"Winter, when are you planning to hand over that piece of shit Ahan to the cops?" Lucy asked while waiting for an order.
"What? Did he even get caught?" Winter let out, making designs on a cup of cappuccino.
"More than two weeks ago," Lucy replied. "Did you not know?"
Winter shook her head in response. Zane didn't say anything about it to her.
Just then Cedric entered the kitchen and said to Lucy, "Babe, when are you getting off work?"
"How many times have I told you not to barge in like this?" Lucy rebuked. "And why didn't you inform Winter about Ahan being caught?"
"I told Za—"
"What? You didn't even tell me, Cedric," Zane interrupted, walking in the kitchen with a tray of empty cups.
Cedric glared at Zane, and Zane glared back. The two of them argued with their grimacing eyes, none of the two wanting to take the blame when they were equally responsible for it.
In the end, Cedric sighed and decided to dump all the blame on his left-hand man. "I told Mathew to inform Zane. He must have forgotten it."
"This stupid Mathew, I will give him an earful when I see him next time," Lucy fumed and left the kitchen with Cedric trailing behind her.
Zane and Winter chuckled at the other couple. Since it was already time for their shifts to end, Zane and Winter were washing the dishes whereas Leon and Lucy would take care of cleaning the tables
Winter released a deep sigh. "Now that Uncle Ahan is caught, I need to go back to my dad's place." That was the exact reason Zane didn't want her to know. Then again, it had been long enough.
"Do you really need to go back?" he asked quietly.
Winter was as upset as he was. They were now used to seeing each other's faces early in the morning, then going to school together, coming back together, having dinner with his family, and whatnot. Even so, she wasn't the type to burden anyone with her problems when she didn't need to.
"I can't be imposing on your family any longer," she said.
Zane only hummed in reply, knowing she wouldn't agree otherwise. "Let's take your things to your grumpy dad's place tomorrow," he told her with a frown, making her chuckle lightly.
Winter stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. I'm eighteen now. I can meet you whenever I want, and no one, not even my dad, has the right to stop me."
His lips curved up slightly. "That's better."
After that, they finished their work while conversing with each other and were on their way home when Winter noticed a guy kissing a girl in the middle of the street. She had seen several men doing various sorts of things for their loved ones in the café for the whole week as well.
And today was Kiss day, which was none of her concerns for two reasons. Firstly, she didn't believe in Valentine's week, neither did her partner. Secondly, she kissed her boyfriend every day either way.
"Tomorrow is Valentine's day," Winter started, and Zane hummed. "Planning to do something special for me?"
"You know I don't believe in such crap," he responded nonchalantly.
Winter smiled, looking up at the moon in the dark sky. "Then, was it really a coincidence that you gave me a rose on Rose day and my favorite chocolate on Chocolate day?"
Zane sighed. "I just thought you might feel bad if everyone got a rose and you didn't. You already get taunted at your school for having me as your boyfriend—"
"I told you it's alright," she spoke up. She was well aware how much he worried for her, sometimes too much. "I don't care for their criticism. My boyfriend being in another school doesn't make him an alien," she assured him.
He huffed and kicked a pebble on the walkway. "Just a few more months before you are out of that toxic school."
Winter hummed in a low tone, lingering sadness in her voice. Only a few months before they graduated from high school and would have to attend separate universities. He was selected for early decision in Harvard University and she was for Cornell University and Boston University. If she didn't get accepted into Boston University, she didn't want to imagine what would happen to their relationship.
However, none of them wanted to overthink what the future held, but one thing they were sure of one thing that they wouldn't let go of each other's hand that easily.
°°°°°
The last day at his home went by faster than expected. It was time to bid farewell to his family.
"Thanks for letting me stay for all these days, Aunt," Winter said and hugged Kalen.
"You are welcome to come by anytime," Kalen told her and patted her head. "You should really start calling me by my first name."
"Yes, you should. Otherwise, people will think Winter is my cousin," Zane added, earning chuckles from everyone.
"I will miss having you around," Kalen said to Winter.
"I will miss you too," Winter mumbled.
"I will miss you three," Ellie said and joined the hug.
"It's not the last time you guys will see each other." Zane rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Winter. Your dad's going to have my head if he gets late due to us."
Three of them parted and said a few farewell words before they got into the car. Ellie agreed to drive them to Winter's house before going to meet with her boyfriend, so they reached her house soon enough and were welcomed with a glaring David.
