SHE DID IT. Ri-Ri couldn’t believe it. Not only did the pictures of her and Zion go viral, but the videos of her singing at the restobar also went viral. Her mother was the first to discover that they had gone viral. That was the reason she had left the house when Ri-Ri found her. Well, that viral video and her “alleged” statement were the reasons. It turned out her mother did not like what the PR team had done. She planned to confront the PR team—not just as her manager, but as her mother too. Even before Ri-Ri and her mother spoke, she already had a plan.
Despite the situation with Zion, Ri-Ri was looking forward to this development. People loved the songs she had performed, and they demanded studio versions of all of them. And because of the positive feedback, her label decided to release a new album. But this time, Ri-Ri was in full control. She would decide how many songs would be included in the album. She also didn’t waste any time; that very day, she began recording the songs.
It took a couple of hours to finally finish enhancing most of the songs according to her taste. Not everything was done yet, but it was getting late and everyone was tired, so they decided to head home for the night.
She yawned while riding in her mother’s car. Since Matteo was on leave, there was no driver. Her mother didn’t bother finding a replacement, probably because she was tired of looking. Besides, her mother knew how to drive.
“Have you thought of a name for your new album?” her mother asked. They had stopped at a traffic light, waiting for the signal to go.
Ri-Ri nodded at her mother. “I dedicate this album to Zion,” she said softly.
Her mother smiled and tapped her leg. “I’m sure everything will be okay soon. Don’t give up. You and Zion will get through this.”
“Thanks, Mom,” she said as the light turned green, and her mother continued driving. At that moment, Ri-Ri decided to check her cell phone. She hadn’t had time earlier because she was so busy. There were twenty missed calls from her dad. She automatically called him back, but he didn’t answer. “Mom, did Dad call you?” she asked.
“I called him once earlier to ask if he had reached Matteo, but he said he was still trying,” her mother replied. “After that, I didn’t check my phone again because I got too busy.”
“Same here. I got twenty missed calls from him. But now he’s not answering.”
“Maybe he’s sleeping, honey. It’s past his bedtime already,” her mother shrugged.
A few minutes later, they arrived. The entire house was still brightly lit. Ri-Ri’s heart suddenly skipped a beat for reasons she couldn’t explain. She felt nervous even before her mother opened the door. But as soon as it swung open, Zion and her father were standing there. Her eyes, suddenly brimming with tears, zoomed in on Zion. She didn’t know if she was dreaming—but she didn’t want this to be just a dream. She wished this was real.
“Hello, my Strawberry. I’ve missed you,” he said, and she realized she wasn’t dreaming at all.
RI-RI automatically ran into Zion’s arms. He instantly wrapped her up, holding her tighter as she cried. She could feel how worried he was. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She pulled back slightly and noticed her parents were gone, probably giving them some privacy. Wiping her tears, she looked at him, and at the same time, he cupped her cheeks with his hands.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “These are happy tears.”
He kissed the bridge of her nose. “Aren’t you mad at me? I—”
She placed her finger gently on his lips. “I’m not mad at you. I know there’s a reason for everything. And besides, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care about me, right?”
“I don’t just care about you. I love you with all my heart, Ri, and no one could tell me otherwise.” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I know you didn’t say that statement they released in the news. Even before your father told me the truth, I knew in my heart those weren’t your words.”
“I would never, ever say those words. I love you, Zion, and you know that.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I know. I try not to be smug about it.”
She playfully punched him in the stomach. He caught her hand and kissed it. “And I also want to apologize. You must have been really worried. I’m sure a lot ran through your mind when you couldn’t reach me. The truth is, I lost my phone when I rushed my sister to the hospital.” He let out a sigh, and she gasped.
“What happened to your sister? Is she okay?” she asked, full of concern.
“She’s doing fine. She went into labor a little earlier than expected.” Relief washed over her. “Because I panicked, I didn’t realize my phone was missing. It must have fallen out of my pocket somewhere. I retraced my steps, but I couldn’t find it. It was really bad timing to lose a phone, you know.” He joked, and she laughed despite herself.
“Good thing Matteo was contacted,” she said.
“My sister called him when her labor pains started. She was alone at home because I was at the grocery store at that time. I guess that’s when I lost my phone, and my sister tried contacting me but failed. She ended up calling her husband, who was miles away.”
“Oh, Zion.”
“I got home just in time, though, thank God. And at the same time, the ambulance arrived. She was immediately rushed to the hospital.”
She hugged him again. “Thank God your sister is safe, and you’re here now.”
“I immediately rushed back here as soon as Matteo got to the hospital. I wanted to call you using Matteo’s phone, but as luck would have it, his phone died on the way home, and I couldn’t reach you. I was really unlucky,” he said.
She laughed again at his words. “Of course, you couldn’t just leave your sister alone,” she replied with full understanding. “I admit, I was worried when I couldn’t reach you. I thought maybe you believed that statement released by the PR.”
He gently pinched her nose. “Hey, I’m not that gullible. Give me a little credit, c’mon.”
She chuckled. “I know. That’s why I didn’t lose hope. I tried contacting you from time to time. I even asked Dad to call Matteo, maybe he knew what happened to you.”
“I also told him before I left to call your dad so he could let you know I was on my way back. But your dad told me earlier that you weren’t answering.”
She bit her lower lip. “Uh, sorry. I was just a bit busy,” she mumbled, burying her face in his chest.
It was his turn to laugh. “No worries. The important thing is I’m here now, and we’re together.”
She nodded. But when she remembered something, she playfully punched him on the shoulder. Zion was surprised and laughed, asking what that was for.
“You kept your conversation with Mom a secret before you left,” she said, nudging him a little.
Zion smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to think I was interfering in your lives, you know, between you and your mom.”
She sighed at his words. “Why would I think that? In fact, I really appreciated it, Zi. Because of what you did, Mom finally understands me. Yes, it took years, but hey, at least it’s happening now. So, thank you.” She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
Zion wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the kiss. When their lips parted, a small smile formed on his lips. “And congratulations, too. I heard the songs you sang at the restobar went viral.”
Her smile widened. She might have even squealed a little. “That’s not all. Something even better happened.”
His eyebrows rose. “Care to explain?”
Ri-Ri smiled sheepishly. “You’ll see,” she muttered before kissing him again. He didn’t ask any more questions, distracted by her kiss. Ri-Ri had no plans of telling him just yet—he would find out soon enough.