Chapter 36 - "To being stuck together forever."

"So, how did it go?" Nathan asked me as soon as I emerged from the exam hall.  

I sighed. The last thing I wanted to think about after finishing my final exam was the paper I'd just sat.

"Fine, I think," I said with a grimace. "There were a couple of dodgy ones, but no major issues." 

He slipped his hand into mine as we walked down the corridor, heading out of the school building for what would be the penultimate time.  

"So, do you reckon you're going to London or Kent?" he then asked, referring to my two potential universities.  

"I don't know... I don't wanna think about it." 

"Well, do you think you've definitely got the grades for London?" he persisted. 

I sighed. "Nathan, I don't know. Please can we change the subject?" 

He sighed and squeezed my hand. "So, freedom, huh? No more school ever again. Feels weird, doesn't it?" 

"Yeah, I guess. I can't wait for uni. Although I'm also terrified. What if I don't make any friends?" 

"Of course you'll make friends," Nathan said with confidence. "Everyone makes friends at university. That's what it's about." 

"Well, technically, it's about getting a degree..." 

We stepped out into the warm, southern sunshine and I immediately felt better about everything. The sun always had this effect on me; that's why I'd always joked about never going to university in the north.  

"That's the kind of pedantic comment I'd make," Nathan said in amusement. "Clearly I'm rubbing off on you."

"Clearly we're spending too much time together," I shot back.  

He laughed. "But seriously, you will make friends. You'll automatically make friends with your flatmates. Everyone is in the same position as you. It'll be so easy that it'll be effortless. This kind of stuff happens naturally at university." 

"I hope so," I said, hopping into the passenger seat of Nathan's car.  

As we drove back to his house, we chatted about various topics, but as soon as we were in his room, he brought up the exams again.  

"If you had to give a percentage, what would you say the chances are of you going to London?" he asked.  

I sighed in irritation, annoyed at his refusal to drop the issue. "Nathan, I really wouldn't want to say." 

There was an underlying tension here, too, regarding a potential long distance scenario. I didn't want to say anything about it because I didn't know what would happen to the relationship. What if Nathan was so keen on me going to London because it was nearer? Maybe if I went to Kent then it'd put a strain on our relationship with us being farther apart. Kent wasn't exactly miles away but it wasn't as easy to get to as London.  

He sat down next to me on the bed. "I've applied for two jobs," he told me.  

Where was this going? "Okay...?" I pressed. "How does that impact on my university?" 

"One is in London and the other is in Kent, in Canterbury," he revealed.  

My mouth dropped open. "Nathan! Why didn't you tell me that?" 

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought I'd keep it to myself for now, but they've both offered me a job and, well, if you thought you could guess which university you're going to, then I can choose now." 

"I can't believe you've done that for me," I said quietly, seriously touched that Nathan was willing to base his choice of job on my university location.  

"Well, I need a job." 

"What's the job?" I then asked.  

He shrugged. "Just, you know, admin stuff." 

I raised my eyebrows. "Admin stuff? What kind of admin stuff?" 

He scratched his head awkwardly, looking away from me in awkwardness. "Um, translating." 

"Translating into what?" I frowned. Then it clicked and realisation flooded over me. "Oh my God. Italian?" 

He nodded. "Yeah..." 

"You said you couldn't speak it!" 

"Well, I can speak it," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "I just got self-conscious in front of you. And, well, I didn't think I actually was that good, but then I took classes after we got back from Rome, and I took the entrance exam for the two jobs...and I passed." 

"Nathan...you didn't have to do that just for me..." 

"Who says it's for you?" he teased. "Maybe I just fancied a change." 

I smiled. "You'll have to find a new flat and relocate... It's a lot of hassle." 

"It's worth it for you." 

I leaned across to wrap my arms around him. He hugged me back, nestling his face in my hair.  

"I love you," he whispered.  

"I love you, too," I said, meaning it from the bottom of my heart. "You really are the best thing that's ever happened to me." 

"Corny," he smirked. "But probably true." 

I laughed and kissed his lips, too happy to challenge his arrogance. "You're so vain." 

"Well someone needed to help you get over that dickhead, and I stepped up to the role." 

"I'm glad you did." 

"Yeah, I'm glad I did, as well," he said. "I'm also glad I was so persistent when you kept making it clear how disinterested you were." 

I laughed. "Well, maybe your insanely good looks helped you out in the end." 

