Page 224 of The Bittersweet Bond

"New York?" Milka echoed.

"Mhm."

"Holy shit."

Evin felt her heart skip—not with excitement, but with something more restless, something unsettled. "Wow," she said slowly. "That… that’s huge."

"Yeah," he replied.

Bellamy glanced at him sideways but said nothing.

Evin waited for Bas to say more. To say something about the distance, about the summer, about them.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he just looked at her, as if waiting for something.

So she did the only thing that made sense.

She smiled.

"I’m happy for you, Bas."

Milka shot her a quick look, as if expecting a different reaction.

Bas’ lips twitched slightly.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too."

Bellamy’s gaze flickered between them, his forehead creasing slightly.

Milka let out a quiet huff. "Okay, what’s going on here?"

"Nothing." Bas took another sip of his Coke, sliding his phone across the table. "Absolutely nothing."

And yet, something hung in the air—something unspoken, something neither of them was willing to name.

__________

Sebastian

She hadn’t said it.

NoThis is going to be hardorHow are we going to make this work?No trace of fear, no hint that this meant anything to her.

Instead, she had smiled. She had been happy for him.

Bas pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, took another sip of his Coke and nodded as Bellamy asked something about the internship.

New York and London.

Two cities, an ocean between them.

Milka and Bellamy kept talking, bouncing their thoughts back and forth, discussing opportunities and possibilities. But Bas was only half listening.

It had been the perfect moment to leave things unspoken.

The perfect excuse for a breakup without having to say a single word.

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