was very familiar, it’s the same one that Nico usually has.
“Did you make them?” I asked with a smile.
“Of course.” She said.
“I couldn’t pass on that.” I replied. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked as I looked at Nico. He was giving me that curious look.
“You really get along with my Mom. That’s really good.” He said as we followed his Mom to their table.
“Well, she’s really nice, she treats me really well, and she gives me lots of delicious sweets.”
Nico chuckled and then pulled me closer to him. “I wish your Mom would like me too.” He said.
“Why don’t you come over and we’ll see. She’s a bit over protective, so I think you two would get along well.” I said and then smiled at him.
“Ohhh… That sounds good. Will you let me in your room? There’s a lot of things I want to see. Just thinking about it is making me excited.” Nico said with a very meaningful smile. I blushed at his question and Nico chuckled at the sight. “Your embarrassed expression is the best. It’s really cute.” He teased.
The whole hall was filled with business partners, family friends, guests, and employees alike. It had a very vibrant and lively atmosphere, it was very different from what I imagined. I thought that the event would be filled with snobbish and high maintenance people, but as it turned out to be, that party was mostly to celebrate the company and its employees, so the atmosphere was really light.
Evan and Levi, Nico’s friends whose both on my gym class, was there as well. I was really glad about that, because if not for them, I would’ve died of boredom. Nico was with his family majority of the time, his Dad was practically showing him off to everyone in that hall. I could see how proud Anthony Bellard is of Nico, and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous of that.
“How about her? What score?” Evan asked, looking at a woman in her early twenties.
“Seven, definitely seven.” Levi replied as he took a sip of his drink.
“Seven? Hey, are you already drunk? How can you just give her a seven? She’s definitely an eight or nine.” Evan argued.
“Tsk… tsk… I think your standards are getting lower these days…” Levi replied as he shook his head.
Hearing them argue about such trivial matter was really interesting. Well, I don’t really get what’s so interesting in giving girls scores based on their looks, but Evan and Levi’s seriousness about the matter was really amusing.
The duo, I found out, are both Nico’s childhood friends. They’re both nice and friendly, and I didn’t have any trouble in getting lose to them. They’re fun to be with, and compared to Perry’s craziness, they’re both a little mellow.
“What do you think, Kyle, is she a seven or not?” Levi suddenly asked me.
I looked at the woman they were talking about, and she’s quite pretty, but not really that gorgeous. “Five.” I said bluntly. Well, I do have a high standard.
“What?!” They both reacted.
“Just five?” Evan asked and then laughed.
“Yes. Well, at most, I can give her a six.” I added.
“Wait a minute, isn’t that way too low?” Evan argued.
“She’s pretty, but the way she moves, lacks finesse. And look, she just shoed away that guy who tried to talk to her.” I explained.
Both Evan and Levi laughed at me. “You sound exactly the opposite of Nico. That dude only cares for looks, you know.” Evan said.
“And body curves.” Levi added and they both laughed again.
“I see…” I said as I looked at Nico’s direction sharply. What a playboy. To my surprised, Nico suddenly turned his head towards my direction.
“Ohhh… what a beauty. She’s a ten for me.” Evan said.
“Wow…! I agree!” Levi said. “And she’s a total lady too. What about you Kyle, what do you think?” I looked at the girl they were talking, and my forehead instantly furrowed. “So, isn’t she a princess?”
More like an evil step-sister. “Not really.” I said as I looked at Natalia Robinsons, Sylvia Robinsons’ daughter, my Dad’s new step-daughter. “I’ll give her a 3, and that’s being really generous.” I said with all the resentment in my heart.
No matter how beautiful she might be, I would never forget how she, with her witch of a mother, barged in and insulted my Mom.
“Ohhh… what’s this? Why do I get the feeling that you know her?” Levi said.
“Yes, it sounds like you have a history with her.” Evan added.
The tone of their voices made it pretty clear that they were teasing me. I shook my head at them and then chuckled a bit. If they knew, at that moment, what my relationship with Natalia really is, I wonder if they would even dare think that I even once liked her.
“What’s going here? It seems like you three are having fun.” Suddenly Nico appeared and then placed his arm around my shoulders.
“Good, you’re here.” Levi said. “We were just talking about that girl.” He said and then pointed at Natalia.
“What about her?” Nico asked.
“Come on dude, give her a score.” Evan prodded.
“Yeah, Nico, give her a score.” I said in slightly threatening tone as I looked at Nico sharply.
“Ha… ha… ha…” Nico laughed awkwardly as he looked at me. He had that worried and nervous expression on his face. Nico then cleared his throat. “What about you, what score did you give her?” He asked as he avoided my sharp stare.
“We both gave her a ten.” Levi said, he then looked at me and then chuckled. “But… Kyle gave her a measly three.”
“Three?” Nico looked at me. “How low…” He said and then chuckled with Evan and Levi.
“Why do you think it’s too low? What score would you give her then?” I insisted. It’s not really usual for me to be fixated on something, but the mere thought of Nico thinking that Natalia Robinsons is a beautiful woman is really making my blood boil. I hate the simple thought of it. I’m biased, I know.
“Well…” Nico said carefully. He was about to say ten, but then I shot him a very angry look. “Eight, I guess.” He changed his answer quickly.
“Tsk…” I said impatiently. “Unbelievable.” I might be being really childish, but the mere fact that Nico gave that girl an eight – hell he even wanted to give her a perfect ten – made my blood boil in irritation. I moved Nico’s arm away from my shoulders, “I’m going to get something to eat.” I said and then walked away.
How can he even think that that woman is beautiful? Unacceptable. After kissing me like that, how can he do that? Wait… why am I acting all so jealous all of a sudden? It’s not like we own each other, so… This is dangerous… Nico is really messing up my mind.
