Nicole Jane’s POV
“How are you? It’s been over a week since I last saw you, huh!”
I was taken aback when Mikan suddenly hugged me tightly, almost knocking me over in the grass.
Today is Saturday. We’re here in the school field. Most of the students have left the academy to go for a stroll or go home for a while. So, there are only a few of us here. The others who didn’t leave are just in their respective rooms.
“Let go of me! You’re so clingy all the time.”
She chuckled and released her tight embrace on me. I just gave her a glare.
“You can’t blame me. You were gone for over a week. But is your family problem okay now?” Her face suddenly became worried.
I paused and looked at Kyle. He just nodded at me.
Oh, right. I almost forgot that it was the reason they told our teachers and Mikan why I’ve been gone for so long.
“It’s fine now,” I replied, trying to keep my answer brief to avoid expanding on the lie. It’s also weighing on my conscience because she genuinely seemed concerned. If I could only tell her the truth.
She smiled again. “That’s good to hear.”
I was surprised when she suddenly gasped. “I almost forgot! I have something to give you.” She opened her bag and searched for something.
But after a moment, her forehead furrowed, and she looked up.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, worriedly.
She gave me an apologetic look while biting her lower lip. “I couldn’t find it in my bag. I think I left it because I was in a hurry. I’ll just go back and get it, okay?”
I was about to stop her, but she quickly ran away.
I wondered what that thing was that she wanted to give me so urgently, especially since we see each other every day and almost every moment.
“Babe,” Kyle called me out.
I quickly turned my gaze away when I felt my cheeks heating up. When will I get used to that endearment?
I glanced around. Now I realized that we were the only ones here.
“Babe,” he called again in a husky voice.
I closed my eyes tightly. Was this person trying to seduce me?
I squinted at him with a frown. “What—” My eyes widened when I felt his lips touch mine.
What is this vampire doing, suddenly kissing me out of nowhere!
Couldn’t he just bite me first?
I instinctively pushed my head back at the thought. I feel like I’m becoming a pervert because of this guy!
Before I could even recover from his kiss, I heard a sound that seemed to come from a camera. I automatically moved away from him to see what it was.
But my eyes widened even more when I confirmed that he was holding a camera pointed at us!
“Hey! Delete that!”
He quickly moved it away and lifted it up while I tried to reach for it.
“No way! You look so cute here. Look, your eyes are wide open.” He quickly showed me the photo while grinning.
“Kyle, seriously! That’s a terrible picture of me. Just delete it already.” I exclaimed in frustration, even stomping my foot.
Suddenly, his face turned serious, and I stopped in my tracks. But in a moment, his mischievous smile slowly reappeared.
“You think it’s a bad picture?” he teasingly asked.
I just rolled my eyes.
“Then let’s make it more beautiful and romantic.”
I furrowed my brow in confusion. But before I could ask, he suddenly grabbed my waist and kissed me again!
What the hell? Since when did he become a kissing monster?
I didn’t protest anymore. Truth be told, I really liked the feeling of his lips against mine. It was a perfect fit.
He was about to pull away when I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his even more. I heard another click before we pulled away to catch our breath.
“That’s so...” He paused and looked at me intensely. Love and desire were evident in his eyes.
“Hot. I know,” I finished and winked at him.
He leaned his forehead against mine while smiling. We both closed our eyes, savoring the moment, and intertwined our fingers. These are the kind of moments that are already captured by our hearts and minds. I wish we could always be like this.
“Nicole...”
I blinked and stared at him intently. “What is it?”
He took a deep breath and held my hand tightly. “Let’s get married.”
That made my jaw dropped.
***
Third Person’s POV
FROM a distance, Kira was taken aback and simply stared at Nicole and Kyle.
“It hurts even more when you keep staring.”
Curiously, Kira glanced at Vince, who was sitting beside him. “What do you mean?”
Vince smirked without looking at him. “We both know what I mean, Kira.”
Kira fell silent and looked again at Nicole and Kyle, who were almost in the middle of the school field.
“How did you know?” he asked after minutes of silence.
