Chapter 1900
Boyd had lunch ready since noon, but Yasmine had slept like a log, due to the recklessness of his
actions the night before and early that morning. He figured it was better to let her wake up naturally
than to rouse her and face her wrath. At least that way, the fallout would be less fiery.
When Yasmine emerged, Boyd was ting food at the dining table. He paused at her loose attire
but greeted her with a smile that never left his eyes.
She made her way over without a fuss, well-acquainted with Boyd''s culinary skills after all these
years. Boyd was the quintessential all-rounder. He could hold his own in any high society event or
whip up a storm in the kitchen, and while she wasn''t sure about his sewing skills, she bet he''d
master that too if he wanted.
As she sat, Boyd slid a cushion onto her chair. Yasmine paused, grimacing slightly.
"It''ll be morefortable this way," he said.
She sat down with a dark expression.d2
The table wasid with all her favorites. Picking up a fork, she watched as Boyd adjusted her
droopy sleeves before sitting opposite her.
She hid her reaction behind a mouthful of food. Skipping breakfast and burning energy had left her
hungrier than usual, and she indulged heartily before slumping onto the couch,zily watching TV.
Boyd cleaned up and came over with a fruit bowl. "Want to head back to bed and lie down?"
She shot him a nce. "Do I look like a slug?"
He sat next to her, ncing at the TV ads before setting the bowl on the coffee table.
Silence fell between them, broken only by the flickering ads. The atmosphere grew tense. Finally,
Yasmine sat upright. "Boyd..."
He offered her a slice of fruit, his voice steady. "Don''t say something I don''t want to hear, Yasmine. I
think I made myself clearst night."
"Boyd, I think you''re out of your mind."
He chuckled, ustomed to her blunt words. "What now?"
"I''m not exactly a saint, Boyd. I''ve got all the vices someone could dislike. Some might even
question my morals. So why the hell do you insist on clinging to me even when you''re drunk?"
"That''s exactly why you should be thankful. Even with all that, I still want you."
Herugh was tinged with sarcasm. "Getting a bit too bold, aren''t you?"
He could tell her stance on the issue wasn''t as assertive as he''d anticipated. He swiveled, scooping
her up entirely onto hisp. He didn''t resist as she pushed against his shoulders with annoyance.
"What''s gotten into you?"
Boyd''s grip tightened on her waist. "How does it feel?"
She felt a tingle on her scalp, not from difort but from the brazenness of his question. "You''ve
always been such a hypocrite under that saintly facade."
Boyd just smiled, offering no denial. "It’s already happened. Can''t you just make it official?"
"Getting cocky now?"
His gaze fell on her shoulder, where his oversized shirt had slipped, revealing her skin. His eyes
darkened, and he leaned in to kiss her shoulder before burying his face in her neck. "Just give me a
straight answer. Say I''m officially your boyfriend."
She pushed at his head. "Get lost!"
"If you don''t, I''ll take it as a yes. You can only agree."
"Shameless," she muttered, but his lowughter suggested he could be even more shameless if
she didn''t agree.
--
Yasmine never gave a formal response, but ultimately she caved to Boyd''s wishes.
Bryson had mixed feelings about Yasmine and Boyd''s rtionship. He wasn''t concerned about
Boyd''s childhood antics toward Yasmine. Boyd was a kid after all. Over the years, he''de to see
Boyd''s genuine affection and ability.
What he was concerned about was whether, in the end, her mother, who was thousands of miles
away, would approve, given her true identity.
He couldn''t dictate that. As Yasmine''s guardian, he believed she deserved the same experiences as
any other person her age. If this was her choice, his opinion didn''t seem to matter much.
--
To Yasmine, epting Boyd didn''t change much. Their private moments were more intimate, but
their public rtionship had always been like that of a couple for the past three years.
Reality soon corrected her assumption. Boyd became overly affectionate, making her skin crawl
with his public disys of hand-holding, shoulder draping, and waist hugging. And he was
relentless in seeking moments alone.
Yasmine had reached her limit. He had disregarded her warnings, time and again, and turned them
into a pile of worthless words.
They were already quite noticeable to others, but there weren''t any highlights to speak of in their
past - it wasn''t interesting, so people didn''t bother to further discuss them.
But now, things had changed. Practically every corner of the school was filled with murmurs about
her and Morrison''s flirtations.
His persistence wore her down, and she finally let him be. She had seen other couples, openly
affectionate, some parading their love as if on disy. Maybe this was just how rtionships were
supposed to be.
Over time, Yasmine hade to realize that her skin had grown a naturalyer of armor,
metaphorically speaking. The thickening of her metaphorical skin seemed toe with the territory.
On another note, the amount of time she spent alone with Boyd was scarce, to begin with. From the
get-go, she understood that Serana was practically Boyd''s shadow. Wherever Boyd went, Serana
was sure to follow. If Boyd got a slice of pie, Serana was there to im her share. And if a few extra
dishes graced the table, Serana''s pte was surely not to be neglected.
Apart from her sses, Yasmine''s schedule was pretty open, but not to the extent of moving into
Boyd''s ce for a non-stop party. Originally, she always felt that Bryson asionally revealed his
concerns. She knew Bryson was considering his own position, but fortunately, she had no intention
of doing so.
asionally, when she couldn''t resist Boyd''s suggestive hints and didn''t want to suppress her own
desires for the sake of propriety, an overnight stay became unavoidable.
