The third point of view:

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief when she finally evaded Anabelle. Well, to be honest, Anabelle was the one who sent her away - which was a big relief. Now, she could have the one-on-one conversation she wanted with Pedro.

Both couples walked side by side without saying a word, just enjoying the silence between them. It was evening and the perfect atmosphere for a date. However, in Isabella's mind, she wanted to do many things with him like having sex - which was impossible.

She had promised Niklaus not to make sex the foundation of their relationship, so now she had to go the old school way. Yeah, good luck with that.

"A-hem!" Isabella intentionally cleared her throat which drew Pedro's attention.

Pedro turned to her asking, "Is anything the matter? Do you feel any discomfort?" he asked with concern written all over his face.

"Yes," Isabella said.

"What is it? Where do you get hurt?" His worry grew.

"Here..." she took his hand and intertwined it with hers, "My hand misses your warmth. Don't you know, women are more prone to feel cold than men. According to research, women have a much more sensitive vascular response to the cold, which means they shut down their blood flow sooner, tighter, and for longer than men. The reason for this is that women are just more sensitive to that peripheral cold stimulus. Hormone oestrogen also contributes to making the blood vessels more sensitive to cold... " Isabella trailed off when she recognized Pedro was giving her a strange look.

Niklaus had told her to flirt with her partner, that it kept the spark in the relationship alive, but it seems she might have overdone it. Wonderful - note the sarcasm.

"Well...." Isabella tried to do damage control, "What I'm trying to say is that you should always hold my hand," she said, looking away as a blush crept up her face.

Shit, she hated this slow-burn romance. It was so much better and fun, throwing him on the bed and riding his d*ck. God, this was an epic failure.

However, she was startled when Pedro burst into laughter.

Isabella facepalmed mentally, as expected Pedro found it funny - it was supposed to be romantic. What had she been expecting? That Pedro would be touched? Oh please. Dirty talks were much better.

"God, you're so funny," Pedro laughed harder.

"That's enough," Isabella grew irritated.

Pedro's gaze narrowed at her, "Are you angry,"

"No," Yes, she was.

Pedro halted his movement, standing in her way.

"What?" Isabella wondered what he was up to.

However, Pedro simply palmed her cheeks saying, "You look cute when you talk nerd,"

She frowned, "I'm not a nerd!"

Pedro raised a dark brow, amused, "I never said you were one,"

"Yes," Isabella stood her ground, "In slang terms, a nerd is an unattractive, socially awkward, annoying, undesirable, or boring person; a dork. Which of that explains me?" she challenged him.

"A nerd is also a person who is intellectual but generally introverted," Pedro was tempted to argue with her but he knew better than to react to Isabella's incitement.

Isabella was an extremely driven person and unless she conceded, he was definitely going to lose nor was he ready to have a taste of her silent treatment.

"Fine, you're not a nerd," Pedro said as he leaned down and kissed her fully on the mouth. It was a sweet long kiss, one that proved his affection for her. A kiss that tugged at her heart and solidified her feelings for him. Isabella realized at that moment, it wouldn't be bad living with him for the rest of her life.

They came up for breath with Pedro leaning his forehead against hers. Pedro stared into her eyes while stroking her soft skin.

"I love you,"

Isabella's heart skipped a beat when Pedro said those words to her - even though it wasn't the first time. A feeling of joy swelled in her heart; she had never felt this peaceful and content. It was as if she had finally found the missing piece in her life.

"I love you too," She proclaimed and watched as his mouth widened into a grin.

Pedro leaned down and kissed her. But this time, it was short-lived since Isabella put some space between them as she reached into the pocket of her shorts trying to retrieve something.

"I've been trying to get us alone so I could give you this but Anabelle can be a bug sometimes," Isabella said, a necklace dangling from her hand.

Pedro was stunned, "What is this?"

"I had it customized for us - my mother, Reina's company does things like this," Isabella somehow felt good referring to Reina as her mother.

She had gone for a long time without a mother and the idea of having one seemed like a faraway dream. But now she had one, it still seemed surreal yet exciting. She was no longer alone; she had a mother.

"The P is an abbreviation for your name while I is mine," Isabella said even though the whole design was self-explanatory.

The necklace was an adjustable-length chain and had a single focus element which was the love-shaped decorative stone with both of their abbreviated initials carved by the sides.

"It's made entirely of gold,"

"W-what?" Pedro choked, "You mean real gold?"

Isabella gave him a strange look, "Of course, it's real gold. Were you expecting me to use fake gold?"

"No, I didn't... It's just...." Pedro was overwhelmed. This was a big gift," I'm the one supposed to do the gifting. I'm your boyfriend,"

Isabella scowled at him, "What idiotic idealogy is that? Who made such a rule? Moreover, I made one for myself as well," She brought it out and showed him.

Pedro cried inside, so much money. But then, Isabella was the type that went all out for you if she adores you.

"This will be the symbol of our love. So that even when we're far away, you'd still feel me," She hinted at the fact they might separate for college, "All you have to do is hold it and know we are always together, no matter the distance," Isabella said to him.

Pedro was stunned. It wouldn't surprise him if Isabella had been possessed by another soul. This was so not like her, who knew she could be this loving?

"Thank you, love," Pedro smiled at her.

"No, you don't have to thank me," After all, she put a tracking device in the necklace. She trusted Pedro but she didn't trust the ladies at universities.

---------

Bless this shameless author with your golden ticket 🎫