THE LUNAR ECLIPSE

CHAPTER THREE

After last nights humorous scare, I had a very peaceful night dreaming about mysterious strangers and romance. Come on, I say in exasperation as the traffic moves at a snails pace; the worst part about travelling on a Sunday morning is the horrible traffic.

After promising my mum to visit them during the weekend, here I am as I battle my way through the famous New York City traffic. I hear my phone blow up with notifications and without even checking I know that its Zac. He really is a whole bundle of excitement, especially when it comes to going on vacation.

Speaking of vacation, Im yet to tell my parents about our trip to Miami, its not like they'll object but I like to inform them about my plans beforehand in case they have their own plans.

I look outside as road leads to the peaceful countryside, there is something about the feeling of going home which removes all worries. Turning into the driveway of my parents home, I smile when I see my father working in the garden outside.

"Hey dad," I say stepping out of the car. He looks over at me before walking towards me and giving me a hug. The warmth of his hug makes me forget all frustration I had from the drive over.

"Hello princess, its good to see you looking so happy and healthy," he says. "Lets go inside, your mum is in the kitchen making all your favourite dishes," he adds.

"Is there a special occasion?" I ask confused. "Mum only does that when she wants to convince me to do something," I say as we walk in. The aroma of my mothers cooking instantly makes me hungry; looking into the kitchen, I see my mother taking a pie out of the oven.

"Hi mum," I call out. My mother turns around and the smile which breaks out on her face warms my heart.

"My baby is home, I missed you so much Aria," she says giving me a tight squeeze. My mother really did age like fine wine, even at this age she looked as radiant as ever.

"I missed you too, mum. Even though I just saw you guys last week," I reply with a smile. She holds on to my hand as we walk into the living room.

"Is everything okay mum? You look worried," I ask. My mother was never good at hiding her worries. I watch as she looks over to dad before shaking her head at me.

"Nothing is wrong princess," my dad answers. "Just a little bit of work stress, you know she gets attached to her patients easily," he adds with a chuckle.

Even though I'm not entirely convinced, I let it slide; they'll tell me whenever they're comfortable. I smile at both my parents and nod.

"Well, I have some news for you guys," I say unable to stop the excited smile which breaks out on my face.

"You finally got a boyfriend," both my parents say simultaneously. The expression on their faces being a mixture of both happiness and shock.

"What! No!" I say in surprise. "You guys are acting very strange today, are you sure everything is alright?" I try asking again.

"Of course, everything is perfect. Go on, finish what you were saying," my mum coaxes. I raise my eyebrows in confusion but decide not to press on the matter.

"What I wanted to tell you guys was that Giana, Zac and I are going on a vacation to Miami," I tell them. The smiles on their faces widen as they take in the information.

"That's wonderful Ria, you definitely deserve a break after this tough year," my mum says. "Go have some fun and for some time forget about the bakery and all the baking."

"Enjoy the beach and make the most of your youth," my dad adds lovingly. They both give me an affectionate hug and then go on to talk about their work and other new updates.

Soon were all seated at the dining table feasting on the delicious food made by mother. "So, when are you guys planning to leave?" he asks.

"If it was up to Zac, he'd have us on a plane the moment I agreed for the trip," I say with a laugh. "After a lot of convincing, Giana suggested that we fly out the day after tomorrow, thatll give me enough time to sort out things at the café for Aki," I add.

"How is Aki? I haven't seen him in such a long time," my mum asks. My mother is very fond of Aki, how could she not be, especially when that man is so much in love with her adoptive son. "Has he finally mustered up the courage to tell Zac about his feelings?" she asks.

"He's good, very excited about playing boss and passing orders," I say with a chuckle. "And to answer your second question, he hasn't. I keep telling him that he needs to confess to Zac but every time he comes up with a new excuse. I'm telling you mum, it's like talking to a child."

"But I do understand where Aki is standing right now, he just doesnt want to get his heart broken and knowing Zac he might unknowingly do exactly that," I continue. "Anyways, our interference might complicate things even more, maybe when the time is right Aki will be able to talk to Zac on his own."

"Ria, when are you going to get a boyfriend," my dad asks. I look over to him to check whether he is joking or not. Upon seeing his expression, I smile before answering.

"I really don't have a romantic partner right now dad, I haven't met anyone I'd feel that kind love towards," I say. "The love that you and mum have for each other; its just so pure and beautiful, maybe when the time is right, I'll find it as well."

"Oh baby, you deserve the best and you will surely find it," says my mum looking teary. My dad squeezes my hand with love and assurance as he gives me a smile.

"Oh, my goodness, guess who I met at the supermarket yesterday," mum says. She goes on to tell me about her childhood friend who was in town after a long time.

Driving home, I keep thinking about the changed behaviour of my parents and how they seemed to be hiding something. Well people are allowed to have secrets I tell myself as my manoeuvre the car through the street and into the parking spot.

Let's do some packing before Zac decides to evade and pack the silliest items of clothing, I say to myself. As I busy myself in preparations for Miami, the funny feeling in my stomach refuses to go away.

*************

Authors

We apologize for the delay, but we are back with another thrilling chapter. We will do our best to update the chapters more frequently.