by Nia Arthurs
When I continue to gawk like an airhead, Danny gives me a funny look and skirts my frozen body to trot to his room. I spin and admire him from the back—just as beautiful as the front of him.
I need an intervention.
Or maybe a couple dozen cats.
It is with supreme effort that I tiptoe into the bathroom and run through my morning routine. Every part of me wants to sneak into Danny’s room and watch him dress from some obscure corner of the closet.
See… this is why I can’t be around Daniel Kwan. All my latent stalker tendencies rise to the surface.
I want to leave this house as soon as possible, but I know Aiden won’t let me go until I’ve tasted and graded his sandwich. Dread boiling in my heart, I tiptoe out of the corridor and poke my head around the wall to the kitchen.
Male voices rumble in the air. Danny and Aiden stand with their backs to me. Danny’s head is in the fridge. He’s fully dressed. I’m slightly disappointed, but his T-shirt and jogging pants are still gorgeous on him, so I’ll let it pass.
Aiden hears me coming first. He whirls around, a huge grin on his face and an even bigger sandwich on his plate. “Voila! Your prayers have been answered.”
Danny snorts. “I don’t think Gwen prayed for an upset stomach.”
“Shut up, peasant.” Aiden narrows his eyes at Danny and continues in a dramatic voice, “Today, I will claim the victory long withheld. Today, my sandwich will reign supreme!”
“Or, you know, you’ll just lose again.”
“Danny…” Aiden growls.
I chuckle at Aiden’s face. I’m glad he’s back to his usual, jovial self. Watching my cheerful big brother fighting back tears this morning rocked me to my core.
“Enough with the chitchat. Hand it over, Aiden.” I scrunch my fingers toward the plate.
Aiden slides the sandwich to me. “That’s two pounds of turkey-bacon goodness. I’ve perfected my craft over the years. Prepare for a flavor explosion.”
“Could you stop talking like a monster truck derby announcer? It’s distracting.”
“Sorry.” Aiden gestures to the plate. “Eat up.”
Danny nears the counter and throws back a bottle of water. Shyness plays my nerves like banjo strings. Suddenly, my throat closes up and my hunger slinks away. I force myself to nibble at Aiden’s sandwich and end up choking.
“Sis, you okay?” Aiden yells.
Danny thrusts his bottle of water at me, and I guzzle it down. When he accepts the bottle back, there’s a smug smile on his face. “Guess I win again.”
Aiden goes red and clenches his fingers into fists. “How can this be?”
“How about I pack this up to eat later?”
“Good idea.” Aiden pats my shoulder. “You can make your decision then.”
“Think your parents will be calmer today?” Danny asks.
My heart thuds at the concern in his gaze. “I don’t know, but I can’t live with you guys forever.”
Aiden nods glumly. “Dan, could you do me a huge favor and take Gwen home? I don’t think my parents want to see me right now.”
“You shouldn’t hide from them, Aiden.”
“Hiding is the best course,” I mumble.
Somehow, Danny hears me. As he always does.
He makes a face. “So they’re not happy about the baby yet? How long will you avoid them?”
“When I can face them without dying from guilt,” Aiden says, “then… I’ll try again.”
Silence falls on the kitchen.
Disappointing our parents.
It’s a major fear of every person in this room.
Aiden shakes out of the funk first. He scrunches his nose as he looks at me. “Is that Danny’s hoodie?”
My eyes widen. I shoot Danny a look of panic, but he’s as cool as a cucumber when he says, “Yeah.”
“Your room was locked so I borrowed one of his things.” I hold my breath, praying Aiden can’t see how nervous I am. “I’ll wash it and return it as soon as I can.”
My brother gives me a funny look. “I was just asking because it seemed familiar. Didn’t need all that information.”
“Oh.”
“Come on, Gwen.” Danny grabs his keys from the hook and jerks his chin to the front door. “I’ll take you home.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just catch a taxi.”
