KALEY

Mila and I have spent almost every evening cooking and crafting in the past two weeks. I love having her around. We are becoming good friends, and it feels like old times when the guys and I lived together.

She told me the reason she was brought to Lighthouse Home and my heart broke. I admire her determination to escape the life she lived after leaving, and I'm glad Zack and her have found each other. Zack told me about his substance abuse sessions and admits he's struggling to kick the pills habit. Spending time with us and having Mila at home gives him the strength to not give into temptation. His relationship with David has improved considerably too. He has seen how fun my boyfriend can be, even though he's so serious at the studio.

After all the hard work we've put into the Pure Bliss project, we needed a fun day together with good food. The day has blessed us with fantastic weather on this Sunday, making it ideal for a backyard barbecue. Owen and Nathan playing catch with a baseball, David cooks on our shiny new grill while Mila sits on Zack's lap. I don't know what they talk about as they whisper in each other's ear, but he grins. If Elvam were here, it would have been perfect.

We went to see him yesterday, and can see his therapy is helping. He looked happy and hopeful; said he's looking forward to join us again. Cemil came in as we were leaving and told us he got a place downtown. Elvam stared at him with a warm smile as he talked with us.

Ciara asked if she could help me in the kitchen, but I have to give her gentle nudges to stop playing with her phone and go back to cutting fruit. At her speed, we'll eat fruit salad next week. Out of the corner of my eye I see movement and turn around to see Julia walking towards the house. I head to open the door and I'm amazed at how pretty Ruby looks with her dark skin and wicked green eyes.

"I'm sorry we are late. Miss Funny Pants here hid my keys," Julia lifts an eyebrow to her daughter who tries to hide a smile.

"Hello, Ruby. I'm Kaley," I offer a hand and she shakes it.

"I got some desserts that need to be kept cold," Julia says.

"Let's hope the guys left space in the fridge. I swear we have beer to last us a few months," I chuckle.

"Ruby, don't get in trouble," Julia warns her daughter.

In the kitchen, I find Ciara finally working on cutting the fruit.

"When I'm done here, do I wash the knife and board or put it in the dishwasher?"

"You must be Ciara..." Julia says and Ciara looks surprised and confused. "You look so much like Owen."

"Oh, so you know my dad."

"Ciara, this is Julia, and she works with us," I add as an explanation for Julia's words.

"Nice to meet you," says Ciara. "I thought Kaley was the only girl at the studio."

Julia looks somewhat disappointed.

"Julia, you can put your desserts here," I open the fridge and move some beers around to make space.

"What you've got in there?" Ciara peeks over our shoulders.

"Coconut custard and pineapple cake," Julia says proudly.

"And you made them yourself?"

"Yes, I love cooking and baking."

"No shit! Dad tried to make a cake from a box mix and we almost had to call the fire department. You should teach my dad how to make fancy stuff."

"I would love to do that," Julia looks around us. "Crap, Ruby disappeared; she has a talent for trouble."

"She probably went to the backyard," I say.

The moment we walk to the back porch what I see makes me grin.

OWEN

Ruby looked lost and shy without her mother around, so Nathan and I called her to play with us. It surprised her that I knew who she was, and that's because Julia has a small picture of her at the studio. She sauntered and eyed our reaction and she walked closer. I opened her hand and placed the baseball in it, without hesitation or further instructions, she threw it with all her might and hit Nathan on his knee; she burst into giggles.

Birds chirped nearby and Ruby stood on her toes to look. I lifted her in my arms while she placed hers around my neck. Sweet memories of my little Ciara came to mind. I pointed to the birds flying in and out a nest in a nearby tree and her eyes filled with wonder. Then my daughter walked towards me and somehow the picture felt complete.

"Ruby, this is my daughter Ciara."

"You are so cute," Ciara tickles her neck and Ruby reacts with delighted giggles.

Julia stands by Kaley on the back porch, her face full of surprise. I feel concerned and hope she doesn't think I want to harm her daughter, so I place Ruby back on her feet.

"I see you've met Owen," Julia tells her daughter when she joins us.

"I saw birds and a nest, and they were singing, and I threw a ball at that man," she points at Nathan. Dr. Lagos has just arrived and is looking at his bruised knee.

"She hit Nathan, but it wasn't on purpose. You should consider putting her in Little League," I chuckle.

"You need to apologize, Ruby. That wasn't nice," she sighs and walks towards Nathan.

"It was her..."

I turn to look at Ciara, who smirks.

"She was your date."

"What makes you think I'm dating?" I ask, feeling amused at her words.

"On Friday evening, Uncle Nathan was obviously babysitting me. He told me you needed to buy some things for the house. I wanted to call you to bring me candy, and he got me in his car and drove me to the supermarket himself. That and your smile right now make sense."

"Julia and I had dinner together," I admit since there's no sense in keeping the truth hidden.

