BITTERSWEET

CHAPTER 51 / ZENIX

Soon after visiting their parents, they visited the Shadow Knights to invite them to the party. Although this chapter may seem reliant on Zane and Nana, this is primarily focused on Zenix. 

Without the party itself, Zenix would've done some things to himself that weren't so good. 

The entire atmosphere was pleasing and cheerful, and many of their friends had gathered to celebrate Zane and Nana's engagement. Aph was sure that Katelyn and Travis were to be next. 

The Shadow Knights were having a fun time too, hanging out with their friends, accompanied by alcohol and pink lemonade that Cadenza had catered. 

It was a beautiful celebration, surrounded by music, drinks, food and love. Couples danced, girls lounged by the pool with martinis in hand, guys kicked around a football and others were forced to sing karaoke. Zenix sat beside his fiancee, holding her by the waist as they spoke with Garroth, Sasha, Gene, Aaron and Remmi. 

Becca's growing bump had begun to escalate in size with the healthy baby at five months through the pregnancy. The baby was due in November, which meant she had to get through the end of the summer and two months of Autumn before the baby arrived. 

Like Zane, Zenix wasn't nearly enough for the birth of their baby and to become a father. He hadn't asked to become a dad, but sure, he had it coming. 

Even with his history of doing drugs, underage drinking, tagging streets and disobeying laws as a teenager, all that changed when he met the love of his life behind the screen. Becca changed his universe so much that he couldn't comprehend how much she changed him in such a short amount of time. Seventeen minutes to be exact. 

His job and major in technical computer and coding software had been a great success to the point where he teaches this to the university he'd first attended. As you can see, things didn't go so well. 

"I don't see why or how you like pink lemonade," Remmi remarked taking a sip of her martini. 

"I don't," Becca answered, "it's the only non-alcoholic drink around here, so, I'm stuck with it. And, it's got an aftertaste I don't necessarily like."

"You realise there are cokes in the fridge inside, right?" Garroth suggested, pointing to the house and taking a sip of his beer. 

"I know that, but this was here," Becca replied. "Zen, could you get me a coke, please?"

"I was going to get myself one, anyway. Be right back," Zenix said, kissing Becca on the cheek before swinging his legs over the bench and heading inside. 

Just as the brunette reached the kitchen his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He sighed as he delayed the call as much as he could and pulled it out to read the caller ID. The contact belonged to his eldest brother, Thomas. Zenix has two older brothers and a younger brother, but none of the four had necessarily been close growing up and wasn't on good terms lately. 

This had been the third time that day that he'd called Zenix and each time he declined. Once again, his brother had won because it was getting annoying, so Zenix hesitantly answered the call. 

"Okay, Zenix, I'm sorry but now isn't the time for your satiric games. I've called you twice now and you haven't picked up. Aside from that, there's something more important I need to tell you that couldn't be sent through text," Thomas said, receiving an eye roll from Zenix. 

Zenix adjusted the phone to his ear. "Uh-huh, and what's that?" Zenix asked, pulling out two cans of coke from the fridge and slamming the door behind him. 

"Mum passed away in her sleep last night." The brunette froze and dropped the cans from his hands.

"WHAT!?" Zenix exploded, feeling more angry than sad. This startled Kasey who was retrieving a beer from the fridge.

"We know she's been sick for the last few months, and she was so excited to meet that kid of yours, but she passed last night," His brother explained.

"Mum died and you didn't think to have told me?"

"In my defence, you wouldn't answer my calls. We're organising a funeral if you can attend. Look, I'm sorry, none of us wanted this." 

"Whatever, see you, Thomas," Zenix scolded hanging up the call. Tears threatened to spill behind Zenix's firey eyes and a lump lodged at the back of his throat. In silence, Zenix brought back to coke cans back to Becca and slumped himself on the bench. 

"Hey, you okay? What happened?" She asked, noticing his bad mood. 

"Nothing, Bec. I'm fine."

Knowing something was up, Becca grabbed him by the hand and led him to a vacant room door. Seeing that the bathroom was unoccupied, she took him there. Once she locked the door, she leaned against the wood, as Zenix refused to share eye contact with her. 

"You only call me Bec when something's up. Your usual nickname for me is Reb. You took quite a while to retrieve the drinks, so, what happened?" 

Becca was answered with silent sobs coming from Zenix's direction. She couldn't see them but could hear them with her enhanced meif~wa features. 

Instantly, she pulled him in a hug and he cried into her shoulder, squeezing him without hurting the baby in the process. 

"My mum died in her sleep last night," Zenix said between sobs, "I just found out now."

"Alicia? What?" Becca questioned as her fiancee went back to crying. "Aww, baby, it's okay." Zenix wiped his tears with the back of his hand and Becca helped him wipe them off. 

Alicia (ah-lice-ee-ah) Barlowe was one of the strongest people Becca had ever known, topped with her Mum and Nana. The lady had such a generous heart and immediately welcomed Rebecca to the family the second Zenix had brought them together to meet. 

Zenix was the 'mama's boy' out of the four and generally preferred his mum over his dad. His dad was pushier than his mum, whereas she encouraged him to do what he thought felt right. 

The two had a special connection since he was little and she always knew how to handle him. But, this wasn't the first time that she'd been sick. The first was in high school, while the second was when Zenix was in university, both of which she suffered from lung cancer and both times she pulled through. 

This time had hit Zenix hard. Sure, he'd handled it before but he had had a bad gut feeling and now she was gone. No one had been ready for the impact to come. There were so many things he'd wanted to tell her, so many things he'd wanted her to experience throughout his life. 

Zenix wanted his mother to meet her grandchild, let her watch himself and Becca get married and wanted her to watch his children grow up. And now, he wanted that for her more than anything else. 

"You know what?" Becca suggested trying to lighten the dim mood, "For this baby, we'll name him or her after your mum. 'Kay?"

"A-All right. That sounds good. Alicia for a girl and something starting with an A for a boy, like Alistair or Alexander."

"I like that. Perfect," Becca said kissing him. 

"Why don't we go back to the party and go back to crying later," Becca recommended. She gave him a warm smile and he smiled back. The blonde girl turned to leave but Zenix grabbed her hand and pulled her in close, one hand around her waist, the other resting on her bump. 

"I love you, Reb."

"I love you too," She said, smiling again. "Everything's going to be okay, bubs. Let's get back to that party. I don't think your mum would have wanted you to mourn her on a special night of your fiancee's twin brother. She wouldn't have wanted you to dim Zane and Nana's night."

"I guess not. She would've wanted us to celebrate them both."

"Attaboy. Come on, we still have time to burn." 

sorry for killing someone off. zenix's mum dying was needed to hint the name for their baby. I blame this on my hunger games obsession at the moment. yes, I read all three books in one week. sunday to Sunday. ;)