Seeing Hearts and Sorrows

part 2

It's been a week since Zach and his parents were talking about the wedding arrangement. Today was a calm, bright Saturday, but slightly bleak with few clouds floating here and there. After everything they were discussing, Zach never told his friends a single word about the conversation. Why would he? Even if they knew him for so long, he just couldn't bring up the subject, fearing that they would never look at him the same way again. Ever. And he'll be a loner for probably the rest of his life, with his unwanted husband as his only companion. The boy cringed at that dreadful thought, but soon began to calm down. All I have to do is just say "no", he reminded himself, just say "no" and it'll be all over.

Time flies when you're too busy worrying. It was almost an hour-long drive from his home to the Roquin's house. The scene was changed from a suburban neighborhood, to a more natural view, surrounded by flower grown trees bending with the wind and a cool lake was sitting undisturbed, as if waiting for something to break through its surface. Soon, the houses finally appeared --- or maybe more like modern mansions. Each mansion were separated far from each other, with their extravagant and angular designs competing which one among them is the most beautiful and attractive home to the eyes of the people who passed by.

"Wow! Would you look at that?" Zach's mom exclaimed as she was pointing to one of the mansions. "Wouldn't it be nice to live in a house like that?"

"Yeah, it is," Zach replied absent-mindedly. Tall fancy houses meant that they should be close the Roquins anytime now. Inside, he just couldn't stay calm anymore, and he could felt himself slightly trembling. Maybe moving to Texas isn't such a bad idea, even if it means give up snowboarding forever. Anything but marrying to a guy.

Before he knew it, his dad has already parked in front of a concrete mansion.

"We're here!" he announced.

It looks like a very luxurious home as Zach had expected. The mansion was almost the size of an apartment building, has a very nice cubic shape, and was covered in a creamy white color. He could see through the transparent windows and caught glimpses of few furniture inside, but that wasn't the only thing he saw. There was a flash of red on the window and disappeared right before Zach laid his eyes on it.As he was stepping outside of the car, he couldn't be any more nervous in all his life. He took in a deep breath as he and his parents were walking right up to the front door.

Here goes nothing.

His dad was the first one to ring the doorbell. Seconds later, the door opened and out stepped a man who seemed to be in his mid to late fifties.

He greeted the family with a friendly smile. "Oh you're here! We're so glad you came!"

"Mr. Roquin! It's nice to see you again!" Zach's dad greeted back, as both men shook hands.

The man looked older compared to his dad, with silver streaks visible across his sandy blonde hair, and thin wrinkles can be seen in the corners of his eyes, but the eyes themselves still have a youthful gleam to them. He was also wearing a light brown cashmere sweater along with khaki pants.

"Hi Mr. Roquin," Zach said politely.

"Oh hi Zach! It's nice to see you again too. Come in!" Mr. Roquin beckoned them.

Inside the mansion was absolutely breathtaking. Lights were brightening up the entrance; giving walls have a more pure white tone to it with staircase reaching up to the next floor. The glass doors next to the staircase lead to the living room, not to mention there was a crystal ball chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"What a great home you have Mr. Roquin!" Zach's mom complimented.

"Thank you," the older man said. "A big home should have a big family. You do remember that Hiller, his wife Ebony, their son Len, Eran and my youngest daughter Sarai, they're all living under the same roof with my wife and me."

"Yes, I remember," Mrs. Ellman told him.

"By the way, speaking of Eran..." Mr. Roquin mentioned, "He's upstairs in his room right now, but he'll be right down in a sec. In the meantime, why don't you wait in the living room until he's here?"

He led the Ellmans to the room as he opened the glass doors. At the side of the living room, there were two women working in the kitchen, one was scrubbing the dishes while the other was washing them. The woman scrubbing the dishes however, has surprisingly bright red hair, but it doesn't seem to be dyed either. In fact, it was so sleek and shiny that there was no other conclusion, but to say it's really her natural hair color.

She looked up to see her guests coming in. "Oh hi! Welcome!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Hi," the Ellmans greeted back.

Mr. Roquin introduced them, "This is Mr. and Mrs. Ellman, and that's their son, Zach. This is my wife, Nora," he said gestured to the red headed woman then to the dark brunette, "and my daughter-in-law, Ebony."

"Sit down, and I'll give you something to eat," Mrs. Roquin assured them with a smile. "Eran will be here shortly."

"Thank you," Zach's mom nodded to the older woman.

As Zach and his parents were making themselves comfortable on a luxurious designer couch, he could've sworn his stomach is swaying very uneasily. He repeatedly reminded himself, say no, just say no, just say no, just say no...no matter what...

No more than a minute later, the glass door opened. Zach straightened up, but didn't dare to look who walked in just yet.

"Ah, Eran, you're just in time," Mr. Roquin said.

Finally, slowly as he can, Zach turned around.

The very first thing he noticed was the guy's fiery red hair, even darker than his mother's, whose red hair was more of a light orange tone. His bangs were covering mostly the part of his left forehead, which led Zach's attention to his eyes. And suddenly, he realized he was staring into two glowing green orbs which stared straight back at his. The taller boy's expression was sheepish, while he had his hands hidden inside his pockets of his black skinny jeans. His face was cutely heart shaped, cheeks slightly blushing, and when Zach looked more closely, even his eyelashes are the same color as his hair.

"Hey," the slender teen nodded to him.

"Hey," Zach automatically replied.

No doubt about it. This guy is definitely his possible future husband.

Eran Roquin.