Chasing Dreams

Chapter 7

Reyhan
I strolled towards him and sat beside him. He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't notice my presence. "Hey Zach," I nudge him to bring back to reality.

"Oh, umm, hey Reyhan." he acknowledged me in surprised manner.

"How are you? I didn't see you at school on Friday. Is everything okay?" I ask him. He was surprised after I asked him about his well being. It almost seemed like he was shocked to know that he got noticed that he wasn't there on Friday.

What else I noticed was that it was the first time Zach looked at me in the eye. He has grey and green combination eyes that instantly made me lost in them. He had frown on his light brown skin.

"I am good. Yes, I wasn't there because my mama passed away. So, we had gone for her burial." He says looking away.

"Oh, I am so sorry to hear about that, how's your family coping up?" I ask him again.

"They are good. Mom... mom was quite devastated but she is better than now," he says with a small smile while fidgeting his fingers.

"And how are you?" I asked so slowly while touching his hands. He flinched under my touch but sighed and let me hold him.

"I miss her. I am being strong for my mum because if I break, she will have no one to go cry and watching her cry breaks me more." he says breathlessly.

Behind an introvert Zach, I was seated next to a broken boy at the moment and I yearned to take his pain away just like he did mine.

"Do you remember what you had told me in the cemetery?" I said looking at him in the eye while mindlessly entwining my fingers with him which he gladly obliged.

He again looks me in the eye before giving me a nod and a sad smile. "Always remember that when our closed ones leave us, we need to be happy for them because they travelled to a better and safe place. They got imprisoned from this ruthless reality called world. Miss them, but be happy and move on," I continue the exact words he said to me.

He unexpectedly grabs me for a tight hug making me squeak in surprise. He cries burying his head under neck. I caress his back for a while before he untangles himself from me.

"Thank you Reyhan, it feels a lot better after letting it out. It was suffocating me inside," he confesses.

"Zach, you don't have to thank me. You did the exact same thing for me and I am always there whenever you want to talk," I say to him.

Before he could say anything, his phone started ringing. "Hello, yes mom, okay, I'll be home. Yes, I will bring bread," he says the bread thing quietly for me not to hear but I did anyway.

He bids me bye before I mock him to not forget the bread. He smiles sheepishly before bending down and giving me a tender feather like kiss on the cheek before walking away.

My breath got hitched by his sudden action. I couldn't comprehend what had happened. I placed my palm on the area where he kissed me and smiled lightly to myself.

I sat there for a while collecting my thoughts. It's after two years I conversed with him again but it didn't feel like that at all. I was so comfortable with him. Taking him in my embrace and stroking him made me feel good. It pained me to watch him being this broken and being strong for his mother.

I walked back to Hot N Cold and directly went into the kitchen making myself a mug of hot chocolate. I needed that right now.

"Hey sis," Inanna enters the kitchen. "Where were you?" she asks eyeing me.

"I had gone to the park for some fresh air and being a good sister by giving her baby sister some privacy," I joked.

"Ha-ha," she rolled her eyes at me. "He left after taking his order so no privacy was needed." she replied back. "By the way mom had called on your phone, you forgot to take it with you. She said we have to be home by 5. She is making lasagne so we need to help her out."

"Let's get going then. It's already 4.45pm." I tell her while we make our way to bid goodbye to Sally and Dean.

"Thank you, my sweethearts. It's so lovely to have you here." Sally says lovingly.

"We love it here as well Sally. Thank you for having us here with open arms." Inanna says while hugging her and Dean.

Sally packs us some assorted cookies and we make our way home. I keep the assorted cookies in the microwave hiding it away from Isaac or else no one will even have the chance to eat the crumbs.

Mum, Inanna and I prepare the lasagne and lay the table for dinner. I keep some cookies in the table while saving other for the terrace.

"Mum, this lasagne is bomb", Isaac compliments with his mouth full. He always encourages and compliments my mom. He is mama's boy anyway from the start.

"Sally's cookies are worth having diabetes," my mum said while having her third. My sister and I glance at each other smiling sneakily before giving each other a high five.

"What's up with you guys?" my mum asks us sceptically.

"Mum, we made these cookies, not Sally," my sister flaunts out by doing weird gestures with her hand.

My mum looks bewildered. "How can you make the exact same cookies like Sally? Did she... she has shared her secret recipes with you two!" my mum says out loud.

Inanna and I laugh monstrously. "I have been asking her for ages and she never revealed to me," she says in exaggeration.

"What can we say mom, she loves us more than you," I fuel her foul mood while winking at Inanna.

"Oh, I am glad she does.  After all whose kids you are sweeties?" She winks back at me. My mouth falls agape. I thought she was pissed but she literally just mocked me. Well one thing is true, I am her blood anyway.

I couldn't fall asleep at night. I kept on thinking about that kiss I shared with Zach. It was on the cheek but it meant so much more. Reyhan, Stop, I kept on chanting it.

My phone rang making me jump in fright. "Hey Nat..." I say into the call.

"Ray..." Nat sobs in the call. "Can you please come over?" Her voice sounds desperate and broken.

"Be there in 5, hang in." I cut the phone.