A connection worth exploring

Melanie pauses to look directly at Ryan because she is also really happy that they ran into each other but she is not ready to own up to it, majorly because she is not willing to put her mind to the possibility of them sharing a potential friendship or relationship, then she will now find out that he is somebody like Caleb.

"Ryan, I will see you around." She tells him as she carries Kionna down from his car but her sleeping beauty wakes up, gets down from her hands, and starts walking towards the door.

"Definitely." Ryan nods and hands her Kionna’s belongings, before taking his card from his breast pocket and handing it over to her.

“Call me if you want us to be friends” he leaves her with the choice before entering his car and zooming off.

As Ryan leaves, Melanie finds it difficult to let go of the notion that their spontaneous meeting could signal the start of something special but at the same time she doesn’t want to block his chances before he has the opportunity to prove himself to her so she neatly tucks his card away into her purse, joins Kionna at the entrance, puts in the passcode and they let themselves into the house.

“You guys are finally back,” Kalinin points out as soon as they step inside and Kionna rushes to hug her mom who was busy setting the dinner table.

“Mommy!” she exclaims, really excited to see her mom after being away from her for the past few hours.

“Welcome, My princess!” Kalinin welcomes Kionna with the same excitement as she picks her up and pecks her uncontrollably.

“Did you miss mommy?” she asks Kionna and Kionna nods.

“Mommy also missed you so much,” she tells Kionna, but while they were busy talking, Martins walks out of this matrimonial bedroom to have his dinner

Kionna jumps down from Kalinin’s arms and pounces on Martins who is busy washing his hands at the washing hand basin.e

“Daddy!” she squeals, really excited to reunite with her father again.

“So how was your day?” Kalinin removes her apron as she gets down to serving Martins's food.

“It was really good…” Melanie answers her.

“Hope Kionna didn’t frustrate you?” Kalinin asks her sister.

“Of course not…we had such a wonderful time at the park today” Melanie briefs Kalinin.

“Did you guys just leave the park?” Martins asks but Melanie shakes her head.

“I skipped lunch and I was so hungry so my favorite human and I stopped by that fancy restaurant close to the park to grab something to eat and I made new friends at the restaurant,” Melanie informs and Kalinin squeals excitedly, almost spilling Martins dinner.

“Mel…can you please pause your gist till your sister is done serving me so that I can have my dinner in peace because I am starving” Martin’s pleads with Melanie and that makes she and her sister giggle.

Kalinin rushes to serve Martins food before she goes to the living room to scoot closer to Melanie so that she can get the full gist of her day, ditching her dinner.

“What type of friends did you make?”

“Are they guys?”

“Or are they girls?” Kalinin bombards Melanie with questions while Martins focuses on his dinner, ignoring the two sisters because he knows that he will still get the simplified gist from his wife later.

“Not really…I just met a cute guy and his mom” she informs her sister.

“That wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still want to hear the full gist,” Kalinin says, trying really hard to mask her disappointment.

“I will say that it was nothing spectacular, but since you want to hear the gist, I will tell you” Melanie starts.

“Ryan and I ran into each other in the packed restaurant while I was trying to get Kiki and me a place to seat, I saw Karen and I just assumed that she was Ryan’s sugar mommy but when Ryan walked towards me to strike up a conversation, I found out that Karen was his mom…he invited Kiki and me to their table because they ordered too much food and that was how we got talking and we made each other acquaintance,” Melanie summarizes and Kalinin goes wide-eyed.

“Was the restaurant in question by any chance the Bistro Bliss?” Kalinin asks Melanie and Melanie nods in the affirmative which makes Kalinin’s jaw drop.

“Why is your wife acting this dramatic?” Melanie directs her question to Martins.

“That may be because she wondering what the odds of you meeting the owner of Bistro Bliss and her son in your first week in Orion while she who has been in Orion for four years hasn’t gotten that opportunity” Martins answers Melanie.

“Exactly my point,” Kalinin supports her husband’s theory after she snaps out of her state of momentary shock

“I guess we can just say that I am one lucky girl…” Melanie mutters as she gets up to freshen up in her room.

“Is that the end of the gist?” Kalinin asks her as she gets up from the chair and starts following her sister.

“That is the end of the gist so get back to your husband and have your dinner in peace…I am stuffed already so I won’t be eating this night” Melanie informs her sister as she walks towards her room.

“Thank you so much for today both for the nice time at the restaurant and for dropping me and my favorite human at home…from Melanie Carson,” On getting to her room, she takes out Ryan’s card out of her purse and texts Ryan.

After texting Ryan, she sets her phone on the dressing mirror, goes in for a warm bath, does her skincare routine, and settles into bed by re-reading It Starts with Us, one of her favorite love stories by Colleen Hoover and she calls it a night.