Part One - Spring
Until the flowers bloom, please stay a little longer.
Chapter One - Iceberg
May 8th, 20XX
I’ll always remember the day I met you.
May 8th, the day you moved into the little cream-colored house next door.
A nice old lady used to live in that house. She died just a few months ago. She used to tell me stories about her children. The ones who never came to visit. The ones who couldn’t care less about their dying mother. The ones she loved more than anything in the world. I used to think she was insane. How could you ever love someone who doesn’t love you back? Eight years later, I finally understood what it was like to be her.
Your dad was one of her children. Her 2nd son. He really looked like her. Soft jawline, sandy blond hair, ocean blue eyes, a hooked nose, and a heartwarming smile. He was a nice man.
Your mom was beautiful. Soft silky black hair that fluttered in the gentle breeze, chocolate brown dove eyes, a little dimple on the right side of her face, a small button nose, and a laugh that sounded like wind chimes. I thought she was one of the prettiest things on Earth.
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I’d already seen your parents when they came to visit the house, but I never saw you until my family marched right up to your front door, carrying an expensive bottle of cabernet, a giant casserole dish of piperade and a plate of strawberry macarons.
Your mother opened the door, a smile plastered on her face, waving us in with vigor. She told us to take off our shoes, gesturing towards the sets of slippers lined up against the wall.
Turning towards my dad, your mom held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my husband, Elias, speaks very highly of you and your work Mr. Bayard.”
“Please, call me Victor, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss..?”
“Call me Na-Yeon.” She turned towards my mother, noticing her stiff posture and the tight grip on the plate of macarons. “You must be Kathleen, the madeleines you made for us when we first got the boxes shipped were one of the best things I’ve had, it looks like I’m going to have to step up my game yeah?”
Mom cracked a small smile, the corners of her mouth lifting, “Why don’t you come over and I can help teach you how to make them for yourself?”
Your mom let out one of her wind chime laughs, the dimple on her face becoming more prominent. “I’ll take you up on that offer!”
She stepped to the side and looked at me, my small five-year-old self clinging onto the back of my mom’s sundress. “Hi sweetie, you must be Zera! I have a son that’s roughly around your age, let me introduce you two.” She turned around and headed towards your living room. The faint whisper of “Zachary, come here for a second I’d like you to meet someone.” could be heard.
Your mom came back, but this time with you shuffling behind her. Black hair and a dimple like your mother and blue eyes and a soft jawline like your father. Unlike your father, your eyes weren’t like the ocean, they were pale like an iceberg. A little cold, mysterious, and lonely.
“Zera, I’d like you to meet my son Zachary, you two will be going to kindergarten together soon!”
I didn’t pay attention to what she said, but I decided from that moment on, that you were an iceberg. Only so little of you could be seen from the outside, but, I was going to find out what the real you looked like.