Forbidden Love: Fate (Zac and Ivy Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard
people laughing, apart from Moon, of course. I hurry my step and
open the door. What I expect to see is Gigi, Moon, and Clare, all
of them laughing about some joke. What I don’t expect to see is the
person responsible for creating their laughter.

I’m like a deer caught in headlights when I
see Zac, Moon sitting on his lap and Gigi and Clare engrossed in
whatever story he’s narrating.

My heart won’t stop its irregular thump.
It’s beating at a thousand beats per minute, and my breath becomes
shallow. At one point, I think my soul has floated out of my body
because I’m in that much shock.

“Vivi, you’re here,” Moon calls out loudly
when she sees me standing near the entrance.

Moon’s loud announcement brings my soul back
into my body, and I blink, facing reality again. Her announcement,
though, also brings about an unwanted effect for me.

Once Zac hears Moon’s shout, it alerts him
to my presence, and he turns around and rewards me with one of his
dashing smiles, the one that will always make my heart waver and my
knees weak.

But not this time. I tell my heart to stop
its thrashing against my ribcage and nod to him in acknowledgement,
since he’s Gigi’s guest. I put on my usual indifferent manner, then
go straight into the kitchen to compose my shaking body.

I catch a glimpse of Zac’s face, and his
smile drops the minute I enter the kitchen.

I’m in havoc. My body is shaking like I have
no control over it.

Oh God, help me. What’s Zac doing in my
house? Has his leg healed already? Does Grandma and Clare know who
he is already?

I shake my head. If they knew, then they
wouldn’t be acting in this pleasant manner. They would throw him
out into the gutter already.
Oh God, please let him be
okay.

I don’t realize I drop the bag of goods
until it makes a thump on the floor. I lean down and pick it up, my
hands still shaking slightly from the effect of seeing Zac inside
my house.

“You didn’t tell me anything about having a
boyfriend.”

Clare’s voice surprises me. I turn to her, a
shocked look on my face. Perhaps I’m too shocked with Zac’s
presence that I don’t notice Clare coming into the kitchen. When
she sees me, she rushes forward and places a hand on my
forehead.

“Ivy, are you okay? You look pale.”

“I… I’m… fine,” I tell her with a shaky
voice.

I remove her hand from my forehead and turn
to the sink to pour myself a cup of water.

I need water. My throat feels all
parched.

“All right then,” Clare says, brushing my
ailment aside. “So…” She begins again. “Do tell me about this
boyfriend of yours.”

I cough, choking on my water. Half the water
ends up going into my windpipe instead of my esophagus. Clare comes
over and thumps me on the back. After tidying myself up with
tissue, I turn to her.

“Zac is not my boyfriend,” I say, heaving
with exertion. My voice strains a bit, trying to express that
statement.

How can Clare come to this conclusion?

“Oh.” She pretends to laugh like she finds
the whole thing really funny. She just loves poking fun at me.
“Then what is he?”

I ignore her prying question and start
putting the tofu in the fridge and medicine in the cabinet instead.
Then, turning to her, I say, “We’re having tofu stir-fry with lots
of vegetables for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, Ivy. Stop being a prude. There’s no use
changing the subject. Just because I don’t like vegetables, I will
not be swayed into talking about how much I detest those damn green
things. Now just tell me a little bit about him. That boy is so
hot. Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s not. He’s my former student.”

She gives me a teasing smile before saying,
“From what I remember, you said your student’s name was Sam. This
boy looks so hot. You should continue to teach him.”

“What’s this before about wanting me to quit
tutoring, then?” I ask, dispelling her notion of matchmaking me
with potential males.

Her smile drops the minute I say that.
“Well, that was before,” she argues. “But now look. He’s so cute.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the two of you were a couple? You should
totally go out with him. I’ve never seen a student come to their
tutor’s home before, bearing fruitcake at that. It’s like he knows
Moon is diabetic.”

“Enough, Clare. Please.” I beg her to drop
the subject.

Clare only clicks her tongue at me. I’m
about to pull out the wok in my attempt to start making dinner when
Moon comes to stop me.

“Vivi, Gigi wants you to go talk to
her.”

“But I have to make dinner, Moon. Tell her I
need to make dinner.”

