"Lars."

Hearing his brother call his name sent shivers up his spine. Of all his siblings, there was only one Lars sought approval from.

"I'm back, for better or worse." Lars had to say something lousy; otherwise, he would cry.

His prolonged tanned skin left marks. His face looked more mature, but he was still Lars. Though Jonas had rehearsed remaining collected, he could not resist spreading his arms and hugging his little brother. Almost two years had passed since the events that divided the Potsmann siblings.

Lars felt the tears line up on his eyelids for a big dive down his cheeks. He didn't expect such a welcome or any welcome at all.

None thought Lars would come to the Christmas meal. His arrival created an awkward stance that Jonas broke, and Leone smashed to bits.

The boy came running to Lars as if he had left them yesterday. He remembered this man who looked like a younger version of his papa.

Lars scooped Leone up, "Wow, little man, you sure weigh your good health. Gosh, how he looks like you, Jonas. It's insane."

One by one, the Potsmann came to greet Lars.

Ulrich's handshake almost broke Lars' hand, but his hug revealed the warmth of the oldest brother.

"Mom, Dad," Lars called.

His father turned his back to cover his tears. No parent wished for siblings to fight. The feud between Lars and his siblings was the longest and hardest crisis the family had ever experienced. The older man was hospitalized more than once due to a weak heart condition, but all knew what broke and accelerated the take was his worrying about his youngest son.

Lars greeted his nephews and nieces, but Sierra's triplets retained his attention. Jonas' boys, with their blonde hair and bright eyes, were carbon copies of their father.

"Hey, what's your name?"

Malia turned to look at his mother. Sierra nodded and got up. She couldn't feign ignoring Lars, knowing she had prompted her husband to welcome him warmly.

"You're very pretty, just like your mother," Lars said before advancing to see Sierra. He needed to apologize to her if he wished to regain an ounce of consideration for himself.

Lars had forgotten how petite his sister-in-law was. Sierra reminded him of another petite woman. Thulile's slitted eyes appeared before him like an omen. The vision of them pricked his soul in a place Lars didn't even know existed. It appeared his life was an endless list of wrongdoings he constantly chased to fix, but there, Lars knew he could never repair what he had done to Thulile.

"I'm so glad to see you, Lars," Sierra said.

If there was one thing Jacob drummed into her head, it was the act of forgiveness. People make mistakes, and one has to forgive others just as they would desire God to forgive them. Lars was young, and his desire to prove his talent and ambitions blinded him. All knew Rut manipulated at the time. Lars was one of the many men who could not resist the honeysuckled words of a vamp. Rut misled him; Sierra understood that.

She was happy to see Lars back in peace and without a scandal. Also, she knew how anxious her husband was. Though Lars was unaware of Ruts' and the Gautiers' plans, he contributed to something that could have destroyed the Potsmann and Jonas forever.

Sierra remembered her conversation with Jonas when news of Lars' return arrived.

"You can hate him, Sierra. I understand if you do," Jonas said.

Jonas carried the grudge and loathing against his brother in her stead for a long time, but too much water had flowed under the bridge for Sierra and Jonas to hold anger or resentment.

If someone had asked Sierra how she felt then, she would have said she was delighted to see the family reunited.

"I'm happy to see you too."

The man didn't dare spread his arms for a hug; instead, Sierra grasped him in one.

Lars couldn't retain his tears, "you keep getting smaller," he said, sniffing.

"And you keep getting taller."

"I'm sorry, Sierra. I'm so sorry."

"I hope you are. You're going to have to pay for it now."

Lars freed her, and Sierra quickly replied before her words caused a misunderstanding. "You've got some mad hours of babysitting ahead of you to make up for your absence."

A smile replaced the frown and lost expression Lars had.

"Oh yes, please, you can exploit me as much as you like," Lars said with a smile.

"The table is ready, guys," Elsa announced.

The family sat down to eat.

Lars' stare roamed around the table. He couldn't believe it. The scene felt like a dream. A sweet dream he didn't wish to see end.

"Leone, where are you going?" Jonas asked as he saw his son rush to the table.

The boy chose to sit on Lars' left when he usually sat next to Joshua or his grandfather at family gatherings. Of course, his brothers Gabriel and Joah followed his lead.

Ulrich tried to silence his discontent with a crisped smile that fooled no one. The oldest brother didn't see or understand why everyone accepted Lars' return as though he had left to run an errand. The prodigal son was back and welcomed with open arms as always.

It seemed as though Lars' role in life was to be loved no matter the fault, just as Jonas represented the talented and immaculate son who never did anything wrong. At this moment, when everyone gathered around the table, Ulrich wondered what role he held in his family. Joshua was the mediator, always looking to see his brothers make up after discord; Clara was the observer and voice of reason, and Elsa was the forever helper who could die for any of them. Ulrich felt like the party pooper.

The conversations began, and Lars was the center of all discussions.

"So when are you opening?" Klara asked.

"After the New Year, thanks to Joshua," Lars answered.

Shai shoved her husband, "You're horrible. Can you believe Josh didn't tell me a thing? I had to open the newspaper to find out."