"I'm glad you did. Now that Uncle Nathan is dating Zara, I think it will be fun for you to date too."

I put my arm around her shoulders and kiss Ciara on her temple.

"I like Julia. She's so smart, brave and kind."

"I think she likes you a lot as well," she says, and as I follow her gaze, I find Julia staring at me.

ZACK

I'm not over the way my parents treated us, but have put it aside to enjoy these days to the fullest. Having Mila stay with me during the summer break was a great idea and her company helps me to overcome my weaknesses. With each day that goes by, my need for a pill lessens and my confidence increases. I don't need that alter ego to feel accepted or attractive. During a meeting at the studio, I opened myself to the group and told them about my struggle since the start of college; how I discovered the drugs and how they 'helped' me cope with thoughts of inferiority in many aspects. My friends shared kind words with me and continue to support my self-discovery journey. Because I'm still finding out who really this adult Zack Valentine is.

I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time. David's idea of throwing a barbecue was excellent, not only because the food was great, but because our significant others and children joined us. The ladies, including Ciara and Ruby looked content. I wished Elvam was there with us, that would have made it even more perfect. On Saturday, when I went to see him, he looked healthier than ever, and he told me he has begun a plan to reduce his medication.

Kaley and I wait at the reception of Face Incorporated and I clutch nervously to my laptop. Nathan was supposed to come with me, but because his website designs are becoming so popular, he had to meet with a new client.

"Are you ready? This is your moment. Imagine that, if they approve your ads, your work will be out there in all sorts of media," Kaley gives my arm a little squeeze.

"No pressure, right?" I laugh and look at a makeup brochure laying on a side table to distract myself before I break into a sweat.

Andrea looks a bit disappointed when she looks around and only finds us. I believe that Kaley is right in her theory that she has a thing for Elvam. We follow her to a meeting room, and the moment we enter, the range of products on the table catch my eye immediately.

"Holy Moly!" Kaley says with delight. "Are these the final ones?" She picks a glass bottle and examines it. "I designed this, but it looks so much better in reality."

"Jackie is over the moon with them. There isn't a meeting in the last days where she hasn't showed them."

"Because they are exactly what I wanted Pure Bliss to be," Ms. Stewart says as she joins us.
My heart races and I hope I can also please them with my work. Andrea helps me to connect my laptop and I start my presentation, running them through the materials and the logic behind the design choices. Ms. Stewart requests a small change to the sizes for the final displays for the stores. The official launch will happen in six weeks and we are well on track.

"You guys always make my day," Ms. Stewart reclines back on her seat and smiles. "Andrea told me you are expecting twins, Kaley. You have a beautiful belly."

"Thank you. Yes, this is a party of two in here," she rubs her visible belly.

"I'm also the mother of twins. My daughters are now grown-ups, but they were my inspiration to start this company. Little Hands was the first line I developed. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Yes, I know about the baby line," Kaley looks at her lap and her cheeks get a pink tint.

"She's obsessed with the line," I say and the pink turns into a full flush.

"Are you? Yet you have never asked us for giveaways, even though you know Andrea."

"She thought of us for this project. Anything else would abuse her kindness."

"Nonsense. Andrea, can you please get Kaley the product line?"

"Of course. Although I think Zack should get some too?"

Ms. Stewart smiles at me. "Has the baby bug bitten people at The Image Factory?"

"You can say so," I chuckle. "Owen is becoming a grandfather."

Ms. Stewart laughs hard, probably at her well-timed joke. "Well, now that we are in a giving mood, any teen girls?"

"Ciara!" Kaley and I reply at the same time and laugh. "She's Owen's daughter," Kaley adds.

Andrea brings us to her office, and we end up with ridiculously large bags full of every baby care product plus another with the Pure Bliss line for Ciara.
"Kaley, can we have a moment? Maybe grab lunch or something?" Andrea asks.

Kaley looks at me and I nod. I have a good idea of what this could be about.

KALEY

I'm not surprised about Andrea asking me to grab lunch together, what does is that she took so long to ask about who we all obviously miss. After parking at a chic burger joint, she joins me at a table inside. She seems nervous and keeps chattering nonsense about work.

"We talk on the phone almost daily. What you really want to know is about Elvam, right?" I say in a soothing voice and she looks away, obviously embarrassed.

"He doesn't answer his phone anymore and stopped coming to the meetings. Is it something I did?"

"You did nothing wrong."

"Why is David answering his emails? Is he okay?"

Andrea looks genuinely upset about the situation. I knew she cared about Elvam, but not this much.

"What I will tell you is sensitive, but I trust you will keep it to yourself," I say and she nods. "Elvam has been battling a severe depression for a while. When we were in college, his father cut his communication with the rest of the family and that messed him. He also lost his mom to an aggressive form of cancer months ago, and that made him spiral even further down. He tried to commit suicide by overdosing on his medicines. Zack found him before it was too late. Since then, he has been in a psychiatric hospital receiving treatment."