“In that?” Danny gives me a once over. It’s an innocent perusal, but my cheeks flush with heat and I squirm beneath his gaze.
“Does it look bad?” I would collapse in a fit of humiliation if Danny thought I looked ridiculous this entire time.
“You look homeless,” Aiden—ever the comedian—says. “I’ll take a shower. Good luck with Mom and Dad, sis. Hope they don’t take out their anger on you just because you’re there.”
“I’ll sleep over here tonight if I get scared.”
That’s a lie. I have no intention of returning to this house unless under the threat of gunpoint. I can barely hold myself together when Danny so much as breathes across the room. How am I to live with him?
The first step in getting over an addiction is admitting you have a problem. And I… have a huge problem.
My brother gives me a thumbs up sign and walks down the hall to the bathroom.
Danny and I are left in the kitchen. “After you,” he says.
“Just let me get my dress from the spare room.”
“I’ll wait in the car.”
I grab my dress, earrings and tights from the bundle on the floor, toss it into a plastic bag and dart outside. Danny is waiting in his vehicle, windows rolled up and the air conditioning on.
It’s another hot day in the city. Birds twitter from the lime trees waving in the breeze. The Caribbean Sea flows in the distance, the waves sparkling at the tips like a million diamonds.
I inhale a fresh breath of air and then slip into the car beside Danny. My heels do not go with his hoodie, but both Aiden and Danny have ridiculously large feet so there was no other alternative.
Thankfully, Danny says nothing as I enter the car.
Then he says nothing the entire length of the ride. His long, golden fingers curve around the steering wheel. His eyes are hidden behind black sunglasses. His jaw is clenched so tight I can grater cheese on it.
“Do you still visit your parents on Sundays?” I ask, hoping to spark a conversation.
“Yup.”
“Your older brother and sister… are they good?”
“Mm-hm.”
“What about your niece and nephews?”
His jaw loosens with a small smile. “They’re good too.”
I squirm in discomfort. Why is Danny answering me with short phrases? My mind skips back to last night. Did something upset him?
I wince. “Are you mad that you had to drive me?”
“No.”
“Then why won’t you talk to me?”
“I’m talking.”
“Not in a satisfactory way.”
His lips tug upward. “What would satisfy you then?”
Is it just me or is there a hint of suggestiveness in Danny’s voice? I shift in my seat and study him unabashedly. Danny acts like he doesn’t care, but his thumb taps the steering wheel. Hard.
My gaze falls on his mouth and I whisper, “Kiss me.”
6 Danny
I almost veer off the road and into a ditch. My hands yank the steering wheel as I struggle to correct myself. The wheels squeal against the pavement. I throw an arm out to protect Gwen before she flies through the windshield.
Thankfully, there isn’t much traffic. I pull the car over and blink at her. “What?”
She throws a strand of hair out of her face. “Geez, Danny. It was just a joke. You didn’t have to try and kill us both over it.”
My heart is pounding—half from the adrenaline and half from the thought of kissing Gwen.
“What kind of joke is that?” I grumble.
Her smile turns mischievous. “Did you want to do it?�
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“No.” Damn. I answered too fast.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Believe what you want.” I turn the ignition and get back on the highway.
“It’s not like I would propose something like that so casually,” she says.
“Why not?”
“I’ve never been kissed.”
I can’t believe it. Gwen is stunning. Gorgeous. She wore my hoodie and those heels like some kind of movie star. I salivated at the mouth just looking at her walking toward the car.
It was then I realized my attraction to Gwen was here to stay.
My solution? Ignore her.
Lasted all of ten minutes.
“What do you mean you’ve never been kissed?” I ask.
“Not properly.” Gwen shrugs and then stares at the roof of my car in thought. “Nope.”
“Didn’t you have a boyfriend in high school?”
I remember the guy. Johnny something. He was from our church. A playboy in a choir robe. Aiden and I saw right through him.
