Chapter 12
The private room was dimly lit with boisterous laughter all around, but Zachary sat in the comer with nothing but Yasmine’s image filling his mind.
He recalled how her ears turned pink when he held her close, the focused way she watched his matches, and how she pressed her lips together when he annoyed her.
“Zach?” Anthony waved his hand in front of his face. “Earth to Zach. Do you want another drink?”
Zachary snapped back to reality and took the glass, then suddenly asked, “How’s your sister doing lately?”
“My sister?” Anthony looked confused, then waved dismissively. “She’s fine–buried in work as usual. She’s too busy to even acknowledge my existence. Sometimes, I think she’s a complete workaholic.”
Zachary lowered his eyes and hummed softly in response, though he felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Good, at least she didn’t seem too upset.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, his chest felt like it had been pricked by a needle, sending sharp little pangs through him. What exactly was he hoping for? That she’d be miserable? Or that she didn’t care at all?
Maybe she hadn’t even seen the Instagram post.
Drink after drink went down, and Zachary’s consciousness gradually grew hazy.
“Why are you suddenly asking about my sister?” Anthony continued rambling. “I was always worried she’d never get married because she’s such a workaholic, but lately…
“But because of that… making me handle… Then she ran off to….
“I’ve never been as capable as her, and I can’t manage things properly… but she… “There’s no helping it, though. She finally got the chance to chase… of course I’d…”
Anthony kept chattering beside him, complaining about how Yasmine had been overworking him lately, but Zachary’s mind was growing foggy. He could barely make out what Anthony was actually saying anymore.
In his hazy state, he thought he saw Yasmine standing in the doorway, looking at him coldly. He shot up from his seat, wanting to chase after her, but Anthony grabbed his arm.
“Zach, what’s wrong with you? Are you completely wasted?”
Zachary stood there in a daze, and when he looked at the doorway again, it was empty. He let out a self–deprecating laugh and collapsed back onto the couch, burying his face in his hands.
How strange–he seemed to be regretting something.
“Zach, what’s going on with you? You don’t look like someone who’s happy about getting back together with… Wait, don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts and realizing you actually like that secret girlfriend of yours.”
The words hit Zachary like a thunderclap, and his face went pale instantly. He opened his mouth to argue but found he couldn’t force out a single word of denial. But hadn’t he always loved Queenie? So, why couldn’t he say he didn’t love Yasmine?
Seeing his expression, Anthony immediately understood. “Zach, do you actually like Queenie, or are you just obsessed with what you lost? Do you even know the difference?”
“I…” Zachary buried his face even deeper, his voice trembling. “I don’t know.”
He was wavering. After all this time together, did he really feel nothing for Yasmine? Was what he felt for Queenie genuine love, or just some teenage obsession he’d never gotten over?
Why couldn’t he keep his mind off Yasmine during his conversation with Queenie today? Why was he afraid to let her see that Instagram post?
Why couldn’t he bring himself to break up with Yasmine directly? And why did the thought of ending things with her make his chest ache?
“Zach, nothing I say will matter in the end, as it’s all up to you. As an outsider, all I can tell you is that you’ve been acting weird all day. Your feelings for that secret girlfriend might not be what you think they are.
“I’m going to hang with the others for a bit. You should really think this through.”
