“Yea, sure, I just need to get their coats. Wait up,” Xavion told them as he scrambled to find them. Beside him, he could hear Zane’s mumbling.
On the walk to the restaurant, Chan and Kai handled the stroller with Lay leading the party and making faces that entertained the twins. Their chuckles rang through the air, warming Xavion’s heart. He brought up the rear with Zane who made inaudible sounds beside him. Just as they got to the restaurant, Xavion stopped and placed a hand across the entrance, barring his friend from entering. His eyes held his friend’s gaze and his was just as steely.
“Uh sunbae?” Kai asked. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Go on in and get seats, I’ll be right with you.”
As soon as the others went in, Xavion faced Zane squarely. He had made up his mind not to have it out with his friend, but he had gotten fed up with the whispers and glares.
“What is your problem, Zane?” Xavion asked sharply.
“My problem is what you are doing with your life,” Zane snapped.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I should be asking you what on earth you think you’re doing. Why are you playing house and acting as father to those kids. We leave in five weeks. I don’t think you have forgotten that. I certainly do not think you have forgotten who you are and where you come from! So what is your plan, to settle down with some country girl here in the countryside and raise a family? Xavion, you are a hallyu star. This is not your place and I do not understand why you can’t see that. And do not dare tell me that you both are just friends. You are not just friends, I see the way you look at her and the way she looks at you. I see how you light up when you see her. You my friend have never felt that way for anyone, well except music. You are infatuated by her, you are obviously crazy in love with her, and I don’t know how such madness happened. I fear you will make some very bad decisions! Stop this madness now. You have a life and it is not this. The others are captivated by the fun but I am not! I see what you all don’t see! You do not belong here. You need to be reminded who you are!”
Xavion stared at his best friend and slowly, he nodded. He placed a hand on Zane's shoulder and he said,
“Thank you, Zane, for reminding me of where I come from and most importantly, for making me realize how I feel. I tried to ignore it and chalked it up to just care but no, that’s not true. Yes, I care about Emma but I am madly in love with her. I want to be with her, and I want to be father to her kids so how about you accept it for what it is?”
Xavion made to go into the restaurant but his friend held him back,
“What madness are you spewing, Xavion? You’ve always been one to live in delusions of splendor. You thought being ahallyu star meant having some grand life where you got to do as you please with your music and you found out the hard way that it isn’t. Don’t do this for you are bound to find out the hard way that a country girl and a K-pop star have nothing to do with each other. What do you plan to do for the rest of your life? Push livestock? Brush horses? Remove muck? Ride horses? Oh don’t be stupid!”
“Let it go, Zane...” Xavion said coldly, his back to his friend.
“I’m curious you know, if you are alone in your madness. Does she know that you are a hallyu star? Surely, she has to be smart even if you are not. Surely she should know that there is no future in what you both are fooling yourselves that you have! She does look like a smart one, I guess she isn’t.”
Xavion flung his friend’s arm off his shoulder and held the front of his shirt. “Don’t you dare say anything wrong about Emma. Leave her out of this!”
“Why? Is she not the one who’s letting you imagine you will have some future in a small town in Texas? Frankly, she is a stimulant for your empty dreams. Oh wait a minute, she does not know, does she? She does not know who you are and you haven’t told her because you know deep down how crazy and wrong your match is. Maybe there is still saving you. You aren’t completely gone or ready to throw your career down the drain or lose all you have in a lawsuit against MG. You do know that’s what will happen if you decide to step out on the contract right? Should you not be smarter than this?”
Xavion stepped back and let his friend go. He turned and headed into the restaurant and joined the others who wereoblivious of what had happened outside. Zane never joined them.
It was late afternoon when Emma knocked on the cabin door. Xavion opened it, a delighted smile on his face. His smile slipped when he saw her face. He touched her cheek softly as he asked,
“What’s wrong, Emma? You look pale.”
“I’m fine.”
Kai ran out just then, “Thanks for leaving the kids here, we all had a great time, nuna. Well, everyone but Zane, he’s been moody all day.”
Xavion placed a firm hand on Kai’s shoulder and threw him a warning gaze. He looked at Emma but it seemed she had not heard Kai as she said, “Thanks a lot for sparing time to care for the kids. I can go in to get them, right?”
“Yea, sure.”
She went in and Kai followed. Xavion stayed out on the porch and he could hear her soft voice as she thanked the guys. The three of them replied heartily. As she spoke, Xavion could hear an undertone of emotion and he knew something was wrong. She looked detached and sad. She tried to smile to cover it up but her eyes betrayed her emotions. He suddenly straightened. Could it be Zane? When they returned, he had not been in the cabin. What if he had gone looking for her and hurt her. Xavion felt his blood boil. If it was so, his friend would pay. He was never going to let anyone hurt Emma or the kids.
“Please tell Zane I said thanks,” Emma was telling Chan as she stepped aside.
“Sure,” he replied with a grin. “Sunbae’s walking you home right?”
“Yes I am,” Xavion said quickly as he saw her mouth open to say no.
He joined her and took the handle of the stroller from her hands, ignoring her protests.
They headed down the path after their goodbyes to the guys. Their walk was silent but for the chattering twins. Every now and then, Xavion stole a glance and he saw that she did not look any better. She actually looked like her emotions would burst out any minute. He knew she was holding it all in because of Mia and Max. They arrived at the ranch house to find Maria at the gate.