“Drew…” Nico called as I was on my way to the buffet corner.
“What?” I replied as he walked beside me.
“Are you angry?”
“Not really.” I replied in a slightly sarcastic tone.
“You are angry…” Nico sighed. I was already putting small amount of food on my plate when Nico spoke again. “Might it be that… you’re jealous?”
I suddenly froze. How can he read me all too easily? Wait, it’s not like that. I got irritated because he gave Natalia a high score. Natalia, the evil daughter of the witch my Dad married. I wouldn’t feel this irritated if he gave any other woman that high score, I’m not that petty and immature. “Ha?! What are you talking about? Why would I be jealous?” I denied hardly.
“Because I gave that girl a high score, I was thinking that…” Nico said. “Am I wrong?”
“I’m not that childish, you know. Look, I’m not angry, I’m just upset.” I said.
“That’s the same thing.” Nico argued.
“No, anger is a much stronger feeling. Being upset is something you can easily get over with, much unlike anger.”
Nico sighed. “So, why are you upset with me then?”
I stopped putting food on my plate and then turned to Nico. “Do you even know what that girl is?” I asked him seriously.
“Not exactly. Why?” He sounded very clueless.
“Her name is Natalia Robinsons, the daughter of my Dad’s new wife. I know her all too well, and a three is very generous for someone like her.” I said in a very firm manner.
“I have no idea…I’m sorry…” Nico said. That was it, Nico just apologized, without even asking why giving Natalia a high score made me upset. Because of that, of his understanding and kindness, I was starting to fall even deeper in love with him, but there’s no way that I could tell him yet that what I feel for him was something deeper than liking someone.
There is a big difference between liking and loving.
You can stop liking someone easily.
But to stop loving someone, you’ll have to move mountains.
Not entirely impossible, but very difficult to do.
“You really have no idea?” I asked. “You’ve been going around the hall greeting your guests, I presume that you would’ve met your father’s new business partner’s family by now.” I said sarcastically.
“Don’t you believe me? I really had no idea. I had the chance to meet your Dad and Sylvia when I was going around with my Dad, but Natalia wasn’t with them.” He explained. “Believe me, I really had no idea.” He added pleadingly.
“Her mother already took a man in my life away from me.” I suddenly said in a more calm and yet serious tone. “I just don’t want her daughter to do the same.” You can say that I’m being a bit paranoid, but I was really worried that Nico might get attracted to Natalia. I was really afraid of that. “I was just worried that I might lose you to her.” Is it too early for me to say those things?
Nico’s eyes widened, he looked surprised, and then, he smiled. “If only we’re not inside this crowded hall, then I would hug you and kiss until that thought escapes your mind. There’s no way that I would choose anyone over you, not a chance.” He said and then touched the side of my shoulder and caressed it gently.
That night was really fun, Nico was busy talking with the guest for a while, but after that, he was all mine. He made the boring parts more bearable. He also kept his promise to me, that night I never did once crossed path with Dad or the Robinsons. Apparently, it was an easy task, since there were a lot of guests inside that huge hall.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Nico asked as he was driving me home.
“Yeah, thanks to you.” I replied with a smile. Nico moved his hand away from the gear stick and was about to hold mine when my phone suddenly rang. “Brent?” I murmured when I saw Brent’s name on my phone screen. It was a video call.
“Dude!” Brent’ face appeared on my phone screen. “Where are you?”
“On my way home. Why?”
“You have to see this!” He said excitedly and then turned his phone to show me my lake.
The lake was really beautiful, and seeing it on video made me want to be there as well. There was something different about the lake, though, it was really calm, an unnerving kind of calm. I swam there all the time before, and it was the first time for me to see it like that; the surface was so calm and still, the water was not moving at all. What made it even eerier was the way it reflected the full moon. The full moon was reflected on the lake so perfectly, there were no ripples, no abnormalities; it was like the surface of the lake was perfect mirror.
Brent then focused on the reflection of the moon. “Look closely, isn’t that creepy?” Brent said, and I saw what he was talking about. The moon was glowing on the surface of the lake, it was not a mere reflection, but something very different. It was like the light was coming from under the lake itself.
“Brent…” I said seriously. “Are you planning on swimming tonight?” I asked.
“Do you even have to ask that? With the lake this beautiful, of course I am going to swim.” Brent said excitedly as he turned the camera back to his face.
“I don’t think it’s such a good idea. I just feel like something wrong is going to happen. Don’t go near the lake, it’s dangerous.”
“Ehh? Why? What made you say that?” Brent complained curiously.
I couldn’t say it out loud, but I felt like I’ve seen the lake like that before. There was something about it, as well, that was telling me that something bad is bound to happen if Brent swims that night.
“Just a hunch.” I replied.
“You’re being paranoid. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to swim alone.” He said and then turned the phone around once again. “Look, there’s some guys going for a swim as well.”
The screen pf my phone showed a group of guys getting ready to swim. Three boys raced to the lake, they jumped in and disturbed the calmness and stillness of the lake. One boy swam in the middle of the lake, right into the reflection of the moon. When that boy reached the middle of the reflection, something unimaginable happened.
The rim of the reflection lit up brighter, and the light started to circle around the reflection. The boy in the middle moved, he tried swimming away, but in a matter of seconds, the boy was gone. I saw it with my own eyes, the boy was sucked by the lake. Things happened so fast, it was like he fell right into a hole. Then the light disappeared, and the lake returned to normal, and once again the reflection of the moon became murky.
I froze on my seat, holding my phone. Brent dropped it and all I could hear were panic on the other end. I had no idea back then, but things were already set in motion for me. The moment Nico kissed me was not my happy ending, not just yet, it was only the beginning.
That night, the fight for love finally begins.
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