I smile and nod, making my way into the main hall where the party truly unfolds: the inner courtyard. At the center of the building, it’s surrounded by balconies from the upper floors, where more of the celebration spills out onto the terraces.
I scan the ground floor and quickly find what I’m looking for.
What surprises me, however, is finding Nina there—with Atlas, Apollo, and Drako. The woman I went to pick up. The woman who wasn’t waiting for me.
After standing me up, it would make sense for her to keep her distance. I narrow my eyes and move toward the group.
I’m intercepted only a few steps later by a couple of island residents.
“Mr. Nero Zanthos! What a beautiful party!” the woman says with a smile, and I nod. “The association outdid itself this year.”
“The community did a wonderful job,” I reply—because it’s true. The Christmas party is built by every resident of Khione. The association merely organizes it and provides the space.
“Don’t be modest, Mr. Nero Zanthos,” the man adds. “Without you, none of this would exist. We’re very grateful.”
I offer a small smile, choosing not to respond.
“Enjoy the party,” I say instead, widening my smile before stepping away.
The short distance between me and the group I want to reach becomes something of an obstacle course. Every two or three steps, new people approach, demanding my attention—even if only for five minutes.
It doesn’t bother me. It’s just that the closer I get, the stronger the urge to reach them grows—and I keep being prevented from doing so.
My eyes refuse to stray from Nina for long. So I speak with each guest who approaches while remaining acutely aware of where my gaze keeps returning.
She’s not a girl anymore.
That much was clear this afternoon. But now, seeing her small, curvy body inside the long dress that highlights notonly her skin tone and hair, but every one of her curves, it’s impossible not to reinforce that thought.
She’s beautiful.
Eventually, my gaze slides from her to my friends’ faces, searching for any sign of deeper interest. I’ve known them long enough to read intention in their expressions.
They’re laughing about something, chatting easily. Even after watching Apollo with doubled attention, I find nothing beyond the same pleasure I myself felt upon seeing Nina again.
It shouldn’t satisfy me—but it does.
It takes nearly an hour before I finally reach them.
“Look who finally showed up,” Drako says, grinning far too widely for my liking the moment his eyes land on me. The other three pairs of eyes turn my way.
Two things stand out immediately. The provocative smiles on each of my friends’ faces—and the color that suddenly warms Nina’s cheeks and collarbone.
“We found her before you did,” Apollo says with a mocking tone. “You should’ve come with us. You’d have seen her sooner.” He throws his head back in laughter, and the other two idiots join him. Even Atlas lets out a quiet chuckle.
Nina, however, blinks and looks from them to me, as if she has no idea what they’re talking about.
“I went to your house to pick you up,” I explain—and her eyes widen.
“To pick me up?” she asks, genuinely surprised, and suddenly things make a bit more sense in my head.
“That’s how we treat guests, isn’t it?” Her heart-shaped lips part into a perfect O as she processes my words.
She really didn’t know.
The laughter beside me makes me shoot a reprimanding look at Apollo and Drako—especially since Atlas is wearing nothing more than an ironic smile. None of them are fazed.
I shake my head before focusing all my attention back on the woman in front of me.
