(Ravine POV)

"I'm sorry, dad but I am not going to her funeral. You do what you have to do but I'm staying right here with my kids." I told my Dad on the phone before hanging up on him.

"Sir Vinny, I am going home now. I still have to take care of my mother. She's quite ill. I'll be back early tomorrow morning as soon as my sister takes my place of being the caregiver." Selene said to me.

"Oh sure! Be there safe, Selene." I said to her before she headed out. I headed to the patio to de-stress for a little bit when Selene said something.

"Oh, Sir Vinny, you have a visitor!" Selene said before finally leaving the house and closing the door right after the visitor entered.

I turned around to see a smiling Sash approaching me with a good and lively mood.

"Just letting you know, this is not your house, okay? You can't come and go whenever you feel like it." I said to him.

"Geez, what's with your mood today?" He laughed.

"My mom just passed away." I said frankly.

"Oh...I'm so sorry. If you want me to leave, I will to give you a little space." Sash's tone softened after hearing the news.

"It's okay. You can stay. I honestly don't know what's more disturbing. Me finding out about her death or me being slightly indifferent to it." I said.

"Well, it's not your fault if you're indifferent to your mother's death, you know? Based on your stories of how she treated you, I'd be indifferent too if I were in your shoes. It speaks volumes more about her character than yours to be honest." Sash said.

"I feel like I am a bad parent sometimes, you know?" I said to Sash.

"Why do you think that is?" Sash said, scooting closer to me.

"Because I do find myself at times prioritizing my career over attending to my children's needs and it's not right. I don't want to make any excuses but this is the first time that I truly felt that I am good at something and I guess I overindulge myself to it more often than I should, thus making me an absentee parent at times. It just sucks that I have been deprived of a normal family and I don't want the same thing to happen to my two kids. I want them to grow up normally. I don't want them to carry some sort of an emotional baggage when they become an adult. I don't want them to feel as if I have never been there for them. I love them from the bottom of my heart. They are the world to me. Sometimes, I don't even know whether it's just my shortcomings or the disadvantage of being a single parent that's affecting them." I cried.

"Hey now! I know I can't give you any advice on parenting because I am not a parent yet but all I can say is there's no such thing as a perfect parent. Cut yourself some slack." Sash said.

"I know I should be mourning my mom right now but I can't. I just can't. I have turned into a stone, my cynicism and indifference have already taken over and it's just devastating. I don't want this to affect my kids. I don't want them to feel as if I am cold and they can't talk to me or anything. I don't want them to tell me 'Dad, why are you cold?', 'Dad, why are you so uptight?', 'Dad, why are you so distrustful?', 'Dad, why are you stern?', 'Dad, what's wrong with you?'" I let it all out. I let my tears and all my frustration out.

Sash grabbed me and pulled me to him for a loving and warm embrace. My God, I missed the cozy feeling of being in his arms. I cried my heart out to Sash and he just consoled me thoughtfully and cooed me.

"It's okay. I'm here. Let it out, this is healthy." He whispered.

"I'm a stone!" I said.

"If you are a stone, then why are you crying right now? You want to know what I think? Underneath all the rage and resentment you have for her, you still love her and that's okay. That makes you human." Sash said.

After a while, he grabbed my chin gently with his fingers and placed a soft and chaste kiss on my lips. I almost forgot the feeling of butterflies that I would have every time Sash would plant a kiss on my lips and I'm so glad that I remembered it once again. This time, I won't ever forget it anymore.

We pulled away and embraced each other one more time. There we are, expressing our love for each other after so many years of being apart. We finally satisfied our yearning.

Next morning...

Sash and I are in bed together, completely naked and crazy for each other once again.

"After all these years, you're still a freak in bed." I complimented.

"After all these years, you're still the same hilarious Ravine that I fell in love with." Sash said. My head is on his bare chest again like what I always do back then, listening to the sound of his heartbeat which always manages to soothe me.

"Good thing Selene went home last night or else, she would have heard us fucking each other's brains out." I joked.

"Is she a live-in helper?" Sash asked.

"Not always! Her mother is really in a critical condition right now, that's why she has to go home to take care of her sometimes." I answered.

"Oh!" Sash said. "Do you want me to make breakfast for you and the kids?" He added.

"If you wouldn't mind." I winked.

"Of course, I wouldn't." Sash smiled.

"Um...can I ask you a favor first?" I said to him.

"Anything!"

"Can we keep this a secret for a while? What we have right now, let's not reveal it to anyone. I don't want the media having a frenzy over this for the sake of my children, you know?" I said to Sash.

"Totally understandable, I agree." He said.

I smiled at him before giving him a kiss for the nth time already. God, I missed Sash so much and I am just so over the moon happy right now that I finally have him again.