(Zane POV)
"So how does it feel to be one of the most beloved chefs in the world?" Sasha asked across the dinner table.
"It's alright. It's slightly annoying but tolerable at the same time."
"I can only imagine." Gardenia said.
"Dude, you're going to pose for a Time magazine cover. 8 years ago, you're struggling with how to earn your tuition and now, every world renowned businesses wants to collaborate with you. How cool is that? The article about you better be well-written."
"God, I hope so." I said as I ate a forkful of spaghetti carbonara.
"By the way, the next time we meet, I am going to introduce you all to my girlfriend. It's a shame she couldn't come today because she has a family reunion to attend to. Though she really wanted to meet every single one of you." Kline said.
"Ooh, look at Kline being a proud boyfriend and everything, the guy who used to hate commitments!" Sasha teased. "How about you, Zane? Who's the lucky one?"
"I don't have one." I said.
"What? The Zane doesn't have anyone right now. Impossible." Gardenia said.
"I'm serious, I don't."
"Whose fault is that? I keep telling you to go out and meet some new people, didn't I? You just don't want to." Ava said.
"I don't know. It's just that I feel so weird ever since…" I stopped, knowing that the memories will put me in tears again.
"It's okay, Zane. Let it out!" Kline suggested.
"Great! A happy homecoming turned into a lonely reminiscing." I said before wiping my tears. Ava handed me a tissue from her bag and I took it to blow the snot off my nose.
"Hey! Just so you know, it's healthy that you are letting this out. You can't bottle up every pain you have. You have to learn how to expiate it." Sasha added.
"Don't worry, Zane! We're all here for you." Gardenia wrapped her arm around me.
"Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have said something." Ava said with regret in her tone.
"It's not your fault. It's my fault. I have succeeded in a lot of things but I obviously failed in one and that is to forget Orville. My heart still wants him."
"Come on! Let's not talk about that anymore. Just think about your photoshoot, your guest judging in Masterchef, your meet and greet with your fans. There's so much more to enjoy so why linger on one memory, right? You create new ones to get rid of the bad ones." Kline said.
"Right." I smiled.
"Cheers!"
What an incredible reunion with some of the best people in the world.
--
(Orville POV)
"Dad!" Sofia called out.
"What?" I said as I was going through the September issue of my "Success" magazine.
"I have something to show you!" She hollered.
"Sofia, I'm busy!" I hollered back.
"You're going to thank me if you see what this is about." She said.
Ugh, what does this little girl want this time? I am busy as heck. As the editor-in-chief, I have to make sure that the content is clean and flawless but how do I do that in a house full of crazy children? I stood up from my desk to go downstairs and see what my daughter is pestering me about.
"Look!" She said as she pointed to the television screen.
"So Chef Zane, how does it feel to be one of the youngest people to appear in the cover of Time magazine?"
"Of course, it's so surreal. I have to pinch myself just to see whether I am dreaming or not. I have to say it fills me with so much joy and pride, I am not going to lie but I am going to try to not let it get in my head."
"It's Zane, the guy you had an affair with, right?" She said which made me glare at her.
"What's that? Dad had an affair." Wayne came out of nowhere and jumped on the sofa right beside his sister. I am pretty surprised with how well they are taking this.
"How come Wayne and I don't know about this?" A sweaty Harry appeared and sat in between Wayne and Sofia. It looks like he just came from the gym.
"Harry, get your sweaty ass off the sofa. It's going to stink." I scolded which caused him to stand up and sit on the floor.
"Dad, you haven't answered our question yet." A persistent Wayne said.
"What do you want to know?"
"How you had an affair with him? Is it true?"
"It was a long time ago. You guys were still toddlers." I said.
"How come Sofia was the only one who knows?" Harry asked.
"Because she was with us the night Zane and I were together. It's also the night of her birthday. She was still naïve back then."
"Oh, at the Scarlett hotel?" Wayne said.
"Yes!"
"I still remember the time I saw them kiss by the pool, it's honestly so romantic." Sofia commented.
"You don't have to say everything that goes through your head, Sofia!" I warned.
"Were you in love with him, dad?" Harry began growing more and more intrigued.
"Yes, I was. Now, can I get back to work?"
"Wait! If you were both in love, how come you still chose to stay with mom? How come mom chose to stay with you considering that she loves Gillian more than you?"
"We have been through this conversation before as a family, right? We were doing it for all of you. We want you to have a normal and happy childhood. Your mom and I don't want you all to feel as if our family is incomplete so we set aside our whims and wants to be there together for the three of you. Now that you are all mature enough, that's when we decided to part ways with each other because every single one of you is now in the right mind to understand the real situation between me and your mother. That we don't look at one another the same way anymore."
"I still don't get something. When you and mom decided to stay with each other for a long time, didn't that bother Gillian? Isn't that also unfair to him and to Joanna?"
"But you guys became her children first so if anything, she's just being fair. She also gave the same amount of attention to Joanna even though she's struggling sometimes. Now, are we done with this repetitive conversation? Can I get back to work now?" I said before stomping my way off to my room.
Kids these days!
As I returned to my desk and tried to focus on my work, I couldn't anymore. Zane's face kept on appearing inside my mind. As much as I try to block it, it keeps entering. Suddenly, I felt my heart beating faster than how it currently is. I couldn't believe it, Eight years have passed and Zane still has the power of getting to me and making me feel this way.