Chapter 1897


    The cafeteria erupted in a low buzz of shock.


    It wasn''t that anyone was surprised to see Boyd and Yasmine together. It was the sheer audacity of


    their public disy of affection that was so jarring.


    The guy still clutching a bouquet of roses stood frozen, clueless on how to proceed. Even a polite


    rejection from Yasmine would have been better, but this was a p to his pride. Gritting his teeth, he


    threw the roses to the ground, cursed under his breath, and stormed off.


    As Boyd''s lips met hers, Yasmine''s mind went nk. She breathed in his scent, her pupils dting


    slowly until, with a jolt of returning consciousness, she recoiled and pushed him away.


    Boyd seemed to anticipate her next move and allowed her hand to meet his shoulder before he


    caught it, cing it over his heart, his grip on her waist tightening.


    He took his advantage with her lips, then released her just before she exploded. "He''s gone," he


    said immediately, not giving Yasmine a chance to speak.d2


    Without looking, she knew what the scene around them must be. The solution was clever, indeed.


    Yasmine nced at Serana sitting beside her, who looked just as shocked as everyone else. With a


    forced smile, she pushed Boyd back slightly, "You sure have a knack for drawing fire my way."


    The corners of Boyd''s lips turned up as he admired her now-flushed lips, "You''re capable enough.


    Who are you afraid of?"


    Yasmine shot him a cold re, "You''re not helping me solve problems."


    Boyd followed her gaze to Serana, then back to her, "I think you might be misunderstanding


    something about me."


    Yasmine looked around. The onlookers dispersed. "Your method worked, but I don''t think it was a


    spur-of-the-moment idea. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn''t have needed your help."


    Boyd''s brow twitched, "That''s why I didn''t tell you."


    Sitting across from Serana, Yasmine ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "All things considered, it


    wasn''t a bad oue."


    Photos of their cafeteria kiss exploded on the campus forum. There were variousments, but


    Yasmine couldn''t care less. Such words were selective. If she didn''t want to see them, they wouldn''t


    affect her. Much better than dealing with someone constantly trying to grab her attention.


    Their rtionship resumed its usual pattern, but after the cafeteria incident, everyone saw them as


    a couple, albeit a strangely subdued one. They had been assumed to be together all along, but their


    kiss had shocked everyone as much as a public love scene. It was such a rarity.


    Yasmine''s aloof beauty made it hard to imagine her with a man. Boyd, with his perennially


    indifferent face, didn''t seem the type to be interested in women either. Their pairing was both


    expected and utterly bewildering. Their subdued interaction now seemed par for the course.


    Curious, Derek once asked Yasmine what she was thinking, only to receive a nonchnt reply


    about the convenience of the situation.


    Derek shook his head at her attitude. This woman was indeed the type to drive men crazy. With a


    sharp mind, but such low emotional intelligence, wasn''t that a shame?


    "Aren''t you interested in love? With things so ambiguous with him, aren''t you afraid of missing out


    on the real deal?"


    Yasmine flipped a page in her book, not looking up, and took a bite of her apple. "If it slips away,


    can it be called fate?"


    "What about Boyd?"


    She paused, chewing her apple, then nodded thoughtfully, "Good point."


    Confused, Derek asked, "What''s good?"


    She didn''t answer.


    The next day at school, her first words to Boyd were, "Let''s break up." She didn''t bother to hide it. In


    fact, she wanted to make it public.


    The reactions around them mirrored the day they confirmed their rtionship in the cafeteria.


    Boyd hadn''t expected this move. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Why bring this up all of a sudden?"


    Yasmine spoke frankly, "I shouldn''t block your path to true love. If I cause you to miss it, it would be


    a loss, wouldn''t it?"


    Boyd scoffed, "Yasmine, have you considered how long we''ve been ''together''?"


    She pondered briefly and replied, "Three years." As she spoke, an ufortable feeling settled in


    her chest.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Three years they had been ''together.''


    "Three years. Do you think my so-called true love has been waiting out these years, avoiding an


    appearance? I doubt she''s thatpliant."


    "Maybe she is thatpliant. If we''ve been together this long, it means she hasn''t shown up. If she


    had, we probably would have split by now."


    Boyd''s anger rose, "So there''s no need to feel burdened. As you said, if we are still together, she


    hasn''t appeared, and there''s no need to make meaningless decisions for someone unknown."


    Yasmine frowned, "Boyd, that''s rather unfair to her. As friends, we should want the best for each


    other, not influence..."


    "Friends?" Boyd cut her off sharply, "Is that all I''ve been to you these three years?"


    Yasmine was taken aback by the icy look in his eyes, then found it ludicrous. "Am I deluding


    myself? Wasn''t it you who suggested we help each other?"


    He stared at her for a long moment before chuckling coldly."Look, you''re not wrong. We are, indeed,


    friends who help each other out,"


    Yasmine agreed with a nod."Uh-huh. So from now on..."


    "I''ve said it before, destiny will part us when it''s time. Right now, it''s not that time."


    Yasmine furrowed her brows, a little exasperated. "So, basically, everything I just said was a bunch


    of hot air?"


    Boyd couldn''t be bothered to borate further. "Not exactly."


    "So what''s the verdict?"


    "That I still need a little help from you, my friend. Romance isn''t on my to-do list at the moment."


    Yasmine paused, her smile tinged with disbelief. "Great, so I have to wait until you find ''the one''


    before getting dumped, right?"


    "There''s no such thing as dumping between us," Boyd stated inly.


    Talking to this man was like running a marathon—exhausting and endless. Yasmine frowned,


    "Whatever you say."


    She turned to leave but Boyd''s hand reached out, gripping her arm. She turned back, clearly


    annoyed. "What now?"