"We all had to open the newspaper," Jonas said.

Draped by shame, Lars lowered his gaze, saying, "I didn't want to advertise a mirage. I wanted to finalize things before announcing it to anyone."

"You're right. It's good to keep one's mouth shut sometimes," their mother said.

The meal continued in a more relaxed manner. Lars told his stories and contoured anything concerning Thulile. She became a random person he met. Everyone at the table thought she was some tour guide. Only Jonas caught the hint of regret in Lars' voice the few times he pronounced her name.

"Please mark the date. You're all invited to the opening," Lars said before leaving a few hours later.

For the first time in ages, Lars slept like a baby, feeling whole. Things were looking up, if not to say they had never been this good.

Lars caught up with his family during the following days. He felt confident enough to open a True Blend.

The opening was on January 10th at 10 AM. The first hundred customers would get a complimentary breakfast. Coffee lovers were right on time, just like Lars' wake-up call.

"Lars."

Everyone who mattered was there.

"Jonas."

Jonas turned to look at the door, "Are you okay? I think I've only seen a queue that long at Disney."

"I'm good. The staff has been rehearsing for weeks. We're ready."

"Everything looks fantastic," Sierra said, looking around at the decor.

"Thank you."

"Lars, it's time," Ron, a staff member, said.

Lars nodded, and the doors opened. He wanted to do something other than the inaugural act, where he cut a ribbon. The simple open door seemed perfect. Organized the people entered without causing a flood of chaos. Reporters were the first to step inside, and Lars quickly found himself taken by questions.

"Hr Potsmann, how many people do you expect to see today?"

"I don't know, the whole of Stockholm maybe," Lars replied, releasing a tight-lipped smile of stress.

"Don't you think it's risky to open a coffee shop in a country and city where concept shops like yours already saturate the market?

There's stiff competition out there."

"I don't see coffee chains as competition. Coffee is part of Swedish culture. We're all working to cater to the unquenchable thirst of a nation. There's always room for one more in the coffee industry here in Sweden."

"You traveled very far to gather your knowledge concerning coffee making. What pushed you to develop your brand?" Another reporter asked.

Again, Thulile's stare under her bucket hat appeared when Channel 4's cameraman enhanced his camera's light to capture his expression. Lars could almost hear the thumping base of the Amapiano beat.

Unable to sleep since he left South Africa, Lars sought answers. He even posted on an online forum: " I can't sleep, and I'm always thirsty." Some told him to see a therapist or a doctor, but only one post caught his eye.

Perhaps you're cursed; some people believe guilt makes us trackside. I think it's karma; it's not always about having bad luck. One can curse themselves for their actions.

Lars smiled in front of the reporter. Curses and magic potions didn't exist, yet he felt trapped in the black magic of Thulile's pitch-black and corse robusta. When Lars didn't think of her, his thirst evoked the woman.

"Hr Postmann? The reporter waited for an answer."

"A woman."

"Kvinna?"

"Yes, a woman," Lars repeated and said, "coffee plastered a few wounds."

The reporters wrote, imagining Lars indulged in coffee to forget someone.

It was then that she entered. Her heels clicked on the hardened stone ground. She wore the tightest and shortest black wool dress with black croco-style knee-high heeled boots. The dress's fit was modified by what made Lars step back.

Roxanne advanced to his position, "Good morning, Lars. I hope I'm still in time to eat breakfast. It's a shame I can't drink a cup of your coffee.

Of course, Roxanne's entrance caught everyone's attention. All the Potmann's siblings observed the scene in total bewilderment.

Sierra tugged on her husband's sleeve, and Jonas leaned to hear what she had to say.

"Do you think she's the unforgettable one?"

"No," Jonas said, judging from Lars' body language and shocked expression, "I think she's someone he wished to forget."

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Lars?" Roxanne taunted, knowing the man couldn't react violently in the take.

"Eh, hmm-"

"Come, don't be shy. We can't keep this a secret any longer. Can we?"

"Is everything alright, Lars," Joshua asked as he neared his position.

He knew his little brother well. Lars harbored the same facial expression he had when the police arrested him for the money laundering scandal.

"Josh-," the man couldn't breathe. He hyperventilated.

"Hello, I'm Roxanne Van Niekerk." She moved to stand next to Lars and linked arms with him before the man could exhale his last breath. She said, "What a great day to announce Lars and I are having a baby."

Cameras flashed on Roxanne as she rubbed her stomach for her first baby bump reveal photos.

Karma.

The eternal rollercoaster of life dived into an unexpected book in which the protagonist wasn't sure to survive.

....To be continued.

Hey friends,

I can't believe that I'm here.

This book took me two years and five months to draft. I'm delighted to have finished this first draft. It was supposed to be a stand-alone, but the characters made the scenario derive. Things have taken an unexpected turn. I had to adapt; hence, there's a second book. I hope I'll wrap things up there, and you'll be many to join that ride.

Thank you for reading Rebel Grained and for giving it so much love.

See you in True Blend!!!

Amari