Self

Chapter 11

Yale did not waste any time. He jumped into his car and zoomed off, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

Rainie was left fuming, hopping mad as she unleashed a string of insults. “What a jerk! A total loser! Ugh, he’s infuriating!”

She turned to the young man beside her and said, “Listen, Yara isn’t going back to him. Not in a million years!”

The young guy tried to soothe her. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get so worked up…”

Deep down, he doubted it.

Yale had made his promises with confidence like he had an ace up his sleeve.

The guy sneaked a peek at Rainie, wishing she could be blindly loyal to guys like Yara was.

No way! He quickly banished the thought.

He would not dare even dream of it. He did not want to get his hopes up.

Meanwhile, Yale was in his car when his phone rang.

He was in a foul mood, which showed in his icy response. “What do you want?”

“Hey, I found this amazing little place that serves the fattest crabs. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Let’s go check it out, okay?” Xandra’s excited voice bubbled through the phone.

She knew Yale was a sucker for seafood and was playing to his favorites.

They had not spoken since the previous night, and the silence made her anxious. She could not stand it, so she threw caution to the wind. and called him first.

Usually, Yale was the one planning their dates, and she would play the shy game before graciously accepting.

Lately, things had been different, though.

He had been reaching out less. His texts were short and to the point, and sometimes, he did not even bother to reply.

Busy, he would say.

Like how it was then. “Saturday? I’ve got things to do, no time.”

“What about Sunday then?” Xandra’s grip on her phone tightened, her voice a notch higher.

“I told you–I’m busy. We’ll talk later.” Yale hung up.

Xandra stared at her phone, the sense of panic washing over her again.

No way! After all the effort it took to become Yale’s girlfriend, she had to do better than Yara.

The sky blazed with sunset colors as Wade and Yara said goodbye to Wendy.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?” Wendy said, a hint of sadness in her eyes. ” Why don’t you two stay for dinner before heading out?”

Wade shook his head. “I can’t, gotta get back to the lab.”

Yara said, “There’ll be other times.”

“Alright then, safe travels, and visit me more often, okay?” Wendy

said, her gaze lingering on Yara.

Yara nodded eagerly. “Definitely!”

“Oh, grab those two sets of materials and three books on the table. They’re yours from before,” Wendy reminded her.

Yara’s major was bioinformatics, and she had dabbled in algorithm research.

She had only finished half of the paper she intended to submit to SCI before graduation, and to her surprise, her professors had kept everything.

Yara’s eyes flickered with emotion. “Professor, I=”

“Go on, get going. And don’t forget your thermos on the table; I’ve cleaned it for you.”

Yara paused, surprised.

Wendy scolded her, “You were right at the ward’s door and didn’t come in to see me. You just left your thermos and almost made me stuff myself.”

Yara blushed. “It won’t happen again…”

On the ride back, Yara knew Wade was swamped, and she was not about to ask him to drop her off at her doorstep, so she suggested stopping at the gates of Bellmere University.

It was a short walk from there, a chance to clear her head.

Wade agreed. “Sounds good.”

Yale’s heart skipped a beat when she spotted the silhouette sitting in front of the villa.

His heart sank as he got a clearer view of the woman’s face.

“Xandra.”

“Yale, you’re back?” The girl sprang up, her eyes sparkling like tiny stars when she saw him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been waiting for you. I tried calling you earlier, but you said you were swamped, so I figured I’d catch you after work. Hope I didn’t mess with your job?”

She looked at him, her eyes wide with a touch of worry.

“Nope.” Yale shook his head in a slow, reassuring motion.

“Phew!” Her smile bounced back, only to falter a moment later. “Yale, I’m kinda starving…”

Xandra looked down sheepishly, her cheeks puffed out in a cute sulk.

“Come on, let’s grab some dinner.”

“Awesome!”

They hit up a cozy restaurant. Yale hardly ate, pushing his food around while Xandra savored every bite.

She could tell he was off his game today and kept the chit–chat to a minimum.

“All good? Full?”

Xandra nodded vigorously. “Yep!”

“Alright, let’s get you back to campus.”

“Okay.”

They were a short drive from the University of Science and

Technology, and in no time, they pulled up at the curb.

Xandra hesitated as she reached for the door, glancing back at Yale.” Aren’t you coming in?”

Yale gave a slight nod. “Sure.”

Outside the University of Science and Technology, students spilled

out from evening classes on the hunt for dinner, Xandra, known as the belle of the campus, drew curious looks from everywhere.

It was not every day one could see the campus beauty linked arm in arm with a guy as dashing and polished as Yale.

Xandra was in her own world, oblivious to her classmates‘ whispers and giggles.

She spun around, her eyes sparkling as she flashed Yale her most captivating smile. “Why don’t I introduce you to my roommates soon? They’re dying to meet you.”

Truthfully, it was not just her roommates who were curious about the campus sweetheart’s official boyfriend; the whole University of

Science and Technology was curious.

Once upon a time, when another woman was still in the picture, and Yale was not yet her acknowledged boyfriend, Xandra would not have dared to flaunt their relationship.

Things had changed, though. He had promised to make things. official, and he had delivered. No more sneaking around for her.

Yale kept silent.

He was not all that thrilled about the prospect of meeting her roommates

However, Xandra, undeterred by his silence, beamed with joy. “I’m so happy with you, Yale. Every second is like bliss.”

With those words, she turned to face him, a look of pure happiness on her face.

As Yale watched, slightly taken aback, she leaped up. Her ponytail danced in the air, tracing a curve as sweet as her smile, and then she planted a soft

lips. kiss on his

The crowd erupted in awe.

“The rumors are true–the campus belle is off the market!”

“Wow, it’s like something out of a college drama!”

“Xandra’s gorgeous, and her boyfriend’s so handsome.”

“They’re like a dream team. I’m so here for this!”

Yara was at the crowd’s edge, not that she had planned to stop and stare. However, the scene had unfolded in her path, and it was hard not to get caught up in the moment.

What a coincidence.

Yale snapped out of his daze, his gaze lingering on Xandra’s beaming face.

For a fleeting second, another pair of bright, shining eyes from his past flashed through his mind. It was a memory from his graduation at Bellmere University, where another girl had once looked at him with that same adoration.

Her eyes twinkled, and her smile was as radiant as a blooming flower. He remembered her saying, “Yale, I’ve picked you. And I have zero. regrets.”

Memories he thought were long dead and buried sprang to life out of nowhere, hitting him right in the feels.

He stepped back on impulse, putting some space between him and Xandra.

“Yale? What’s up?” The girl was confused.

Yale said, “It’s getting late. You should head inside.”