Secret Diaries (Heartlake Cliche #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

     He waved to Vivian as Rachelle signaled to her mother that she was going to leave with Nick. Vivian nodded with a smile and a wave of her own and then motioned for Bettina to join her. Once they were walking towards Vivian’s car, Nick sauntered to the passenger’s side of the car to open the door for Rachelle. She went in and soon, they were driving along Heartlake Drive.

     “So, where exactly do you want to talk? A restaurant, café or Central Park?” Nick asked Rachelle without looking away from the road.

     She pursed her lips in thought. No, not anywhere with too much people. “Let’s go to Central Park.”

     “Sure,” Nick nodded.

     They walked slowly towards their favorite spot after Nick parked his car in a space provided near the park’s gates. Silence surrounded them and Rachelle knew that Nick had already suspected that their conversation was bound to become serious. He didn’t try to start the conversation, however.

      “The results for Kinston Univ’s entrance exam had been released this morning, right?” Rachelle began. Better to talk about something light for a while.

     “Yeah.” He gave her his rediscovered lopsided grin. “I got in. Major in Business Management.”

     Rachelle turned her head towards him and smiled. “That’s great! But then, I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve got the brains.”

     “Hmph,” he mocked good-naturedly. “Not quite a brain similar to Matt’s.”

     She snorted as she replied, “No one has a brain similar to Matt’s. He’s from a totally different planet, I swear.”

     Both of them laughed at how different her brother was from most people. They continued chatting about Matt until silence finally dawned on them. A few meters away from their bench, Nick apparently decided to get down to business when he asked, “So what exactly do you want to tell me, Rach?” A frown crossed his face, his blue eyes cold and distant. He apparently expected her to say something discouraging.

     “Hm?” she dallied. “Well, I just…” She stopped in her tracks, forcing Nick to come to a halt and turn back to her. “Uhm, I got a scholarship.”       

     He raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised at what she said. Not for the reasons she thought however. “That’s it?” When she nodded, he released a loud sigh of relief. “To be honest, I thought you were going to say you met someone else.”

     “What?” she replied, her expression aghast. “That’s impossible.”

     “Why?” His voice had gone deep and husky, as if he was scared of what she would answer.

     “Because,” she started walking again, “well, after all that’s happened, I don’t think I’d notice anyone—if there is.” She paused. “Besides...”

     “Besides what?”

     They reached their bench and she sat, staring at the lake. “Besides,” her heart began drumming furiously against her chest, “I already have you.” His head snapped to her direction in surprise. If she had the courage to admit it, she would have said she herself was astounded. She really didn’t expect it to be so easy to say those words right at his face. A shy smile formed around her lips. “You’re here. I really don’t think I need to meet anyone else.”

     She saw him try to stifle a chuckle before he sat down beside her. “Does that mean what I think it is?”

     Rachelle sighed. “The thing is, Nick, I honestly don’t know.”