The whole way back home, my mind couldn't settle.
Seeing him again after six years… it felt unreal.
But before I could even process everything—
"Mommmmm!" – Xia's voice pulled me back.
"Yes, baby?"
"Can we invite Gege Xavier to our house?" she asked excitedly.
I paused.
Invite… Xavier?
Which means…
Him.
I forced a small smile. "Why do you want to invite him?"
"Because I like him! He's nice, and we want to play together again!" – Xia said happily.
"Gege also okay with it," – Xayden added, nodding.
Of course they are.
Kids don't think that far.
But I do.
I looked at them for a moment.
Then sighed softly.
"Okay… we're actually planning a housewarming soon anyway," I said. "So we can invite him… and the others too."
"Yayyyyy!" – Xia jumped excitedly. "I want to invite Gege Xavier myself!"
That night, after dinner, I sat alone on the sofa with my phone in my hand.
A housewarming.
It sounded simple.
But for me… it felt complicated.
Because inviting Xavier means—
I have to invite Yushen too.
I stared at the contact list.
Nic. Ying. Aaron…
And then—
Yushen.
My fingers hesitated.
After everything…
Do I really want him to come into my home?
The same home my kids live in.
The same place hiding the truth I've kept for six years.
"Mom, have you invited them?" – Xia suddenly popped beside me.
I almost jumped.
"Not yet, baby…"
"Hurry! I want to tell Gege Xavier!" she said, climbing onto the sofa.
Before I could stop her, she grabbed my phone.
"Xia—wait—"
Too late.
She had already pressed call.
"Hello?" – a familiar young voice answered.
"Gege Xavier! It's Xia!" she said excitedly.
I froze.
My heart started racing.
"Yes! We just reached home! And—" she looked at me with a big smile, "—I want to invite you to our house! We're having a housewarming!"
I covered my face.
There's no turning back now.
"Really? Can I come?" – Xavier sounded excited.
"Yes! You must come! And you bring your daddy also!" – Xia said innocently.
My heart dropped.
There was a short pause on the other side.
Then—
"Okay. I'll tell my dad," Xavier replied.
The call ended.
Slowly… Xia looked at me, smiling proudly.
"Done, Mom!"
I let out a deep breath.
"Yeah… done."
Later that night, I finally sent out proper invitations to Nic, Ying, and Aaron.
Short messages.
Simple.
Safe.
But when it came to his name…
I stared at the screen for the longest time.
In the end, I typed—
"Hi Yushen. I'm hosting a small housewarming this weekend. You and Xavier are welcome to come."
I read it three times.
Neutral.
Distant.
Like nothing ever happened.
Then I hit send.
A few seconds later…
My phone vibrated.
My heart skipped.
Yushen:"What time?"
No hesitation.
No questions.
Just that.
I stared at the message.
And for some reason…
That made it even harder to breathe.
"Mom, are they coming?" – Xayden asked.
I looked at my kids.
Then back at my phone.
"…Yeah," I said softly.
"They're coming."
And just like that—
I've invited the past…
into my present.