He was our junior at school, and we shook Johnny up so badly he ditched Gwen for some other easy prey.
She got over it quickly though. I was proud.
“We broke up after a week. He never told me why.” She taps her chin. “Anyway, John didn’t try anything. He was too afraid of you and Aiden.”
Pride snakes through my chest, but I try not to let it show. “What about at college? You’ve been there for two years and nobody…?”
“They’ve been guys who try to talk to me, but I haven’t been interested.” She ducks her head. “Don’t tell Aiden. He’ll just use it as ammo against me.”
“I won’t.” I clamp my lips shut after that because the need to offer myself as a kissing tutor is dancing on the tip of my tongue.
Gwen clears her throat. “You never told me what you were so mad about. If it’s not me, then what’s the problem?”
I skim through my mind for an excuse Gwen will buy. It’s not like I can come out and tell her I like seeing my hoodie on her body. Definitely can’t try that kissing tutor line.
“It’s Aiden. I’m worried about him and everything that will happen next.”
“Yeah.” She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. “What about this Melissa girl? Have you met her?”
“Once.” I picture Melissa’s face. “She’s pretty. A little immature and self-absorbed.”
“So… exactly Aiden’s type.”
I chuckle along with her. “Exactly.”
“I can’t believe I'll be an aunt.”
“Guess that makes me an honorary uncle.”
She nods. “Guess so.”
When I park in front of Gwen’s house, she lets out a relieved breath. “Their car’s not in the garage.”
“They must be at church,” I muse.
“Thank God. That should give me an hour or two to shower and rest before they get back.”
“Will you be okay?” I regret the question the moment it shoots out of my mouth. It sounds like I’m itching for an invitation inside because her parents aren’t home. “Uh… I’m heading to the gym now but if you need anything, call Aiden.”
“I will.” She pops the door open and wiggles her fingers. “Thanks, Danny.”
I wait until she gets in safely and then drive back home, bypassing the condo to head to the gym. The building is relatively filled for a late Sunday morning.
I pop my headphones in and work the machines until I’m sweaty. Instead of heading back home to shower, I wash off at the gym and then drive to my parent’s place downtown.
The moment my eyes land on the three-story building with the words ‘Peter Kwan Stationary House’, memories wash over me.
I was tending the cash register, sweeping the floors, and restocking inventory from the age of five. My mom, dad, and sisters lived upstairs. Richie and his family lived the floor above us.
My cousin blames Aiden for us drifting apart, but the truth was… I latched on to a friend who would take me away from the store for a couple hours.
When playing video games with Richie upstairs, it was all too easy for our parents to interrupt and drag us back to work when things got busy. With Aiden, they had to drive miles to haul me back.
I slip out of the car and open the side gate beside the store. The walls bracketing the tiny driveway are topped with barbed wire. A security camera zeroes in on me.
I climb the stairs to the second floor and knock. The door bursts open and my mother appears. She waggles her finger and scolds in Chinese, “Where is your key?”
I bend down to kiss her on the cheek. “Why do I need a key when I know you’ll always be here to open the door?”
“Don’t try to sweet talk your way out of this.” Mom’s voice is firm.
“Are you wearing new lipstick?” I rub my chin and study her face. Ten years ago, she could have passed for a woman in her thirties. Now, Mom’s reached that stage where wrinkles are cropping up on her face out of nowhere.
Brown eyes, almond-shaped like mine, narrow and her pink lips pull in so they almost disappear from her face. “You’re not too old for me to spank, you know?”
I laugh and slip out of my shoes so I can step deeper into the room. The scent of beef broth fills the air. “Ma, did you make beef dumplings?” My belly growls. “You knew I was coming today, didn’t you?”
Before she can answer, a stampede of little feet rages towards me. “Uncle Danny!”
I open my arms to welcome my niece and nephews. They are miniature versions of my siblings. I’m always stunned by the resemblance.
