Chapter 60: Are You Avoiding Me ?

𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°

Nevena’s heart tightened… but in a way that made her throat warm.

“Hey,” she murmured softly. “I’m here for you. That’s what matters, okay?”

Junior nodded against her.

A wave crashed far below, spraying mist upward. Nevena’s gaze drifted over the ocean, its endless stretch both terrifying and strangely calming now.

“Come on,” Antonio cleared his throat, seemingly uncomfortable. “Next up… Science.”

They all leaned their heads over the next assignment in unison.

With the wind, the waves, and the endless sky above them, they continued their quiet battle against homework like a family.

“Done and dusted,” Antonio exhaled, as Junior finished the art assignment.

“Bestie?” Junior called, reaching to erase a pencil mistake in his drawing.

Nevena rolled her eyes fondly. “Yes.”

“It’s breakfast time. Did you perhaps pack enough food to reach, Buddy?”

“Yeah…” Nevena whispered a little silently, not trusting the contents she had packed.

Antonio exhaled slowly, almost silently, then looked away from them both, toward the endless ocean. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Nah… bestie has it under control,” Junior brushed off Antonio’s objection, utterly unaware of the grenade about to drop.

He put away his stationeries and waited for Nevena to serve the dish.

Inwardly, Nevena’s chest rose and fell a little too hard for someone only meant to serve a dish, but eventually she unpacked her bag.

One medium-sized flask, one spoon, and one plate with two bottled waters.

“That’s pretty much for three people,” Antonio muttered ironically. “You guys go ahead, I’ll just take water.”

“No, you don’t have to.” Nevena grabbed his hand midway from collecting the water. “I will eat after you guys.”

Antonio felt flustered, and he retreated his hand.

Having won, Nevena dished out three-half of the food and pushed it to them.

They had their first spoon quietly, then on the second one, Antonio’s hand stopped completely.

As if a negotiation between his mind and the spoon he was holding, he turned to Nevena.

“Open up,” he gestured stiffly, dropping completely to the floor.

“Hmm,” Nevena hummed gently, still processing what she heard — his arm stretched toward her face.

“Miss your turn and it won’t be recounted.”

The urgency in his voice was chilling, making Nevena open up once.

Antonio didn’t feed her again immediately. He fed Junior, and took another bite for himself.

Nevena pretended to focus on the sea as his hand approached.

“Your turn,” he murmured without looking at her.

Nevena blinked, her face flushed.

“Open,” he said again. This time, the command was soft… and she obeyed.

Junior ate happily beside them, playing with his fingers, and when breakfast was done, he jumped to his feet.

“Buddy! Let’s look at the ships from the railing!”

Nevena arched a brow. “No. It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll hold the rail,” Junior insisted. “Look.”

He waddled off before either adult could stop him.

Nevena stood too fast, wincing as the height hit her again. She reached out to Antonio without thinking.

“Please… go with him,” she whispered. “He listens to you better.”

Antonio didn’t answer for a moment. Then quietly, almost too quietly, he exhaled, straightened his coat, and walked toward Junior.

“Buddy! Look — that ship is small!” Junior screamed excitedly as he felt Antonio’s hand on his back.

“You call that small?” Antonio sputtered, mockingly.

“Yes,” Junior nodded with certainty. “It’s just the size of a car.”

Antonio snorted — a short, unguarded sound he immediately tried to hide by dragging a hand down his face.

“What’s funny?” Junior asked, catching the faintest pull of a smile on his mouth.

“Nothing, don’t mind me,” Antonio said, eyes drifting back to the ship on the ocean. “Come with me, I’ll show you something.”

—

The descent back down the lighthouse spiral was slow, careful, and strangely intimate.

The steps were slick with sea mist and dipped into pockets of shadow.

Antonio was carrying Junior and the bags — effortlessly, securely, as though they were his.

“Easy,” he murmured behind Nevena as her knees wobbled.

“I’m not going to slip,” Nevena whispered, supporting her weight on the cold railing.

The tremor was unavoidable in her own voice, but before her foot even found the next step, Antonio’s palm settled around her waist.

“You almost did a while ago,” he countered, adjusting Junior in his arm. “Let me guide you.”

Junior lifted his head groggily from Antonio’s shoulder. “Buddy… don’t let bestie fall,” he mumbled.

“I won’t,” Antonio promised, and his hand tightened more around her waist.

By the time they reached the bottom, Nevena could barely remember the climb up. Only the slow descent—their bodies close, the hush of the ocean beyond the walls, and the steady rhythm of Antonio’s breath behind her—echoed through her.

When they finally stepped out into the open daylight, Antonio immediately released her waist.

Nevena swallowed a breath, adjusting the strap of her bag, trying to ignore how empty her waist felt without his hand there.

Junior piped up as Antonio lowered him. “Buddy… where exactly are we going?”

Antonio turned to the lighthouse and locked the door. “It’s a surprise,” he replied flatly.

“A surprise?” Nevena perked up at his tone, almost tripping over her own feet. “For who?”

“You’ll see,” Antonio answered, walking ahead. Though it wasn’t a clear answer, they followed him.

The grounds stretched narrow and uneven — leading back to the wide dirt road where his obsidian-black car waited.

“It’s a far walk,” Antonio said as he unlocked the car. “So we’ll drive closer.”

“Mr. Hunt… we don’t have to go if it’s too much trouble,” Nevena said, a little uncomfortable.

Antonio didn’t answer immediately. He opened the back door for Junior, buckling him in with slow, practiced motions. “It’s no trouble. Just get in.”

He straightened, meeting her eyes over the car roof. “No one will lock you up this time.”

Nevena remained rooted in place. “I need to speak with you, and this is the chance.”

Something in her tone made Antonio’s stomach dip, but he circled to the trunk and opened the passenger door for her.

“Get in — let’s not keep Junior waiting.”

“No,” Nevena slammed the door shut, leaning on it with her back. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I wasn’t,” Antonio replied tightly. “My schedule is not—”

“But you had your secretary reschedule me eight times,” she cut in smoothly.

“You didn’t assume that, right?” He turned away, running a hand through his hair — a gesture Nevena had never seen him do.

Seconds ticked by before Nevena spoke quietly.

“You move heaven and hell to save me every time, then sit at the back like some ghost savior, and don’t even let me thank you?”