MasukMaya’s POVNico fell asleep halfway through the story.I noticed it not because he stirred or shifted, but because his breathing changed slowly, the kind of breathing that came from deep within the chest. His fingers loosened around the edge of the blanket, his lashes rested against his cheeks like they had given up the effort of staying open.I kept reading anyway.My voice softened on its own, sinking into the rhythm of the words, each sentence trailing gently into the next. The room felt smaller, warmer, wrapped in the hush that only came after a long, emotional day. The bedside lamp cast a golden glow across the walls, shadows stretching lazily across shelves and toys.When I reached the end of the page, I paused.Nico didn’t stir.I smiled to myself.Carefully, I closed the book and placed it back on the bedside table, adjusting the blanket around him, and smoothing it over his small chest. I tucked the edges the way he liked, tight enough to feel secure, loose enough to breathe.
Maya’s POVI let him pull me at first.My feet moved because his hand was like iron around my wrist and because everything inside me was still ringing from what I had just witnessed. My ears buzzed a little and my chest felt tight, like I’d forgotten how to breathe properly. The world around us blurred into streaks of color and sounds with parents murmuring, children laughing, someone calling a name that wasn’t mine.But after a few steps, reality slammed back into place.Nico.The thought hit me so hard I stumbled.I dug my heels into the grass and yanked my hand free.“Maya—-” Luca snapped, spinning toward me, his eyes still wild, still dark with something dangerous.“No.” My voice shook, but I stood my ground. “We can’t.”He took a step closer, his jaw clenched, breath heavy. “I said we’re leaving.”“And I’m saying we can’t leave like this,” I shot back, lowering my voice as a group of parents passed too close for comfort. “Not in front of Nico.”His brow furrowed. “He doesn’t nee
Luca’s POVThe noise around me blurred into something dull and distant, like I was underwater and everyone else was shouting from the surface. The fathers stood in a loose semicircle, some still flushed from exertion, others laughing too loudly as if the day had given them permission to forget themselves. Their voices collided in praise, jokes, and admiration, but none of it landed.“Second place, man,” one of them said, clapping me on the back hard enough to jolt my spine. “That was impressive.”I nodded once.“You don’t mess around,” another added, grinning. “Didn’t even slow down when the kid fell. That’s determination.”I didn’t answer immediately. My gaze had drifted past them, past the tents and bleachers, past the clusters of parents and children celebrating small victories. Nico stood near the awards table, with the silver trophy clutched in both hands like it might vanish if he loosened his grip. He was beaming, his cheeks flushed, his eyes were too bright. He lifted the trop
Maya’s POVFor a split second, everything froze.The cheers, the movement around us, even the noise of the field it all blurred into something distant and hollow as my eyes locked onto Luca.He wasn’t moving.He stood there, with his shoulders stiff his eyes were fixed on Nico like his body had forgotten how to function. His face had drained of color, shock cutting through his usual control so cleanly it startled me more than the fall itself.Nico whimpered softly, his small fingers tightening around his scraped knee, and that snapped something inside me back into place.I moved.I dropped to my knees in front of him, ignoring the grass pressing into my gown. My hands were steady even though my chest felt anything but that.“Hey,” I said gently, already dabbing at his wound with the edge of my handkerchief. “Hey, look at me.”His eyes were glassy, tears clinged stubbornly to his lashes.“It hurts,” he whispered.“I know,” I said softly. “I know it does.”I blew gently over the scrape
Maya’s POVI stiffened the moment the announcer’s words sank in.“Piggyback race!”My spine went rigid as if someone had poured ice straight down it.I turned slowly, my eyes darting across the field, taking in the chaos unfolding before my brain could catch up. Parents were already laughing and scrambling around, some crouching, some lifting, while others argued loudly about who should carry whom.One woman hoisted her husband onto her back with surprising ease, earning cheers from the crowd. Another man scooped his wife up in a dramatic bridal carry, spinning her once before jogging toward the starting line like this was some kind of romantic comedy montage.My heart began to thud uncomfortably.I swallowed and turned toward Luca, fully intending to ask him what we were supposed to do, when he moved.One second, he was standing in front of me.The next, his arm slid behind my knees and another around my back and suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath my feet.I gasped.“Oh—-!”Bef
Maya’s POVHe laughed out loudly for a few minutes and that was satisfying to watch,I let out a frown, “what's funny Luca?”“The fact that you think I would be scared of you, just because you removed your shoes,” he muttered in between laughs“But that is true, do you even know how to run? I have been running my whole life and this field is just a piece of cake.”He stared straight me long and hard and for a moment I thought there was something on my face, “I like your determination, but sweetheart there is no beating the champion"My heart skipped.He called me sweetheart, I bit my inner cheeks to stop myself from blushing too hard, “Fine then lets see”The announcer’s voice crackled over the speakers again, louder this time, pulling everyone’s attention back to the center of the field.“Parents for the first event, please step forward,” he said cheerfully. “We’ll be starting with the three legged race.”My stomach dropped.I looked down at my bare feet on the grass, then slowly up







