It was a rainy evening in California south, the weather most people loved the most. The coffee shops were full as people troped in to get hot coffee in complement for the cold weather.
Blue's phone buzzed as she walked into the cozy coffee shop. She smiled seeing her cousin, Sally's name on the screen.
"Hey cuz, meet me at Java. Need to talk" the text from Sally read.
Blue slid into the booth, spotting Sally already sipping on a latte. She walked over to her.
"Hey what's up? Sam asked, signaling the barista for a cup of coffee.
Sally lifted her head in surprise as she sights Blue pull a chair and sits on her table. "Oh my! What a coincidence " she said laughing.
"Yeah, I was already here, who wouldn't grab a cup of coffee in this weather" Blue said as she took a sip.
"it's really a cold weather, I should be in bed getting head and moaning, but here I am with you" Sally whispered looking away. They both laughed.
"Where have you been girl? I've missed you so much. Why have you been so isolated? I've texted you a few times and I don't get any response from you. What's going on?" Sally asked looking straight at her.
"woah! You didn't tell me I'm coming for an interrogation session. What a long night this will be" she said laughing as she tries to avoid all of Sally's questions.
"Don't lie to me" Sally's expression turned serious, "I know about you and Jack. What happened between you both?"
Blue hesitated, unsure how much to reveal to her. But how did she know? This was supposed to be a secret.
"Come on Blue, I've known you since we were kids, you can trust me." Sally urged, holding on to Blue's hands. "If anything happened, you could've come to me. I'll always have your back no matter what, we're family, you know what that means." She added.
Blue looked around the shop, and took a deep breath letting the story out. "We met at a party, and it was like…..magic. We connected on every level. Passion, ambition, dreams, fears, desires, everything. The sex, and romance, everything aligned. I felt like I've known him for years, he felt same too."
"How did you know he felt same?" Sally cut in.
"The eyes, Sally, the eyes! They don't lie." She said looking straight at her, her eyes almost dripping with tears.
"We had this connection, I can't fathom. But his family mhen… they're powerful, influential. I wasn't sure they'll approve of me. That's why I left."
Sally's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Blue's voice dropped to a whisper. "They could think I'm beneath him. That I'm just a fling. And I'm not sure he would've tried to fight for us. Maybe to him it was just a regular one night stand too, who knows?"
Sally's grip on her cup tightened, "you deserve something more defined." She paused and took a deep breath. "What of the child, Blue? Where is she? How do you want to handle this. I don't think you should keep her away from Jack."
Blue looked down immediately as tears rolled down her eyes.
Sally went on "how do you intend to manage it? And for how long will you keep it a secret?"
"Stop!" Blue screamed, slamming the table. "Sally, you keep your nose, outta my shits, okay? This is my life, this is my secret, this is my reality. And I choose to handle it however I want." She said as she puts her head down on the table sobbing with a heavy heart, lost in emotions.
Sally sighed, "hey Blue, I understand you" she went, her voice low and husky "I understand perfectly how this is overwhelming for you. I am your family, I am your sister and I'm here to stand by you, I'm here to help you with taking the right decision. If it's your secret, it's my secret too, I promise to keep you safe. You just have to take it easy on yourself okay? I am always here for you." Sally said wiping Blue's eyes.
The coffee shop was almost getting empty as customers were already moving out.
Blue and Sally were still sitting at a corner, as they ordered for their third cup.
"I…Ivy…" Blue muttered, looking away. "Ivy has to stay a secret away from Jack, Sally. I don't think I can handle the family pressure that will come if she's revealed. Things could get really worse. I can't endanger her life."
Sally looked at her with empathy, "we can both keep her far away from him, leaving no trace,your peace matters to me."
Blue's eyes locked on Sally's. "He is married." She looked down. "Jack is married now, who knows if he'd want to ever meet me? Will he believe Ivy is his child?. A lot of questions cross my mind, and half of the time, I feel like I'm shattered. Though I still feel like there's something between us, and if I meet him , I'm not sure I'll walk away again."
Sally's expression turned grim. "Blue, listen to me. Jack's family is not what they seem to be. There's something dark lurking beneath the surface. If you go back to him, you're putting yourself at risk."
Blues heart skipped a beat. "What are you talking about?"
Sally glanced around the coffee shop, ensuring no one was eavesdropping. "I've been digging into their family business . I think there are some secrets they're trying to keep undercover, Blue. Secrets that could destroy everything."
Blue's mind raced, her thoughts reeling with questions. What secrets? What danger? And why did Sally seem so adamant that she stays away from Jack? What even prompted her to dig into their business?
As they parted ways, Blue couldn't shake off the feeling that her past was about to collide with her present in unexpected ways. Little did she know Sally's warning was only the beginning of a tangled web of conspiracy, lies, secrets,scandals and betrayals that could change her life forever.