Since Moon is a good girl, she goes back to
the lounge to relay my message.

The truth is I don’t want to see Zac inside
my home. My heart is still jumping in an unsynchronized fashion.
Seeing him all well again without his crutches really throws me
off.

Not a minute passes before Moon comes back
into the kitchen, relaying her own message from Gigi.

“Gigi said you have to go talk to her. Zacky
wants to see you too.”

There’s a snickering sound coming from
Clare’s direction. I turn my head to her. She just shrugs her
shoulder.

“Fine. I’ll go.” I turn back to Moon but
then decide I could always delay the inevitable. “Moon, have you
checked your glucose level yet?”

“I’ve checked it for her already,” Clare
answers instead.

I glare at her. Then turning back to Moon, I
ask her, “Is it within the normal range?”

“It’s normal,” Clare answers for Moon
again.

“Clare!” I huff.

“What?” She shrugs her shoulder at me.
“Hurry, hurry. You don’t want Nancy to wait now, do you? Especially
with her guest who is waiting so eagerly to see you.”

“Clare!” I huff again, my face growing
redder by the second, and it’s not because I’m embarrassed. At
least I tell myself it’s because I’m getting angry.

“Oh, come on, Ivy. It’s not like you’re
going to die or something. The boy just wants to pay his regards to
you since you’re his excellent tutor and all,” Clare says, dragging
me back into the lounge.

Moon walks behind me.

Once inside, I stand awkwardly in the corner
until Zac’s eyes land on my person.

“Ivy.” His emerald pupils light up.

“Ivy, dear,” Gigi turns around too. “Come
sit beside me here.”

I do as she asks, sitting close to her, with
Moon coming to sit on my other side.

Help. I’m stuck in this position, facing
Zac, who’s sitting right in front of me.

Because we’re not well off, Zac ends up
sitting on the wooden chair from the dining room, like he’s the
victim in a trail, with Gigi, Moon, and me as judges. But he
doesn’t look at all fazed. In fact, it looks like he’s in his
element, smiling at everyone around the room, including me. I look
down at the carpet, unable to meet his gaze.

This carpet really is old. Even the
furniture is old. I can’t wait to start working so I can replace
all this furniture. Maybe if I work more hours, I can—

“Ivy. Why are you all silent, dear?” Gigi’s
voice penetrates my thoughts. “Zac came all the way here to give us
cake, and you didn’t even thank him. It was very strange of you to
walk past him like that. That isn’t very polite of you.”

I lift my gaze to meet Zac’s grinning face.
My heart jumps at the sight. He really is so beautiful. Then it
makes me mad. And random questions keep on popping up inside my
head.

What is he doing here?

All these unanswered questions make me
angry. Only three heartbeats later, that thunderous emotion of mine
comes crashing down on me.

“What are you doing here?” I lash out,
glaring at him.

There is a prevalent gasp around the room,
mostly from Clare, who’s standing in one corner, eating cheese.
Gigi shakes her head, a little mad at my outburst. I’m glad Moon,
at least, isn’t affected by my action.

“Why, Ivy. How rude of you,” Gigi
reprimands. “Apologize to Zac right now. How can you talk like that
to your friend? Here’s Zac, coming all the way here to visit you.
The least you can do is welcome him with a smile.”

“But, Grandma, I…” I try to explain to Gigi
that Zac isn’t my friend, but he cuts me off first.

“Don’t worry, Nancy. I’m used to Ivy’s sour
attitude by now.”

I give him a glare. Zac flinches but still
remains optimistic, with that goofy smile of his.

“But still, Zac.” Gigi continues talking to
Zac. “I don’t want my granddaughter to act like that.”

I feel small. It’s not right. Why is Gigi
telling me off in front of Zac? He’s merely a stranger, whereas I’m
her granddaughter. Plus, I’m only behaving like this to protect
them.

“I’m sorry,” I meekly apologize, although
inside, I’m not happy with the outcome. I have to get him out of my
house and talk to him properly. Remind him again to never interfere
in my life.

Zac only nods like a little puppy and smiles
at me. But his next few words really tick me off. “And she always
apologizes afterward too.” He speaks like he’s known me for a
lifetime already.

“Why didn’t you tell us Zac is your
student?” Gigi asks, turning to me.

