When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 51: Reunion

Chapter 51: Reunion

Zinnia reached for the intercom button, her pulse quickening. "Lily, is that you?" she asked, unsure of why Lily would show up at this hour.

A moment later, Lily’s voice came through, clear and slightly breathless as she pressed the button to respond. "Yes, it’s me!"

Zinnia hurriedly pressed the button to unlock the gate, her excitement building. She swung the door open and stepped outside, heading towards the gate where Lily stood, illuminated by the soft glow of the porch light.

As Zinnia approached, she took in Lily’s beautiful appearance. Her long, dark hair flowed down her back in soft waves, and her cheeks were flushed with the chill of the evening air. Lily wore a cozy oversized sweater that accentuated her graceful figure, and her eyes sparkled with warmth and concern.

"Lily!" Zinnia exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend. They hugged tightly, and Zinnia felt a wave of relief wash over her. "I can’t believe you’re here!"

"I missed you so much!" Lily replied, pulling back slightly to look into Zinnia’s eyes. "Now, come inside!"

Zinnia led Lily into the house, shutting the door behind them. The familiar scents of home greeted her—warmth and comfort mingled with the aroma of the dinner they had just finished.

"Wow, it looks nice in here," Lily remarked, glancing around. "I love what you’ve done with the place."

"Thanks! It’s still a work in progress, but I’m getting there," Zinnia said, her heart swelling with happiness at having her friend with her. "Oh, by the way, this is Samuel."

Samuel stood a few steps away, having taken a break from cleaning up the kitchen. He offered a friendly smile as he extended his hand to Lily. "It’s nice to finally meet you."

Lily shook his hand, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the resemblance between him and James. "Nice to meet you too, Samuel," she said, her tone light but with a hint of seriousness.

"I won’t interrupt your reunion," Samuel said, glancing between the two friends. "I’ll go clean up the kitchen first."

As soon as Samuel stepped out of sight, Lily turned to Zinnia, lowering her voice to a whisper. "He really looks like James. They’re almost identical."

Zinnia nodded, a knot forming in her stomach. "I know. It’s uncanny, isn’t it? It’s been hard to separate my feelings for both of them."

Lily’s expression softened. "I remember the pictures you showed me when you were searching for him. I recognized James’s face from those. I could never forget it."

Zinnia sighed, leading Lily to the couch. "Sit down. You look exhausted. What happened? Why did you come home without any notice?"

Lily took a seat and leaned forward, her expression earnest. "I saw the news about James, and it made me really worried about you. I couldn’t just sit around and wait to hear if you were okay. I immediately booked a ticket to make sure you were doing fine."

"Lily..." Zinnia began, her heart swelling with gratitude. "I really appreciate that. But I told you I was fine."

"I know you said that, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes," Lily insisted. "I wanted to make sure you’re really okay and that Samuel isn’t mad at you about everything going on with James."

Zinnia felt a wave of emotions wash over her. "Samuel has been supportive, but it’s still hard to process everything. I can’t lie and say it hasn’t affected me. I’m just trying to figure things out."

Lily nodded, her gaze softening. "That’s all anyone can do, right? Just take it one day at a time. But enough about that! Tell me about you and Samuel. How is everything going?"

Zinnia smiled at the change of topic. "It’s been good, I think. I mean, we’ve had our ups and downs, but he’s been there for me through all of this."

"Good to hear! So, has he cooked for you yet?" Lily asked, grinning.

"Actually, yes! He made a creamy chicken Alfredo tonight. It was surprisingly good!" Zinnia replied, laughter bubbling up. "He joked about his culinary skills being therapeutic."

"Wow, I need to get him to teach me how to cook!" Lily said, her eyes lighting up. "You know I’m terrible in the kitchen. My idea of cooking is microwaving instant noodles."

Zinnia chuckled, the sound easing the tension that had settled in her chest. "You and me both! Maybe we can get him to hold a cooking class for us."

"I’d sign up immediately," Lily replied, laughing. "But let’s be real, I’d probably end up burning the kitchen down."

They shared a light-hearted moment, and Zinnia felt her spirits lifting. "So, how was your trip? Did you find any handsome men while you were away?"

Lily’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh, you have no idea! Let me tell you about the time I went to this beach party. I swear, there were more eligible bachelors than I could count."

Zinnia leaned in, intrigued. "Tell me everything!"

"Okay, so there was this one guy," Lily started, her voice animated. "He had the most beautiful blue eyes. I thought I was going to drown just looking at him. But then, he opened his mouth..."

Zinnia raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "He asked if I wanted to join him for a game of beach volleyball. I was like, ’Are you kidding? I can’t even walk straight!’ So, of course, I tripped over my own feet and landed right in the sand."

Zinnia burst into laughter, picturing the scene. "Oh no! Did he help you up?"

"He did, but then he started laughing," Lily said, her laughter infectious. "And I was just mortified. But we ended up spending the whole day together, and it was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time."

"See, you can’t blame him for laughing! That sounds like a movie scene!" Zinnia replied, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.