Dreams Can Come True

25. Happy reunion

Simone first looked at me with a reassuring face, her gaze tracing the lines of my face as if trying to gauge if everything was really okay. Her eyes, usually so warm and understanding, suddenly seemed to betray that something was wrong. The atmosphere in the room changed, and I felt the uncomfortable tension increasing.
"What? Are the boys coming here?" she asked suddenly, her voice sounding concerned and a bit panicked. "Have they eaten already? Because we just finished everything, and I have nothing left in the house." She stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor, and rushed to the kitchen as if she intended to conjure up a gourmet feast for her sons in the blink of an eye.
Gorden leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes as if this was a usual reaction from Simone. He let out a slight sigh as he checked his watch. "Simone, knowing your sons, they've already eaten by this hour," he tried to reassure with a calming tone, but it was clear that Simone was unstoppable at the moment.
However, she didn't respond to his words and darted into the kitchen as if she were running a marathon. "They didn't say anything about food!" I called after her, but my voice was drowned out by the sounds coming from the kitchen. My apologies went unnoticed.
With a sigh, I sat next to Gorden on the couch. The look in his eyes clearly revealed his slight irritation at Simone's impulsive reaction in the kitchen. "Sorry," I whispered to him. "I probably shouldn't have said anything."
Gorden shook his head, suppressing a smile. "You don't need to apologize. Simone needs to learn that not everything revolves around food." He raised his voice slightly, as if deliberately saying it loud enough for Simone to hear. "The boys should consider themselves lucky to have such a good mother," I added, with a smile of understanding on my face.
At that moment, a loud exclamation came from the kitchen. "I heard that, you know!" We looked at each other for a moment and then burst into laughter. It was clear that Simone had her own priorities, and food undoubtedly topped that list.

Not long after, Tom and Bill appeared in the living room. My eyes immediately went to Bill, and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of his familiar presence. Even in the current situation, with unspoken tensions between us, his presence still had the power to melt me.
I got up from the couch and walked straight to Bill. He opened his arms, and I melted into his embrace. His strong arms wrapped tightly around me, and my head rested on his chest. A warm glow spread through my body. My lips found his for a tender kiss. In that moment, all disagreements between us seemed to melt away.
When we broke our brief kiss, I looked straight into his eyes. I saw the love and sincerity in his gaze. He whispered the words "I love you," and I blinked back tears, moved by the intensity of the moment. I found his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Without exchanging words, we understood each other better at that moment than ever before.
Simone emerged from the kitchen, still wearing her apron, and looked at her boys. "Do you still need to eat?" she asked, her concern for their well-being evident in her voice.
"No, Mom, we've already eaten," Tom replied, wearing a casual smile on his face. Gorden looked at her triumphantly and added, "I told you, Simone, that they had already eaten." Simone looked surprised, her eyebrows slightly raised, and asked with curiosity in her voice, "And what did you eat then?"
Tom, always ready for a witty comeback, grinned widely and began to tell, "Pizza, of course." He let his words hang for a moment for dramatic effect, while Bill added with a mischievous look, "Yeah, we ordered pizza because Georg kept complaining that he was hungry." Bill's eyes twinkled as he delivered the last part of his statement, as if he had accomplished a secret mission.
Simone, knowing her sons' eating habits all too well, couldn't suppress a roll of her eyes. Her facial expression betrayed both slight frustration and amusement. She let out a soft sigh and shook her head, knowing that her mission to get healthy meals on the table had once again been thwarted by the temptation of pizza.
Simone looked disappointed and asked, "So you don't need anything else to eat?" The twins both shook their heads, indicating that they were satisfied. A sigh escaped from Simone's lips. "Then I'll go back to the kitchen to clean up again," she said with a slight disappointment, turned around, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Gorden, curious about what was going on, turned to the brothers and asked, "Boys, how's the rehearsal going?" He lowered the volume of the TV, ready to hear their story. Tom, always with a nonchalant attitude, informed, "I don't really need to practice much because I already know everything." Bill, inevitably drawn to competing with his brother, immediately chimed in, "Hey, I'm doing pretty well too." Gorden rolled his eyes, a clear sign that this brotherly rivalry was a daily occurrence.
"Today we had a costume meeting!" Bill announced enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Tom let out a sigh of irritation, as if the whole affair was already beginning to bore him. Before Bill could react, I quickly jumped into the conversation. "You'll look fantastic," I said, winking at Bill, who couldn't suppress his smile. "Thank you," he whispered, appreciation shining in his eyes. Tom, apparently impatient and tired, called out to the kitchen, "Mom, we're leaving. I'm dead tired." Simone's surprised reaction echoed through the kitchen, "How are you leaving already?" However, the brothers were already on their feet, ready to go.