Jenifer is the youngest and the princess of the brood. Her silky black hair frames an oval face. She’s sweet and shy—the opposite of her loud-mouthed mother.
The boys, Andrew and Arthur are two years apart. Their brown hair is thick thanks to my sister-in-law who has loose curly hair rather than the usual straight hair. Their eyes are smaller and lighter than my brother’s.
They take after their mother. Thankfully.
“Uncle Dan,” Jenifer tugs my arm, “will you play with me?”
“What are you playing?”
“Chess,” Jenifer says. She’s adorable and smart as a whip. Last I heard, she was taking piano, table tennis, and chess lessons.
The kid’s busier than me.
She’s better at the game too.
Since I’m not in the mood to be demolished by a five year old, I shake my head. “We can play chess another time. Why don’t you play with Andrew and Arthur?”
“All they want to play is video games,” Jenifer says, her pink lips stretching so far out I’m afraid she’ll trip somebody.
“Fine. We’ll play one game before I go. Promise.”
Her face lights up, brown eyes twinkling like stars. She gallops away, probably to join all the ladies in the kitchen.
Some people find it sexist the way the older men in my family gather in the living room and talk business while the older women gather in the kitchen, but no one ever complained.
Girls are just as important as boys in our family. They just… cook better.
I move into the living room and greet my father, his brothers, my grandfather and my great-grandfather with a bow. They nod and greet me enthusiastically.
My great-grandfather, known as Mr. Peter to everyone in Belize and Yeye—the Chinese name for grandfather—to our family, raises his hand. “How are you, Daniel?”
I return an answer in Chinese. “Good.”
“What a handsome boy.” Yeye eyes my father. “When are you going to find him a wife, Eric?”
I chuckle nervously as Dad looks my way. He’s a short man with black hair, an oval face and large brown eyes. Dad often jokes that I got all my good looks from my mother. “When he is ready.”
I hold my breath as Yeye remains quiet.
In Chinese culture, we hold our elders in high regard, but Yeye is more than just the patriarch of our family. He is the source of our fortune.
&n
bsp; Yeye was born in 1935 to a poor family. His parents were immigrants who’d fled from China to México, but when the government kicked Chinese immigrants out of the country, Yeye found himself back in his homeland.
His father had eight children to provide for and, since it was hard to find employment in China, he returned to Mexico. Unfortunately, he died shortly after he arrived. Yeye was only four years old.
At five, Yeye walked the streets selling cigarettes and homemade candy to help his family.
He was not well educated as he dropped out of school at nine years old, but he was friendly, reliable, and wise.
When Yeye’s family fled to Hong Kong after the Japanese invasion, Yeye worked his way up, becoming the Head Cashier to a wealthy merchant. He learned several languages, including English, and learned to calculate mentally at incredible speeds.
Through all the difficulties of war, he continued to support his mother and his siblings. Soon he met and fell in love with my great-grandmother. They married and had a son.
To provide for his family, Yeye traveled back to Central America at the behest of an old friend who offered a seven-year contract to work as his live-in helper.
He saved every penny he could, living frugally until he could send for his family.
After his contract was up, Yeye opened his own store and borrowed money to purchase merchandise. He lived behind the store and struggled to turn a profit.
Yeye persevered and a year later, he was able to foster a prosperous business that has supported all five of his children.
Despite his accomplishments, Yeye remains a humble man. He’s involved in many charities, and his awards from the city hang in the store behind the cashier area.
His word is law in our family. And though I expected the scrutiny to shift to me now that Richie’s wedding is approaching, I had hoped the subject of my marriage wouldn’t be broached this quickly.
“What do you say, Daniel?” Uncle Samuel raises an eyebrow. “Are you ready?”
“I’d like to settle into the business first.” I bow my head. “We’re starting a new line in Belmopan that requires all my attention.”
“He’s young, Samuel.” Dad sticks up for me. “He’s been a good student since he was five. It’s time Daniel enjoy life for a bit before he takes on the responsibility of marriage.”