THEY ENDED UP going to a pizza restaurant in the town centre for lunch. Nai nai was the same as before, the same bustling energy, the same sense of youthfulness that contradicted the body of a woman in her seventies. It was not the body that mattered, nai nai liked to laugh sometimes, it was the mind.
"Ah, Livia, you are going to university after this summer! How do you feel about that?" nai nai asked, glancing at her.
Livia looked up and smiled. "I'm very excited. And I can always visit you since I'll be living here."
"I don't need that," nai nai scolded. "You have fun in university, no need to worry about me. Pamela, are you going to come here in a few years too? Or do you want to stay in Hong Kong?"
"Depends," Pamela admitted. "I haven't fully made up my mind yet. I'll see when the time comes."
"You ought to start making your decisions now," nai nai said. "It is not good to rush your decision."
"Don't worry, ma," their father said, pushing up his glasses. "After this summer we'll start looking at potential choices with Pamela. She has two years left before she needs to go to university. She still has time."
"I have general ideas," Pamela said, "but haven't like, fully decided on anything yet. That's all."
Nai nai nodded. "That is okay, I suppose. It's very hot this year in Briarville, you know. All of England, actually. Absolutely boiling. I think it's hotter than Hong Kong at some points. Makes me wonder why I am staying here at all."
"All the more reason to hit the beach," their mother said.
"That is an activity for the youngsters," nai nai said, waving her hand dismissively, "not for you or I, certainly. And more for the white people who wish so desperately for tans. Livia, Pamela, do not forget sunscreen."
"We wouldn't dare," Livia laughed. "What would we do without our trusty sunscreen?"
"Good," nai nai said, "good. It would not do for you both to become so sunburnt. Ah, yes, our neighbours have already arrived yesterday, have you seen them yet?"
"No," their mother said, shaking their heads. "I called Marion earlier, I think they went out for lunch as well. We'll drop by their house later, maybe." Marion Calvert-Egerton, the mother of the twins. A renowned fashion designer and founder of the brand Marion Hamilton, after her maiden name. Someone Livia looked up to dearly, though it didn't make her feel any more convinced to go visit the Calvert-Egertons. Because going to that house would mean having to see Amphion and Zeth.
Livia did not want to see Amphion or Zeth. Not yet. She should at least get some more time to prepare herself for the inevitable, shouldn't she?
But of course, that was nothing she could share. She hadn't said a single word to anyone about what happened, and she had no intention to at all. She knew, Amphion knew, Zeth did too. No one else did, unless they'd told, because Livia certainly hadn't.
No one seemed to notice how conflicted she was, sitting there. The adults kept on talking—actually, Livia counted as an adult now too, didn't she?—and Pamela took out her phone and started scrolling through.
"Should I stop by Anya's after lunch?" Pamela asked, one brow raised. "Like, I can walk to her house from here. And then either walk back to the house or take the bus. Probably walk."
Their father glanced at her. "I don't see why not. Livia, do you want to go with her?"
Livia shrugged. "I'll stop by the Bazdars' to say hi. I want to head to the market, see what new stores have opened up."
YOU ARE READING
hexes for exes
Teen FictionEVERY SUMMER, four families make their yearly exodus to the British seaside town of Briarville. For Livia Wong, the trip had been tradition ever since she could remember. Summer was always spent alongside the pristine beaches with the dreamy-hued su...