It was obvious that Serana sometimes made a deliberate effort to give them space. No extra words
were exchanged, but her actions clearlymunicated her stance.
--
Yasmine wasn''t nning on going home that night, and with graduation looming, Boyd didn''t feel
the need for subtlety either, calling for a driver morning and night. After theirst ss that
afternoon, they rode back together.
"So, where''s Serana?" Yasmine asked casually.
Boyd, fiddling with his phone, replied without looking up, "She had the afternoon off and went ahead
to start dinner."
Yasmine finished listening and pulled out her phone to y a casual game, letting out a light "Oh."
Hearing the game''s soundtrack, Boyd paused, then leaned in with a smile, "She knows your
favorites."
Yasmine kept her eyes on her phone screen, tapping away, "She knows your favorites even better."
Boyd justughed, neither confirming nor denying.
When they arrived at the apartment, Yasmine watched Boyd unlock the door with his fingerprint.
Entering, they were greeted by the sounds and smells of cooking from the kitchen.
Serana emerged, smiling. "Two more dishes and dinner will be ready. Hang tight."
Yasmine kicked off her shoes and copsed onto the couch, dropping her book on the coffee table.
Boyd hung up his coat and,ing out of the washroom, found Yasmine flipping through her book
on the couch. Sitting beside her, he teased, "Don''t tell me you came over here to hit the books."
Yasmine snapped the book shut and tilted her chin up defiantly, "Of course not."
"Hmm?" Boyd''s eyebrow quirked up as he leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper, "Then what
are you here for?"
Her response was to turn slightly, press the book against his face, and push him away yfully, "To
keep an eye on you, obviously."
Boyd removed the book from his face and took her hand into his, "Keep an eye on what, exactly?"
"My thesis, naturally."
"Your thesis?"
With an air of absolute certainty, Yasmine peeled an orange from the coffee table and popped a
segment into her mouth, "What else? Am I supposed to keep a boyfriend just for decoration?"
Boyd chuckled, "So a boyfriend is supposed to help with academic papers?"
She shrugged, "It''s one of the essential skills. So, if you can''t deliver, you''re failing as a boyfriend. Is
that what you want?"
Boyd flipped through her book, "Definitely not. But aren''t you worried about the professor finding
out, or someone digging it upter? It could have serious repercussions."
"If someone goes after me?" She sat up straighter, finishing thest piece of orange, and smoothed
down the cor of his shirt with a sly smile, "Wouldn''t you be able to support me?"
Boyd''s gaze darkened as he pulled her into his embrace, their foreheads touching, "I''ll write it for
you, and then I''ll take care of you."
Yasmine''s lips twitched into a smile, meeting his kiss without hesitation.
Boyd absolutely loved her current transformation. Without reservation or shyness, her confident and
natural demeanor allowed them to effortlessly reach a silent understanding.
“But... I don''t want to be messed around with.” At a brief interlude, Yasmine leaned on his shoulder.
"If anything were to happen, it''d undoubtedly because of you."
Boyd lightly pecked her on the cheek. “You never know, if you don''t let me take care of you, this
might be the best leverage I have.”
Yasmine scoffed. Men and their words.
"So, if I don''t write your paper, will I be a mere decoration?" Boyd pinched her hand, “Would all
my hard work and efforts go to waste? Are you not satisfied or not yet fulfilled?”
Yasmine raised an eyebrow, “I believe when ites to those things, you''re not the only one who
can satisfy me. You''re not the only man...”
His reaction was swift, a possessive nip to her lip. “You know which words push my buttons, don''t
you?"
"Then behave, and we won''t have a problem," she retorted with a victorious smile.
Boyd pinched her waist teasingly before capturing her lips again, "But what if I want you to enjoy
yourself even more."
Their passionate embrace was interrupted by Serana''s voice, "Dinner''s ready, guys."
They broke apart, Boyd straightening Yasmine''s disheveled hair before they casually proceeded to
the dining room as if nothing had happened.
Serana, clearly aware of what she''d walked into, bit her lip in embarrassment. As they sat opposite
her, acting as though all was normal, Serana spoke up, "I tried a new shrimp recipe from the
Inte. Let me know what you think."
"Looks good," Boydmented, peeling a shrimp and cing it on Yasmine''s te.
Yasmine examined the shrimp before tasting it, then nodded in approval, "Not bad at all."
Serana chuckled softly, ncing over at Boyd with a yful twinkle in her eyes. "Hey Boyd, why
don''t you give it a try?"
Boyd nodded, reaching out with his fork once more, but ultimately, thest piece of shrimp ended up
on Yasmine''s te. "It''s rare to hear you speak up. If you like it, help yourself to more," he said with
a slight smirk.
A tiny smile appeared on Yasmine’s face, as she lifted her gaze just enough to catch Serana''s eye.
Serana''s expression seemed more awkward than when she had almost caught them on the couch
just moments ago. Caught off guard by Yasmine''s prating look, Serana could only muster a dry
smile and quickly took another bite of her food to avoid further eye contact.
Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.
Yasmine''s eyebrows twitched slightly, and she lowered her eyelids, concealing theplexity that
had briefly flickered through her eyes.