Hang on, this is NOT the end. There's still one more chapter (Epilogue) and a sequel, YES, a sequel coming right up. Stay tune for more details on it!

The Lakeside Restaurant was an exclusive and luxurious restaurant which demanded all its customers to make reservations beforehand. It was situated beside a man-made lake whereby water activities like fishing and ski-ridding often took place. The restaurant’s exterior was furnished in distinct colors with a combination of blue and silver.

Alison gulped as her turn came at the front of the queue. At the check-in point, she said nervously, “I need a seat, please.” She was really nervous because the people behind and her were all decked in jewels and expensive night dresses. She heard one girl mutter, “I was expecting a 10 carat Tiffany ring but he gave me only a 5 carat one so I broke up with him!” It was terrifying to hobnob with the rich and the famous.

The Manager, who was busily checking people in, was impeccably dressed and his gold nametag read, “John Hopkins”. He eyed her doubtfully and asked, “Have you made a reservation?”

“Ah, I haven’t, but my boyfr-”

“No reservations, no entering,” he answered bossily. “Next!” Alison was pushed out of the way but a bunch of giggling girls all wearing matching Christian Dior dresses.

“Please! I’ve a friend who is waiting for me,” she whispered frantically.

“Ask your friend to come here then,” the Manager sneered.

“But I don’t have a mobile, I’m really meeting a friend here!” Alison wailed. A lot of people were staring her now. The group of look-alike girls were snickering and pointing at her. She could hear “Freak”, “Weirdo” and some other less than flattering phrases hurled at her. She wanted to cry, sink down onto her feet or just bury herself in the bushes. She felt insulted, no, pissed, was the correct word. If only someone could save her from this socially embarrassing situation….

“Is there a problem?” A low, husky voice sounded out. A man stepped from inside the restaurant and he was staring at the commotion.

“Mr Kingston!” The Manager cried out. “Don’t worry, it’s just a frisky little girl trying to barge her way in. Rest assure, the moment your date, Miss Goodall comes, we’ll notify you.”

Edward was staring at her now and squinted his eyes. Alison got up to her feet. She should just run back home now. She didn’t fit in with anyone. She didn’t even deserve to be his boyfriend. As Jessica would say, she would never match up to him.

“Alison?” he murmured.

“No, I’m not, I..er…will just go.” She should just run back home, call Edward and tell him that she was cancelling the date and that they had better not meet up because they were a mismatched couple. She was never in this league to begin with. Even those girls watching matching Gucci boots would be better suited for Edward than her.

But before she could scurry away inconspicuously, a strong arm grabbed her. “What the fuck are you doing?” he muttered.

“I…er…” There was a lump in her throat. The moment she saw him, she just couldn’t be coherent anymore. No, not those hypnotizing blue eyes….

“Mr Hopkins, this,” Edward pulled her closer to him. “-is my date. Now, will you please excuse her and let both of us enter?” he snapped unhappily.

“This is Miss Goodall?” The Manager’s eyes bulged outwards, looking like a goldfish. All the other patrons were also tittering as they watched the scene goggle-eyed.

“Yes,” Edward hissed and shoved the man out of the way, half-dragging Alison into the restaurant. Alison could barely believe her eyes. Inside the restaurant, its brightly-lit rooms with chandeliers stood out as uniformly-dressed waiters scurry past the tables whilst balancing dangerously stacked plates and cups with their hands (and sometimes on  their heads). She tried to avoid knocking into a waiter.

“Sit here,” Edward pushed her gently into a seat and she blinked. They were in one of those private rooms and the noise slowly faded out until the quietness took over.

“Now.” Edward turned easily to her. “What on earth happened out there?” He sat down comfortably on one the plump chairs and folded his arms.

“That pompous manager almost threw me out because I was too shabbily dressed.”

Something clicked in Edward’s brain, she could sense it. An angry look passed over his face and he growled, snapping into his bad-ass mode, “I’ll get a complaint letter in by tomorrow morning.”

