Leap OF Fate novel Chapter 49

Justin rubbed his eyes and accustomed himself to his surroundings. He woke up not to the warmth of the sunlight kissing his skin, or to the chilly space beside him, rather it was the sound of Serene’s shout coming from the balcony.

He scrunched his brows. What’s going on with my woman? Did she go crazy? Why is she shouting this early in the morning? He got out of bed, wearing only his pajama bottom.

“Kurosawa!” she shouted, waving her arms in the air. The person whom she called had his yawn caught in his throat. Seeing Serene on the opposite balcony took Dylan by surprise. He knew that the Lewis’s and Ellis’s were neighbors, but he did not know that Mary’s and Serene’s rooms were directly across each other.

Serene yelped when she felt a powerful arm hug her waist and sniffed her neck.

“You’re awake,” she turned around to face Justin and laced her hands on his neck, then give him a quick peck on the lips.

“Hey, you two get a room!” Dylan shouted from the other balcony.

Justin just gave his best friend a stony stare, then guided Serene back inside. The two quickly changed to meet with Carol and Conrad for breakfast.

Unlike last night’s spread, today’s menu was simple. Serene got her usual toast and marmalade while he had bacon and hash brown.

“Shen, your Aunt Martha asked you to come over for lunch. So after you guys eat your breakfast head over to the other house,” Carol explained while pouring a cup of coffee for Conrad and Justin. Both men mumbled their thanks.

“Unless of course you want Martha to cook lunch,” Conrad said, then chuckled.

“Dear!” Carol admonished her husband.

After breakfast, they head out to the house next door. Serene introduced him to Martha and George, Al and Mary’s parents. Martha had a jolly personality, while George was reticent.

Their children were already familiar to him and no longer needed any introductions. He met Mary once while he and Al had business deals together.

After her introduction, she left him to Martha and George to head to the kitchen. Al secretly explained to him that his mom’s not versed in the kitchen. They would rather order out than eat her cooking.

After spending a couple of hours in the kitchen, the helpers called them to the dining area where a spread of seafood dishes welcomed them.

Serene was already sitting at the round table. The rest of them joined her. He took the seat to her right. Seeing Dylan take the seat beside Serene instead of Mary took Justin by surprise, but he just shrugged it off.

“Here you go, Shen,” George handed her a bottle of medicine which he now understood as antihistamines. Serene accepted it and popped a couple of tablets in her mouth, then gulped her water.

While the rest of the table dug into the dishes she prepared, Serene had to wait a couple of minutes before eating anything. Justin waited with her.

Serene took a couple of tiger prawns and expertly peeled them, then placed it on Justin’s plate. She did the same for the crabs. Only when she got satisfied with the quantity of food on his plate did she put food on hers.

“Shen, did Justin use my room?” Al asked while he peeled his shrimps.

“No. We shared a room.” Feeling Justin’s aura getting colder, she explained further, “Al and Mary each have a room in our house. When Aunt Martha and Uncle George go on trips, Mom insists they live with us.”

Justin simply nodded and held her knee from under the table, startling her a little. She smiled at him and continued binging on her prawns.

“Oh boy, Carol must be desperate to have a grandchild!” Martha said in between chuckles.

Everyone from the table laughed at Martha’s statement except for Serene, who could not help but choke on her food after hearing what Martha said. Justin was quick to give her a glass of water and rubbed her back as she coughed to stabilize her breathing. Her face turned scarlet from Martha’s teasing.

Throughout the meal, Justin observed that Serene and Mary had not spoken a word with each other, which he found odd. He knew that even distance could not separate them. Serene called Mary more than she called Conrad and Carol combined.

After the meal, George invited everyone to lounge on the lanai by the pool. From a distance, the pool water glistened under the sun. Inviting then to take a plunge.

Serene took Justin’s arm and urged him to walk towards the lanai. She wanted to put as much space between them and Mary and Dylan. Serene had not been talking to her since her arrival. Serene felt miffed because she still had not told her about her relationship with Dylan.

“Shen, please…” Mary said, grabbing her hand while she and Justin walked out of the dining area. Serene gave Justin a quick look. He nodded and continued his way to the lanai with Dylan trailing him.

Serene crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Mary. Most of the time, it’s her using the pleading tone to Mary. This time their roles have changed.

Mary looked at her friend. Serene hardly put on a serious face. She’s always full of smiles. However, today her lips merged to a single line and one of her brows arched as she looked at her. Mary chewed on her lip, then plunged herself forward to embrace Serene.

“I’m sorry, I did not tell you right away,” she said. Her voice sounded muffled since her mouth was on Serene’s shoulder.

“I meant to tell you, but you beat me into it. I’m sorry. It’s not my intention to hide it from you.” She hugged her tightly then looked her friend in the eyes, “Shen, please…”

“You happy?” Serene sincerely looked at her friend. She’d never seen her glow this much. Mary looked at her and nodded. Serene hugged Mary back.

From when they were kids until they’re grown, it took little for them to make up. They hugged each other’s waist then walked to the lanai where everyone had cold drinks and fruit.

Nobody seemed to notice the two young women when they arrived at the lanai. The younger men huddled on one side, talking about business. The couple were lovingly talking to one another, not caring about the young ones. Mary and Serene went to the changing room on the side of the lanai to change into their swimsuits.

Mary wanted her to wear a two-piece bikini, which she adamantly refused. Defeated, she gave serene a one-piece bathing suit, the front of which was fully covered while the scooped-back ended just a few inches above her buttocks.

While no one noticed them going inside the changing room, it was not the same when they got out. Justin’s eyes immediately darted to Serene’s and felt quite relieved when he saw she was more covered than Mary, who wore a two-piece bikini.

He gave her a smile and a wink when their eyes met. Serene beamed at him. After getting an affirmative reaction from Justin, she and Mary ran toward the pool and jumped like they did when they were kids.

Justin immediately regretted giving Serene his affirmation the moment he saw how low Serene’s scooped-back swimsuit was. He wanted to fish her out of the pool but hesitated after seeing her and Mary happily splashing water to each other. After seeing the two have finally patched up their misunderstandings, he decided to just let this one slide.