WRONG NUMBER | NIKI

18 - The Same Kind of Lost

HANA'S POV

"I've gathered you all here today," Grandfather announces, raising his glass slightly as the conversations around the dining table gradually fade into silence. "Because I don't believe a house like this should ever be allowed to become quiet." 

A few people laugh, and Grandfather smiles with the satisfaction of someone who has just said exactly what he intended to say. He has always loved nights like this, when the estate is full enough that voices drift through every hallway and there are more cars parked along the front drive than there are spaces for them. He says it reminds him of what a home is supposed to be, not a building with expensive furniture and carefully trimmed gardens, but a place filled with people who have known one another long enough to argue over dinner and still pour each other another glass afterward. 

Around the table, everyone settles back into their seats, the conversation returning in softer fragments as waiters move quietly between us. My mother sits beside me, my father across from her, Aera two seats away and already looking considerably more interested in the person sitting on the other side of her than in anything on her plate.

Niki. He's seated beside his mother, who is beautiful in a way that doesn't seem deliberate. She has the kind of softness that makes you understand immediately why someone might lower their voice around her without being asked, dark hair falling loosely around her shoulders and a gentle expression that hasn't left her face since she arrived. His father sits on her other side, still carrying the same severe composure I'd seen earlier in the garden, though now his attention is directed toward Grandfather and the various men farther down the table discussing business. 

Niki, meanwhile, looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. His shoulders are slightly tense beneath his shirt, one hand resting loosely around his fork while his gaze remains fixed on his plate. Every now and then, though, his eyes lift. And every time they do, they find me. I pretend not to notice the first time. The second time, I convince myself it was accidental. By the fourth, I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm imagining it.

"So," Grandfather says, turning toward Niki's father with obvious interest, "what have you decided about the boy's future?"

Niki's fork stops halfway toward his mouth. His father doesn't seem to notice. "We've finally settled it. He's going to London."

The words travel across the table with surprising ease, but they hit Niki differently. I see it immediately. His hand lowers. His expression doesn't change, but something behind his eyes does, becoming distant in a way that reminds me of the garden only hours ago. His mother glances toward him, her expression softening with what looks like concern, but she doesn't say anything.

"London?" Grandfather asks pleasantly. "For university?"

"Of course," His father confirms. "He's been accepted into a very good program. It's the best opportunity for him."

Before Niki can react, Aera suddenly leans forward, her eyes lighting up. "I'm going to London too." The announcement comes with such confidence that several people around the table turn toward her.

Her mother blinks. "Aera—"

"What?" Aera looks genuinely pleased with herself. She turns directly toward Niki's father. "What is Niki studying?"

His father answers without hesitation. "Medicine."

Aera's eyes widen. "Me too!" I nearly choke on my water. 

Niki closes his eyes. Just for a second. It's such a tiny reaction that nobody else seems to notice, but I do. His shoulders drop with the exhausted resignation of someone who has just watched a small disaster begin unfolding in slow motion and knows there is absolutely nothing he can do to stop it.