“He’s my
former
student, Grandma,” I
say, ignoring the gaze from Zac’s direction.

“Why did you stop teaching him?” She grills
me. “Zac’s been complaining that you stopped teaching him after
he’d excelled so much. And now he’s not motivated to learn
anymore.”

“My ability as a tutor doesn’t match his
skill as a student. I’ve transferred his case to Mandy already,” I
say squarely.

“Still. He came all the way here to visit
you and even bought us fruitcake. The least you can do is help him
with his algebra while he’s here,” Clare suggests.

I turn a death glare in her direction.

“Oh, that’s perfect.” Moon claps her hands
together. “Why doesn’t Zacky eat with us? Then we can have cake as
our dessert.”

Gigi smiles at Moon and ruffles her hair.
“Of course, Moon. Zac can stay and have dinner with us if he
wants.”

“Yes, Zacky, say yes. Eat dinner with us.”
Moon encourages him.

Zac nods his head rigorously, like he’s been
waiting for this very moment.

Clare nods her head in agreement too.
Grandma only smiles, and Moon runs to sit on Zac’s lap again.

And I fume.

“No, Zac has other plans. Apparently, his
friend called him over, so he won’t be able to stay.” I make a lie
up on the spot.

“Well, that plan has been cancelled.” Zac
turns to me, his eyes telling me,
You better think of another
lie, because I’m not leaving here that easily
.

I try again. “But, Grandma, I only bought
enough tofu to serve four people. Plus, we’re having vegetarian
Asian stir-fry. Zac doesn’t even like vegetarian food.”

“I’ve had a change of appetite lately,
Nancy. I’ve always wanted to try being a vegetarian.” Zac
counteracts my excuse.

“But there won’t be enough food for five
people,” I fire back.

Back and forth, we banter, until Clare has
enough and offers her own suggestion.

“We could always cook another dish. A meat
dish this time. That way there’s more to eat.”

“I like meat too.” Zac has the gall to nod
his head in agreement. Then turning to me, he says politely, “If
you don’t mind me, Ivy, I would love to stay and have dinner with
everyone.”

It ticks me off. It ticks me right off. Why
is he being so polite in front of Gigi like this? Is he trying to
earn brownie points or something? I don’t understand him.

Gigi nods at Zac’s display of polite
manners. And I’m resigned to my fate.

Dinner that night is very jovial. It’s been
such a long time since we’ve shared this atmosphere. Clare and Moon
won’t stop pestering Zac, while Gigi smiles like she’s never smiled
before. It is only me who’s gloomy.

What would they do if they found out Zac is
Dillon’s brother? Would they cease all contact with him? Would they
yell and curse him, like I did when I first found out?

Zac’s voice pushes away my thoughts, and I
turn to him.

“Mmmm. This dish is really delicious, Ivy.”
He picks up the tofu with his fork. After he finishes chewing, he
gives me a smile. “Ivy, you should definitely open your own
restaurant. I’ll be your number one customer.”

Clare laughs from the other end of the
table. “Zac, Ivy wants to become a lawyer. She doesn’t want to be
stuck in the kitchen all day. Do you know she always complains
about cooking, yet she makes the best food out of all of us?”

Zac is about to put another piece of tofu in
his mouth when he asks me, “Why do you want to become a lawyer?
What inspires you?”

“Because of an accident in the past,” I tell
him with a serious face, giving him the hint of why I don’t want
him to be here.

My heart is beating so fast. I want to tell
him to get out before it’s too late, before they find out who he
really is, but Zac only looks at me, his eyes wide and innocent as
he takes in my serious sad face.

“Ivy,” Gigi says, interrupting our stares.
“Don’t talk about the past when our guest is here.”

I nod and look down at my plate. I fork my
food around the plate, not having the appetite to eat anymore.

“Are you not hungry?” Zac asks, trying to
relieve the heavy tension in the room. “Or is the dish too far from
your reach? Here, I’ll get some for you.”

Zac spoons some into his spoon and carefully
places the food on my plate. I stare at the blob of greens. My
heart aches. If only he wasn’t related to Dillon, I wouldn’t be in
this dilemma. So I push my chair back, surprising everyone around
the table, and making my excuses.

“I’m sorry, but I’m full now. Please excuse
me.”