Rewriting Destiny Page 17

  “You’re awake! Are you badly hurt? There’s an ambulance on the way. Don’t move, okay?” Kyle said, so excited he could hardly contain himself.

  Marshall’s eyes opened slowly and he turned his head to look up at Kyle. He said: “That was not fun at all. But I think I’m okay. I’m just a bit stunned. The van only hit me from the side, and it turned away just in time. If I had crossed the road a split second earlier…”

  “I’m so happy that you’re okay, Marshall!” Kyle bent in to kiss Marshall on his lips, holding Marshall’s face in his hands, and Marshall laughed at Kyle’s eager affection.

  “I think I’m fine. I’m so lucky that I stopped for a second. I was about to cross the street, but I stopped to look up at your window. I saw you there, walking around with a smile on your face. That second, realizing how I feel about you, might have saved my life.”

  Kyle was smiling from ear to ear. His heart was full in that moment. “Oh really? And how do you feel about me, Marshall?” Kyle said, teasingly.

  Marshall’s expression was completely sincere. His handsome brown eyes shone with adoration. Kyle could stare at that face for hours: the strong jaw, the olive complexion, and the full, enticing lips. As Marshall said the words, everything felt right: “I love you, Kyle. I know that now more than ever.”

  “I love you, too, Marshall,” Kyle said, and he kissed Marshall softly. Somehow, Kyle felt that everything would be okay.

  Chapter 29

  Kyle sat at the small table in JJ’s bistro, sipping on his beer and tapping his foot to the funky guitar riff that was playing. The small section close to the stage was filled with students. Kyle even saw many of the players on the rugby team in attendance, and waved at Reinhardt, whose new boyfriend, Silas, smiled serenely at his side. Kyle was glad that everyone had shown up to support Marshall on his big night, because he knew how nervous Marshall would be.

  As Kyle took another sip of beer, he heard a loud, boisterous voice calling from the entrance: “Kyle! I made it!” Riana smiled from ear to ear as she waved enthusiastically at Kyle, moving so fast through the crowd that her glasses almost fell from her face. It had been almost a month since Kyle had seen his best friend, as she had been in Massachusetts meeting her professors for the doctoral program she had been accepted into.

  “You’re here!” Kyle said, jumping from his seat to hug his friend. “I didn’t think you’d make it in time for the performance.”

  “I had to rush from the airport to drop off my things with my parents and then drive all the way to Ridgemont. It was a close call, but I couldn’t miss Marshall’s first headlining performance at JJ’s!”

  Kyle smiled as he hugged Riana again. They sat down together at the table and Kyle called over a waiter to order more drinks. “He was so nervous today. Pacing up and down my flat making sure that he memorized every lyric. It was adorable.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be amazing,” Riana responded, rubbing Kyle’s hand affectionately. “And what about you? How’s work going with Prof. Shembe? Are you making any more progress on your project?”

  Kyle beamed and took out his phone to show the screen to Riana: “Actually, ever since Prof. Greer left, things have been great at the Academy. I’ve been working on a new version of Paul that’s coming along fantastically. In fact, I have someone helping me develop it. Say hi, Paul.”

  The screen in front of Kyle flickered and displayed the words: Good evening, Riana.

  Kyle turned to face Riana again and explained: “Paul’s AI has been learning so much, so quickly, that I thought he would be the best helper to get a new version of the predictive software off the ground. Of course, Prof. Shembe only thinks I’m working on software for robotics, but I’m actually trying to develop a new interface for Paul. Maybe even a robotic body of some sort. Would you like that, Paul?”

  The screen of Kyle’s phone flickered again and Paul responded: I’d like that very much.

  Riana’s mouth hung open. She said: “That’s awesome! I’m glad you found your feet again at the Academy. After the messy affair with Prof. Greer trying to ruin your reputation and threatening to take you to court, I’m glad the dean saw reason and fired him. Everyone knows you’re light-years ahead of Prof. Greer ever could be. That’s why he was so jealous of you.”

  “I’m just glad it’s all over now and Prof. Shembe agreed to be my supervisor. I’m doing some of the best work of my life. And I have Paul as my trusty sidekick. Luckily, the university took back the rights to Paul since so much of his software was developed at the Academy, so Prof Greer couldn’t stop me from working on Paul.”

  Kyle noticed a grey-haired, middle-aged man walk in the door of JJ’s and nudged Riana, signaling for her to look over. “That’s Marshall’s father. I’m so glad he came tonight. Marshall will be overjoyed.”

  Lionel de Villiers noticed Kyle in the darkened room and waved at him. Kyle waved back cheerfully, happy to see the man who meant so much to Marshall coming to support his son on such an important night. Kyle had spent a lot of time with Lionel over the past few months that he and Marshall had been dating, and he had developed a deep respect for the man.

