FATE - can a person in one lifetime fall in love with the same person twice?

Chapter 36

I sat at the breakfast table, still shaken from the tears I had shed in their arms, my mother glanced at me and smiled softly. “You still love that teal color, don’t you?” she remarked, pointing to the top I had absentmindedly thrown on. I hadn’t even noticed what I was wearing.

“Still? What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, taking a bite of my food, trying to mask the tension in my voice.

She tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful. “I thought you’d forgotten all about it… after you met Eden.”

“What? Forgotten what?” I asked, feeling a sudden weight in the air between us.

“Don’t you remember, darling?” she continued, her tone gentle but probing. “Why teal is your favorite color?”

I frowned, confusion washing over me. “No…” I mumbled, taking another bite of food, trying to recall whatever memory she was digging up.

“It’s because of his eyes.”

I froze mid-bite. “Whose eyes?” I managed to ask, a strange tightness forming in my chest.

“Your first love,” she said softly, watching me closely.

I felt my heart stutter. “What?” I choked out, my mind scrambling for clarity.

“What are you talking about, Mom?” I quickly gulped down some water, trying to steady myself. “Please, just fill in the pieces. I don’t understand.”

She gave me a knowing look, as though she had expected this moment. “So… you really don’t remember your first kiss?” she asked gently.

“Yes, I do. It was with someone—one of your relatives, wasn’t it?” I replied, trying to grasp at the fading memory.

She sighed, shaking her head. “Not my relative,” she said softly. “You don’t even remember who he was.” She paused, her eyes distant. “Maybe it’s for the best that you’ve forgotten. And here I was, thinking you’d carried him in your heart all these years. But you’ve moved on with Eden now, so let it go.”

“Mom!” I pushed my chair back and stood up, my frustration boiling over. “Please, tell me! I need to know!”

“No.”

“Please! Please!” I pleaded, a strange desperation rising inside me. I had to know who my first love was, had to meet him.

She sighed again, realizing I wouldn’t let it go. “Alright,” she began, her voice soft and almost nostalgic. “He was the son of my best friend. It was so long ago, I don’t even remember his name anymore. She visited me only once after I got married, and she brought him along. You two went off to play together, and, well… you fell in love. You even kissed him. You were the one who told me, so excited. You were nine at the time.”

I blinked, stunned. “I… kissed him?” I whispered, trying to summon the memory that felt buried in some distant part of my mind.

She nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “They left after a few hours, and you told me that he promised he’d come back for you. But he never did. I was so caught up talking with my friend, I never thought to get her address or contact information. You waited for him, for a whole year. It was the same year your father’s business was struggling. You cried so much back then. You even swore you’d never fall in love again. You were just a child, but you held onto that promise.” She sighed deeply, her voice tinged with regret. “We left Los Angeles after the business failed, and I thought a new city would help you forget. But you never let any boy near you after that. I was so worried you’d never find love again, but then… you met Eden.”