Vince shrugged. “You know me. I’m observant. I’m not the type to engage in banter or small talk all the time. I prefer to stay quiet and observe what’s happening around me.”
Kira let out a deep sigh. He thought nobody noticed his secret admiration for Nicole, but he had forgotten that Vincent Clarkson was there with him.
“So, you really like Nicole, huh?”
Kira could no longer bear witnessing the affectionate exchange between the two, so he stood up.
“No. I don’t,” Kira clenched his fist. “I don’t like her.” Vince remained silent, waiting for what Kira would say next.
“Because I already love her.”
From the moment Kira first laid eyes on Nicole, he admitted feeling an inexplicable emotion towards her. He thought he would have a chance to confess his feelings to her.
But even the smallest glimmer of hope he held onto disappeared completely when he discovered that Nicole and Kyle already loved each other. Especially when he learned about their past as well.
He immediately fell into deep thought. What is the use if he confesses when he’s already lost from the beginning?
Before Vince could even say something, Kira walked away.
Away from pain together with his broken heart.
VINCENT shook his head, deciding to lie down on the grass before closing his eyes and completely losing sight of Kira. He also knew they weren’t the only ones in that place and heard what they were talking about.
He saw how she hid behind a tree while they were talking.
But he had no plans to interfere or meddle in their personal lives. He just wanted to live a quiet life without worrying about love matters.
But he was sure of one thing. When the time comes for him to love completely, he will make sure there are no complications and no other competitors.
Most importantly, that girl will definitely not a human.
MIKAN ran as fast as she could. She really wanted to show Nicole the friendship keychain she bought. It was the same one hanging on her bag right now.
But she stopped running when she saw Vince and Kira talking seriously on the side. She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but her curiosity urged her to do so.
She hid behind a large tree and listened carefully to their conversation. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt anxious.
“So, you really like Nicole, huh?”
She froze in her place upon hearing those words. It felt like time stood still for a moment. She almost held her breath while waiting for Kira’s response.
“No. I don’t.”
She breathed a sigh of relief because of his response. She was about to walk away since she didn’t want to listen anymore, but she was stopped in her tracks by what he said next.
“I don’t like her...” Kira paused. “Because I already love her.”
For a few minutes, she couldn’t move from where she stood. She was just staring, watching Kira walk away into the distance.
Until an idea suddenly hit her. She no longer cared about his reaction or what he would say to her.
What mattered was making him feel that there was someone like her who was ready to love him and reciprocate the love he would give. Without hesitation, she followed him until they reached the garden area. Kira sat on one of the benches there, gazing into nothingness.
Mikan suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart. The words she heard from him hurt her. But what hurt her even more was seeing him sad and in pain.
What made it even more painful is that her best friend is the reason why he’s being like that.
Ever since she entered Clarkson Academy, the young man immediately caught her attention. With each passing year, her feelings for him grew deeper. So it was a long-held dream that came true when she was able to get closer to him, partly thanks to Nicole.
But now, she realized that she herself will take the initiative to make him fall in love with her, without anyone’s help.
She didn’t know where she found the courage to approach him. All she wants right now is to erase the sadness in his eyes.
“Kira.”
Startled, Kira turned to her. His thoughts were so deep that he didn’t even feel her presence.
“What are you doing here? Nicole is still out there,” he said without enthusiasm, avoiding eye contact.
Mikan tried hard to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall from her eyes since earlier. So, she composed herself before speaking again.
“I didn’t go here to look for her. I’m here for you.”
Kira looked again at her in disbelief. “What? Why?”
Mikan sat beside him, then leaned closer and cupped his face.
Kira couldn’t move immediately. Perhaps he was surprised by what she did. There was also a deep furrow on his forehead as he looked at her, as if he didn’t suddenly recognize her.
“Mikan, what are you doing? Is there a problem?” Kira avoided her gaze, as if feeling uncomfortable.
She didn’t speak because her mind and heart were still debating what she should do.
But in the end, she faced Kira again and quickly kissed him.
REIRI frowned as she continued walking. She was accompanied by Miley and Hiro.