"Took you long enough," David commented and shoved the keys into Winter's hand before marching out of the house. He had a wedding to attend with Carla that day, so he was waiting to hand over the keys. "Don't take advantage of my daughter," he grunted in a low tone while walking past Zane.
Zane scoffed, not paying any mind to it. "How rude! He didn't even ask how you were doing," Zane complained, walking into her house. "Let's not invite him to our wedding, okay?"
Winter chuckled. "Why are you thinking about our wedding all of a sudden?"
"Because that's the only thing he has left to do as your father, and let's not let him do it," he grumbled before taking her luggage upstairs to her room.
Unexpectedly, Winter's room was neat and clean. They thought they would have to clean it up themselves. Winter started unpacking her luggage and said, "On a serious note, do you plan to marry me?"
"Do you take me for a player, Winter?" he asked, coming near her. "I might sound like a fool but I do dream of marrying you someday." He wrapped his arms around her from the back while Winter was busy folding her clothes, not giving a reply. He has been getting a weird feeling since this morning. He moved away from her suddenly when a thought popped in his head. "Wait a minute, you don't dream of it? Have you been playing with my heart?"
Winter was speechless. She turned around to look at his shocked face. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"You won't marry me?" he asked with wide eyes.
She sighed and locked her arms around his neck. "You would have to find that out when you officially propose to me."
He placed his hands on her hips and teased, "Please don't say 'let's give it a try' like last time."
Winter burst out laughing, remembering what her reply was when he asked her out almost two months ago. She pecked his lips and said, "Who knows? I might say that."
"You know…" Zane started reluctantly after pursing his lips and she looked at him with curiosity. "There's no one at home right now."
"And your point is?" She feigned innocence.
"My point is…" He avoided her gaze and touched his neck. "Never mind." He was about to take a step back from her but she kept a firm hold on him.
"What, you want to take advantage of me?" She arched an eyebrow, looking at him with a seductive look and parted lips.
Zane sucked in a sharp breath and swallowed. "You are making it harder for me to control myself."
Winter leaned closer to his ears and whispered lowly, her lips making soft contact with his earlobe, "No one asked you to control yourself."
Maybe it was a reckless decision, but she was willing to give herself to him. After all, what man would resist himself from making her his, when his feelings for her ran so deep, just for the sake of respecting her? If he wasn't the right one for her, then no one could ever be.
"I think I am ready for it—" Her words were cut off by a pair of lips smashing onto her ones and she welcomed that passion of his with her own. Even though she was sometimes confused with her own feelings, he could clearly see in her eyes what she wanted at that moment—and it was him.
There was a different tingle down her spine as he deepened the kiss, a unique blast of crackers inside her belly, another wave of insecurities. He was probably experienced since he has had girlfriends before, but she didn't. It was her first time, and she was more nervous than ever.
Zane felt her hands tremble when his hand brushed on her bare skin under her top. He pulled away for a bit and cupped her cheek. "What's wrong? If you want, we won't take it that far—"
She stopped him with a peck and breathed out, "I'm just a bit nervous. I have never done this before."
"What makes you think I did it?" Winter was surprised by his words, so she gaped with disbelief. "I'm serious. You are my first," he admitted.
A big smile formed on her face as she beamed, "Well, that makes me feel a bit confident."
Zane chuckled lightly and made her lay on the bed, his lips connected with her. He swiftly unbuttoned the first few buttons of her shirt while she did the same. Before he could even lean down to kiss her neck, his cell phone rang up. Out of all the times, it could ring. It just spoiled the whole mood.
Zane and Winter both cursed it in sync. Normally, he would silence the phone and go back to his business, but something in his heart told him that he needed to pick up this call, no matter what.
Zane cleared his throat and spoke up, not knowing who the other person was, "Hello?"
Winter sat up and watched him with loving eyes but soon it turned into concern as his eyes widened and horror crossed his face. He let his phone slip from his hand, making her gasp. There was a thumping silence on the air after that.
Winter got down from the bed and cupped his cheek, asking desperately, "Zane, what happened?" Her heart was beating so fast. For the moments he remained quiet, she held her breath, anticipating for nothing bad to have happened.
A tear slipped out of his left eye, wrenching her heart. His lips quivered as he spoke the next few words with great agony, "She… Mom had an accident."
Valentine's day was a festival to cherish one's loved people, but little did Zane expect that destiny had such a cruel fate awaiting him on this day to have wanted to snatch the woman he loved and cherished the most.
