55. Chapter 50 #2
Milka paused, watching her closely, her usual sharpness softening into something more thoughtful. "Maybe repression doesn’t always work after all."
Evin snorted, more out of embarrassment than disagreement. "Let’s not start that conversation again."
Milka grinned, took one last bite of her churro, and playfully tugged Evin’s hand. "Come on, Evin. You might be a walking hurricane, but you’re my hurricane. And tonight, we’re done with overthinking. Let’s do somethi ng stupid."
Milka chewed thoughtfully on her churro before nodding to herself. "No plans, no expectations, no rehearsals for you to mess up. Just us and…" She trailed off mid-sentence and suddenly stopped.
"And?" Evin followed her gaze. The soft sound of the waves faded into a dull background noise as she spotted the group. Her heart clenched painfully, that sharp, instinctive sting she had come to know too well.
A few meters away, right in front of a stand selling handmade bracelets, stood Bas, Chris, and Dominic.
The boys were laughing—a quiet, easy kind of laughter, the kind that surrounded them like an invisible wall of lightness and ease.
While warmth rushed through her body, her eyes searched for Bas.
Her thoughts spiraled—his smile, the fact that he hadn’t texted her, the way he had beaten up Sergej.
Milka let out a quiet sigh, more annoyed than surprised. "Oh, great. Couldn’t have timed that better."
Evin wanted to say something, anything, but her throat felt tight. Finally, she whispered hoarsely, "Let’s just pretend we didn’t see them." She spun on her heel, taking a quick step in the opposite direction.
But Milka grabbed her arm—and with one swift, practiced motion, turned her right back around.
Before Evin could protest, Milka was already moving. Not slowly, not hesitantly. She stuffed the rest of her churro into the bag, straightened her shoulders—and marched straight toward the boys.
Evin froze, her stomach twisting. Every fiber in her screamed to turn away, but her legs refused to move.
She felt her shoulders stiffen, as if her body itself was warning her not to go any closer.
Yet, with heavy steps, she reluctantly followed her friend, even as she internally begged herself not to.
"Hey, Bas! Chris!" Milka’s voice cut through the noise of the crowd, carefree and effortless as ever.
Evin pressed her lips together.
Her gaze drifted from Chris to Dominic… to Bas. She caught the way he tilted his head slightly as he spoke. Chris running a hand through his hair. The knowing grin Dominic shot Bas.
She hated herse lf for noticing all of it. No, she hated herself for looking at him at all.
Oh, for fuck’s sake… will this ever stop?
A part of her wanted to walk up to him, grab his jacket, push him against the nearest wall, and kiss him until all this restless energy inside her finally burned out. But instead, she stood there, fingers clenched tightly in her pockets, as if that was the only thing keeping her together.
Milka grinned. "So, where's Bellamy? He was supposed to be with you."
"He went to grab something to eat," Dominic answered dryly, nodding toward a small café. "Don’t worry, he’ll show up."
"Oh, right," Milka said breezily, waving it off. "He texted me earlier—guess I forgot." She let out a short laugh, glancing briefly over her shoulder at Evin, who still hadn’t moved.
Ah… Was this all planned? Evin narrowed her eyes slightly and started toward them—maybe to confront Milka, maybe just to anchor herself in the conversation. But her feet dragged like something invisible was holding her back.
Then she felt it.
Bas’ gaze.
Like a magnet pulling her in, impossible to ignore.
She could feel it, even through the blur of passing strangers and the hum of voices around them.
And when their eyes finally met, Evin held her breath. Everything else fell away. No noise, no movement—just him. His blue eyes locked onto hers, steady but not cold. There was something else in them. Something she couldn’t quite name.
One single heartbeat.
Then, he looked away. His lips curled slightly into a half-smirk before he turned back to Dominic.
Evin clenched the fabric of her jacket, as if she could physically hold herself together.
Chris smirked at Milka. "So, you guys are coming tomorrow, right?"
Evin blinked, her mind still not caught up with the conversation .
"What are you talking about?" Milka frowned.
Chris looked genuinely surprised. "Dominic’s party. You’re coming, aren’t you?"
Dominic, who had just positioned himself next to Bas with his arms crossed, suddenly straightened up.
His gaze flickered between Chris and the girls, a hint of confusion on his face.
“No, because I don’t need drama at my party.
..” His tone wasn’t aggressive, but his message was clear. To him, they weren’t on the guest list.
