Chapter 7 - A Bit of a Flashback

On this Saturday morning, while J goes to visit his parents, as he always does on his days off, Z has nothing to do but sit around aimlessly watching random television.

She switched from morning cartoons to a music channel and then to the movie section, but sighed after no one thing caught her interest.

The fact that she turned down her friend's invitation because she didn't want to "bother" them caused him to spit fire in all directions.

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"C'mon Z, mom has been asking for you, and she's been pestering me to bring you home." J pouts as he leans against the frame of the studio's door.

"I'll take a rain check for today and let you guys bond. It's a win-win situation; you get to spend time with them while I get you out of my face." Z snickered.

"C'mon, you don't mean that. I know you miss them too, and heh, you'll miss me too." J said as he tried to block Z's way inside.

"Get out. I've got a lot to do." Z shook her head and playfully shoved her friend out of the way.

"For f*cks sake, I know you don't." J twisted his body around and went back to blocking the doorway, earning a glare from Z.

"Move before I cut you down." Z threatened him without batting an eyelid.

"Bro, chill out." J chuckled with his hands in the air and moved out of the way.

"I just don't feel like going out, mmkay?" Z reasoned out and added, "Don't tell your mom."

"Oh, you know I will," J smirked and headed out for the door.

"F*cking bastard," Z muttered, making sure it reached J's ears.

"I love you more, bitch." J replied and waved his hand, making his keys jingle in the air.

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That was their last conversation last night before J gave up on trying to bring her with him after a few failed attempts. Z is now kicking herself for not giving in. She wasn't just feeling like going somewhere, and now it's biting her in the ass. All sorts of things went in and out of her head. This usually happens when she's not doing anything. That's why one would always see her doing just about anything, especially in front of her tablet, drawing all of her worries away.

Amidst all her boredom, her phone rings. She looked at the screen, and it said that it was J's mother, Amelia.

"Tià Amy," she quickly answered the phone.

"Sweetie, why didn't you come here? I miss you." The other line said, with worry evident in her high-pitched but sweet and mild voice.

"Jeremy said you didn't want to be here; look how my heart is aching right now," Amy says with a fake sob over the phone, making Z shake her head and laugh. She couldn't wait to see J and strangle the shit out of him for telling his mom.

"You know that's not true. I love it there. Now is just not a good time." Z tried to reason herself out.

"Well, who am I to say? I'm just the mom of your friend. I'm not someone important." Amy said, still continuing with her fake sobs.

Z smiled and shook her head at the thought of how Amy looked on the other side. This is one thing she finds annoying about Amy but loves at the same time. If she didn't know better, she would be guilty of not showing up this week.

"I'll come over next week, I promise. Although, I'm expecting J to bring something you cooked! I totally crave them right now." she replied. She really misses her, as well as her cooking.

Amelia always cooks and sends them food. She also sometimes packs them lunch, which Ethan brings to the office. None of them are good cooks, for they can only fix themselves something easy to prepare.

Amelia hates the fact that they would just always either order takeout from some restaurants or have it delivered. Although Z didn't want her to bother, she insisted and wouldn't take no for an answer.

They ended the call after a couple more minutes. Z left the couch and went back to their studio to work on her projects.

Their studio is in one of the many rooms on the first floor where the living and dining areas in one are separated by a divider, while the dining area and kitchen are divided by a glass panel. Their house has a spacious layout with well-proportioned rooms.

Her bedroom is located in the master's bedroom on the second floor, while J's room is on the same floor across from the master's room.

In the space between their rooms is an area for their gaming activities, where a TV and a console can be found.

If you look above it, there are shelves that showcase their manga. Various kinds of books can be found on the shelves everywhere and on the third floor.

The third floor has a couple of rooms. There are two guest rooms, one of which she kept all of her parents' personal and valuable belongings; one large room that serves as the music room; and the largest room on the third floor, which was her previous room and now serves as her sister's room.

Her sister hasn't been home for a couple of months and just occasionally visits them from time to time. She is currently finishing her studies at a university that is a few hours from their home, and after much deliberation and persuasion, she agreed to live in an apartment near the university instead of the dorms. Her sister was fine with living in the dorms, but she wanted her sister to have the freedom and privacy she so deserves.

It used to be a bright and loving household, but after her parents' deaths, it became lifeless—at least to her. She was only thankful that her friends stayed with her and her sister to help them cope with their loss.

She was in her senior year of high school when her parents got into an accident in which none survived.

She smiled bitterly at the thought of her parents. She misses them terribly. Her adoring mother, who never fails to give her a hug every day, even after she turned 15, and her supportive father, who has always had her back no matter what.

She stared at the empty canvas on her tablet. Numerous drafts and sketches were considered, disregarded, and scratched out, only to start over again. It has been a couple of hours, and she has not felt any motivation to work.

Tired from running out of ideas that never seem to knock on the doors of her creative brain, she got up from her seat, went straight to her room, and decided to soak in the bath instead.

You will have to go past the walk-in closet before you reach the bathroom. She turned on her music and took off her clothes, which revealed her rectangular and rather slender figure. Both her upper arms exhibit diverse tattoos of different sizes all the way down to her forearms.

While soaking in the tub, as soon as she closed her eyes, a figure came to mind—a certain girl with a plump face and gorgeous green eyes. Those inquisitive eyes kept her on her toes while making her feel as if she were lost in the middle of a beautiful forest—the kind that was almost unbelievable for the amount of positivity it exuded.

She honestly thought the girl was still in high school or college. The strawberry blonde girl looks so young, with the slight baby fat on her face that makes her so adorable and cute. She smiled at the thought, only to smack herself internally when she remembered the plump mounds that hid beneath those clothes.

No one would mistake the woman for a young girl when they looked down, but who could blame her? She was captivated by those gorgeous eyes and inviting lips. Those achingly sensual lips and dumpy lips.

She sighed weakly and decided to get up and think about getting some alcohol for the night and possibly going to the café. It has been a week since their lunch, and they haven't really talked that much other than the occasional greeting every morning when they buy coffee. They normally have someone deliver their morning coffee, but now they buy it for themselves, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

At the thought of seeing her, she quickly put on a loose-fitting white pullover, slipped into a pair of black pants, and debated whether to wear her favorite white Vault leather shoes or her white Stan Smith. She ultimately decided to wear the vault. Lastly, she puts on a white baseball cap.

Not forgetting her headset, she headed for the door.