To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 95

“Is this a dream?”

Anita turned her head slowly, having heard a voice she shouldn’t have. There he was. His black hair blowing in the wind, eyes like the sea, and his usual brusque tone.

“……”

Without realizing it, Anita reached out and tapped his arm. She did it to make sure this wasn’t just a hallucination. However, the solid sensation beneath her fingertips and the incredulous arch of his eyebrows confirmed that she was not dreaming.

It was only then that Anita recognized she had actually touched Rutger. She quickly withdrew her hand.

Could she have accidentally revealed the location due to her drunken state last night? No, Anita dismissed that possibility. Even if she wanted to, she didn’t know the exact location of Liliana’s villa. If anyone revealed it, it would have to be Liliana herself.

Was this what Liliana was going to mention at breakfast?

“Um… did you come to see the beach too?”

It was the only question Anita could come up with. She wasn’t bold enough to ask if he had come to see her. Though, in retrospect, it did sound rather foolish.

“I missed you.”

Anita stared at Rutger, stunned by his sudden declaration.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you remember what you said?”

“I… I don’t know what you mean…”

Anita’s confusion turned into realization as her face gradually hardened. She remembered falling asleep during their call last night, but she never imagined she’d said anything like that.

“I missed you, Rutger.”

The idea that she had whined like a child was unbelievable. Anita glanced nervously over the edge of the railing, considering the possibility of escape. But there seemed to be no way out except down.

As if sensing her hesitation, Rutger raised his hand to block her view.

“It’s okay. When you’re drunk, you say all sorts of things.”

His voice carried a note of urgency. Though Anita had no real intention of jumping, she didn’t correct the misunderstanding since he seemed to prefer pretending it never happened. Instead, she continued to stare at Rutger.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Exactly. So, step away from the railing.”

Anita moved away from the railing quickly, almost irritably, and began descending the stairs. She could feel his presence following her, matching her pace as he came down the stairs behind her.

Anita felt a smile tug at her lips despite herself. Seeing Rutger again after so long was a pleasant surprise.

The beach looked more beautiful up close than it did from the distant terrace. The pale sand and the white foam of the waves made a perfect match.

“Be careful. You need to watch where you’re going.”

Rutger’s attention to detail was impressive, even on such a perfect summer beach. He seemed as stern and unyielding as ever.

“It doesn’t look that dangerous. Besides, the sand is pretty dry.”

Anita pointed out the dry sand and the wet mud with her fingers. As she was scanning the sandy ground, she spotted a starfish.

“It’s dry, though.”

She picked up the starfish, intending to return it to the sea. Just as she took a step toward the water, someone urgently grabbed her arm.

“I told you it’s dangerous.”

“What’s so dangerous about it?”

Anita felt that Rutger’s concern was more protective than necessary. There were no high waves or strong winds; she thought his caution was over the top.

“It’s really okay here,” she reassured him.

The sea was clear, so transparent that she could see the bottom clearly, and it was shallow, unlike the deep, intimidating lakes she had encountered before.

She gently placed the starfish back into the water and watched as it slowly sank and settled on the sand. As she focused on the sea, she finally broke the silence.

“Did you come here just to nag me?”

Anita was not convinced that Rutger had come solely because she mentioned missing him. She waited for his response while gazing intently at the shimmering water.

“Or did you come to see Finian?”

There was a long pause before Rutger finally spoke. Anita wondered if he had left without her noticing, but he soon broke the silence.

“Are you meeting Finian here? Were you two close?”

Anita did not have many close friends. From her perspective, Rutger was indeed a close friend, but he might see her differently.

However, she wasn’t close with Finian Nigel at all. They had only interacted briefly the previous night, and since graduating high school, they hadn’t met up again.

“Seeing him here by chance isn’t a big deal. He’s always been friendly. Have you ever seen him with someone he doesn’t get along with?” Anita replied, brushing off the concern.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean? If you’re wondering if Finian Nigel has any interest in me, don’t bother asking. We haven’t seen each other since graduation.”

“……”

“Anyway, it’s not really your concern.”

Anita bent down and began to play with the mud, feeling the grains crumble between her fingers. She was tired of overanalyzing every little action and attributing meaning to them.

If she was going to be dragged around despite every attempt to escape, she might as well stay close enough that he wouldn’t even think about needing to catch her. If a casual acquaintance was what he wanted, she was willing to act accordingly.

However, Rutger’s constant concern about who she talked to and how close she was to others was far from the relationship she desired.

“I came to the beach to find a pretty seashell or something. If we’re just going to argue aimlessly, you might as well go.”

Anita said that and glanced back at him. She expected that he would be upset and leave after such a remark. However, Rutger rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and began picking up seashells.

“…You’re not leaving?”

“Why?”

Since she couldn’t have it both ways, Anita shook her head as if it was nothing. His unusual appearance, gathering seashells while pushing the sand with one hand, seemed unfamiliar to her. As she stood there absentmindedly scratching her cheek, Anita approached him.