Evin raised an eyebrow but only shook her head, letting out a dry laugh. “If that’s the case, you might want to uninvite yourself.”
“After the spectacle at the charity event, you should do yourself a favor and stay away from all parties,” Dominic shot back.
“Dom!” Bas cut in, his tone sharp as he placed a firm hand on Dominic’s shoulder. “You’re losing touch with reality again.”
“Maybe he’s the most realistic of all of us,” Evin muttered, a tinge of embarrassment creeping into her voice. “I wasn’t planning on coming anyway, don’t worry, Dom.”
Lie.
Truth was, she would’ve liked to go. Rafael hadn’t been wrong. The distraction might’ve helped. It could have eased some of the tension that had been suffocating her for weeks.
__________
Sebastian
D ominic had made his stance clear, but the tension in the air didn’t just dissolve.
Bas crossed his arms, his gaze subtly drifting toward Evin.
She stood slightly apart, shoulders raised as if trying to shield herself from the world's eyes.
And yet, her own—those dark, expressive eyes—told a different story.
It was as if she was challenging him, even without saying a word. Maybe because she wasn’t saying anything.
“Dominic, could you cut the unnecessary comments?” Chris’ voice sliced through the thick atmosphere.
Bellamy, returning with a steaming coffee in hand, smirked. “I leave for a couple of minutes, and you guys immediately stir up drama? Without me? Seriously?”
Bas let out a short chuckle, but his focus remained elsewhere. Evin had moved closer, though she positioned herself on the opposite side of Milka. The distance between them felt greater than it actually was.
“So, what’s this about?” Bellamy asked, waving his cup slightly.
“The party tomorrow,” Chris said casually. “Whether the girls are coming or not.”
Milka shot Dominic a pointed look. “I guess that depends on whether someone decides to uninvite us again.”
Dominic rolled his eyes. “You were never invited.”
Bas exhaled sharply, turning to him. “Let it go, Dom. You already invited half the city. A few more people won’t make a difference.”
Evin barely reacted, but Bas caught the way a cool smile curled at the corner of her lips—the kind she wore when she was trying to mask something deeper.
“That’s sweet of you, thanks,” she said, her voice quiet but laced with something sharp. “But I don’t need an invitation to a party where I’m not wanted.”
A slight crackle of energy passed between them. Bas could feel the unspoken tension lingering, the way the others held their breath, waiting for his reaction.
“So, one more time—are you guys coming or not?” Bellamy asked, pulling the attention back to himself.
Milka grinned, glancing at Evin before turning back to Bellamy. “Can’t promise anything, but there is a chance we’ll drop by.”
“That’s a y es, Dom. Two more people on your guest list,” Chris announced before Dominic could argue.
Bas said nothing. He simply watched as Evin followed Milka, her hair catching the evening breeze. She looked beautiful.
He let out a deep breath, lost in thought.
The group of guys naturally started walking in the same direction as the girls, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Milka had texted Bellamy earlier, casually mentioning they’d be walking along the promenade—an unsubtle hint that Bas had needed.
Bellamy had barely stepped beside him when Bas murmured, “I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t wait for a reaction, leaving behind Chris’ and Bellamy’s confused glances, while Dominic’s head shake was nothing more than a blurred afterthought.
His mind was already on Evin.
He caught up to her quickly.
“Evin.”
She turned halfway, her expression unreadable, but something in her tone set him on edge. “Bas.” Short. Dismissive.
He walked beside her, adjusting his pace to match hers without looking directly at her. The ocean waves and the soft glow of the string lights along the promenade painted a peaceful backdrop, one that starkly contrasted the tension still hanging in the air.
Hands buried in the pockets of his hoodie, he searched for the right words. Something about being near her always made him restless, threw him off balance—even if he’d never let it show.
“So,” he finally said, his voice calm but pointed. “Rafael told Dominic you might come.” It was somewhere between a question and a statement.
Evin looked briefly caught off guard. “He figured I could use a distraction.” Her response was casual.
A short, humorless chuckle escaped him, more frustration than amusement. “A distraction, huh?” He tilted his head slightly, his gaze searching hers, though she refused to meet his eyes. “Is that so?”
She suddenly st opped, turning to face him fully. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Her tone was cool, almost provoking.
Bas hesitated for a second, letting her words linger in the air before he took a step closer. “It means I’m wondering why Rafael thinks he’s the one who can give you that distraction.”
The quiet, ironic laugh she let out hit him harder than it should have.