“Come on, Rei! Tell me who the girl I’ll end up with is!” Hiro kept pestering her, but she just glared at him.
“Come on! How many times do I have to tell you that I haven’t seen that kind of thing yet? Besides, why should I care about your future!” she replied.
She couldn’t help but notice Miley’s smile and tilt her head to the side. So, she just pouted. She was sure she would receive another lecture from Miley.
They were walking towards the garden. It was their habit to pick flowers, and Hiro would usually follow them around.
But her eyebrows furrowed when Miley suddenly stopped walking. Her smile gradually disappeared as she stared straight ahead. Out of curiosity, Reiri followed her gaze.
But her mouth hung open on what she saw. Who wouldn’t?
Kira and Mikan were passionately kissing! Right in front of them! They looked so intimate with each other that they didn’t even notice the three of them around.
Reiri immediately looked at Hiro. Concern replaced the irritation she felt towards him.
But his face had a blank expression. He even put his hands in his pockets and turned around without saying a word, as if what he saw meant nothing to him.
Reiri had no choice but to continue gazing at the man she secretly loved.
Yes. She loved Hiro. She was even more certain of her feelings for him now. She could no longer deny it to herself.
Since they were young, she had a secret admiration for him. Even if he did nothing else but tease and play pranks on her.
Truth be told, instead of getting annoyed, she found joy whenever he did those things to her. Because it meant that he noticed her, even in that way.
She thought that Hiro feels the same way, based on his persistent teasing and following her around back then.
But not until Mikan came into the picture.
Right at that moment, she felt like her heart was taken away when he turned his back on her. No one can ever bring it back aside from him.
And she’s willing to wait for him to come back to her again, with his heart already fixed when that time comes.
HIRO doesn’t know where he’s going now. All he wants at that moment is to get away from that place.
He knows he has no right. But he still can’t help feeling jealous.
They’re in their junior year when he first noticed Mikan. She’s always alone and doesn’t talk to anyone else. It’s as if she has her own world.
She’s the only girl who seems unaffected by his presence apart from the two princesses. He’s known for being a playboy. He’s used to quickly winning over the girls he likes.
But not Mikan.
There’s a reason why she always ends up in a precarious situation, and he suddenly appears to help, or save her.
What Mikan doesn’t know is that he has planned everything that’s happening to her. He did everything just to get her attention.
But it still has no effect. She still avoids him. Maybe because he is one of the royalties admired in their school.
He’s never been that pathetic in his whole life. He never thought he would become like this because of a human.
But it hurts that until now, everything is still meaningless to the girl he loves. She still only sees him as a friend.
He smiled bitterly. It’s painful for him to think that the girl he loved seems to have no hope left of being with him.
“Should I still fight, or just let go of her?” he asked himself the moment he looked up at the sky.
MILEY clenched her fist. She felt her chest tighten, but she forced herself to speak.
“Reiri, I’m going back to the mansion. There’s something else I need to do.”
Miley didn’t wait for Reiri’s response. She didn’t know why she had been staring blankly for that long and hurriedly went back to the mansion. She went straight to her room and slumped onto the bed.
Suddenly, tears fell from her eyes. She wiped them several times, but it seemed they wouldn’t stop flowing, as if they had been pent-up for a long time.
“What the hell? Why won’t you stop? What are you crying about?” she shouted loudly while continuing to cry.
She couldn’t understand the purpose of her tears and why her chest suddenly felt tight.
Why she was hurt seeing Kira and Mikan kissing.
“Why do you let it affect you? What are you to him? He only sees you as a sibling!” she continued talking to herself.
Miley and Kira have been so close to each other ever since the day they first met. He treats her like a younger sister, and she treats him like an older brother.
But everything changed in these past few months. Because of the sudden beating of her heart for him.
“Kira, can’t it be me instead?” she continued speaking as if he could hear her pleas. As if she could get an answer from him.
Until the words she didn’t expect to feel for him came out of her mouth.
“Because I love you.”
A heavy rain poured, the same time her tears fell again. It seemed as if the sky was sympathizing with the pain that all of them were experiencing.