Alison didn’t reply. She just stared at him.  It felt strange to be so physically close to be after so long. They were sitting opposite each other at a ridiculously long table. He looked so dark and handsome and he was wearing a white polo shirt and black trousers and he smelt so good (his scent was always strawberry shampoo), as if he had just stepped out of the shower after bathing.

“Why the hell did you choose such an expensive diner to meet?” she demanded.

“You don’t like it?” Edward gestured to the sparkling candle lights on the table. “I thought all girls love these things. A fancy restaurant, a candlelight dinner and sorts.”

“Perhaps you don’t understand me, after all,” Alison said sullenly. This accentuated another one of their key differences. “What is it you want to talk about?”

Before Edward could answer, a waiter came in. “Mr Kingston, can I have your order now?” he asked professionally and his glance flickered to Alison only for a second but not before giving her a critical glance. Alison suddenly felt self-conscious and turned away, her face reddening.

“A bottle of red and two wine glasses please,” he answered lightly and the waiter breezed out briskly again.

“The other day when you went all emotional on me,” Edward began uncertainly. “You mentioned that you knew about Amber’s… pregnancy. Are you pissed with me because of that?”

“Not really,” Alison admitted. “I was just unhappy because you weren’t honest with me.”

“Believe me, I really wanted to tell you the truth but it’s hard. How am I supposed to phrase those words anyway?” Edward mocked sarcastically. “Oh, hi, Alison, by the way, I got my ex-girlfriend pregnant and told her to abort it?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” She frowned and crossed her legs nervously. “I…I just wanted to know why Amber aborted the baby and why you didn’t end up with her as you should. Weren’t you a happy couple?”

“You’re mistaken, just like everyone else,” Edward suppressed a grimace. “The “happy couple” thing was just a show we put on to give the impression. It was necessary for both of us. For me, I needed someone more…influential to depend on during high school. As for Amber-” his face hardened. “-she just made use of me to get attention and authority.”

“But…” Alison looked confused and she stopped.

“Yes?” Edward stared at her. “What do you want to say?” he asked gently, careful not to startle her.

“Sorry, but I thought you were a nobody back in high school,” she whispered. “Amber didn’t need  you.”

Surprisingly, Edward didn’t look the least offended. “She wanted me because of my looks and money. I was originally a nobody because of choice. I was careful to the point of being extreme such that I was suspicious of everyone wanting to be my friend. Until finally one day, I just got so angry about having no friends I ended up hooking up with her.”

“Why didn’t you keep the…the baby then?” Alison bit her soft lips. Edward wasn’t any much older than her but to think of him as a father, it was quite hard to imagine. Mentally wise, he would make a great dad because he was so caring and responsible. But….physically wise, it was hard to imagine herself as a mother, let alone him as a parent.

“It’s complicated.” His face darkened as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Edward kept tapping his fingers on the table, a move which Alison recognized as a sign of anxiety.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to push it and tell me, I understand,” she said.

Edward replied wryly. “No, I want you to know. Ever since I declared my ardent love for you, I’ve been trying to seek an opportune time in order for me to tell you all my past and secrets except that it was hard for such topics to come up during a casual conversation. ”

“Hmm,” Alison tried to disguise her astonishment at his proclamation with a cough.

Ignoring her, Edward continued, “When I first heard that she was pregnant, I didn’t really feel that sense of happiness I was supposed to get when one knows that he is going to be a father.”

“Maybe it was because you were too young so you were scared?” Alison offered.

“No,” he shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. She came to me and asked if we wanted to keep the baby but the sudden thought of spending the rest of my life with her put me off. The idea was downright terrifying. That made me realizes that I wasn’t suited for her in the first place. I had never really treated her as my girlfriend. ”

At this moment, a knock came on the door. Both of them stiffened and waited as the waiter came in, put down the wine bottle and poured the red liquid into the fragile wine goblets before sailing out again.

“Have a drink,” he gestured, picking up the glass itself.

“Minors can’t drink,” she retorted.

Edward grinned. “This is America, my dear. Don’t tell me you haven’t drunk alcohol in your life?”

“Only sake and that was only rice wine in Japan,” she said defensively. When Edward shot her a look (which somehow, really resembled her father), she mutely took up the glass and swirled the red wine just like how people usually did in those old 80s movies.

