Antony's house was bustling that evening. Claire had returned from the hospital, carrying a baby boy in her arms. Ignazio's new playmate. That's what her younger brother said when he found out that their mother had given birth to a baby boy for them.
Claire's family, consisting of Abigail, her older sister, and all their children, gathered. Antony's parents, who intentionally came from Manhattan, along with Altezza and Adaline, who chose to reside in Kansas, arrived with the twins Falisha and Geremia. They ended up causing a disturbance in Ignazio's room, who, in fact, didn't like his territory being disturbed.
Gladwin? Of course, Claire's twin came. Surprisingly, he came with Phoebe, Penelope, and Julie.
"Are you okay?" A soft voice in his head made him look up. The handsome Altezza with his characteristic stubble bowed to Flavia and looked at her anxiously. Flavia smiled and nodded. "Is she Gladwin's future wife?
"Uncle? Why are you here?" she asked, surprised. "I thought your habit of feeling sick after smelling perfume was gone. You seemed fine yesterday when you shared a car with Phoebe." Gladwin said again. Flavia just smiled and walked away from Gladwin towards the kitchen. "I'm just not feeling well, Uncle. It's not the perfume's fault," she gracefully deflected. She did feel unwell due to lack of sleep, not because of excessive work. It was a result of constantly thinking about her conversation with Abigail earlier, combined with the tension of waiting for her mother's delivery. Gladwin stood in front of her and placed the back of his hand on Flavia's forehead. Flavia widened her eyes, surprised by her uncle's impulsive gesture. "Uncle?" She looked up at him. "You're a bit warm," he said casually. "What do you feel? Headache? Nausea?" Flavia tried to gently push away her uncle's hand. &
"What happened?" Abigail sat Flavia down on the bed. The girl still looked shocked. Her body was still trembling, and her sobbing continued. Her face was wet, tears streaming down. "I-I just had a dream," she answered between sobs. "A dream?" Abigail furrowed her brow. "You sleepwalked?" she asked in surprise. Flavia smiled faintly and nodded. "It seems I fell asleep in the kitchen earlier. I dreamt Uncle came. In my dream, he said he loved me." The tears that had momentarily stopped now rolled down again. Flavia covered her face again with both hands, crying softly. Now it was Abigail's turn to comfort her by embracing her petite frame. Abigail leaned Flavia's head against her chest, gently stroking her friend's arms. She rested her chin on the top of Flavia's head. "That wasn't a dream," Abigail said softly. "You weren't dreaming, Via. It was al
Flavia was confused. The emotions in her chest were now mixed. Joy, happiness, touched, sadness, doubt, and fear came all at once. Once again, Flavia was unsure of herself. Not because of her feelings of love, as it was clear that those feelings still existed without Gladwin having to try hard to bring them out. Other thoughts that came in succession made her afraid. Rejection, sharp gazes, the feeling of being isolated. All of that now haunted Flavia's mind. Especially the fear of not being able to fulfill the desires of her closest people. The fear that she couldn't make Gladwin happy in the end. "I can't, Uncle." "I can't promise that I will always bring you happiness because life is not always about happiness and laughter. I also know that my choice in the future won't be easily accepted by others. But I won't give up. It's not others who will create my happiness; I myself will create it," replied Gladwin confi
Abigail placed her bag on the bar table and walked towards the pantry, opening the fridge and drinking cold water straight from her bottle. "Let me know if Grandma invites Uncle for lunch or takes him out. Anywhere and anytime. I'll be like a leech sticking to Uncle," she declared loudly as she walked towards her room. "Good night, Uncle. Have a nice dream," she added with a smile before closing the door. Gladwin didn't respond to Abigail's statement. The man strolled into his room and opted for a warm shower, changing into fresh clothes afterward. He then lay on his bed and opened a video uploaded by Ignazio on his YouTube account. Didn't Flavia know that her eldest brother often posted videos of their daily activities? Gladwin opened the latest video titled "Rasa Cinta" (The Essence of Love) that Ignazio had uploaded. In the video, Abigail and Flavia were standing at the doorway. Ignazio played the guitar, and Akara sang a verse of a s
"Is that so?" Claire chimed in. "If this is the case, honestly, I'm ashamed to admit you as my older brother. You're thirty-five years old and still single? Antony already has Flavia at your age now." "I thought only Mom's mouth always spat out harsh words. Turns out yours is just as sharp," Gladwin glared at Claire. "Listen to me. I choose to remain single because I want to, not because I'm not sought after by women. I don't want to be labeled as a playboy like your ex-boyfriend who liked to bring women here and there but never committed to a relationship, let alone marriage." Gladwin's sharp retort was directed at Antony. This time, Antony choked on his food. Claire gently patted her husband's back. It was evident that Gladwin's accusation was aimed at Antony and his past before marrying Claire. "I'm afraid of karma. What if there's a guy who plays with my niece or my child in the future? It's one thing if it's j
Gladwin parked his car behind the large supermarket building. He courteously opened the passenger door, allowing Flavia to get out before locking it. His large hand reached for Flavia's hand, deliberately intertwining their fingers. Flavia resisted and attempted to free herself from her uncle's grip, but Gladwin instead stared back at her and tightened his hold. Gladwin walked ahead of Flavia as she tried to maintain a distance between them. The girl continuously lowered her head, prompting Gladwin to intentionally halt his steps just to make her head bump into his back or the side of his arm. "Are you really ashamed to walk with me?" Gladwin asked, with a condescending tone, for who knows how many times. Flavia looked up and shook her head. "Why? Am I ugly? Am I too old for you?" he asked again. Flavia shook her head once more. "Then why do you keep avoiding me?" "It's not like that, Uncle," Flavia replied softly.
"The guy at the bookstore. Why can you smile at him like that? Even without your smile, he's already interested in you. But you captivate him with your beautiful smile." Gladwin expressed it with a hint of annoyance he didn't try to hide. Gladwin was jealous? Of a stranger who introduced himself? Flavia didn't even share her phone number. But Gladwin reacted this way? "And that number eighteen." He continued. Flavia furrowed her brow even more. "Eighteen?" "Yeah. The skinny guy and his chubby friend." Her uncle reminded Flavia of the two men who greeted her in the restaurant, who happened to be her former schoolmates having lunch in the same place they did earlier. But why the number eighteen? Flavia wondered silently. "In my eyes, they look like the numbers one and eight," Gladwin replied, causing Flavia to bite her lip to hold back laughter. Her uncle had returned to
"Should we celebrate it?" Abigail finally broke the silence."N-no!" Flavia quickly responded. "There's nothing to celebrate. What Uncle said is a lie. We have no connection whatsoever." Flavia then released Gladwin's hand from her waist."But, Via?" Gladwin looked at Flavia, puzzled. They had already expressed their feelings for each other, and Flavia had stated that she had no relationship with Eijaz. So why was she still refusing?"I-I have to go. I have things to do on campus," Flavia said nervously.Abigail and Gladwin both knew that Flavia was lying. It was clear she was avoiding Gladwin."I'll drive you," Gladwin said, searching for his car keys, but Flavia shook her head vigorously."No need, Uncle. I can go on my own," Flavia declined softly."But...""Be careful on the road," Gladwin and Abigail said simultaneously. Gladwin looked angrily at Abigail because his niece was hindering his efforts, but Abigail ignored his gaze.Flavia smiled at her friends, silently expressing gr