Luna

Came back home, tired but really happy. I hadn't had this much fun in ages. The kids were my source of happiness and having Colton there made it more fun. He was great with kids, knew how to make them laugh, read them, and get along with them. It was nice to see the kids happy, especially since their parents were away and they missed them a ton.

I called Barry and guess what? He just woke up!

"I feel awful from last night. We wrapped up at six in the morning already." He yawned aloud and asked. "What's up?"

"I hang out with the kids all day. We had a blast at the amusement park. And guess what..." before I could even say that Colton came too, he just cut me off.

"Tell me, how was your meeting with Colton? Did he say he'd fix our company?"

"Yup, he did. He'll be around on Monday."

"Yes! I know you can convince him. I'm confident we can make our company massive and expand into Europe and Asia. I can already picture how our competitors will react. They're gonna be shaking." He chuckled aloud. "Sorry, but I need to end the call, babe. I can't keep my eyes open."

"Okay. Get all the sleep you need." I said, then we hung up.

Before calling it a night, I had a play session with Bonnie, my black poodle. We played fetch, tug-of-war, and hide and seek. It didn't take long. Like me, she was tired. She went to the park and hung out with some dogs. My nanny, Remedios, who's been with me since forever, took her.

"You look happy. Had a good time with the kids?" Remedios asked.

"Yeah, I totally did. I can't even remember the last time I had that much fun as a kid."

"I can't blame you. You didn't have anyone to play with as a kid. Riding a Ferris wheel or carousel with your parents, nanny, and bodyguards was not enjoyable at all."

My brother Sebastian was eight years older than me, so he never wanted to come along to kid's amusement parks, except on vacations to places like Disneyland and Universal Studios. I was scoping out the toys while he was eyeing the girls.

Sometimes, my parents' friends' daughters would hang out with me. Just a bunch of entitled brats who tell me what to do. It was a real pain to tag along and do what they wanted.

That's why I got into books. I imagined having fun, because real fun was impossible in the real world.

"Aw, poor kid," Remedios shook her head. "I'm glad you came home with a huge smile on your face."

"Mmm," I nodded and said, "Colton was there too."

"Oh, you mean Madam Sweet's younger brother?" Her eyebrows rose questioningly.

"That's right."

"But you can't stand the guy. You hate him?" Her eyebrows snapped together.

"We called a truce today for the kids. We tried to keep it friendly and not throw shade."

"No way, really? That's great for you guys. Hopefully, you can talk about the past and straighten things out. I don't think he's a terrible person, to be honest. The kids and the staff said so many good things about him. He's everyone's favorite, you know. Even your parents."

"Obviously, he's nice to everyone. He's got a problem with just me. He's always picking on me, never letting me catch a break."

"Well, you're treating him the same way."

"He never fails to annoy me, even when I'm being civil."

I spilled all the details about my dinner with Colton last Friday. Yeah, I skipped the elevator kiss. I went on and on about the fun we had with the kids at the amusement park that day. She was keen to listen. That's how it's always been since I was a kid.

I kept my strange feelings about Colton to myself. On how my whole body tingled and set on fire whenever our elbows brushed or he touched my back to protect me from others, or when he said my name beautifully and stuff.

It's driving me up the wall. I hate him, but my stupid body can't help but go crazy for him. I do not know how I'm supposed to feel anymore.

I said goodnight to Remedios and called it a night. I was lying in bed, trying to sleep, but Colton was on my mind.

Good grief. I got to stop thinking about Colton. Me and Barry are tying the knot. I should start planning our upcoming engagement party. I'm only attracted to Colton. Barry's the one I love. We shared dreams in love and a career.

***

The next day, I headed back to my parents' place, where the entire Stavrakos clan would meet up every Sunday for lunch. Everyone showed up, even the kids, except for their parents, who were still on their honeymoon in Dubai.

"I'm happy you're here early," my mom said as she gave me hugs and kisses. "Can you see what the chef is up to? He's new, so he doesn't know our food preferences."

"Sure," I said and made my way to the kitchen.

My family always trusted my food choices. They thought I had a magic touch in making tasty dishes and recipes. I grew up experimenting with dishes, pastries, and cakes, with the help of Remedios, who was a total foodie. The staff and my family were the ultimate tasters. My creation impressed them and thought it was super tasty.

My family was disappointed when I went into the clothing business. They always thought I'd get into the food business to share my talent and knowledge with everyone. And that's not all. After finishing business management at NYU, I went to France with my BFF, Sage. We did baking and culinary arts courses for an entire year.

I ran into Barry while doing my internship in France. I was just at the grocery store when he bumped into me. He apologized and helped me pick up my groceries that were all over the place. The meeting was so short, I barely remembered what he looked like when I got home. I was shocked to hear ringing in my grocery bag. I couldn't believe I put his phone in the bag. I picked up the phone, and we met that day. Turns out, we were both from the same place - New York. He was in France for a few days for work. He was a sales rep for an international clothing brand. It was such a bummer that we both went to NYU, but never got a chance to meet.

But anyway, the past is the past. What is important is the present. Then we started dating.

