37. Lina
Lina
This was the seventh time I had taken a deep breath as Jonathan and I walked over to Julie and Andy’s townhouse. He squeezed my hand gently, drawing my attention to him. With a cocked brow, he flashed me a soft smile.
“Nervous?” he asked.
“Yes,” I admitted quietly.
He chuckled. “You’ll be fine. They love you already, you know.”
My brows furrowed, and my lips twisted into a frown. Before I could ask him what he meant by that, I heard Anthony’s voice all the way from the visitor’s parking lot.
“Hey, lovebirds!” his voice boomed from across the distance.
We turned to where he was standing across the parking lot, waving one of his hands in the air. Shoua stood beside him, red-faced. She smacked him on the arm and must’ve whispered something under her breath because he turned to her, laughing.
“Ignore them,” muttered Jonathan as he tried to usher me toward our destination.
“Let’s just wait for them. They’re already walking this way,” I said.
He let out a long and exasperated sigh when his cousin and friend approached us. “Sorry about that, you two,” Shoua said, still blushing in embarrassment. “Anthony has a tendency to be loud and—”
“Annoying,” interrupted Jonathan dryly.
“It’s fine,” I smiled at Anthony. “We just got caught by surprise.”
“Lina, you shouldn’t encourage him,” said Jonathan, and Shoua nodded in agreement.
Anthony laughed. The air around us reverberated as his voice boomed effortlessly. “I’m just glad to see you two are doing well,” he nodded. He and Shoua looked between Jonathan and I with the same ecstatic grin.
“Was there a meeting we didn’t know about?” asked Andy, making me jump in my spot.
Julie laughed. We all turned. She and Andy were walking up to all of us. “We heard Anthony’s voice and we came out to see the commotion,” she said.
Shoua elbowed Anthony in the ribs. “You need to be quiet. This is supposed to be a quiet community.”
Anthony smiled at his upset girlfriend. “Alright, alright. I’ll be sure to shut the fuck up, babe.”
“We’ll see how long you last,” Andy chuckled, and everyone except me laughed along with him.
The married couple ushered us into their home. Their place was toasty, cozy, and inviting. It was filled with delicious scents of barbecued meats and vegetables. My mouth watered, and I tugged my gray hoodie tighter around me in the hopes of muffling my growling stomach.
Andy’s hazel green eyes turned to Jonathan and I.
Meanwhile, Julie also took notice of the lack of distance between us.
He stood too close behind me, with his breath tickling the back of my neck.
Heat scorched across my body as Jonathan pulled his hand out of my mine, throwing his thick, heavy arm over my shoulders and pulling me closer to his side.
He turned to me. The drag of his cocky grin across his lips was slow and ever blissful. His entire face lit up like an incandescent firework across the night sky. Handsome, dazzling, intense, and brighter than the sun.
“Everyone, I’d like you all to meet my girlfriend—Lina,” said Jonathan.
Julie, Andy, and Shoua all shared the same wide smile as they glanced at one another.
Meanwhile, Anthony let out a whistling laughter.
One that was similar to Mary’s—the kind that encouraged everyone to laugh with them because of how happy and cheerful they sounded.
Laughter bubbled effortlessly out of Jonathan and I.
“Yeah,” Anthony nodded slowly.
Andy smiled, leading us into the dining room. “We know.”
“No one’s surprised, Jonathan.” Shoua laughed warmly.
Julie looked directly at me as we made our way to their cozy living room, her eyes shining as bright and happy as her brother’s. The corners of her lips curled tighter into this beautiful and welcoming grin. “Welcome to the family, Lina,” she said.
Jonathan made a noise and turned to his sister. His face seared bright red from cheeks to ears. “Julie—” he started.
“Thank you,” I gushed, my heart racing. “I’m happy to be part of it.”
Jonathan looked at me. The flush on his face turned a deeper shade of red.
“Come on, everyone, let’s grab some plates and head over to the living room. The movie isn’t going to watch itself,” said Andy.
