MY SECOND BUT TRUE LOVE #Wattys2016

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Amour
Dad parked the car by Amarion's house. I stared at the enormous bungalow and the reminisced the moments of fun I had inside it. I couldn't wait to listen Amarion sing again. My brother got off the car and rang the bell. My mother waited with me in the car. The door was attended by Amarion's dad. He was tall and his looks were similar to Jade's. My father shared a handshake with him. Mother and I followed them inside the house.

Jade's mother welcomed and asked us to sit in the living room. She served us some of her home made juice. This time it was of peach. In a little while, both the parents got along pretty well. As if they've known each other for a long time.

I gazed at the big rubec's cube in the midst of the table. When I first visited, it rested there jumbled but I could see it solved during this visit. Each side was covered in a different hue. If complex and disordered pieces of colours can be brought together with effort then why can't the various shades of life be arranged?

To be honest, the puzzle possessed more beauty when it was shuffled. Similarly, life is beautiful when all colours are muddled up. Rather than being enfolded by one particular tint.

I heard rushed footsteps and when I turned to the source of the noise, I saw Lily descending the stairs. She approached and hugged me. I embraced her tightly as it had been very long since I met her. She chatted with me for a while and later played with my brother.

My eyes wandered in search of Amarion and Jade. Neither of them were visible. Julian stood and headed for the kitchen to set the dinner on the table. I pursued her and offered to help. She denied politely at first but then allowed me to aid. She spoke to me about the various recipes she had learnt and about her immense eagerness in food of different origins.

"We're done" she clapped cheerfully.

"Looks like it" I replied while eyeing the table.

"Now, let's call everyone" she grinned.

"Yeah but where are Jade and..." I began asking but stopped when I saw the two emerging from the living room. They must've met my parents while I was lending a hand to Julian. I smiled at Amarion and he returned one. He wore a blue shirt and black jeans. The combination of his outfit matched mine. He blushed slightly when he noticed the similarity.

Julian went to the living room to call the others for dinner. Meanwhile I had small talk with Jade. Amarion didn't speak though. Maybe because of Jade's presence.
Soon everyone approached the table and took their respective seats. The irresistible aroma of the food was enough to make a stomach grumble. Julian served the different dishes for everyone. Amarion was seated one chair next to me. Jade behaved like she was the guest. Consistently, she asked to pass things to her while Julian smiled apologetically. Lily and my little brother sat across the table. The food completely satisfied my famished appetite. Julian's generous acts were filled with hospitality. Sadly, her daughter was the exact opposite of her.

After the dinner, Amarion and I helped Julian to clean up the dining area. Julian rambled about the cooking methods of the dishes she made. While Amarion and I shared smiles and glances. His eyes seemed agitated yet joyous. I quickly wanted to go into his room and watch him play. But the procedures downstairs were time consuming.

Lily came running to me and asked to see her room. I nodded and excused myself from the kitchen. She took me to the either side of the house where I saw a couple of closed doors. The right one lead to Lily's room. She dragged me inside and introduced me to her things. The room was themed wih floral and light colors. She requested me to play with her which I did for a while. Her bed was round in shape. The closet and dresser were small in size. Her room flooded with toys. It reminded me of my childhood. I used to love dolls. While I was examining the room, someone knocked on the door. I opened it and found Amarion and my brother. Lily called my brother inside. Amarion gestured me to come with him. I looked over at the kids who were busy playing. I moved out of the room and followed Amarion.

I witnessed the parents talking from the corner of my eye. I tiptoed to the staircase and climbed upstairs. We jogged to the room and closed the door behind us. Our eyes met and we burst into laughter.

"So?" I asked out of breath.

"Want to play a game?" He asked with a smirk.

"Of course and this time I'm going to kick harder" I answered with my eyebrow raised.

"Let's see" he replied and switched on the game console.

We played the assault game and I won mostly. We teased and joked with each other. I caught him humming when we started a racing game and his cheeks turned crimson.

"Amarion?" I said after we finished the gaming.

"Yeah?" He responded immediately.

"Can I visit your utopia?" I asked in a sweet voice.

"Hm" he replied and held my hand. His touch sent shivers down my spine but I remained calm. He pulled me up to my feet and lead me to the curtains.

"You look lovely" he complimented and made my heart flutter.

"Thank you" I managed to say shyly.

"Okay I'm showing this to you again" he said dramatically.

I slapped his arm. "Don't scare me like last time" I warned him.

"Oh. What did you assume?" He questioned in a hilarious tone.

"All of the despicable things" I said in a low voice.

He chuckled loudly and I rolled my eyes at him. He tightened the grip on my hand and slid the curtains. He opened the door and took me into the balcony. The familiar feeling engulfed me. I smiled ear to ear.

Not realising that our hands were still entwined.