I forced myself to forget what had happened and continued to immerse myself in the operations of my flower shop business. I had been receiving quite a number of orders from both new and existing clients, which was not surprising given that the holiday season was drawing near. Fortunately, I haven't heard anything from Jack or his family since that fateful day, either. It was enough to buy me some time to gather my thoughts and get a grip on the situation.It had been only a week since Jack and Crista threw a welcome party for their new home. Things between Jack and me have changed dramatically over the last year. Jonah advised me that despite all that had transpired between Jack and me as well as how tense the situation had become, I should still face him with an open heart. Because he was still my son despite everything that had happened and regardless of whether or not we had been fighting with each other.No one, not even Jack and I ourselves, has ever been able to explain what wen
"O-Oh, you're here as well…" I said with a smile."Yes, auntie. This came as such a surprise to me. Umm," Crista grinned at me and abruptly glanced at Ryan with a puzzled expression."Oh, right. This is Ryan Gonzales, he is a good friend of mine. Ryan, this is Crista, she is Aki's wife," I introduced them to each other. Both Ryan and Crista smiled and gave each other a friendly handshake. “It’s nice to meet you. I didn’t know auntie has a very good-looking guy friend…” Crista remarked and praised.Ryan let out a soft chuckle. “Thanks for the compliment. But I think compared to Jack, my genes are nothing.”Both of them, which included me soon, giggled at their silly jokes. Trying to appear as natural as possible and being the oldest of us four, I then invited Jack and Crista to join us at our table. Immediately upon hearing my offer, Crista's face lit up, which brought a smile to my face in response. Perhaps, I began to consider inside my head, Crista and I could get along too...We
As I gazed into those eyes, my body melted. Seeing him like this made me feel like I'd gone back in time. However, I was well aware that it was foolish of me to wish and imagine that this was the case.I was aware that Jack now had a wife and a child. I could tell he was happy being with his family. And because of that, it was impossible for us to ever be together again. It gave us a stronger reason to not touch, kiss, or hold each other as much as we did back then.In spite of this, I was still unable to manage my own emotions well enough.Jack closed the gap between us and brought our lips together. As I closed my eyes and felt my makeup gradually becoming smudged and damaged, he pulled me closer to him and made our kiss more passionate. I didn't push him, I didn't stop him. Instead, I shifted the angle we were facing one another, which offered him better access to a more powerful and satisfying kiss. Whenever Jack rubbed his lips against mine, I could sense his excitement. Our bo
For the first time in a long time, when I woke up, my mind felt clear and revitalized. When I thought back on all that took place the previous evening, I instantly sat up and looked at the space next to me. As soon as I realized it, my face sank, and my heart stopped beating.That space on the bed was empty. There was no sign of Mom.My veins were suddenly flooded with a chilling iciness that I couldn't deny. As I forced myself to get from the bed and walk away from it, I couldn't even begin to describe how I was feeling. Mom was supposed to be there, but she wasn't.Had I just been dreaming about everything again? How many times had I dreamed of being with mom? Since I left the country to pursue that project, she had never left my thoughts when I went to bed at night, and she continued to do so even when we had stopped talking. My thoughts kept returning to her as if she were the only person in the world. All day and all night...It had been her and no one else.It was beyond my con
"No. "You like that too, Mom," I said with a firm look and tone. This was it. I won’t let her take over and control the distance between us however she wanted.The reality had to be shown to her – that there was more to her and me than she had initially imagined and wanted to believe."Aki, that's enough," Mom insisted yet again. "Look, all I can tell is that you're confused, and...""Damn it, mom, I'm not confused! And I'm sure you aren't either. We both know we wanted what happened."I couldn't help but let out a pathetic sigh. I was at a loss to understand what was going through mom's head. After giving her a fleeting glance, I understood that my tolerance for her had reached its limit. I was no longer able to exert any control over myself. I quickly grabbed mom, kissed her on the lips, and gave her a tight embrace. Mom fought and pushed me away, but her defenses were too thin and feeble to keep me away from her. After a split second of resistance, she finally caved in and kissed m
The worry in Crista’s eyes seemed to have vanished in an instant as she heard my response."Oh, thank the good god. After a long period of time apart, I'm sure your mother and you are catching up on old times. However, the next time you do this, you need to inform me about it first, okay? So that I won't stress myself and think too much wondering where you are," she spoke quietly, her eyes on the verge of welling up with tears.Crista's hands were wrapped around my body, but I quickly removed them and said, "Okay. I'm going to take a shower first before my meeting."Crista jogged my memory and said, "Jack, you don't have any work today.""Alvin and I have a scheduled meeting today," I told her simply before turning around and walking into my wardrobe. I halted and looked to the side for a moment before leaving. "Also, please don't say anything that isn't true to my mom again."I didn't bother waiting for Crista to respond and instead continued on my way to the closet in my room. It sh
The following day, as I had mentioned in that text message, I hurriedly went over to mom and Amy's home.It didn't take me long to get to mom's old condo, but when I stepped inside to find her, I was taken aback to discover that she wasn't there. To my astonishment, nobody else was present other than little Amy and her babysitter, Violet, who lives next door. When I inquired about my mother's whereabouts, Violet informed me that she had already left to open her flower shop. That shop was only about ten to fifteen minutes away by car, as mom had previously stated that she didn't want to leave Amy alone for an extended period of time.My focus shifted to Amy instead, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of joy whenever I caught sight of her rosy cheeks or one of her endearing grins."Can I ask you a question?" Violet suddenly opened. She was seventeen years old, according to what I heard, and was attempting to save for her tuition fees, so she took the part-time work as Amy's babysitter
“Aki! My god, how long has it been since we've seen each other?" However, Aunt Jonah was the first to move, and she rushed up to me in order to give me a bear embrace and a peck on the cheek. "Just what the heck did you do that took you such a long time, huh, you brat? Did you have any idea that both your mother and I were concerned about you at all times? Come on, let me see how much you've grown. Oh, my goodness, you've gotten even taller! Has living abroad truly given you this much height?"I laughed at Aunt Jonah's antics and said, "I'm sorry, Auntie... Mom...” My eyes sneaked a look at mom without her knowing."Did you tell your wife that you're coming here?" Mom casually brought up the subject while she continued arranging the flowers. In a sloppy bun, her hair was wrapped with a baby blue ribbon, making her beauty even more obvious and clean, despite some fringes that had dropped from the side of her ear.It made me desperately want to mend it and stare at it for a little while