Graduation
Qiang’s POV
But I’m also an adult, and while the close proximity to someone I have no business playing with isn’t the best idea, I think denying myself the chance to spend time with my brother on those grounds alone is both stupid and cowardly.
I just need to keep this crush or whatever the fuck it is under control and to myself.
Even if we weren’t all moving in together, Marcus would still live in the land of nope, absolutely not.
I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
Qi’s exuberance knows no bounds. Despite the seatbelt making his movements clumsy and awkward, he still manages to wrap his arms around me with excitement, exclaiming about all the ways this will be the best year ever.
When I was younger and thought I knew everything, the hero-worship I received was understandable and even expected.
As I grew up and realized I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did, that hero-worship never changed.
However, my understanding and expectation of it turned into being grateful for it and not taking it for granted.
Once we get to the venue, Qi runs straight up to Tristan and throws his arms around him.
Tristan looks handsome as ever. Even though he and Qi are roughly the same height, Tristan, being slightly taller, still seems massive next to Qi with his athletic bulk.
His hair is styled the same way it was when he took Qi to prom, with his long locks feathering around his ridiculously handsome face in waves.
He looks like a seventies heartthrob, and more eyes are on him than anyone else.
Not that Tristan cares about that; he only has eyes for Qi.
Everyone else can just eat their hearts out.
I know the moment Qi tells Tristan I’m moving in because Tristan’s eyes meet mine, and his face breaks out into a huge smile.
It’s amazing to watch the moment Qi’s happiness becomes Tristan’s.
I don’t even think it matters what’s making Qi happy; as long as it exists, it’s enough for Tristan to appreciate it.
I give him an upnod and take in the rest of their party for the few minutes we have before they have to take their places for the ceremony.
Darryl looks rather dashing in his bright blue robes, which match his eyes and contrast with his warm, chestnut skin.
He’s a tank of bulky muscles and height that towers over all of us by a few inches at least, which in my case isn’t saying much, but Tristan, Marcus, and Qi are all six feet and a couple of inches, and he towers over them, too.
My first impression of him wasn’t great, but now that I’ve gotten to know him a bit, I realize he’s just a wise, playful, big ass teddy bear.
It’s also apparent that his friendship with Marcus and Tristan means everything to him, and even though he’s excited to play for his dream team, he’s also sad to be parting from them.
Marcus is gorgeous and refined in his robes.
But then again, he’s always gorgeous, ridiculously so.
His body is built for speed, with strong legs and wide shoulders.
His face is beautiful, with cool, dark brown skin and long dreads tied back into a half ponytail.
He has high cheekbones and a sharp jaw that accentuates his long neck and prominent Adam’s apple.
And it’s damn near impossible not to get lost in the deep pools of his obsidian eyes.
Sometimes I fear that if I look too long, I’ll drown in them and never come back up for air.
As if he can sense my eyes on him, he flits his deep, soulful eyes in my direction, and I quickly look away before I get even more caught up in him than I already am.
Up to this point, I have only met Tristan’s parents.
Trevor Donovan is a jovial man, but his wife, Dawn, is the true embodiment of her name.
She and I hit it off instantly when we first met about a month ago, bonding over the budding relationship between Tristan and Qi.
It is absolutely no wonder or surprise that Tristan is the way he is once you meet his parents.
The only difference between them is that Tristan hides his true face when he’s not around the people he loves. He purposely creates a barrier between himself and most of the world to protect himself, a habit that I think Qi is slowly starting to break him of.
This is the first time I’m meeting Marcus’s parents or Darryl’s mom.
Although I don’t really think I’ve truly met Darryl’s mom.
She never even looked at me–or anyone else, for that matter–during the introduction and barely touched my hand before focusing her full attention on the cell phone in her hand.
In fact, I’m not even sure I’ve seen her make full eye contact with her son, even though it’s his graduation day.
I’ve seen Darryl’s eyes flit wistfully towards his mother once or twice, but each time, the wistfulness is chased away by a hug or a pat on the back from Tristan’s or Marcus’s parents.