    Boyd looked at her, silent for a long moment. "Yasmine, in these three years, have you ever thought


    about what it would be like if we were actually together?"


    Without hesitation, her smile broadened. "Nope, never crossed my mind."


    At her words, Boyd''s grip on her wrist ckened slightly.


    Something in Yasmine''s heart sank, a weight settling in her chest. "Anything else?"


    Boyd shook his head, slowly letting go. "Nothing more."


    --


    The rumor mill at the university was aze with talk of Yasmine and Boyd''s supposed breakup, but


    after what seemed like a heated debate, they didn''t split.


    The pair were enigmatic figures on campus, their actions a subject of endless spection.


    Their peculiar style of dating, even the way they handled breakup rumors, was like two debaters


    coolly negotiating their way back into status quo, as if nothing ever happened. Their love life


    remained as tepid as ever, devoid of the fiery passion most couples exuded.


    "Three years, and them holding hands can make the news for days. Kissing? That''d be a miracle,"


    one studentmented.


    "What a waste. Yasmine''s the ice queen of Summit Ridge University. So many guys would kill to be


    with her. Is Boyd even into her? Three years and probably hasn''t done anything with her."


    "Sigh, I guess I''m just out of touch with modern romance."


    The guys buzzed with a mix of admiration and frustration. Having a beauty like Yasmine at arm''s


    reach and not making a move was, in their eyes, unforgivable.


    These grumblings came in droves, some of which managed to reach Boyd''s ears.


    The consensus among them was clear: Boyd was a coward. He''d won her over, carried the title of


    boyfriend for three years, and yet, he hadn''t managed to warm her heart. Even a hint of wavering


    would have been something, but today''s deration of not breaking up under the guise of


    "friendship" was thest straw.


    Yeah, he was a coward. He was afraid that crossing a line might mean losing even their friendship.


    And now, three years into this cautious charade, Boyd was starting to realize his mistake.


    Serana watched as Boyd downed drink after drink, as if he were a desperate traveler quenching his


    thirst in a desert, and finally mustered the courage to snatch the ss from his hand. "Boyd, you


    shouldn’t drink so much."


    He nced at her, his eyes bloodshot, cold as ice-tipped arrows that sent a shiver down her spine.


    The ss she''d taken was back in his hand in an instant.


    Serana bit her lip, her eyes welling up as she watched him silently. "You didn''t break up, right? Isn''t


    it fine to continue like this? Why are you like this today?"


    "It''s not fine."


    Even drunk, Boyd remained poised, a picture of elegance perched on the bar stool. He swallowed


    another drink, the crystal ss chiming crisply as he set it down.


    "Because we''re friends, we didn''t break up."


    He scoffed at the irony of his words. Because they were friends, they didn''t break up.


    "Why is it not okay today when it has been for years?"


    "Because my expectations fell t. I never got the response I wanted, not a hint in three years."


    "Why didn''t you just be honest with her from the start?"


    "Honest?" He looked at Serana, a wry smile on his lips. "Do you think she would have epted my


    honesty then?"


    Serana knew the answer but said nothing.


    Boyd''s ss filled again, the liquid catching the light. Hisugh was tinged with bitterness. "I had


    hiddem motives from the start. Knowing she wouldn''t ept me, I figured I''d take it slow. I thought


    she was smart, that she''d see it eventually. I always thought she knew, that even if she was dense,


    she would start to catch on. But today I realized she''s utterly clueless."


    Tears fell from Serana''s eyes. "Maybe she does know, but just never epted it. You don''t need to


    be like this. The choice was never yours to make. Just like three years ago, she still won''t ept


    you, but you can still be together. You should be happy like you were back then."


    Boyd rubbed his temples, eyes closed. "Do you know why I kept her close as my girlfriend?


    Because I was afraid she''d fall for someone else''s charm. Now, we''re older, but what about the


    future? Once this ends, and we leave campus, can I just watch her be with another man?"


    He shook his head. "Impossible."


    The thought was unbearable.


    Serana wiped her tears, "So after all this, you just want her with you, only you. What''s there to


    agonize over? You''ll have to be honest with her eventually, or she might be someone else''s."


    "Shut up..."


    "I didn''t say it wrong. As long as she hasn''t positioned you as her true man in her heart, that ce


    will remain empty, and anyone has a chance to break in. If you coulde with the idea of


    upying the identity of her boyfriend, then why couldn''t you understand that what you really need


    to do now is to take that ce in her heart?"


    Boyd shook his head, his eyes downcast on the sticky tabletop. "Would she even let me?"


    "When it''s about iming, does her permission matter?"


    Serana took a deep breath, grabbed the bottle of bourbon from the side, and refilled his ss to the


    brim. Standing up, she waved over the bartender.


    --


    Yasmine was curled up on her couch,ptop perched on her knees, engrossed in thetest hit


    romantic drama series.


    The screen was filled with scenes of dramatic misunderstandings and near-magical coincidences


    that kept the lovers just out of reach - until now. As they finally came together for a passionate kiss,


    she felt an unusual twinge of difort.


    She couldn''t remember the full story from start to finish, but the image of the two kissing made her


    touch her own lips, a faraway look in her eyes.


    Just as the scene on herptop transitioned to the couple moving towards the bed, intertwined in a


    deep kiss, her phone suddenly rang, jolting her. She quickly shut theptop lid.


    ncing at the caller ID, Yasmine''s expression stiffened, a flush of guilt crossing her face. After a


    long moment, she picked up the phone, her voice deliberately cool: "What''s up?"


    "May I speak with Miss Yasmine, please?"


    Recognizing Boyd''s number on the disy, Yasmine pressed the phone back to her ear: "Speaking.


    Who''s this?"