Chapter 172 - She Thought About That Possibility..yet..

"Ash Ville," Oliver answered. 

When Kyra heard that name, she became stiff. Her fingers started to tremble slightly and it's evident that she didn't take a breath. 

"Ria, are you fine?" Jennifer worriedly asked. This name rang a bell in her head but she couldn't recall why. 

"Hey, what happened?" Jennifer asked when she saw the trembling fingers. 

The residents looked at Kyra in worry but when Oliver shot a glance, they averted their eyes. 

As their seats are at the end of the bus, only these four residents can look at them. With them averting their eyes, Oliver got enough privacy to worry about his girlfriend openly. 

"What's wrong, Ky?" He asked, taking her hands into his. It's evident that her condition has something to do with the town Oliver mentioned. 

Could it be…

"That..that's my hometown." Kyra whispered just enough for Oliver to hear. 

Jennifer looked at him quizzically and when Oliver nodded his head, confirming Jennifer's suspicion. 

The name of the town sounded familiar because she heard it from Kyra many years back. AshVille is Kyra's childhood town. 

It is where she was born and lived for fourteen years before her mother brought her to this city. 

"Are you fine going there?" Oliver asked, caressing Kyra's palms. They are sweaty and he could tell that she is not fine with going there. 

He could only scold himself for being this reckless. 

He should have looked into the background of the town and he should have asked his girlfriend if she is fine going there. 

He didn't ask her about this because Kyra told him that any place would be fine as long as they are together. 

"I don't know." Kyra answered, her voice faint and uncertain. 

Her step mother, her step siblings and a few of her relatives still live there and it hasn't been smooth sailing for her in the past. She has struggled a lot and when her grandmother died, it became intolerable that she went into depression. 

She tried to commit sucide and got rescued by some mysterious man. A few months later, she tried to take her life again and it was when her biological mother came to rescue but only made her life worse. 

"I don't think people there will recognize you." Jennifer said. 

"It's not about trouble, Jen. It's about memories." Oliver said as he looked at Kyra worriedly. 

"We will be there to ward off all the bad memories." Jennifer said, giving a comfort squeeze to Kyra's hand. 

"We will get through this, Ky. We are here for you and most importantly, you are not that little girl anymore." Oliver said, pressing a kiss to Kyra's forehead. He didn't care that they were in public. For him, his girlfriend comes first. 

"To be frank, I have actually considered this. When you guys said that we would be going to the mountain region to the west of the city, I knew that there was a possibility of me getting assigned to my hometown, AshVille. However, there are many towns and the probability is very low." Kyra said to her friends. Her voice is audible to Oliver and Jennifer alone. 

"If you have already thought about the possibility, you should have told me about it, once Ky. I would have made sure that we wouldn't get assigned." Oliver said. One word from her and he would have made sure they wouldn't go to this town where his girlfriend had many bad memories. 

"I know. But I wanted to let nature take its course. If I am destined to go there, I will go there. And, I didn't want to run away." Kyra said. 

She contemplated it a lot. She knows that the probability of her going back to her hometown is less than five percent. She could make sure she would never go there and all it needs is a one call to Oliver or her uncle. 

But, she remembered Oliver's words. He asked her not to run away from things and try to face them bravely. It is the only way to fight her trauma. So, at that exact moment, she decided to let fate decide where she had to head. 

"Good. It's a sign that my girlfriend is progressing. We will be there to support you." Oliver said, smiling at his girlfriend. His pride for her is obvious in his eyes.

Jennifer nodded her head, confirming that she would be there with Jennifer. 

Kyra nodded her head and leaned on Oliver's shoulder. She would have maintained her distance however, she wants his comfort so much now. Although she said that she is ready to face it, she is not ready yet. 

There was a chance of ninety five percent for her to evade the possibility of facing her past but when Oliver confirmed that they are going to her hometown, she was taken aback. 

Now, she has to face her past and she doesn't have the enough courage to do so. 

Oliver leaned his head on her head and entwined their fingers. 

"Don't be afraid. We are here." Oliver whispered soothingly, lulling Kyra to sleep and kissed Kyra's cheek. They seem to not care about the other people only!!

Jennifer is the worried one here. She couldn't help but worry that her friend's would get caught red handed. It's not that they had to worry about it but the consequences might make Kyra's life tough. Oliver is after all the doctor with a crazy fan base. 

Kyra slept off as soon as she leaned on to Oliver. When he is with her, every worry just disappears and she can peacefully go to sleep. 

After his girlfriend slept. Oliver gently placed her head back on her head rest and distangled their fingers. He would have gladly let Kyra rest on him but he doesn't want his girlfriend to be the victim of the green eyes monsters in this bus. 

"You come here. I will go there." Jennifer whispered to Oliver and he obliged. Kyra can rest on Jennifer's shoulder now. 

—---------

"Ria has worked hard to make herself attractive. But what's the use? Our Dr. Miller is immune to it." Teressa proudly said. 

She just saw how Oliver swapped places with Jennifer and it has satiated her jealousy. She was drowning in jealousy when Kyra got to sit beside Oliver. She simply couldn't stop imagining what Kyra must be cooking to seduce Oliver. 

"Yeah. She must have tried to get close to him but our Dr. Miller must have realized what that seductress is doing and swapped places to protect himself from her." Lillian said, mocking Kyra. 

Ron and Claire who are sitting with them couldn't help but grit their teeth. 

"First of all, Ria is beautiful from the start. She just didn't want to be the center of attention to all these malicious comments and gossip." Ron told them. 

And, what seductress? 

Their boss, Dr. Miller is the one who seduced Ria to fall in love with him. 

Taking advantage? For what? For Oliver's money, status?

She has them already. Why does she need Oliver to give her these things? 

She is with him because she loves him. Nothing more, nothing less. It's pure feelings. 

"So, you know how she looks?" Lillian asked. 

"I accidentally saw." he lied. 

"So what if she is a natural beauty?? She has a crappy attitude and character." Teressa said. 

"Crappy character? How do you know?" Claire asked. 

Their conversation is audible to the people in the next seat and they know that it won't end well. 

So, a girl stood up. 

"Welcome aboard guys. It's going to be a long journey so, we, the fun club, have decided to organize a few fun activities to keep you guys entertained and of course to get to know each other as we will be working together for the next four days." she announced. 

It caught everyone's attention and the sleepy Kyra woke up too. 

"So, this is the first game. All our names are written in these papers and we have placed them in this box. I will pick one chit and the person mentioned in it gets to pick another paper. The first person who got picked by me gets to ask a question to the person in the second chit." the girl told everyone. 

Everyone is fine with the game. In fact, it is a nice opportunity as well. 

"Claire." the girl announced. Claire stood up and picked a chit in the box. When she opened the paper, the name written on it was Oliver. Ao, she gets to ask a question to him. 

Oliver couldn't refuse. After all, this four days trip is not only for charity but to strengthen the relationship between the staff. It means, the hierarchy, the positions of the people don't matter here. 

"Fine. Ask away." Oliver said. He is indifferent like always but he sounded casual. 

"Dr. Miller, do you have a girlfriend? If you have, then, when did you fall for her?" Claire asked. 

"That's two questions," the girl who is managing the game said. 

Oliver smiled. 

"Yes, I have a girlfriend. Although I can refrain from answering the second question, I will answer it. It's been almost four years since I fell for her." he said. Which is true.. Kyra and he met at a twins ' birthday party and it is a love at first sight for him.