Chapter 55 Still Friends
I was about to answer when Blake, sitting across from me, cleared his throat. "Catherine, have you finished preparing your entry for the competition?"
Nicholas immediately tensed up beside him.
Samuel looked confused. "What competition?"
I saw right through Blake's little scheme—he just didn't want me spending more time with Samuel. Nicholas wasn't even trying, yet here was his buddy breaking his back trying to help him out.
I shook my head internally and smiled helplessly. In the end, I decided not to call him out on it.
I turned to Samuel. "It's a competition our company's organizing. I should probably spend the weekend preparing my entry." That was a polite rejection of his invitation.
Samuel was obviously disappointed but couldn't force me to change my plans. He shifted to other topics, letting it drop for now.
After dinner, the four of us stood outside the restaurant. Samuel draped his coat over my shoulders without hesitation. "It's windy. Don't catch a cold."
The casual familiarity of the gesture made it seem like he'd done this for me countless times before.
Nicholas's expression darkened. He immediately stepped forward, trying to do something. Blake, equally anxious but still rational, grabbed him and held him back.
I ignored their antics, smiling as I slipped off Samuel's coat and handed it back to him. "Thanks, but I'm not cold."
Samuel showed no sign of embarrassment at being turned down. That gentle smile never left his face. "Catherine, you're still keeping me at arm's length."
I pretended not to hear the melancholy in his voice and smiled without saying anything.
Samuel continued, "It's getting late. Where do you live? Let me give you a ride home."
He'd completely ignored Blake and Nicholas.
This time, Nicholas shook off Blake's restraining hand and stepped forward, blocking Samuel's view. "No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Brown. Catherine and I are heading the same way. I'll make sure she gets home safely."
Samuel raised an eyebrow and shifted to the side, silently asking for my input.
I gave him a polite smile. "Thanks, Samuel, but I'll go back with Nicholas. No need to trouble you."
I'd deliberately kept Nicholas at a distance during dinner. I couldn't be too heartless now. Giving him a way out would help maintain our current dynamic.
Sure enought, getting my answer, the gentle smile completely vanished from Samuel's face. The look he gave Nicholas lost all its earlier friendliness.
Nicholas, on the other hand, excitedly raised his eyebrows at Blake, as if to say: See, bro? I still have a shot.
Blake rubbed his forehead helplessly, secretly giving me a thumbs up. I knew what was in his mind. Nicholas had been at the top of the social pyramid his whole life, yet here he was having actual emotional reactions over one person. Rare.
I said goodbye to each of them. Through the car window, I noticed Samuel and Blake still chatting. I was wondering what that was about when Nicholas, mistakenly thinking I was looking at Samuel, suddenly floored the gas pedal.
I shot him a reproachful glance. Nicholas didn't turn his head but quietly slowed down.
On the drive back, Nicholas broke his usual silence. "Catherine, how well do you know this old classmate of yours?"
I shook my head. "We lost touch after he went abroad. Today was the first time he reached out to me since then."
Nicholas went quiet for a moment before saying, "The way he looks at you—I bet he wants something else. Maybe you should keep a distance."
I frowned, sensing his lecturing tone. He wanted me to stay away from Samuel? Or did he actually know something about Samuel?
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"Sorry, I crossed a line, didn't I?" He apologized, "Just a reminder."
"Thank you. But I don't think he wants anything from me. It was just a chat between classmates. You're overthinking it, perhaps." I chose my words cafefully.
And then our conversation was dead.
I had no idea what Nicholas was thinking. I just noticed through my peripheral vision how his expression kept changing—happy one moment, troubled the next.
I wanted to ask him to explain what happened last time. The words reached my lips but I couldn't get them out. I found myself thinking about those angsty romance novels I'd read in high school. Back then, I always complained about why the leads never just told each other when there was a misunderstanding.
Now that I was facing it myself, I understood the difficulty. It wasn't that I couldn't speak—I just didn't know how to start.
Nicholas's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Catherine, do you like men like Samuel?"
I froze, but instinctively considered his question.
Purely in terms of type, what woman would turn down a gentle, gentlemanly man? But love isn't just about appearances and style. More than these external qualities, I cared about what was inside. Did our souls align? That was important.
Samuel and I weren't compatible. He was like water that embraced everything—he'd unconditionally support whatever I did. If this were my past life, I might have considered it. But I'd already died once.
I understood too well what happened to people with that giving personality type in the end. Facing the domineering Rosewood family, Samuel wouldn't be my strong support.
Nicholas, on the other hand, was his complete opposite. Nicholas respected my choices. He'd give me his opinion, encourage me when I was down, show up when I needed him, and he'd also... follow his impulses.
Thinking about that night, my ears burned uncontrollably. I startled myself. Why was I instinctively comparing Nicholas and Samuel? I was shocked to discover the scales in my heart had tipped out of balance.
Yes, I'd chosen Nicholas.
But still!
"I don't know. Maybe? Samuel and I used to sit together in class. We got along pretty well back then." I deliberately let a wistful expression cross my face.
Nicholas's hands tightened uncontrollably on the steering wheel. His jawline went rigid.
I took it all in, thinking to myself that Melissa's method really worked. Just one ambiguous answer plus a hint of unclear implications was enough to send Nicholas spiraling.
Serves him right for deceiving me. This was the price!
Nicholas wouldn't give up, testing me with several more questions. I deliberately put on a troubled expression.
"I can't really say what I feel about Samuel."
"Nicholas, if you were me, would you like a man who's gentle, considerate, and successful in his career?"
During the dinner, Samuel had mentioned that after returning from studying abroad, he'd be taking a position at my alma mater. As a talent returning from overseas, he was already an associate professor at his young age. A respectable job that commanded respect.
Hearing me deliberately throw the question at him, Nicholas fell silent.