Kyle's unearthed goldmine

The proposal

It was a cool evening at Beckerley University. 

  

The sky was painted in hues of pink  and orange  as the sun set behind the horizon. The air was cool and light, and there was a gentle breeze blowing, rustling through the leaves and creating a soothing sound.  

  

Kyle Hughes was resting in one of the open spaces near the university hall. He was scheduled to deliver a paid assignment to Cian, a senior colleague and a campus big guy who never really cares about his education.  

  

It’s one of the many things Kyle has had to do in order to sustain himself and pay his college fees. He was a popular figure on campus but for all of the wrong reasons. If anyone needs an errand boy, a quick fix to sort out their mess, or even a cleaner, Kyle is their go-to person. 

After about half an hour of rest, Kyle got up and started walking towards the university hall where he’s scheduled to meet Cian.

He would deliver the assignment to Cian and go straight to the university library to  meet his girlfriend and the absolute love of his life, Beth.

As he walked a little further, he saw a group of students gathered around the university cafeteria, chanting indistinctly.  

“I wonder what’s going on there. Why are there so many people at this time of the day?” he said, holding the assignment close to his body. 

He was too tired to be interested but it was unusual for students to gather around the cafeteria by that time of the day so he decided to stop by to see what was going on.   

“I just hope this is worth my time,” he added. 

The number of students gathered at the spot increased with each chant, making it difficult for Kyle to see what was going on but that made him even more curious.  

Kyle turned to a boy in the crowd and asked, “Hello. What’s going on and why are there so many people here?” 

“It’s Lewis Harrison. He’s asking a very pretty lady to be his girlfriend,”, the boy answered excitedly. 

“Lewis? How is this possible?” Kyle asked himself repeatedly. 

Lewis is an unapologetic flirt and almost everyone on campus knows him for who he is. He’s the only son of Dr Harrison, a successful business mogul based in the heart of London. That means he has more than enough money to throw around. He’s been with almost every high-class lady in the university and it was this lady’s turn. 

 “This should be added as the 8th wonder of the world. The lady really has to be special for Lewis to go the extra mile for her,” Kyle said to the boy. 

“Yes. She definitely is. Who won’t go the extra mile for a beauty like Beth?” the boy replied, trying to get into a good viewing position. 

“Beth?” Kyle’s heart skipped a beat but he consoled himself with the fact that Beth normally would be in the university library at that time of the day. Afterall, he was going to meet her in the library so the name is definitely a coincidence. 

  

 Kyle wasn’t going to miss this sight for anything in the world. He is a love being so he’s definitely excited at the prospect of seeing two lovers express their love so openly. 

 At the same time, he wanted to prove his doubts wrong since the lady Lewis was proposing to share a name with his girlfriend.

In a trice, the “Kiss him! Kiss him!!” chants stopped abruptly and Lewis cleared his throat. 

Lewis went down on one knee and started “Dear Beth, you make my heart burn with passion. I just want to put an end to the speculations and officially ask you to be my girlfriend. As we all know, money is not a problem for me and if you let me, I'd like to show you what love truly is." 

“I’ve only ever seen this in movies,” a lady close to Kyle said to her friend. 

“This is real! I honestly think Lewis Harrison and Beth Aarons will make a perfect duo,” her friend replied. 

“Beth Aarons?”  Kyle lost his cool and immediately became uncomfortable.

He forced his way through the crowd to get a clear view of the lady Lewis was really proposing to and… 

Kyle’s next sight was the worst of his life. 

 …it was his beloved Beth. Kyle could not believe his eyes. Beth was out there with another guy in broad daylight. She was out there with Lewis Harrison.  

“YES!” Beth replied excitedly, holding Lewis’ hands and helping him up. 

The crowd cheered and a jubilant noise filled the air. 

Just as Lewis was about to kiss Beth, his eyes caught Kyle in the crowd and he held back a little. Surprised, he confronted Kyle. 

“What are you doing here? Have you finished running your errands for the day?” he asked, pointing a finger at Kyle. 

The whole crowd burst into laughter and Kyle’s silence did not make things any better. 

“Look, Beth is my girl now and for your own good, stay away from her. You’ve done enough. Do you really think you’re up to her standards in the first place? You can barely feed yourself,” Lewis continued, his words sending cold shivers down Kyle’s spine.

“What? Kyle and Beth were dating? How did he manage to convince her?” someone from the crowd said. 

“He must have offered her a whole year of cleaning,” said another. 

“How did Beth stoop so low?” a third asked. 

Kyle’s hands dropped and the assignment he was holding fell on the floor, creating a thumping sound that made everyone look in his direction.

“Oh poor Kyle, you can’t just stand here and watch me and my newfound love. You must have some more errands to run before the end of the day so please leave now,” Lewis said in a pretentious tone. 

Lewis brought out a diamond necklace. Held it above his head and declared “You all are witnesses. On this day, I, Lewis Harrison, declare my love for you Beth Aarons. This is just the beginning of our journey together.” 

Beth, seemingly unsure of how to react to what was happening, took the necklace from Lewis and tried it on. It was inch-perfect. She looked at Kyle briefly and looked away without saying a word. She leaned in on Lewis and kissed him passionately. 

“I love you Lewis,” she said and kissed him again, this time even more passionately.