Twisting Destiny

Chapter 71

"Andrew, you really surprised me! I did not expect that you would be back today."

"That is my intention. And besides, I already told you that I'm going to have a vacation here in our city for a few weeks, right?"

"You should have told us your schedule so Keith and I can fetch you at the airport."

"You are missing the point here, Rhianne. If I told you my flight schedule, then my surprise would be a total failure."

"Hmm, alright. You win now."

"That's more like it, Little Auntie Rhianne."

"Hey!"

Rhianne is really happy to see Andrew again. It has been a long time since they saw each other like this. Although they always communicate through video calls, emails, and voice calls, nothing can still beat seeing your friend up close like this. To her happiness, Rhianne can't help but give Andrew another hug.

"I really miss you, Andrew!" Rhianne said with a smile.

"Well, this is nice. I feel so welcome now." Andrew joked as he returned her hug. "And yes. I miss you too, Rhianne."

After their sweet reunion, Rhianne gives Andrew a good look. She finally realized that a lot of things have changed. First, Andrew's skin is now tan and he also developed a few muscles on his body. He also grew up taller than the last time she saw him.

"I think I should say this before your bodyguard can see us." Andrew said with a smile. "You become more beautiful, Rhianne."

Rhianne laughs when she hears that.

Rhianne is already a beautiful girl when they were still young. But her beauty becomes more prominent after she grows up. She now looks like a beautiful life-sized doll. Not only that, but Rhianne becomes brighter than before.

"That is also the same with you, Andrew. You look different and more handsome now."

"Oh? More handsome than Keith?"

"Sorry, Andrew. But I'm a bit biased now."

Andrew snickered because of her answer.

"You surely let me down, Rhianne. You should be at least honest that I'm more attractive than your suitor."

Rhianne shakes her head and smiles at him. It is true that Andrew becomes more handsome than before. She did not actually expect being tan suits him a lot. If Andrew is gonna tell her that he is now a model, Rhianne will not hesitate to believe his words.

"Oh, right!"

Rhianne turns around and sees Candice standing behind them. She is not saying anything and just watching their happy reunion quietly. Rhianne holds Candice's hands and apologizes for ignoring her. After that, Rhianne brings her dear friend in front of Andrew.

"Andrew, she's the girl I am talking about the other day. She's Candice Dy, my new best friend."

Rhianne also introduces Candice to Andrew.

"Candice, he is Keith's best friend. His name is Andrew Gartin."

Candice and Andrew look at each other before offering their hands for a handshake.

"So you are the one that Keith was talking about the other day." Andrew said with a smile.

"Let me guess. He complained that I have been too close with Rhianne ever since we met." Candice replied with a frown.

"Hmm. You guessed it right."

Candice can only let out a huff because of it. After their introduction, Andrew looks at Rhianne again. His gaze stays on her for a moment before a smile appears on his face.

"No wonder that guy is so anxious for the past month. You indeed become more beautiful." Andrew commented.

"What are you saying now?" Rhianne asked while shaking her head. "Anyway, we should inform Keith that—"

"Rhia!"

When they turn their heads, they all see Keith running toward them. When he arrives, Keith stops in front of Andrew and looks him in the eyes. Soon, Andrew steps backward and raises his both hands in the air.

"Chill. I am not trying to steal anything." Andrew jokingly said.

"As if you can steal something here." Keith confidently replied.

"Oh, wow. Your seed-like shaped confidence has turned into a huge watermelon in just a few days. And you are now acting as if you didn't bother me for several nights just to—Hmph!"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess I miss you too. Here, you should have a taste of this bread that I bought in our cafeteria. Delicious, right?"

It all happened in a flash. While Andrew was speaking, Keith was already removing the packaging on the bread that Hansel gave to him earlier. Then he put the bread in Andrew's mouth and stopped him from saying more in front of Rhianne. This should be done to those people who don't know when to stop talking when needed.

Andrew was talking about the days Keith disturbed him through video calls just to share all the excitement and happiness he felt for the past few days. Keith doesn't care if Andrew was sleepy on the other line. He was too focused on telling all the things that happened to him, especially on their date. But of course, it is something that should not be discussed in front of Rhianne.

Andrew glares at Keith but he ignores him. Instead, he turns around to look at Rhianne who is watching them in silence. With a smile, Keith approaches Rhianne and gives her the chocolate he bought before looking at her.

"This is for you." Keith said. "Are you done with your classes?"

"Hmm. What about you? Did you do well on your exams?" Rhianne asked.

"Of course. Though I'm not sure about the questionnaires at the back. I think I will only get a passing grade today."

"That's not true! You are the most intelligent person I've ever known! You are even my tutor in Mathematics. I am pretty sure you are going to be the top student in your class again."

"Really?"

"Yes! Believe me."

"Hmm, alright. I will believe those words because you're the one who said them."

"Oh, you."

"..."

While these two are flirting openly with each other, Candice quietly moves beside Andrew who is busy chewing the bread that Keith stuffed inside his mouth a while ago.

"You should get used to it." Candice said. "Well, you will be seeing a lot of that stuff during your stay here."

"Don't worry. I am already expecting it." Andrew replied before he chuckled. "After all, Keith suffered a lot for the past few years when Rhianne still hadn't noticed his intentions to court her."

"...Oh."

Well, Candice cannot say anything to defend her best friend. Rhianne is just too dense and oblivious when it comes to romance. It is already a miracle that Rhianne finally becomes aware of Keith's feelings toward her.

"He probably had it hard, huh? I mean, Keith dealing with Rhianne every day."

"Of course. There were times when Keith will feel frustrated about it. But what can he do? The woman he fell in love with is naturally like that. I actually want to congratulate him for making Rhianne realize his feelings for her."

"Oh, poor Keith. He suffered a lot."

"At least he is now enjoying the fruits of his efforts and hardships, right?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

It took him years before Rhianne finally realized his true feelings for her. And what is more surprising is Rhianne reciprocating his feelings. With this fortunate turn of events, they are pretty sure Keith will never let this rare opportunity go.

"Maybe we should go—"

"Rhianne!"

Turning around, they can see Donna running towards Rhianne. But she stops a few steps after noticing that Keith is standing next to her. With him around, she cannot easily approach Rhianne and ask her about something. Putting a smile on her face, Donna gives Rhianne a folder.

"Here are the location details that I made last night. I already booked it this weekend so we can start filming our project." Donna said.

Rhianne accepts the documents and checks their content. Soon, she nods her head in approval. After that, Rhianne looks at Donna with a smile on her face.

"Thank you for your help, Donna. This is a huge help for our project."

"It's nothing. That is for our project after all—"

Donna suddenly stops talking when her eyes see the other people behind them. Rhianne quickly noticed her abnormalities so she turned around to see what Donna was looking at. And there, she noticed that Donna is looking at Andrew with a surprised look on her face.