  Finally, the lights in the room began to dim and the announcer made his way onto the stage. Kyle felt a bundle of knots in his stomach, almost jumping out of his skin to see the performance that Marshall had been practicing so hard for. Over the past few weeks, Marshall had been writing and playing guitar almost nonstop. Even though Kyle wasn’t thrilled about the fact that he didn’t get to see Marshall much, he knew how much the performance meant to Marshall. He would be performing three of his own songs, and Kyle was so proud to think that Marshall felt ready to put his talent on display in that way. Marshall was still a part of the Ridgemont rugby team, but he had relinquished his captaincy to Reinhardt and he wouldn’t be trying out for the provincial team. Instead, Marshall decided to focus on his studies and take on some extra courses in music. Kyle had never seen Marshall as excited as he had been since starting his music courses; every day Marshall would speak about the things he was learning and how he could use it all to build a career in the South African music industry. His excitement was infectious, and Kyle was more confident than ever that Marshall would make a success of it.

  As Marshall took the stage, the members of the rugby team all stood up to applaud him. The only face that was missing was Quinton’s. Kyle was happy to see that the scoundrel hadn’t shown up to ruin Marshall’s night. Quinton had been kicked off the team after it was discovered that he was trying to tamper with the rugby boots of his teammates, giving himself an unfair advantage. An ‘anonymous’ tip (that Kyle had planted) had alerted Coach Barker to the problem, and everyone was happy that they no longer had to deal with the abrasive bully on the team.

  Marshall stood in front of the microphone with his guitar in hand, smiling at the antics of the rugby team who were chanting his name. “Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. I’m really honored and grateful for your support. Being here in front of my family and friends means a lot to me, and I want you all to know how much you all inspire me.

  “To my dad, sitting in the front row, thank you for loving me so much that you trusted me to take this chance. I’m incredibly happy to be doing the thing I love with the support of the man who has been my role model for my entire life.” Kyle turned to look at Lionel de Villiers, who was beaming with pride as he looked up at his son. Marshall continued: “To Coach Barker and the rugby team, who made me feel what real brotherhood and friendship felt like. I’m so proud to be a part of the team and to wear the Ridgemont colors on that field next to each and every one of you.

  “And finally, to Kyle.” Kyle felt the eyes of the room turn towards him. “Words are not enough to express how I feel about you. Just know that I love you, and I would never have been on this stage, doing what I love to do, if it weren’t for you.” Kyle felt himself getting choked up, but held himself together. “This first song,” Marshall said, “is for you, Kyle. It’s a song yo
u haven’t heard before, and I hope it gives you even a tiny glimpse of how much you mean to me. I thought I would have to keep this song to myself forever, that my life was going in a different direction. But I’m happy that I can share it with you now.”

  Marshall began singing a beautiful ballad, a love song describing the first time he had realized he loved Kyle, the way they had admired each other since they were children, and how their love had only grown deeper. The tears Kyle had been holding back could no longer be contained. Kyle felt like he was the only person in the room with Marshall, like that moment only belonged to them. The gentle, soothing tones of Marshall’s voice swept him away, and the sincerity of the lyrics made his heart soar. It was the most beautiful song Kyle had ever heard.

  When the performance was over, Kyle mouthed the words: I love you. Marshall smiled back, and through the applause focused on only Kyle to mouth back: I love you too.

  _______________

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  - Meredith

  __________________

  Rewriting Destiny

  Ridgemont University Book 4

  Kyle & Marshall

  Kyle and Marshall will return in future Ridgemont University novels.

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  The next book in the series follows the story of Tumi and Edgar, two law students who embark on a quest to find out who Tumi’s birthparents are. Edgar, an exchange student from Oxford, is completely smitten with Tumi, but his loyalties (and his kind-of-boyfriend) are back in England. Find out more at meredithtaylorbooks.com.

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  Ridgemont University Book 3

  All-Nighters

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  Read the first chapter on the next pages!

  Chapter 1

  The small King Air plane was darting through the sky, the sound of the engine a mixture between a muffled scream and a dinosaur’s roar. Luke Brennan sat inside, his palms sweaty but his breathing surprisingly steady. His ice-blue eyes were scanning the clouds through the goggles he wore, and he repeated his mantra in his head: The thrill lets you know that you’re alive. His eyebrows were stuck in a frown on his forehead, and his vision was slightly blurry in the rush of adrenaline. He felt like he was drowning in all of the safety gear and equipment, but he forced himself to focus on the mantra: The thrill lets you know that you’re alive.