Andrea's eyes fill with tears and she fans them before her makeup gets ruined. The waiter brings us our food, and I give him a small awkward smile.

"Is he going to be okay?" She asks after taking a sip of her drink to clear her throat.

"He will be. We visit him on Saturdays, and I already see a difference. He's full of hope and determination. We have known him for over ten years and you know he was kind of gloomy, but in the last few months he was an empty shell; no emotions, distracted and even stopped taking care of himself."

"Is he related to Serkan Kadar?" She frowns.

"I believe that's his father's name."

"Fucking hell! What a bastard!"

"Do you know his father?"

Andrea tells me about the first meeting with Elvam and Ms. Stewart, and how his father denied his existence. Elvam endured the humiliation, and continued the meeting like the professional he is, but she felt something was wrong.

"Do you think I can visit him?"

"He could use as many friends as possible. I'll give you the details."

ELVAM

It was exciting to share the good news with Cemil and my friends that I can go home in a week. I'll continue private sessions with Dr. Joyce, but I can return to my normal life. I'll miss Dr. William; he's helped me to face my demons and to come to peace with my odd upbringing.

Cemil will pick me next Saturday and has invited all of us to come and have lunch at his place. I'm looking forward to resume our old father-son relationship and live these new experiences with him.

I'm also glad I'll be able to resume my work at the studio and be part of the last projects for Pure Bliss. I also need to get in contact with Andrea and offer her an apology for not being around. David, Zack, Kaley and I quickly agreed to hire Julia as a permanent team member. She's a great asset to the studio and according to the rumors Owen and her are more than coworkers.

There were also jokes about Nathan, who not only has arrived late at the studio a few times, but has come in wearing the same clothes as the day before. Someone has been playing doctor and this time it isn't a pun.

The visits of my father and friends have left me in the best of moods, even inspired. I've been sketching ever since on a pad. Since I've proven I won't stab the staff with a pencil, I'm allowed to have this and other items in my room to keep me entertained.

"Elvam Kadar, you have a visitor."

I stare at the intercom on the wall and wonder who could it be. Maybe Zack or Cemil forgot to tell me something. I head downstairs to the visitors' room, and after a quick glance around, I see nobody I know.

"Elvam," I hear someone call behind me.

Andrea isn't in her usual fashionable work clothes, but in a simple tunic, jeans and sandals, quite like I remember her from college.

"Andrea... What are you doing here? How did you know I'm here?"

"Kaley told me about what happened with you. I thought maybe I did something to upset you, but she told me that wasn't the case," she blushes and avoids looking straight at me.

"She's right. You did nothing wrong. I'm glad you are here, it's nice to see you again," I rub her arms over the thin fabric of her top.

"Are you okay?" She asks timidly.

"I'm better than I've been in a long time. Would you like to take a walk in the garden so I can tell you what happened?"

She nods, and I feel daring, so I hold her hand. She looks at my gesture and then at me, and smiles. I show my bracelet to the security guard, and he opens the door to the garden for us. I've earned the privilege of taking walks outside whenever I feel like it.

I tell Andrea everything about my life, the good and the bad.

"Elvam, I know that Serkan Kadar is your father. What happened that day at the restaurant was unfair," she says with a sad look in her eyes.

The mention of my father and what happened on that day makes me feel nothing. It's like a bad dream from a long time ago. You still remember it, but it means nothing.

As we reach a calm fountain, I stop walking and turn to face Andrea. My thoughts are clear and I can finally see what Kaley has been telling me for a long time. Andrea cares about me and likes me enough to come into this odd place to see me. My heart fills with many emotions, so I cup her face and kiss her to share how I feel.

"I'm sorry I took so long to realize how you feel about me," I place my arms around her waist and she replicates the gesture.

"I've felt like this since we met in college. We lost contact, but I never stopped thinking about you."

"I was broken already. Even when Kaley pointed it out recently, I couldn't believe you saw anything interesting in me."

"Elvam, I remember the day we met. It was on that pitch project where marketing students got paired with design ones. Zack, Kaley and you were among the group, and I hoped with all my heart that I got you and I was lucky. I got to know you and all I could think was that you were not only handsome, but smart, confident in your skills, polite, sweet. When we met again, and you guys took on the project, I called you at every opportunity to talk about work, but also to feel closer to you like we were during that project. I know this sounds unbelievable, but I've compared every man I dated to you. I think I've been in love with you forever."

My cheeks flush at the love declaration and I hug her to cover my unexpected reaction.

"When I come out of here in a week, we must figure out how to make it up for the time we missed."

We sit on a bench facing the fountain and cuddle. I extend the invitation for lunch at my father's new place and hope she can make it. It's time I open myself for love.