Lexi needed to take a break from her busy life; everything that has happened during the past few days made her homesick. She submitted the creative writing paper that Namjoon helped with just in time before spring break; and then headed to the company afterwards to request an extended leave, allowing her to go home for the holidays. Once everything was settled, she packed her things and took the first flight to her hometown.

So many questions went through her mind but she left without saying goodbye, unable to get her answers. David’s long disappearance affected her the most; while she was thankful for him for taking care of her in the past few days, Lexi couldn’t help but wonder what drove him away in the first place.

On the other hand, her latest incident with Namjoon haunted her thoughts. She couldn’t put her head around what happened that night; it was innocent, it was probably coincidental, but it woke something inside her. Confused, she cleared her mind and chased her twisted doubts away.

After reuniting with her family, Lexi went on a promenade in the neighborhood. The area had gained a certain flavor with time; she didn’t know if it was simply due to her long absence, but it somehow became enchanting. She walked around, admiring her hometown. Passing by the park, she decided to give a little commemorative of hers a visit. It’s been exactly two years since she sat on that bench, and her last recall of it was not pleasant. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but to grin while going down memory lane because, on that day, she had gained way more than she had lost.

“What’s so funny?” a familiar voice cut her time travel short.

“Jackson!” she hugged him “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here on business” he returned her embrace “I’ve been promoted. A new branch is planned to be built in town, and I will be in charge of the staff”.

“That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” she congratulated her old flame.

He turned back to her, curious about her current situation “What about you? What have you been up to?”

The old friends caught up with what’s been going on in their lives. Lexi opened up about her own experience abroad: how she was nailing her English course, catching her professor’s attention and writing reviews and essays for various books. She also told him about her training program and that she was hoping to become one of the future lyricists of the company. They reminisced about their school years, their relationship and eventually their unfortunate rupture. Ending their conversation on good terms, they concluded their unexpected encounter.

“You will always be my best friend, Alexandra” he said before parting ways.

After her extended walk, Lexi headed home. As soon as she stepped inside the house, a cocktail of exquisite aromas pulled her into the kitchen. By the stove, a busy Mrs. Martinez was preparing her daughter’s favorite meals, pastries and desserts. Pleased, Lexi picked an apron that was hung behind the kitchen’s door and joined hands with her mother.

“I should come more often, I haven’t been pampered in a while” Lexi stated, feeling her mother’s love through the cuisine.

“You’re always welcome darling, I missed cooking for you. Your father barely eats nowadays with the tons of diets and health issues” her mother reproached.

“Is he still mad at me?” Lexi moped, almost guessing the answer.

“Your father is … difficult” Mrs. Martinez explained “It will take him some time before he accepts it, so be patient”.

“Ara … I understand, mom” she then switched to a more delightful subject “What’s for dessert?”

Since her father was at work all day long, the two ladies ate lunch by themselves. After washing dishes, they sat on the front porch’s swing for some mother/daughter quality time while enjoying their dessert like old times. Only this time, Mrs. Martinez noticed that Lexi was rather playing with her food.

“Lexi dear, does the yogurt taste different than usual? You barely had a spoonful” she worried.

Caught in the midst of her momentum, the young girl responded “Not at all mother, it tastes fine. Just like the old days”.

“What’s on your mind sweety? Talk to mommy, God knows I missed our girly chatters” her mother appealed.

“I ran into Jackson today” she engaged “I was in the park when he found me”.

“I was wondering what took you so long to get back home” her mother commented “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, we just talked about the past, present and future” she divulged “he sent you his love”.

Feeling that there was something else disrupting Lexi’s heart, Mrs. Martinez grabbed the yogurt bowl from her daughter’s hand and put both their dishes on the nearby table. She then held her hands closely to her chest and impl