  “Don’t look so scared, Luke! We’ve done a lot worse than this before!” the strained voice of his friend Blair was barely audible over the rumble of the engine. Blair’s long hair was tied back into a ponytail and her expression was one of complete calm. Somehow, Blair’s total immunity against fear was always calming for Luke, and he was glad that he had his friend along for his first time skydiving.

  Luke turned to face Blair again, and let out a loud, wolf-like howl which she dutifully joined in on. They laughed raucously and looked over at the skydiving instructor who would be joining them on the dive. He gave them a thumbs up with the broadest smile Luke had ever seen. Luke wasn’t sure who the man was trying to convince. Despite the regular flutter in his stomach that Luke encountered when he went on these crazy adventures, he was never really scared anymore. He hadn’t been scared of anything in over a year… since then, he had gone white-water rafting, parasailing, rock climbing and deep-sea diving. His friends often admired his wild, thrill-seeking nature. The only person who could keep up with him was Blair, and that’s why she was sitting next to him on his biggest adventure yet: skydiving over the Ridgemont Valley.

  Luke took a deep breath, and as he exhaled he felt the entire plane take a dip through the sky. His heart stopped and his stomach felt like it was being yanked out through his throat. Blair grabbed his shoulder as the plane dipped forward and immediately pulled up, throwing them both off balance. Luke wanted to let out a frightened holler, but he tried to hold it together in front of Blair. As the plane steadied again, Luke saw that Blair was completely enjoying the moment, her large, expressive mouth breaking into a guttural laugh. Blair’s sharp features, prominent cheekbones and honey complexion made her very popular with men, and her infectious laughter and spirit for adventure were sure to get her attention wherever she went. Luke enjoyed being around attractive, confident people, especially those who seemed like they didn’t give a damn about what people thought of them. He admired Blair’s features for a moment and joined in her laughter. “That was a close one,” he shouted above the sound of the engine. He turned his pale blue eyes towards the skydiving instructor whose smile had only grown. Was there something he wasn’t telling them? Luke shook away the thoughts of doom and gloom and enjoyed the moment. The thrill lets you know that you’re alive.

  The curly-haired instructor walked over to them, still smiling his oafish smile, and patted Luke heavily on his shoulder. “Okay, time to fasten the parachutes. Make sure that you remember where the emergency cord is. I will be right there with you so you don’t need to worry about anything.”

  Luke sharpened his gaze at the door, his plump, ample lips filling with blood from the cold of the wind rushing into their cabin. His lips had always been his most prominent feature, something that guys commented on when they were flirting with him. The full lips gave his face a feminine, earthy quality that contrasted with the cold blue eyes that might have been enough to scare people away. His sharp jawline and jet-black Caesar cut hair always got him noticed when he walked into Percy’s Pub on campus, or one of the other gay nightclubs in Cape Town. But the lips betrayed something more vulnerable, often flaring bright red in contrast to his pale skin. As he stood up from the seat in the small plane and walked towards the jump doors, his lips were redder than ever.

  Blair fastened her skydiving goggles over her face and made sure that her parachute was secure. The instructor stood behind them as they moved closer to the doors. Luk
e could feel the chill draining all feeling form his cheeks, and the wind blowing through his hair in all directions. His jumpsuit was loose and heavy on his frame, and even though it was freezing cold, he could feel a light sweat on his chest. He saw the clouds and blue sky turn into the horizon as he walked towards the opening. Blair was in her zone, Luke noticed, her stare vacant as she walked beside him. She turned to him suddenly and said, “I heard a story about someone’s parachute that wouldn’t open on one of these dives. Splat!” She gave a mischievous smile and winked at Luke through her goggles, and he laughed half-heartedly in response.

  “Here we go! We’re right above the landing zone! Are you ready?” the instructor hollered. Luke could finally bring himself to look down and appreciate the scene in front of him. There was a stunning landscape of green and gold as he looked down at the farmlands of the Ridgemont Valley. The area was famous for its wine farms, and the neat rows of vines below them offered a spectacular view. In the distance Luke could see the tall towers of Ridgemont University, where he was a final-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. He tried to take a mental picture of all of the beauty in front of him, and just as he was deep in thought savoring the magnificent sight, the instructor yelled out, “Jump!”

  For a moment Luke felt complete weightlessness, like the world around him had shifted into the realm of nonreality. His head was completely clear; he didn’t even feel the cold anymore. Then, like being jerked down by a giant fist at his collar, he was falling through the sky. His mind raced uncontrollably, an exhilarating rush overcoming him. It felt as if his blood was pumping through his veins at ten times the normal rate. He felt that same feeling of being alive that he felt every time he went on one of his wild adventures. The same feeling he sometimes felt when he met a new guy at a bar. For a few minutes at least, he was invincible.