THE next day, they were in the expansive garden outside Zion’s grandparents’ house. They were having a barbecue party, just as the grandparents had suggested. Zion and his grandfather were busy grilling the food while Ri-Ri helped set up the table.
Honestly, she was excited. She had never hosted or been part of a barbecue before, so this was her first time, and her excitement was through the roof. She kept sneaking glances at the food Zion was grilling until he noticed her. He chuckled, shaking his head at her.
Before long, the table was filled with various dishes: coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, grilled marinated flank steak, grilled shrimp, grilled salmon, and baked pork ribs. There were also fruits like watermelon, mango, and papaya. After Grandpa Carlos said a prayer, they began eating.
Zion, who sat beside her, placed some grilled salmon on her plate. She murmured her thanks, and he winked at her. He also handed her some baked pork ribs.
“I recommend this and the steak,” he said, pointing to the marinated grilled steak. “These are all specialties.”
“Everything looks so delicious, I want to try it all,” she replied.
“Oh, dear, try everything. My grandson is an amazing cook,” said the elderly woman, her eyes shining with pride for Zion. Her husband gave a thumbs-up and nodded in agreement, unable to speak because his mouth was full.
Ri-Ri laughed and nodded. “I’ll try everything,” she said before taking a bite of the potato salad.
“Yes, dear, and I hope you fall in love with my grandson,” teased Grandma Josefina, giving her a playful wink. She almost choked on her food.
Zion gently patted her back as he laughed. He didn’t even mind his grandmother. When she looked at him, she saw the glint of amusement in his eyes. He even had that little smirk while looking at her. He handed her some water, and she gratefully took a sip.
“I’m so sorry, dear,” Grandma Josefina apologized with a laugh. “What I meant was, I hope you fall in love with my grandson’s cooking.”
Something told her that wasn’t exactly what the old lady meant. But she just smiled and sneaked a glance at Zion. He was still smiling, but his attention had already returned to the food in front of him.
They continued eating and chatting. Grandma Josefina and Grandpa Carlos shared joyful memories of Zion and his sister when they were young. Zion would sometimes add something, and she couldn’t help but laugh. Josefina and Carlos were his mother’s parents. After Zion’s parents separated, he would visit his grandparents from time to time. To him, his problems seemed to disappear whenever he was with them.
After learning that he was his mother’s child from another man, the bond between him and his mother had suffered, but eventually, he learned to forgive her. And while Zion was battling schizoid personality disorder, his grandparents had been there for him the whole time. That was part of the reason the lake house was built—to give him a place of solitude. Basically, he and his sister had spent half of their lives with their grandparents.
Even so, there were still happy memories to be grateful for. She couldn’t imagine the pain he had gone through, and she could see how close he was to his grandparents. She couldn’t help but feel a desire to meet his sister. As an only child, she had longed for siblings when she was younger.
“I want to meet your sister. I feel like she has the same personality as you,” she said to him.
He laughed. “She’s talkative. But I believe you two will get along.” There was a note of pride in his voice.
She was about to speak when a voice called out from somewhere nearby. She turned toward it. A beautiful woman with a sweet smile had arrived. Her long, straight black hair was being lifted by the breeze. She was dressed in high-waisted shorts and a white shirt with the phrase ‘count your lucky stars’ printed in gold. Ri-Ri watched as everyone acknowledged the newcomer’s presence.
“Lisanna, it’s good to see you,” Zion said, even standing up to greet her.
“Good to see you too, Zi,” the woman said as she hugged Zion.
Wait, what is happening?
“Join us, dear,” Lola Josefina said.
The woman shook her head. “Thank you, but I just came here to say hi to Zion. I thought Uncle George was joking when he said Zion was here. And wow, you really are here.”
“Yeah, I came here with…” Zion glanced at Ri-Ri. “…Ri-Ri. Ri, this is Lisanna. Lis, this is Ri-Ri,” he introduced them to each other.
“Oh, right.” Lisanna snapped her fingers as if she suddenly remembered something. “You’re the singer Uncle George mentioned would be with you.” She looked at Ri-Ri and smiled warmly, extending her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She stood up and took her hand. “Same here,” she replied simply, though she didn’t know why a small twinge of jealousy was forming inside her at that moment. Lisanna and Zion looked a little close, like they had some history together. Or maybe they really did?
“No worries though. My lips are sealed. No one will know you’re here. You’re safe here,” she said, even making the zipping-mouth gesture.
She murmured her thanks with a slight smile. When she looked at Zion, there was a small smile on his lips as their eyes met, as if he already knew what she was feeling at that moment. She excused herself, saying she needed to use the restroom. She went inside without looking back. She took her time in the comfort room. She wanted that when she came back, the woman would be gone.
She let out a sigh after washing her hands. She looked at herself in the mirror, splashed water on her face, and said, “You have no right to be jealous, hey. You don’t own Zion.” She even gave herself a light poke in the face.
After gathering herself together, she turned toward the door to go back outside. When she yanked it open, however, she did not expect Zion to be standing there, so she yelped in surprise. He was just standing there, one hand on the edge of the door and the other tucked into the pocket of his pants.
“What are you doing?” she said, her hand instinctively landing on her chest. “Why are you trying to scare me?”
Zion chuckled. “So it’s my fault that you’re jumpy? Maybe you should cut back on the coffee first.” He said this as he gently tapped the tip of her nose.
She flinched slightly before finally stepping out and closing the door. She thought he might step back, but he remained where he was. She ended up being sandwiched between him and the closed door. She looked into his eyes and swallowed hard. He was staring at her with so much intensity that it made her knees weak. She simply leaned against the door.
“You know…” he began. “…you look cute when you’re jealous.”
Her cheeks heated up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said playfully, trying to sound dismissive.
Zion chuckled once more. “Lisanna was known to have a crush on me before, but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated and never will be. We’ve always just been friends.”
“Um…” She tried to hold back a smile. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing that she was indeed jealous of Lisanna.
“And besides, didn’t you notice the ring she’s wearing?” She blinked at his question. Zion laughed when he noticed her brain processing slowly. “Lisanna is engaged. And if you hadn’t left, you would’ve heard how excited she was about her wedding with her fiancé.”
“Oh.” That was all she could say.
With a curved smile, Zion cupped her cheek with his hands. “No need to be jealous, okay?” he said.
She couldn’t make a sound as he pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft, gentle peck, but still, it made her heart race. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. He was about to ask for another kiss when someone cleared their throat. She jumped and glanced over his shoulder. Seeing it was Grandpa Carlos, she pushed Zion away without a word. Surprised, he laughed loudly once he recovered.
Her face flaming red, she lowered her head and quickly went back outside. She didn’t hear much, but she knew the old man was teasing his grandson.
Ri-Ri couldn’t hide it anymore. Her tiny crush on Zion had grown into full-blown affection. How did I let myself be completely bewitched by him? she wondered inwardly, biting her lower lip.