Chapter VII: The Trip Home
Story’s timeline: 17/05/2023 late at night
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRN3PwZuUOK
The students were walking and Adelle worriedly looked around for Nick. Nick was way behind with another group of students. Adelle kept thinking about what would happen if Nick forgot to sit next to her. She knew he wouldn’t forget but there was an aching worry that it would happen. The bus had already arrived. Adelle started overthinking about what would happen. She knew she’d better ask Shanice what to do.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvuIR8pPtX
Adelle: Shanice? Nick is all the way behind. How will I ask Nick to sit next to me again? Go up to him and ask him.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkECNo2DFp
Shanice: Just do that.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f15y9UcES
Adelle: Alright then.. I hope this goes well.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawtJ2Pf7IK
Adelle walked up close to Nick.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6wYUu3qas
Nick: So we’re sitting next to each other again?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvjAuFSlz9
Adelle: Yes. (said as she smiled)
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXym4yKN2Xv
Nick smiled back at her and let Adelle walk up the bus first. Adelle felt so lucky to know this gentleman as her crush. Like earlier, she rushed into the seat and got the window seat again. She looked at Nick and smiled at him again. Adelle couldn’t help but smile. Nick just made her too happy. She even took out her phone for a little bit to banter on text with Shanice.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHklABFeWIQ
Adelle sat awkwardly next to Nick.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkxdoeNWb4
Nick: We’ve met again.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyoaz9jf3A
Adelle: Yes we have. Ooo there’s a paper in this compartment. (a paper stuck in between the hook of the bus seat)
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7BcixDWZm
Adelle: Mirror mirror on the wall. Your birthday is on 2nd May.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfrnsdnDvG
Nick: What? That’s my birthday!
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec3oMdPMZY
Adelle: Wait really?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JVVr6rNpv
Nick: Yes!
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek0vh8R0WC
Adelle: Are you joking..?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYp9IBhGjp
Nick: No.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqDs2i0lti
Adelle: The paper was empty. I just said whatever that was on my mind.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEviCWuzkRU
Nick then stared at Adelle like she was some sort of psychic. Adelle just smiled at him and turned to the window to overreact.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ep3jwgtLC
Adelle: Do you ever use photoshop for anything? Have you ever used it for anything?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUSxaGPB4p
Nick: No but I’d use it to edit my pimples.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpdXmnHTc2
Adelle’s POV:
To be honest, I never noticed Nick had pimples. He’s just so perfect in my eyes.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpZ7FWLUdz
Adelle: Speaking of pimples, when I care about my face, I get pimples, but when I don’t care the pimples disappear.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziU144nkjD
Nick: You don’t have to care about them then.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDb2gQZzao
Adelle: Well, if I really don’t care, my face would look like pepperoni pizza. Or like my face now.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnvlmrvdHV
Nick: Pepperoni pizza is still nice you know?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2jaTaOtyE
Adelle was speechless and just smiled at him again. She looked in front and blushed a little. She had more small talk with Nick and it just made Adelle so happy. However, her happiness started fading away as she took a look at the familiar highway. The same highway the bus travelled across at the start of the trip. They were coming back on campus soon. Adelle knew she had to talk as much as she could.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wXrvmeLmp
Adelle: Do teachers use you as a good example during attire checks?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccByB14zvt
Nick: Yes. I even conduct the attire check sometimes.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInesxiG6yM
Adelle: WHAT HOW?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1o4zh6tXF
Adelle: Isn’t it annoying to cut your nails? (as Adelle stared at her long nails)
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2Q6nWBis9
Nick: I don’t like cutting my nails.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJJ0dsCEDv
Adelle: Would you report my nails to the teacher? (Adelle showed Nick her nails)
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvs82Q52tz9
Nick: No.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ356FfNJ8Vj
Nick: Actually, your nails look quite nice.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ah0r1BztF
Nick’s POV:
Her nails look so nice. It looks so solid, Her fingernails are natural, slick and glossy. Such nice nails. Now why didn’t I notice it earlier?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GjDPsBujY
Adelle: Oh thank you. (she said as she smiled)
Nick started staring at Adelle with his huge, deep eyes without blinking. Adelle chuckled a little and stared back while staring away to keep her composure. Her gaze kept turning back to meet Nick’s eyes as Nick continued staring. “Is this a staring competition?” asked Adelle. “Yes, and you’ve already lost,” replied Nick. Adelle then gave Nick a little jump scare and he got a little scared. Nick blinked and Adelle laughed. Her laughter seized when she noticed the even more familiar road.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIz3PyeR1S1
