Rickey stood still, watching as Aurora disappeared into the crowd. While everyone else headed toward their exam rooms, Rickey turned in the opposite direction, making his way to the entrance.
He didnât need to take the university entrance examâhis family had already paved a different path for him long ago.
Rickey left the venue and strolled along the road until he reached a sleek black Bentley parked under a tree.
The rear window rolled down slowly, revealing a figure seated inside. Rickey leaned casually against the car and said, âSheâs already inside.â
The person in the back seat gave a small nod before handing Rickey a sealed envelope.
âWhatâs this?â Rickey asked, examining it curiously.
âHer exam ticket. I prepared an extra one just in case.â
Rickeyâs lips curved into a faint smile. âYouâre always so meticulous. When she got her first period, you even prepared tampons for her. She almost hit me when I handed them over.â
âRickey, I only feel guilty towards her. Youâre the one whoâs truly been there for her.â
Rickey let out a sharp, derisive laugh. âCome on. She likes you. From elementary to middle school, high school, and now, sheâs been chasing after you.â
Dunn fell silent.
Rickey reached out and gave Dunn a firm pat on the shoulder. âRelax. Once sheâs done with the exam, Iâll step aside. When youâre both at the same university, there wonât be anything standing in your way. Iâll be living it up abroad! One girlfriend from school, another from outside schoolâand both of them will have to be hot.â
Dunn hesitated, almost saying something before quickly changing his words. âThen I wish you all the best.â
Rickey smirked and nudged a pebble with his foot, watching it roll away. âHonestly, Dunn, I donât ask for much. As long as she remembers me once in a while, thatâs enough. Iâve been her bodyguard for all these years. If she doesnât even think of me sometimes, wouldnât that just be too ungrateful?â
Dunn had known Rickey for many years.
Although their interactions had been limited, their connection through Aurora had turned them into the closest of friends.
Dunn could see the pain hidden beneath Rickeyâs casual words, the way his shoulders tensed ever so slightly.
But Rickeyâs future had always been clearâhe was meant to go abroad for his studies and take over his family business.
Dunn never believed Auroraâs feelings for him were romantic. Or perhaps, he refused to believe that anyone could hold him in her heart so deeply for so many years.
When they were younger, they felt more like family, but life had pulled them apart too abruptly. There had been too much chaosâRylandâs disappearance, his auntâs interference in Adrian and Joelleâs relationship, and Auroraâs kidnapping.
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