Bubble Gum Kisses

**Kapittel 3**

***Vanessa***

**"Are you okay?"**

I nodded. She was heaving a heavy load right now, and I didn't want to be another sack of burden added to that same load. The least I could do to not make things hard for her was the pretend that I was okay and was just normally grieving when I wasn't.

"I'm fine," I spoke with a tight-lipped smile when I noticed she didn't look convinced. I brushed my sight across the view outside the window and realized we were parked at a gas station.

"I'm going to the store and get us some snacks. Anything particular you'd like me to buy for you?" mom said and popped another question, her voice deeply caressed with care, making my heart melt. Oh, mom.

This time, I let out a genuine smile and answered, "No, I'm fine. I don't wanna end up holding my pee or loo while we're on a ride."

"Okay. Your choice." She shrugged and stepped out of the car, heading her way to the store.

"Nie... Van... Nie..." I turned my attention to my little brother, Zach, who called my name, and found him munching his little fingers. I sighed adoringly. Just the plain sight of him made all the heavy feelings I was carrying in my chest squander away. But wait- why was he munching his fingers? I remembered giving him his pacifier after his lollipop ran out.

Wondering where his pacifier was, I looked around and found it on the floorboard, making me click my tongue and think that I shouldn't have slept on him.

I bent down to pick up the pacifier. When I successfully picked it up, I put it in the small bag where mom kept Zach's things, then laid my back flat on the couch, playing with the little boy's drool-saturated hands. It was a little peaceful moment when I heard a faint whistle.

"Cool car."

"Huh?" I turned my head to the rear.

A tall, pale, chinky-eyed guy in streetwear was eyeing the car with his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker jacket and lips folded together. The way his chinky eyes slanted made me assume that he was of Japanese descent, but I could be wrong though. I watched him as he lazily strolled around the car, whistling coolly and scrutinizing our vehicle. His black orbs brushed past the half-open window, and our eyes met. I curled my lips into a fake smile and raised a hand for a little wave. He, on the other hand, looked immensely startled.

"The heck!" he exclaimed loudly, taking two steps back and bending his body a bit. What a bizarre reaction.

"I'm sorry?" was all I could reply as a response to his surprised reaction.

Finally realizing his awkward pose, the guy stood straight, keeping it cool with his still hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry, I was just surprised o someone beautiful in such a slick car," he said, giving off a charming smile that revealed a deep dimple on his left cheek.

"I see that you're quite the flatterer."

"No cap. You're beautifu- oh," he stopped his sentence midway and drooped his head down, then squinted his phoenix-shaped eyes. "Your kid?" he asked, pointing his index finger at Zach.

I shook my head no and replied, "My brother."

"Oh, I see. Sorry."

"That's okay," I shrugged. "I usually get that a lot."

He nodded a few times before popping another question, "Do you live around here?" then added: "Maybe we could hang out... and get to know each other, yeah?" he raised his shoulders, looking quite hopeful. It made me feel a tad bit sad that I was about to break his hope into forlorn.

"No, sorry. I'm just on a trip with my fam."

"Oh, I see." He whistled again, turned his back, and I heard him whisper in a crispy manner, "Thought I was gonna get myself a pretty girl," before turning to me again. "At least I could get to know your name then? I'm Toshiro, but you can call me Tanner or Tan," he said with a small smile and offered his hand through the open space. Even though I was too tired for physical pleasantries, I gathered all my energy to take it for a handshake.

"I'm Van," I answered shortly, still wearing my fake smile, internally begging him to go away already since this would just be a plain encounter and we wouldn't see each other again.

"Happy meeting you, Van," he said, his lips curling into a genuinely happy smile, which made me feel a bit guilty for my previous ill-mongered thoughts.

I made my smile curl wider. "Likewise."

Our little introduction quickly ended, much to my relief, when a ringing sound emerged. He released my hand and took out his phone from his jacket. He then looked at me as if he was asking permission. "May I..." "It's okay," I told him-finally, some bit of leverage.

He gave me another elated smile before turning on his back and answering the phone call, walking away to create some distance and privacy. I let out a sigh of relief before pushing the button that'd make the window rise to shut close. In the nick of the moment, mom came back with paper bags filled with snacks and drinks.

"Who was that?" she asked as she placed the paper bags down on the shotgun seat and comfortably set herself on the driver's seat.

"Just some guy I'll forget later on and never meet again," I answered, proceeding to play with little Zach.

"We never know if you'll meet him again or not, so don't say such things, honey. Fate works the trickiest," she said with an unknowing smile before switching the ignition on.

**Scarsendale county had changed way far from my expectations**. As soon as my eyes darted on huge blocks with humongous letters that spell the name SCARSENDALE made out of gracefully carved, fine marble, I immediately knew that life would be new. As new as mom's newly bought Cruze that dad bought for her for their anniversary. It made my stomach sick to its pits for the nth time. I clutched Zach's arm tightly as we passed by the greeting sign after talking to a person whose face I couldn't see clearly. I felt nervous and anxious at the same time. This was what I have feared; when everything you've left changed.

"Wow," I heard my little brother mutter breathlessly. I could not help but do the same when my eyes lay on a glorious sight. It wasn't only the welcome sign that had changed but also what lay behind it!

I roamed my eyes around with my jaw ajar as mom drove to God knew where. I could not put into words how magnificent what was set before my eyes.

"I never thought that dad could afford to buy back our old house. Especially that everything's gone luxurious now," I found myself coughing out those words. God, now I was starting to believe that dad was our personal Santa.

"I know, right? Buying a house here must've cost a fortune, especially ours, because I heard the previous owner renovated drastically it a year ago," mom stated, her eyes plainly focusing on the road. "I might get confused about where our old house is," she added, which I found confusing whether it was a joke or a worry. Nevertheless, I shook it off my mind and gave my attention back to the glorious sight around us.

Time flew so fast that I didn't realize or expect that we'd finally arrived at our destination. I only noticed we'd arrived when mom chirped, "We're here!"

I didn't mind her, though. I kept myself busy by scrutinizing the view outside the window. I couldn't deny that everything around me was just so beautiful. I'm pretty sure. Sightseeing around the whole village would take me forever. I heard Zach gasp. Through my peripheral vision, I saw him gazing outside the window. Curious and craving to see more, I turned my head to follow his gaze. That was when my eyes widened as they landed on a beautiful facade waiting for us to enter. It was our old house but now furnished and renovated that I almost mistook it for another home. The houses here in Scarsendale had a variety of designs, every house was unique, and none of them looked alike. The neighbors often made sure that no one had the same brand of roof tiles or flowers in the backyard. They were a pretty competitive crowd. I remembered how mom would gnarl her teeth sometimes whenever she saw a house across from us would have the same fence color as our home.

"I... is this... our home...?" I looked at mom, asking for reassurance, and she nodded eagerly in response. "It is!" she chirped before opening the door on her side and leaving us, probably to take care of the movers. "Vannie! Vannie!"

**_

Thank you for reading Bubble Gum Kisses! To keep up with my works, future works, and endless frustrations on Twitter: https://twitter.org/RiosMorpheus**