Chapter 54 Undercurrents
"Catherine, aren't you going to introduce us?"
Blake, always eager to stir things up, spoke up. I shot him a helpless look but smiled anyway. "You just met Blake Gordon. This is my neighbor, Nicholas Harrington. And this is my old classmate who just got back from abroad, Samuel Brown."
The three men went through another round of polite exchanges, especially Nicholas and Samuel. Samuel extended his hand to Nicholas. "Mr. Harrington, thank you for taking care of Catherine."
Nicholas didn't hesitate. "Not a problem. It's what I should do."
When they released the handshake, I clearly saw Samuel's expression change. Obviously Nicholas had put some extra pressure into that grip. I pretended not to notice and started tasting the food in front of me. Blake pressed his lips together—I knew he was holding back a laugh.
The meal hadn't even really started and I could already feel the undercurrents in the air. Why did I feel inexplicably excited about this? The gloom from earlier had completely vanished.
Samuel smiled graciously, telling them not to hold back, as if that tense moment hadn't just happened. He suddenly turned to me. "Catherine, how much do you remember about the old days?"
I tilted my head, thinking for a moment. "Not much, honestly."
"Well, I remember quite a bit. Catherine, remember when you got an F in physics? The teacher nearly had a heart attack."
Being called out like that in public made me a bit embarrassed.
Samuel seemed to notice my awkwardness and quickly backtracked. "But you got really good at physics later! I'm just too blunt sometimes. Don't take it to heart."
I smiled. "If you're going to put it that way, I should toast you. Without your help back then, my physics grade never would've improved so much." I raised my glass of juice and clinked it lightly with his.
Samuel had achieved his goal. The conversation flowed more easily after that. Following his lead, I found myself lost in memories.
Samuel came from money and had excellent grades. He'd gotten into that high school ranked first in our class. I wasn't bad either—just one point behind him. Sabrina, on the other hand, barely qualified and almost didn't get into any school.
I clearly remembered that after the results came out, Sabrina saw that I'd gotten into Central City Magnet High School while she had to rely on the Rosewood family's connections just to get into some ordinary private school. She ran to my brothers to complain, saying I'd mocked her grades.
Andrew was furious and cut off my allowance for three months. James, who'd just started college, secretly helped me out financially to get through that rough patch. Michael, trying to defend Sabrina's honor, ruined my acceptance letter with paint. When Jason heard about it, he said I got what I deserved. Later even James sided with Sabrina, leaving me completely isolated in the Rosewood family.
Only Melissa genuinely celebrated my high scores with me.
But as I got older, I struggled more and more with science courses. I even scored the lowest in the entire school on a physics test. That's when Samuel became my desk partner. He was brilliant at physics—aced it almost every time.
But even golden boys have their hidden struggles. Because I often went home late, I witnessed his own mother dumping him on the side of the road multiple times—all because his father was off with his other family. Yes, Samuel's father had an affair, and Samuel had a half-brother. Whenever his mother needed money from his father, she'd pick Samuel up, then kick him out of the car.
I took him out for meals and helped him rent a place off-campus with his scholarship money. In return, Samuel promised to tutor me in physics. We'd often stay out after school until nightfall before heading home.
I knew he liked me. Nobody doesn't fall for the person who becomes their light in the darkness. But I didn't like him that way. I helped him because I was also someone abandoned by the Rosewood family. Plus, he could help me with my studies. I wanted to get into a good university.
I was selfish. I let his feelings exist, but when Samuel confessed after high school graduation, I rejected him outright.
I remembered it all now.
"Catherine, I'm so glad I met you in high school." Samuel suddenly looked at me, his expression serious and focused.
Before I could respond, Blake—the ultimate wingman—jumped in. "Nicholas, you've been peeling shrimp for Catherine this whole time. Why haven't you given it to her?"
Nicholas caught the signal and quickly pushed the peeled shrimp toward me. "Here, all ready for you." He looked up at me, those beautiful eyes full of hope.
My heart did a little flip. I couldn't bear to let that hope die. "Thanks. You should eat too."
Samuel watched our interaction, his posture stiffening slightly. He switched to the serving utensils and placed food in my bowl. "Try this. I remember you used to love it. Still do?"
I looked at the food appearing in my bowl and smiled. "Still do."
I accepted both men's gestures without hesitation. Blake's eyes went wide, staring at me in disbelief. He couldn't accept my sudden transformation into a player.
But I had my reasons. I didn't like Samuel, but I also couldn't let Nicholas think he had me completely wrapped around his finger.
This was straight from my bestie Melissa's playbook. She'd told me, "Cate, remember—the harder something is to get, the more it's treasured. The reason Nicholas hasn't reached out to you in all this time is because he thinks you're already his. He has no sense of urgency, so he doesn't care. What you need to do now is keep your distance. Only if Nicholas goes through hell and still chooses you with absolute certainty will I approve of him."
I completely agreed. Though I had my own improved version—hot and cold. Another term for it? Playing hard to get. Melissa praised me for being a natural.
But when it came to actual practice, I couldn't control myself. What woman wouldn't want to see two men competing for her attention? It's the same psychology as men enjoying being admired by multiple people.
Throughout the meal, Samuel acted casual on the surface but kept bringing up high school memories with me. Nicholas and Blake couldn't get a word in edgewise. When they finally managed to say something, they discovered I treated everyone equally.
I could tell Nicholas was getting anxious.
Before he could speak, Samuel beat him to it. "Catherine, do you have plans this weekend?"