"They always tend to." 

I nudged him playfully and he nudged me back. I nudged him harder and we had a playful wrestling match that resulted in him pinning me down on the bed. With a conceited smile, he bent to kiss my lips, and the evening continued from there.  

- 

After a summer that pretty much revolved around Nathan, Results Day arrived. Nathan didn't really care about his results—he already had a job. After we'd discussed it properly, I'd told him to apply for the job in London. I knew how much he loved cities and living in London meant he was at the centre of the country. He could easily get out of the city to visit me, or I could go in to visit him.  

"I am so scared," Jess said, clinging onto Alex's hand. She was probably cutting off the blood supply, but Alex didn't complain.  

"Nothing you can do now," Nathan said, helpfully.  

"Come on," I said to her, taking her other hand and prising her away from Alex. "Let's do it together." 

"Izzy, I am so scared." 

"So am I. Come on. Let's do this." 

We took our envelopes and I had to coax Jess for a good few minutes in order to get her to open her envelope.  

"Will you do it for me?" she asked pleadingly, shoving the envelope against my chest. 

I rolled my eyes but took it from her anyway, opening the envelope without a moment's hesitation. Having pulled out the papers, I scanned the grades to work out which university she'd be going to. It didn't take much effort to work it out, though. With four A*s, there was no doubt over where she was going.

"Well, you're going to Oxford," I told her bluntly.  

She stared at me, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide with shock. "Seriously?" 

"Yes, Jess. I wouldn't lie about it! You got four A*s. You even got an A in that Chemistry module. Well done!" I grinned.  

Then she squealed and threw her arms around my neck. I just about managed to prevent the exam certificates getting crushed between our bodies before I hugged her back. She snatched the envelope from me.  

While she read through her grades, I took her moment of distraction to open my own envelope. At first, nothing sunk in, but once I got my head around it, I smiled to myself.  

"How did you do?" Nathan asked from behind me.  

"London." I smiled up at him.  

He smiled back and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Well done, Bella. Want to go out to lunch to celebrate?" 

Jess gave me an enthusiastic hug goodbye before we left. It would probably be a while before the buzz wore off.  

"Oi, Smith!" a voice called from across the car park as Nathan and I were making our way to his vehicle. "You still owe me a tennis match!" 

I turned to see Sam, dressed in sports gear, holding his envelope carelessly in his left hand. His right hand was cupped above his eyes, shielding him from the sun as he focused his attention on me.  

"I'll see you in a mixed doubles final one day, then!" I called back.  

He shot me a rude, yet somehow affectionate gesture, before pulling open the door to his own car and getting inside.  

"That's my girl," Nathan smirked. "Always aiming high." 

-  

Nathan took me to an independent, family-run restaurant for lunch. We discussed school, results and university for a while, before he took a long sip of his wine and cleared his throat. That got my attention because he suddenly looked uncomfortable. 

"What's wrong?" I asked.  

"So, maybe this isn't as necessary now," he began, "Since you're going to London...but I want you to have it anyway." 

He placed a small square box in the middle of the table between us. I stared at it for a couple of seconds before deciding not to jump to conclusions and picking it up. As I opened it, my eyes fell on a beautiful silver ring that was studded with diamonds all the way around it.  

"It's beautiful, Nathan," I breathed, looking up only briefly to meet his eyes. He was studying my reaction intensely. "I assume it's not an engagement ring since you said it wasn't as necessary now?" 

He laughed. "Don't worry. It's not an engagement ring. And besides, if I was going to propose then I'd be much more romantic about it. It's more of a...promise ring. I wanted you to know how committed I am to you, if you ended up going to Kent." 

"It's really beautiful," I repeated. "Thank you so much. It's so thoughtful of you..." 

I slid it onto my right hand's fourth finger and studied it in the light, watching how it sparkled.  

"It looks nice on you," Nathan said.  

"It's perfect," I assured him. "Like you." 

"Oh, Bella, stop it," he said, smiling. "You'll make me blush!" 

"I love you," I told him sincerely, refusing to accept his effort to lighten the tone.  

"I love you, too," he smiled. "Oh, and by the way, when I said it was a promise ring, I meant it literally. It means that you promise you'll never leave me. So, now you're wearing it, I guess you're stuck with me forever." He grinned and winked.  

I laughed and raised my wine glass in toast. "To being stuck together forever."

--

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