Take Me Away novel Chapter 75

"I have to go, Sophia." Fiona waved at her friend as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"How about you wait for me? I’ll go out to buy some dinner from a nearby restaurant. I’m a little tired of the food from the school canteen." Sophia leaped off the chair.

"Okay." Fiona nodded, then turned to Ella. "How about you, Ella?"

"You two go. I’m sticking to my diet."

"Oh okay. Be safe!" As they walked out, Sophia asked, "Why did you want to go home tonight?"

"Spencer’s there," Fiona confessed.

"I knew it!" Sophia clapped. "Why do you listen to that guy? He does nothing but threaten you."

"Nope," she replied, smiling faintly.

"Why are you siding with him all of a sudden?" Sophia blinked and looked at Fiona with a snicker. "Have you two been romantic since he saved you in Maple Mountain?"

"Right," said Fiona in a joking tone.

Sophia smiled broadly. "By the way, who called you just now?"

"Ryan said he wanted to talk. He told me he was waiting for me at the main gate."

"Oh my gosh, Fiona." Sophia shook her head. "One is your husband, the other is Ryan! I say this without any ill will, I really do envy you."

"What are you jealous of? Didn’t you tell me that someone confessed to you yesterday?"

"Oh come on! If that guy was half as handsome as Ryan and half as powerful as Spencer, maybe I’ll consider him." Sophia pursed her lips and sighed. "I just remembered...I don’t know how George is doing."

"George, huh. You still remember him," Fiona mumbled.

"Who wouldn’t miss such a handsome guy?" she replied without a hint of shyness.

Fiona smiled softly.

They laughed as they strolled to the main gate. As they got closer, they noticed the students running to the fountain square.

Sophia craned her neck, eyes glinting with curiosity. "It looks like there’s something going on over there! Let’s go look!"

Fiona stood on tiptoes. "I’ll leave you to it. I’ll go find Ryan."

"Aw come on, what’s the rush? It’s still early!" Sophia dragged her forward nevertheless.

"Sophia, Fiona!" It was Ryan’s roommate Sam who suddenly called for them, running from the opposite side of the crowd. His excitement couldn’t be disguised. "Ryan is on the fountain square!"

"Really? That’s great! We can go to check together." Sophia glanced at Fiona before pulling her towards the fountain.

As they caught up with Sam, however, he suddenly took out his phone and raised it to his ear. "Warren, she’s here!"

"Roger that! Everything’s ready."

Sam hung up the phone and walked to the center of the square, grabbing Fiona with him. "Over here."

The spacious fountain was crowded with people, but as Fiona approached, they parted as if forming a pathway for her.

"What’s wrong?"

Sophia asked in concern, but Fiona didn’t respond. Instead, she stared at the gap amongst the crowd, astounded by the sight.

"Ryan?" Following Fiona's gaze, Sophia spotted Ryan through the crowd. Her jaw dropped.

Sitting on a bench, Ryan propped a guitar on his lap, while prepared on the ground was a heart-shaped arrangement of candles. As soon as he and Fiona locked eyes, he started to play. The guitar strings were accompanied by Ryan’s clear, soft voice. "If I had to live my life without you near me, the days would all be empty, the nights would seem so long. With you I see forever oh so clearly..."

Fiona stood there, frozen and dumbstruck.

Outside D University, a Land Rover was parked. With fingers of one hand wrapped around on the steering wheel, Spencer stared at the school gate. He refrained from blinking in fear of missing Fiona.

He was in a good mood today and decided to come pick up Fiona. Hopefully, she’d even be moved by the gesture.

He grinned at the thought. It didn’t last long, however, as he noticed that among the crowd coming and going through the gate, none of them was Fiona. Was she hiding from him?

Finally out of patience, he pushed the door open and got out of the car.

"Hey, did you hear? Someone’s serenading a girl at the fountain square!"

"Who is it?"

"Ryan Wen! He’s playing the guitar and everything, too. He looks so handsome! Let’s go watch."

"Wow! Okay, let’s hurry. I wonder who the lucky girl is."

"It must be this girl called Fiona!"

Blood rushed into Spencer’s brain. In quick, heavy steps, he caught up to a female passerby. In a cold, cruel voice, he asked, "Where are they? Tell me now!"

"What do you mean by ‘they’?" the girl asked, staring at him astounded.

"Ryan Wen! Where is he? Where’s the fountain square?" His whole body felt cold and numb.

"Enter through the gate, then a hundred meters away you’ll see it,"

the girl said, trembling. Spencer rushed in.

"He’s so scary!"

"Oh my God, who is he?"

Everyone at the fountain square was listening to the serenade. Many of the girls shot envious looks to Fiona.

"The world may change my whole life through, but nothing's gonna change my love for you." With one last tug at a string, a thunderous applause broke out.

Sam handed Ryan a bouquet of roses.

Fiona swallowed nervously and turned to call Sophia, but couldn’t find her anywhere in the crowd.

With slight pink on his cheeks and a determined expression, Ryan walked squarely towards Fiona.

"I’ve always wanted to confess my love to you like this. I want everyone to know my feelings for you," he mumbled.

"Ryan..."

"No, please. Let me finish." She could hear the loneliness in his voice. "I know you have Spencer. Maybe I’m not as domineering, or maybe I don’t have as high a social status. But I know that I love you as much as, maybe even more than he does. Even though you’ve already rejected me, I still can’t somehow forget you. And yet, this is my last chance. My father will soon send me abroad for further education. I’m afraid I will never have this chance again."

She looked on with the saddest eyes.

All eyes were on the couple. No one seemed to have noticed a man rushing into the square. With a clenched fist and a mind overwhelmed with thoughts of Fiona, he looked even more frightening than he’d ever been.

"If you want, we can go abroad and forget this place. We can start over!" he said, raising the flowers and offering it to her.

"Fiona, say yes!" Sophia broke the silence. If Ryan could manage to pull this off, Spencer wouldn’t be able to oppress Fiona anymore. Then everything would turn out well for her friend.