It'll Come Naturally

The most beautiful sign that shows a party is full of joy and fun-filled activities is the sound of laughter. The moon was in full bloom, casting its rays onto the partygoers. The heat only served to spur the people's excitement like gasoline to a flame.

Justin was the bona fide leader of the kids. He was charming and respected. He could be decisive if need be, and was always dignified in his actions; sometimes, he was also caring, a key aspect on how a leader should be. People tended to forget that leaders needed to care about the ones they were leading. The kids loved him for that.

"Hey, Justin. When are you going to get married?" Eden, whose nosiness was a match even for Rain, asked while grilling some chicken wings over the glowing coals. As a medical student, he wasn't very tactful and was often blunt with his words.

"Don't be absurd. It's way too early for that kind of thing. I'm still really young." Justin, for all his genius, actually believed in fate. If he was ever going to get married, it would be with someone he loved deeply, and of course, fate should give him signs that she was the one. He set the girlfriend bar pretty high. As the boss of the FX International group, he just wouldn't fall for any girl he saw.

"You're not that young. You're almost thirty for God's sake," Eden quipped. Some of the hot embers drifted onto his hand. He recoiled in pain and started waving his hand up and down. He then backed away from the barbeque.

"What's this almost nonsense? Thirty is still a ways to go," Justin protested. He wasn't really against marriage. What he was totally averse to was the idea of a loveless marriage. Also, he absolutely did not want to turn into his father, whose private and personal life was preyed upon by the media. Even the birth of Jasmine hit headlines back then. The reporters loved to spread gossip like wildfire, particularly about his private life, but nothing they said in the news was true.

Hearing his protests to Eden's question, Joyce turned to look at Justin. Sooner or later, he would have to choose someone to marry and become a father of his own. The days of them being together like this were getting fewer and fewer, Joyce thought. "Joyce, what's wrong?" Jasmine asked in concern when she saw her troubled expression.

"Oh, It's nothing. I'm just really full. I'm going to take a walk over there." Joyce forced an apologetic smile and stood up. From her worries she didn't notice her troubles were already manifesting themselves on her expression.

"I'll go with you," Jasmine said and stood up as well. The glow of the flames illuminated her already beautiful face. Her perfectly chiseled features were only made more apparent by the light.

"It's okay. I'd like to be alone, to be honest. Stay here and eat some more barbeque," Joyce quickly said, her hands gesturing Jasmine to stop. She then turned around and slowly walked away. Unbeknownst to even herself, her eyes had been glued to Justin all this time. She knew she had lost her heart to him.

She always knew he had always seen her only as a sister, no more, no less. She didn't dare confess to him about how she felt. She was too afraid to lose what they had now - a solid friendship.

She stood there, eyes downcast, arms crossed over her chest. She was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn't notice someone was already standing in front of her.

"Joyce, what're you doing here all alone? Don't you like the barbeque?" Daisy had been talking with Belinda and the others over the fire. Joyce's abruptly standing up and walking away alone caught her eye. So, she followed her.

"I love it, Aunt Daisy. How about you? Why're you here?" Joyce hid her sadness through a graceful smile. This prompted Daisy to smile back.

"I just saw that you were alone out here, so I thought maybe we could walk together," Daisy answered. Daisy saw Joyce's eyes whenever they fell upon Justin. They reminded her of the days when she first met Edward. She had that exact same look when she started falling for him. It was a pity Justin hadn't realized the looks Joyce had been giving him, or maybe he knew but didn't want to change the relationship between him and Joyce.

"Aunt Daisy, how did you and Uncle Edward meet?" Joyce asked innocently. She had always been curious, but nobody seemed to know the exact story.

"Do you really want to know? Well, let's see. It's actually kind of silly. One day we met when were young and I kind of couldn't get him out of my head anymore. I fell in love with him. Then we met years after, and he didn't remember me at all." Daisy stared upwards to the sky and started to vividly recall the old days. They played in her head clearly as if it was just yesterday.

