At the other side of Alagna, Muiz sat with his friends at a lively bar. The air was filled with laughter, chatter, and the faint hum of music from a corner speaker. While his friends downed glasses of alcohol, Muiz quietly sipped a bottle of non-alcoholic wine.
"Muiz, I saw you talking to that girl at the wedding we went to," teased Muriano, one of his friends, leaning closer with a mischievous grin. "What's going on between you two, hmm?"
"Don't tell me he's already into her," another friend added, laughing.
Muiz simply smiled, shaking his head as the teasing continued. He didn't bother defending himself — their jokes rolled right off him like water.
Glancing at his watch, he realized it was getting late. He had a DJ gig scheduled at midnight and needed to prepare his equipment.
"Alright, guys, I'll call it a night," he said, standing up. "See you all at midnight. I've got to set up for the show."
"Sure thing, bro!" his friends replied, some waving while others smirked knowingly as he left the bar.
~~~
The next morning arrived faster than Alex could believe. She blinked awake, half wondering if she'd even slept at all. Her body felt heavy, but thankfully, there were no dark circles under her eyes.
A loud knock jolted her fully awake.
"Alex! Wake up!" Clara's voice came from outside her door. "Do you plan to sleep till noon?"
Alex groaned and rolled out of bed. After finishing her morning chores, she returned to her room — only to find her brown papers for assignments neatly stacked on her bed, along with other random items that had been on the floor.
"Big sis! Why are you doing this to me?" Alex whined, throwing a mini tantrum. "You dumped everything from the floor onto my bed!"
"I just realized something," Clara said with a smirk as she carried breakfast to the table. "Next time, I won't tell you to clean your room. I'll just dump everything you leave lying around on your precious bed."
"Clara, leave your baby sister alone," Tom called out between bites of his breakfast.
"Oh, I will," Clara replied, laughing. "And Tom, I already packed your lunch. Don't skip your meal at work — ulcer is real, you know."
"Yes, Mum," Tom said playfully, making both sisters burst into laughter.
"Alright, Alex," Clara said, turning back to her. "Go get ready and eat your breakfast. You still have to go to the fashion house."
~~~
One hour later
As they closed the gate behind them, Clara glanced at her sister. "Alex, I hope you don't have a date with Mia today?"
"Nope, not that I know of," Alex replied. "Why are you asking?"
"Well," Clara said, locking the gate. "Today's going to be really busy. There's an open market — market people from all over Alagna are coming to the market square to display their goods."
"Oh, okay. I'll try to come home early then," Alex said.
"Good. Take care, little sister," Clara said.
"You too, big sis!" Alex replied, waving as they went their separate ways.
---
At the fashion house, Alex spotted Mia waiting by the gate. "Alex!" Mia waved energetically, gesturing for her to hurry. "Class is about to start!"
Alex rushed in, but before Mia could say a word, Mrs. Thomas entered the room. The two friends quickly sat up straight, pretending to focus.
"I hope you've all completed your assignments," Mrs. Thomas said, collecting their work. "It's time for you to start practicing more at home with your sewing machines. Expertise in this skill comes from consistency."
The hours passed quickly as the students worked.
By the time class ended, Alex and Mia walked side by side down the quiet street, bags slung over their shoulders.
"So," Mia said with a teasing grin, "you finally called him. How was your first conversation with your crush?"
Alex laughed nervously. "It was… awkward, honestly. But his voice — it sounded cute. I'm not sure I'll be calling him again anytime soon."
"Ohhh, my darling is smitten!" Mia teased, cupping Alex's face dramatically.
"I am not!" Alex protested, trying to glare at her, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Mia said, laughing.
"I have to head to the canteen to help Clara," Alex said, waving goodbye. "See you later, baby girl."
"Bye, Alex!" Mia replied with an exaggerated sad face, making Alex laugh all the way down the street.
~~~
When Alex arrived at Clara's canteen, the place was buzzing with activity. She dropped her bag in Clara's small office and immediately joined her sister behind the counter to help.
Hours later, after serving the last customer, Alex leaned against the counter and exhaled deeply. "Thank goodness we're finally done for today."
"Yes, we are," Clara said with a tired smile, wiping her hands just as her phone began to ring. "Oh, it's Mother," she said, answering and putting the call on loudspeaker.
"Clara, how are you?" their mother's familiar voice came through. "And how's Mama doing? I hope she hasn't been troubling you two too much?"
"We're fine, Mum," Clara replied cheerfully. "And Alex has been a very good girl lately — she's been helping out a lot."
"That's good to hear," their mother said warmly.
"Mother, how are you?" Alex chimed in happily. "And how's Father and Anthony? What about my elder brothers?"
"They're all fine, my dear," her mother replied. "I called because I know tomorrow is your birthday. I might not be able to reach you early in the morning, so — happy birthday in advance, my darling daughter. Always remember, Mummy loves you."
Alex smiled softly, touched. "Thank you, Mother. I love you too."
The call ended with laughter and warm goodbyes, leaving the two sisters smiling at each other — tired, but content.
Outside, the evening sky of Alagna was painted in gold and violet hues, the city slowly winding down from its daily bustle.