He motioned toward the dining table, which was laid out with various dishes of barbecued ribs, roasted vegetables, sticky rice, a bright red chili dip, sliders, and tater tots.
All the food was set up buffet-style for simplicity and efficiency.
Anthony blew out a low whistle as Shoua turned to Julie, surprised.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to cook this much?” she asked. “We could’ve come over earlier, and I could’ve helped you.”
Julie laughed. “I didn’t cook. It was all Andy.”
I looked over to her husband, who was grinning proudly at everything he had made. “Enjoy, everyone,” he said. He looked at me with warm eyes. “Don’t be shy, Lina. Eat as much as you like.”
“Will do! Lina, you go first. You’re our special guest tonight,” said Anthony, making sure to gently push Jonathan and I to the front of the line. He glanced at the sliders. “I see Julie’s getting her mushroom Swiss slider and tater tot fix again tonight.”
Jonathan groaned, grabbing a plate and handing it to me.
He took his place after me. “Don’t tell me you’re going to dip your sliders and tater tots into your unique chili sauce again?
” he asked as we made our way through the various dishes laid out.
Disgust twisted the seam of his lips into a grimace.
“It tastes better like that,” Julie shrugged from behind Jonathan. “I love the taste of mustard, ketchup, and fish sauce combined together.”
“That doesn’t sound appetizing at all,” my boyfriend muttered, mouth gaping.
I laughed. “It’s called a pregnancy craving for a reason, Jonathan. It’s not meant to be logical.”
“Exactly,” Julie beamed cutely at me. “I crave it so much I’d mix a whole bottle of it and drink it if I could.”
“Damn, Julie. If your cravings are that bad, what’s stopping you?” asked Anthony.
Shoua laughed from her spot behind Jonathan. “It’s not what’s stopping her. It’s who. Right, Andy?”
The man in question laughed, all the way from the end of the line where he stood with his twin.
His chuckle sounded similar to Anthony’s, although it didn’t shake the walls.
“Yup. As far as I’m aware from your doctor’s appointments, Tink, you’re not at risk of having preeclampsia.
Yet. We should be careful and try to keep it that way. ”
“I agree,” Jonathan chimed in.
Julie hummed dryly. “Neither of you are my doctor, Jonathan and Andy.”
“I’m still your pharmacist,” stated Jonathan.
Everyone laughed as we filled each of our plates with various selections of food. The one thing we all had in common was a little sauce bowl filled with the cilantro-lime chili dip Andy made. Julie’s was especially filled to the brim.
“Why didn’t you get much food?” asked Jonathan in a low whisper.
“It’s fine. This is more than enough,” I said, glancing at my plate. It may not have been much compared to everyone else’s stacked plates, but it was enough for me.
My boyfriend frowned. “You should get more.”
“Julie, you’re watching the movie with us?” asked Shoua as we all made our way to their cozy living room. “I thought you didn’t like psychological thrillers and horror.”
“No, I doubt I’m going to last watching a whole movie with a full stomach. My bedtime’s at nine these days,” she said.
“It’s only seven,” Jonathan pointed out.
“Even better.” His sister laughed as she turned to her husband. “Sweetheart, what’s this movie about anyway?”
Andy quickly pulled up a movie on the television with a movie poster of a Victorian home shrouded in darkness. “It’s a psychological thriller about how an older housemaid is obsessed with this family who has power, money, and too many secrets,” he answered.
“Let me guess. The housemaid wants some kind of revenge for the horrible crap they’ve done?” asked Anthony as we all read the title of the movie, Sweetest Revenge. His tone was flat and unamused.
“Yup,” Andy answered enthusiastically.
“I’m going to eat and head to bed,” stated Julie.
She looked over at Jonathan and I as we sat on the furthest end of their large couch.
“Lina, please get seconds if you’re hungry.
Our home is yours, don’t be shy. Shoua, make sure you all take home some food later.
There’s no way Andy and I will finish everything. ”
“I’ll make sure Lina packs plenty to go.” Jonathan smiled, looking at me. I shook my head.
Julie laughed, eyes flicking between the two of us. “You better. Make sure she eats a second plate.”