He watched her action with great amusement and cleared his throat. “Her parents were terrified of course. They kept urging her to abort it but she didn’t want to. My parents were shocked and they were utterly disappointed with me. I don’t know how Dad and Mum managed to completely trust me again.”

For a moment there, Alison got a flash of his real parents but the image soon changed to one of John and Paula Kingston. Of course he wasn’t talking about his birth parents but his guardians, the same ones who loved and raised him. Alison finally understood the pain they must have felt when Edward committed this almost irreversible mistake.

“Both my parents respected my decision and I held the final decision. I don’t know why Amber wanted the baby at first and I badgered her into telling me. It turned out that she thought that with the baby, she would be able to bind me to her forever,” he said, his face became a picture of disgust. “After I confronted her, she agreed to do it.”

Catching sight of Alison’s discomfited face, he said, “This incident would always be a shadow. I wouldn’t deny that I feel really guilty about destroying a life which I created myself. Sometimes, I just wished that I can turn back the time again.” He released a melancholic sigh.

“And what? Have a baby with Amber again?”

“Obviously not.” His face turned serious and intent. “I wished that I hadn’t messed with Amber and maybe…my past wouldn’t be tainted forever like that. That was before I met you. After falling in love with you, I kept wondering if I had met you earlier, maybe things would have turned out different.”

“This is fate. We can’t control things like that,” Alison added softly. It strangely reminded her of what Etsuko once said, “It is no use to wish for something one can’t have. Always remember that, Alison-san.” Funny how the same saying could be applied to two vastly different contexts.

“Will you forgive me Alison?” Edward’s face was pained. “I knew that you were hung up about the virtue thing but I’m so sorry I did so many idiotic things in the past. You…you don’t know how much I want the clock to turn back,” he choked out and a single drop of tear streamed down his tanned perfect face.

Alison’s eyes widened. He had never seen Edward cry and the remorseful and agonizing look he had made her want to sob too.

She reached across the table voluntarily and clutched his hand, “Edward, I forgive you. I was too childish and kept harping on stupid stuff like preserving your virtue and I’m going to correct that now. I wasn’t here to share your pain three years ago but I’m here today just for that.”

As if he couldn’t help it, Edward managed a weak smile. “Alison, sometimes, I wonder how you can be so mature at the age of sixteen. At your age, I was still a fool who didn’t know what to do with my life.”

“Everyone’s different. You can right this wrong as long as you try,” she whispered.

“Miss Weber…Angela called me, you know.” Edward stroked her skin with his long fingers.

“She did?” Alison looked up in amazement. “What did she say?”

“She told me a lot of stuff. It seems like she gave you a lot to think about,” he mused. “She also explained some of the difficulties you faced. I never knew that living here in America could be so difficult for you at first.”

“It’s really all my fault,” Alison said tactfully and took a little sip of wine. It tasted disgustingly bitter. “ I needed time to readjust my values and thinking and I just had to learnt to be an American and not a Japanese.”

“And were you successful in the end?”

Alison smiled. “I figured it didn’t matter whether I was truly American or Japanese as long as I remain as myself and don’t lose my own individual identity.”

“So right,” he murmured. “But I honestly promise that I’ll try and consider your viewpoint as well. What Angela said was true, I’ve been an insensitive bastard. I didn’t consider our differences at all.”

“I believe you,” she murmured and added, “So you’re not mad at Angela for saying those secrets of yours? You aren’t going to give her detention or anything, good o’Terror?”

“I am,” he laughed. “But I’m also glad that she got the awkward part out for me. Girls are really better at approaching sensitive subjects. But you’re seriously not at all bothered by the virtue”

“Did she tell you about your erratic tempers in class?” Alison couldn’t resist asking.

“Well, I can’t help if my mood swings happen to correspond to the ups and downs of our relationship,” Edward said tenderly as he twirled his finger with her curly brown hair. “Nice hairstyle,” he murmured appreciatively as he withdrew back to look at her more carefully. “Nice dress too.”