His mother can’t seem to be bothered with him, but his best friend's parents are fawning over him as much as they are their own sons and each other’s sons.
I can see in the uplift of Darryl’s eyes each time it happens that the gestures don’t go unnoticed.
It’s something so simple, and yet so profound, and my heart is expanding around it.
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I watch these people effortlessly and naturally fill in the empty spaces that Darryl’s mother is leaving behind.
Maybe that’s part of the bond between them, the brotherhood I’ve heard Qi mention time and time again.
These three boys have been raised as a joint effort by Tristan’s parents and Marcus’s.
Or maybe that’s just the way it seems, since I’ve heard from Qi that Darryl’s parents aren’t really around much and that he floats between Marcus’s and Tristan’s houses more than he goes home.
An arm weaves around my waist and turns me more towards Marcus’s parents, and the heat of where he’s touching me and the rampant tingling of my skin let me know whose arm it is before I even look up to see Marcus’s face looking down at me with a huge grin.
My fault really; I took my eyes off of him so I wouldn’t drown, and he seized the opportunity to sneak up on me.
“I think you’ve met everyone here except my parents,” he says, steering me towards them. There’s a tightness in my stomach, an alarm in the back of my head, but before I can fully process it, I’m standing in front of Marcus’s mom with his arm still firmly wrapped around my waist.
Marcus favors his mother. They have the same facial structure, except that Marcus’s features are slightly more chiseled than hers.
They have the same obsidian eyes and dark brown skin, with an almost bluish tint.
She’s nearly six feet tall with her heels on, and I don’t have to see her without them to know she’d still stand at least a couple of inches taller than me.
Her hair is parted to one side, and the short bob highlights her high cheekbones and full lips.
“Mom, this is Qiang, Qi’s older sibling. They’ve just agreed to move into the house with us when the semester starts,” he tells her before turning to me. “Qiang, this is my mother, Samayah Bauer.”
I know it would be weird for me to know everyone in the group and be introduced to everyone’s parents except for Marcus’s.
I also know that his parents, knowing I am moving into the house, means the likelihood of them wanting to know everyone their son is living with is high.
There are very logical reasons why I should be meeting Marcus’s parents right now.
But none of those reasons feel like the ones that Marcus has for introducing me.
I don’t know if it’s knowing he has a crush, or the ridiculously sweet smile he has on his devilishly handsome face, or even if it’s simply because of the crossed wires in my brain, but this feels like introducing the significant other to the parents, and that has every ounce of awkwardness in my body rushing to the surface because that’s not what this is, what it should be, or what it ever will be.
But I swallow it down because I’m not sure if my suspicions are ridiculous, or if I’m being ridiculous right now.
Samayah smiles brightly at me and reaches out her hand.
“It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you from Marcus, Dawn, and Qi,” she says while I take her hand in mine.
“This is my husband, and Marcus’s father, Elijah,” she adds, giving her husband’s hand the slightest tug to get his attention.
His dad is not nearly as physically commanding as his mother is.
His face lacks the same chiseled structure as his wife's and son's. He’s shorter than his wife with her in heels, and probably about the same height as her when she’s not wearing them.
And neither of them is as tall as Marcus is, with or without heels.
However, regardless of not being as physically striking, his personality more than makes up for it. He has a gravity of sunshine around him. A lightness that feels as though he’s the perfect benevolent king standing beside his striking queen. They have a kindness and a wisdom that radiates outward.
His smile widens as he looks at me. “You must be the infamous Qiang we’ve heard so much about,” he says, reaching his hand out towards me.
“I don’t know about infamous, but it’s nice to meet you both,” I tell him.
“The pleasure is all ours! We’ve been looking forward to meeting the person who has had such a positive effect on Qi. He’s told us several times how much of a positive influence you are,” Elijah says happily, and I can’t help but feel warmth at the praise.
Samayah looks over at her husband. “Marcus says Qiang has finally agreed to move in with them.”