He was constantly traveling for work, and it sucks not getting to see each other all the time. We thought it would be great to start a business together after being in a relationship for a year. We could be together all the time. I gave up on my dream of running a restaurant and went along with his idea of starting a clothing brand. He was confident he could make it super successful because of his experience. I put up the money, and he used his sales skills. So, that's the story of how Glamour Fashion Company started.

I met Chef Gio in the kitchen. A middle-aged Asian chef.

"What are you making?"

"Your dad is craving for some Filipino food. I've got Chicken Adobo, Seafood Kare-Kare, Pancit Canton, Chop Suey and Lumpia Shanghai here."

I tried the dishes while he watched, waiting for me to say something.

"The Chop Suey is kinda bland, it needs some kick. Trust me, oyster sauce will take it to the next level."

"Got it."

"We got to put more peanut butter in the Kare-Kare." I said, then went to grab a bottle of PB in the cupboard. "No worries, I got this." Then, I tried the noodles. "Hmm... add dried chorizo in the Pancit Canton and pork cracklings on top..."

Later, we had all the dishes ready to serve.

"Wow! Ma'am, you've seriously impressed me. You've got some magic touch and taste buds. If you ever open a restaurant, I'd be thrilled to work for you."

The compliment boosted my ego. I still wish I could open a restaurant someday. If our clothing company succeeds, maybe.

***

I went back to the living room and joined my family. The kids were cracking up while Dad played hide and seek with them. Mom was chatting with my grandmas Pia and Celine, discussing these new skincare products that supposedly erase wrinkles. While my two grandpas, Kristov and Gareth, were playing chess.

"Food is ready. Let's eat." I announced it to everyone.

"Great! I'm starving." Grandpa Gareth stood up, knocking on the chessboard. Grandpa Kristov looked disappointed, scratching his head.

"Where's Gary?" Grandpa Gareth asked when we were all settled at the dining table.

"It's Barry, Grandpa." I corrected him. "He's busy."

"Busy? He's working on Sundays?" Grandma Pia asked. "He should take some days off."

"Did you let him know it's our family day?" Grandpa Kristov asked. "You're engaged. It's time for him to join us. He'll be part of our family soon."

"I told Luna that Barry is welcome to join us." Mom seemed defensive. She was totally against Barry from the start.

"He'll be here next time. He's got something important to take care of at the office. You know the situation we are in now, right?" I said, hoping that they'd dismiss the topic.

I called Barry this morning to remind him of the Sunday lunch with my family. But he declined, saying he has some documents to sign and contract to study. He needed it to be done on Monday. I couldn't force him if he didn't want to.

"Sure, we do." Dad nodded. "Did Colton agree to lend a hand with fixing your company?"

"Yeah. He said he'll handle it personally."

"I told you," Dad looked proud. "Colton is really something, you know. He wouldn't say no to a family. He cares."

"Absolutely. He's amazing. Career and personality wise." Mom agreed, while I was there, controlling from rolling my eyes.

"That's great. He's always on the go. He's in high demand, his business is all over the world. I'm glad he put you first and helped." Grandpa Kristov said.

"He's a real go-getter and reached the top all on his own. That trait is impressive," Mom added.

"I agree." Grandma Pia said. "He's such a sweetheart, always thinking about others and being super close with his family. Whoever marries him will be so lucky."

"Yep, you're right. He's handsome too." Grandma Celine added, and everyone agreed.

I sighed, hoping they would stop talking about Colton and concentrate on their food.

"Oh. Luna, tell us what happened yesterday. You and Colton took the kids to the amusement park," Mom said, and everyone was in earshot. "The kids couldn't stop talking about it when they got here this morning."

"Oh really? That's a surprise." Grandma Celine's interest perked up, and everyone's attention focused on me. "How was it?"

"It was super fun. The kids were having a good time."

"And?" Grandma Pia asked.

My eyebrows went up, and then I said. "We went on different rides. The kids were having a blast, running around and super excited. Then we went to McDonalds to eat."

"Yeah, we did!" Samuel said. "Uncle Colton was hilarious. We were on the water boat and he almost fell in the water."

Everyone was laughing, and I was like, duh! If they only knew. He was just being silly to make the kids laugh.

Mom said, "Colton is awesome with kids, and the kids love him."

"Totally." Dad nodded. "I'm glad that he's helping Luna's business. Now that he's spending more time here in the city, he'll be able to bond with us more. We should invite him to our Sunday family hangout."

My head snapped up, disagreeing with him. "Why? He's not a Stavrakos."

"His sister is," Grandpa Kristov corrected me, "so he's family, too."

Everyone agreed, and the kids were super excited. I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.

"Yay!" Zoe shouted. "Uncle Colton said..." she stopped and chewed her chocolate cake.

Everyone was all ears, waiting for her to keep going.

"What did Uncle Colton say?" Grandma Pia seemed curious.

"Uncle Colton said, I'm pretty." Zoe continued and everyone was like, aww. "He also said I'm as pretty as Aunt Luna."

My eyes grew enormous, and all eyes turned to me.

Later, we talked about my engagement party with Barry. We've booked the Stavrakos Hotel for the event. It was a great venue for the guests because it was in the city center. I told them to keep it simple and low-key. Just for family and friends, like Sweet and Sebastian's anniversary. No press or media allowed, and everyone agreed happily. They preferred it that way, taking our private affairs away from the media.