“Thanks.” Her face glowed. “Mother did all these for me. I think she went overboard.”

“I don’t think so.” Edward smirked as his teeth grazed her skin. “By the way, how are your parents handling the issue with your sister?”

“Pretty well. They had a heated argument though.”

“Understandably, I’m telling you, mine aren’t that happy either.”

“Are they okay then?”

“Mum kept blaming Carrie.” He gave her an apologetic look. “But everyone else knows that we have put up with Jane for far too long already.”

“Didn’t they spot the signs of teenage rebellion much earlier on? Why didn’t they stop it?” Alison asked, confused.

“Dad was all for getting a counselor,” Edward looked bummed out. “But Mum insisted it was nothing and her darling angel daughter wouldn’t do anything bad. Turns out she was wrong. Dad kept blaming himself that he should have took Jane in rein a long time ago. If not for my sister, your sister wouldn’t have ended up in custody now.”

“It isn’t your fault. Carrie was in the wrong too.”

“Just to tell you, Alex had a massive row with Mum. He almost threatened to move out if Mum kept shielding Jane and blaming both Carrie and you as a bad influence.” Edward gazed at her curiously. “How come you never told me you guys made up again?”

Alison swelled up with pride. Good old Alex, sticking up for her as usual. He was indeed a worthy loyal friend. She replied, “We just reunited recently. I didn’t get the chance to talk to you at all.”

“And he isn’t interested in you anymore?” Edward just looked a little jealous as he swigged another mouthful of wine.

“I think I made it pretty clear that if he dares to bring up his crush again, our friendship is off,” she answered cheerily.

“That settles it then.” Edward leant back and he looked positively relaxed as his fingers circled the ring of the wine glass. “All our problems are finally solved then.”

“Edward…” Alison scrunched up her face. “I need to tell you something.”

“What?” He suddenly turned alert again and narrowed his eyes.

“I…I receive a scholarship which I’m entitled to the moment I turn eighteen.”

His anxious face dissolved into a genuine portrait of happiness. “That’s great! Can you go to any university then? Why don’t you go to Stanford? I would be able to meet you then by the time you graduated!” He said hurriedly as his mind flicked through numerous possibilities and plans.

“You got it wrong, Edward,” she frowned. “I can only receive the scholarship if I go to a Japanese university and…it requires me to bond to a Japanese company and work there for a minimum of five years.”

“What?” Edward looked staggered. “Doesn’t that mean you’ll be gone for an entire decade?”

“Give or take a year but yes.” Alison’s forehead creased with worry. “Do you think I should take it?”

“It’s your decision of course,” Edward tried to smile but couldn’t. “I’m sure you’ll get wonderful opportunities there and you’ll have wonderful colleagues, friends, boyfriends…”

“Are you trying to ditch me?” Her voice rose by an octave.

“No,” Edward said sadly. “I’m just saying, if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. I’ll still wait for you until you return back to America, no matter how it takes.”

“Are you sure Edward? I’m after all, a rather insignificant high school girl. Surely some other future college girl would capture your interest,” she said lightly but even she could detect the note of fear in her voice.

“There is no one else quite like you,” Edward summoned his most mature voice. “I’m afraid that without you, I’ll feel quite lost in my life,” he said gravely. “I’m just trying to say that I won’t be so selfish as to want you to sacrifice your dreams for me but just promise me, you won’t go back to Japan and not return here again.”

“I haven’t decided yet. You don’t have to get so uptight about it.” Alison shrugged. “It still depends on… a lot of things actually.”

“On what then?” His eyes flashed with interest.

“On certain circumstances,” she echoed her father’s words and raised her glass. “Let’s just forget that for a while and enjoy this moment for ourselves.”

“Now that’s a thought.” He raised his wine glass too.

“May we be together for as long as we’re happy,” she smiled.

“I’m all for it,” Edward said enthusiastically.

They knocked the glasses together and Alison could practically feel the vibrations as the seconds passed. “I hope both of us honor that promise.” She snuggled up against his chest, feeling warm and secure once more.

“Forever and ever,” he agreed and kissed her.

THE END

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