“Just do as she says. She’s scary when she’s angry,” said my boyfriend.
I turned to him with furrowed brows. “I thought you said it was Andy and Anthony who were scary when they’re mad.”
Both the Hughes twins erupted in boisterous laughter despite the eerie music filtering through the air from the television as the movie started. They both nodded at me in unison.
“I didn’t realize we were so scary you had to comment on it, Jonathan,” said Andy, turning to grin at him.
His twin howled with a whooping laugh. He was so loud the doors practically rattled, until Shoua reached up and threw a hand over his mouth. He looked at her with twinkling light-brown eyes, the smile he wore pulled wider and rather proudly.
“Shoua,” he crooned.
“You’re too damn loud,” she said. Despite her low, threatening voice, Anthony’s lips tugged from corner to corner.
“Ignore all of them. They’re embarrassing,” Jonathan said to me, sighing. He was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Once we’re done with our free food, we can leave.”
“Ah, c’mon, Jonathan. You can’t say you’re not taking pointers on the way your older brothers flirt,” cooed Anthony, giving him a smack on the shoulder. “If we had to witness you flirting with Lina when we helped her move, you’ll have to sit through this, too.”
Andy laughed. “How could we forget the way you tore off your shirt just to show off your abs!”
Julie and Shoua’s eyes turned to us, shining with curious glints. I parted my lips to explain, but Jonathan spoke up in my stead instead.
“Enough!” Jonathan exclaimed, blushing. “Just watch your darn movie, or Lina and me are leaving.”
“Right now? You two should finish your food first, at least,” commented Julie nonchalantly. “Why waste the journey walking over here?”
My boyfriend flashed his sister an irritated scowl just as the Hughes twins’ lips pulled into similar playful smiles.
One of them looked like he was readying himself to spring another embarrassing statement as Shoua and I made eye contact.
There was something comical about the way her eyes flashed with a dire need to stop Anthony from blabbering again. It made me laugh.
It filtered out of me as a soft snicker at first, but it quickly rang louder into a light laugh as their voices lowered. My cheeks ached from smiling so wide, and my eyes burned slightly from the way they watered. Everyone turned to me, smiling.
“It’s alright, Jonathan,” I said, another chuckle tumbling out of me as I glanced up at him. He turned to look back at me, amused. Despite the feigned annoyance he showed, it was clear he loved his friends and family. “I think we can stay a while.”
“Let’s just focus on the damn movie, please,” he stated.
One of the twins muttered, “Fine.” Meanwhile, the other let out a small laugh.
As everyone turned their attention toward the film, a buzz began thrumming from my limbs to my core.
It quickly shifted into a blanket of comforting warmth when it reached my chest, causing my heart to swell in happiness.
This surprised me as I realized how comfortable I felt around Jonathan’s family.
A tiny ache sprouted in my chest, reminding me of my own family.
I had long accepted the fact that I would never feel this way with them, though some part of me would always wish it could be as effortless as this.
The little girl in me will always want to be a part of her family instead of being the adult who had to find her own elsewhere.
I glanced at each of their faces. From Julie at the end of the sofa with her sleepy, heavy eyes.
Then, to the Hughes twins sitting next to each other, and to Shoua.
I made sure to take in the details of their faces and the warmth they’d shown me.
I didn’t even feel comfortable in my own parents’ home. Yet, I did here.
Here, I felt welcome.
They didn’t treat me any differently from each other.
They didn’t ignore me when I made a comment.
Instead, they tried to make sure I was part of the conversation.
Even if the conversation didn’t involve me, they’d glance at me to include me.
I wasn’t an outsider to them. I was part of their group.
Here, among Jonathan’s friends, cousin, and sister, I felt included—because they made efforts to make me feel that way.
For the first time, outside of my friendship with Mary and Eric, I belonged somewhere else safe.
I finally glanced at Jonathan. He peered down at me with this cute and inquisitive smile. He brushed his thumb over my knuckles under the blanket he had thrown over us. I shook my head and leaned into the comfort both he and his family brought me.