"So you secretly admired Uncle Edward?" Joyce asked, intrigued. That was exactly her situation right now with Justin. She was a secret admirer, watching him from afar, too afraid to open herself up to him. She even went as far as to attend university in a different city so that maybe, in time, her feelings would fade. She was never more wrong in her life. The distance only kept her thinking about him more often than before.

"Yes, I did," Daisy admitted, a faint smile forming on her lips.

"But you and Uncle Edward are very happy now. So maybe people get what they want as long as they hang on a little longer, right?" It sounded like a question, but it seemed more like Joyce was trying to convince herself not to let go.

"Not always. Love is complicated and it takes two people to make it work. Love can't be forced. It just comes naturally with both people. However, if a person doesn't even bother to try, they don't deserve a chance. Love also requires effort. Even if you get shot down, at least you know the answer instead of spending a long time regretting the what ifs," Daisy explained to her. As much as she liked Joyce and would be glad to become her mother-in-law, she also had a high regard for her son's feelings. It was a delicate balancing act. She didn't want to side with either one.

"I see. Thank you, Aunt Daisy." Joyce took a deep breath, puffed up her cheeks and decided to take the leap. Even if she got rejected, she would face it with courage.

"You're welcome. I'm glad that you figured it out," Daisy said, stroking Joyce's hair. 'What a lovely girl! Polite and sensible. Her kind is slowly becoming extinct these days. It's a shame that Justin doesn't feel the same, 'Daisy thought to herself. Love was never about perfection, but feelings.

"Aunt Daisy, do you know something?" Joyce asked her in surprise. She thought she had disguised her emotions well. But Daisy seemed to have it all figured out. She felt so exposed.

"You mean the fact that you like my son? If it is, then yes, I know a little." Daisy never meant to hide the fact that she knew. She smiled wryly.

"Sorry, Aunt Daisy. I..." Joyce almost curled up in embarrassment. Her Aunt saw through her like glass. She wanted the ground to swallow her up at that moment.

"Now. Don't apologize. Open your heart to the outside world, Joyce. Maybe after some time, you never know, you'll realize that the feelings you have for Justin now is just some kind of puppy love. It will pass," Daisy pointed out. She didn't want Joyce to be disappointed and regretful someday.NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.

"That's what I initially thought. I assumed my feelings for him would disappear over time, but they didn't! They only became stronger." Joyce cried out helplessly. She closed her eyes in frustration.

"Young lady, you know what? In the game of love, the first to fall loses," Daisy reminded her the painful lesson she learned all those years ago. She let out a sigh when she realized the kid wouldn't back down. She saw so much of herself in Joyce back when she was young, confused and struggling in love, so she understood exactly what Joyce might've been feeling. It pained Daisy, but she also knew this was exactly why Joyce had to face this all by herself. Daisy couldn't interfere by telling Justin how she felt and nor could she force him into reciprocating Joyce's feelings.

"I'm fine. I might look delicate but I'm tough. Aunt Daisy, please don't tell Justin that I like him. I'm afraid that once he knows, he'll try to avoid me," Joyce pleaded. Even if it was unrequited love, she treasured every minute with Justin. She didn't want to ruin that.

"Of course. I won't tell him. Please don't beat yourself up about this. If he doesn't love you back, it only proves he's still a silly boy; you deserve better then." Since she had also been in a similar situation with Edward in the past, Daisy felt that it wouldn't hurt to give Joyce some advice. No one had ever offered her such advice when she was faced with this problem. So, she had to wait for Edward for a long time. She was lucky because they ended up together. Otherwise, she couldn't even begin to imagine how her life would be right now if they didn't. However, she didn't want Joyce to wait for Justin hopelessly. They were different people with different circumstances. What worked for her might not work for Joyce.

"I understand." Her eyes started to get blurry and wet, but Joyce managed to fight back the tears as she looked up at the sky.

The coals were extinguished, and everybody cleaned up. The party was over. Everyone made their way to their rooms to rest. Daisy decided to have a serious talk with Justin. She barged into his bedroom without even knocking to announce herself, a bad habit she picked up from her husband.