☾︎✿︎☽︎
“Home at last,” Gigi muttered as she put the car in park. “If I had to listen to your boy toy sing Baby Shark one more time, I was going to drive us into incoming traffic.”
She threw a disgusted side eye at the boy toy in question, who just grinned at her like the unapologetic gremlin he was.
“What? Zo said to play some music to fill the silence. She even gave me radio control privileges. I was just following orders.” Abby replied, feigning innocence.
She threw a disgusted side-eye at Abby, who grinned at her like a guilty golden retriever.
“Well, from now on, your radio privileges are revoked,” Zoey muttered, her eye twitching with annoyance.
“Ouch. My feelings,” he pouted, making Zoey roll her eyes.
“You’ll live. Let’s just go,” Zoey said, already reaching for the door handle, desperate for escape.
They jumped out of the car—well, Zoey jumped, Abby tumbled out dramatically. They were immediately greeted by the sight of a dark-skinned man in his mid-twenties standing tall and effortlessly dressed in a casual sweatshirt and joggers at the entrance of the double-story house.
“There he is,” Gigi beamed as she sashayed towards the man, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss. Not a peck. A full-on, slow, performative but territorial kiss that lingered longer than it needed.
The man seemed slightly surprised but reciprocated the kiss, nonetheless. Zoey felt a hot flush of awkwardness and quickly looked down, pretending to be fascinated by the palm tree nearby
When they finally pulled apart, Caleb chuckled, a little breathless. “Uh… wow. What was that for?”
“I just missed you a lot, Caleb,” Gigi purred, running her hands on his chest.
“You saw me this morning,” he pointed out.
“What can I say, I’m clingy when it comes to you,” she replied.
His attention then shifted over her shoulder, his eyes landing on Zoey. A genuine, familiar smile spread across his face as he brushed past Gigi and approached her.
"Hey," he said breathlessly, closing the distance and pulling her into a hug.
"Hey," Zoey hugged him back.
The embrace lingered a moment too long, brushing against the boundaries of friendship. It felt almost too familiar—a rush of emotions from four years finally spilling over into the present.
Zoey cleared her throat awkwardly, giving him a gentle, firm pat on his back before pushing him away and creating a sliver of space between them.
He pulled back, but his hands still gently gripped her arms, a faint pink tinge colouring his cheeks. “Sorry. Wow. You’re really here.”
Zoey forced a light laugh, brushing non-existent lint from her jacket. “You’re acting like you haven’t seen me in years.”
“Four years is a long time,” he said, his voice soft before he seemed to remember they weren’t alone. He turned to the final member of their party.
Abby looked like he was trying very hard not to spontaneously combust. His eyes were wide, his lips were pursed into a thin line, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as if physically restraining his fanboy energy.
Before Caleb could even open his mouth, Abby exploded into motion, executing a perfect, almost 180-degree bow. “It is an absolute honour to meet you, sir!”
Caleb blinked, stunned, then let out a warm, surprised chuckle. He looked to Zoey for an explanation.
She sighed, the sound full of fond exasperation. “He’s a fan.”
“Ah,” Caleb said, understanding dawning. He extended a hand. “I’m Caleb. Nice to meet you.”
“Lee Woojin. I also go by Abel Lee, but friends call me Abby, sir,” Abby took Caleb’s hands with both of his and shook it.
“No need for the formalities, dude. We’re all equals here,” Caleb offered him a warm smile. “Come on in. You two must be exhausted and hungry.”
Zoey and Abby followed Caleb into the house, ignoring the tense look Gigi gave Zoey as they moved past her.
“We’re having dinner with the G.O.A.T. I must be dreaming. Pinch me.” Abby squealed.
Zoey nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t be weird.”
“Me? Weird? I am the epitome of cool! I am chill incarnate!” he whispered, his eyes still filled with excitement.
Zoey sighed. This was going to be a long night.
☾︎✿︎☽︎
The backyard was straight out of a magazine. The soft golden lights glowed beneath the balcony. The blue hues of the pool shimmered beautifully in its surroundings, and the warm air was comfortable enough to sit outside without a jacket.
The group was seated at the long dining table near the edge of the pool, with candles flickering in the centre, creating a cosy atmosphere. The soft clinking of utensils against plates filled the air, creating a perfect backdrop for their lively conversation.
“Thanks again for having us,” Zoey said. “The food is amazing.”
Caleb let out a soft laugh. “I tried. Gigi kinda let me know you were coming back on short notice,” he explained. “So, we didn’t have much to prepare a big feast in honour of your return.”
“I was occupied. You know how swamped I was with wedding preparations, babe,” Gigi replied.
“Well, you really outdid yourself even on short notice,” Abby said with praise in his tone. “And what’s this… smooth, fluffy—cake-thing?”
Caleb laughed. “That’s sadza. It’s from my home country, Zimbabwe. It’s cornmeal cooked into a thick, smooth dough.”
Abby blinked. “Oh. Is it good?”
“Why don’t you try it?” Caleb teased, nodding toward Abby’s plate. “Think of it like our version of bap in Korea — but made from corn instead of rice.”
Abby turned to Zoey. “Have you ever tried this before?” he asked.
“Yeah, a few times when I came over to his place back in the day,” she answered. “His sister always cooked it twice a week. It’s really good. Try it.” She nudged him.
Abby stared at the sadza in his plate before scooping it with a spoon. He took a cautious bite before putting the spoon down and letting out a sigh.
Zoey furrowed her eyebrows and leaned in, worried. “Is it bad—?”
“Why did no one tell me this is AMAZING?!” He exclaimed.
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