“We’ve arrived,” Adelle said with a sad tone in her voice. She didn’t want to say goodbye to Nick. Nick stared at Adelle longingly.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKZY1VI3MH
Nick’s POV:
We’ve arrived… I don’t want to go. I really don’t want to leave her. If only I could just give her a hug before we leave... I know what to do now.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Xc86MPZgw
Adelle and Nick alighted the bus together and stood by the school. The moon glowed brightly and beamed radiantly on the trees and ground. There, Nick and Adelle were standing. Dead in the night with absolute silence, besides the students rushing for the last train in the subway and the crickets chirping. They stared into each other’s eyes. Nick reached out his arms and wrapped his arms around Adelle’s waist. Adelle squealed a little but quickly loosened up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their bodies touched each other and they both stood there in an embrace.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcW2SwrkHf
Adelle’s POV:
OH MY GOODNESS I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M HUGGING NICK RIGHT NOW. He is so huggable like my teddy bear. Oh if only he could replace the teddy bear on my bed. I just feel so loved right now. I think he loves me. He really does.. I love him so much.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanb8H7cwQl
Nick’s POV:
Adelle is so cute and pretty especially when I hug her. I love her. To be honest, when I first saw her sleeping in class, I thought she was really cute. I know she’s been watching me every recess. It’s so cute. Now I realised... I already fell in love with her the first time I met her but she kept running away and I thought she disliked me. So I gave up on chasing her. But now, I get my true love’s hug from her!
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRy1hQ0R1R
After their long embrace, Nick and Adelle stared at each other in awkward silence. Adelle broke the silence with a shaky voice, still in shock from what had just happened.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ujhS3GTua
Adelle: Why did you hug me?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOYsgGLc0w
Nick: It felt right. I thought you’d want one.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7peu4NwEc
Adelle: You’re right. That felt great actually. I needed that.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRM16y9ecH
Nick: I’m glad you liked it.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sFBhTA9ix
<awkward silence>
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtzX5NAE0J
Nick: Shall I send you home?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XbSd1OSKu
Adelle: Oh you don’t have to.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYx2BCqlxD
Nick: It’s already 11 pm... It’s late. I want to make sure you’re safe.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpvyLNhxNg
Adelle: Only if you insist.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedQgAiSgeR
They started walking towards the subway together. Adelle stared down at her feet, amazed at what had just happened. It took a while for Adelle to make sense of what had just happened. Then when she did. She started blushing heavily. She grabbed Nick by the shoulder and dug her face into his chest.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrO0tlAasn5
Nick’s POV:
OH MY OH MY OH MY I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE’S ACTUALLY DOING THIS. SHE’S SO ADORABLE WHEN SHE’S EMBARRASSED. I DON’T THINK SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE JUST DID...
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhtr0zT2an
Adelle: I can’t stop thinking about what you did just now.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8Mx75e2M1
Nick: Oh I’m sorry, did I scare you? I know this may come off as creepy but I think I caught a little something from me earlier.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrrXJl3St1
Adelle: Caught what?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPA1CIzi4W
Adelle’s POV:
Did I really just bury my face into his chest? I can’t believe I did that. It’s so embarrassing.. And now he said I caught something from him. I think I know what it is. I caught his heart, didn’t I? Okay Adelle, don’t go feral now, and don’t do what you just did. Maybe he meant something else. He means something else doesn’t he?
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNFAuHVnq6
Nick: You caught my heart.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXskacjKXw
Adelle gasped. Her jaw dropped in shock. She felt a surge of euphoria run through her veins as she rejoiced internally. She smiled once again.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrzIm757Gx
Adelle: OH MY GOODNESS I CAN’T BELIEVE IT.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgshL9t7iAZ
Adelle: Well.. you caught my heart too.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABtfDhgiyQ
Nick said nothing and looked over at Adelle. It felt as if time stopped just for him to look at his beloved Adelle. He was thinking of his future with Adelle when the train arrived. Adelle’s train was going in a different direction from where he was supposed to go but he didn’t mind and just went in with Adelle.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR806nsepCc
When Adelle alighted at her stop, they waved each other goodbye and walked away. After walking a reasonable distance away from Nick, Adelle started covering her face and silently screeching.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPXS8Rqiiq
Adelle’s POV:
How sweet of him to follow me to my stop. He really is the one.. And that hug? I could dream about it all day. I just... miss him already. I wish he and I could just remain in that position forever. If only I could just take him home. Maybe I could give him a gift. I know I don’t typically do gifts but... he’s worthy so I don’t mind.
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwKkKd7q2e
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0HfdHENnM
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMbqaPS09O
and then Add to home screen.