chapter 39 #2
“Ahh, I forgot. My bad,” she chuckles.
“Stupid women and their stupid jokes,” Leo mutters.
“Why don’t you worry about the woman you’re going to marry? She has planned 101 ways to torment you,” Wen says.
I don’t hear Leo’s reply because my eyes find their way to the pair of ice-blue ones staring down at me. I get up from my chair and move closer to him.
“Will you really never marry?” I ask.
“If I never marry, when will you wear Fire on Ice?” he replies.
I pout. “You ruined that dress.”
My eyes widen as I piece together his words. “Are—you’re saying you will marry me?”
He smiles faintly.
“How?” I whisper in shock.
“Somehow,” he murmurs, and goosebumps run all over me.
Wen tugs me back. “Let him keep his asexual image for at least one day. He doesn’t look asexual looking at his sister like this.”
I glance at her. “Like what?”
She drags me out of the dining room. “Like he will eat you alive any given second. There has always been tension when you looked at each other, but now, it’s thickened so much.”
I chuckle, but it dies when a sudden thought strikes me.
I whisper to Wen, “I forgot to tell you… Leo and Zoan know about your crush on your kidnapper.”
Her head snaps toward me. She stares at me with wide eyes.
I nod. “I don’t know what Uncle and Daddy know, but Leo and Zoan know everything. And I think they’re still searching for that man… to finish him.”
Her face turns pale.
I hold her hand tightly. “They got the details from our conversation. We need to be careful in the future, they have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“I think you both are keeping too many secrets,” Aunt’s voice makes us jolt.
She and Mama approach us. “I know sisters have secrets, but you know you can at least give us some gossip.”
Mama watches me with narrowed eyes. “Avi, you knew about Zoan’s condition, and still you didn’t tell me?”
Shit.
I shake my head. “Mama, I swear I also just found out about it today.”
We walk toward the sunroom, basically Mama and Aunt drag us there. Ma is already sitting there. Pa, Daddy, Uncle, Leo, and Zoan must be outside, talking about some boring stuff.
Ma is sitting on the daybed near the window. Wen and I sit on either side of her.
This room has always been our lounging room in winters. It’s small, warm, and cozy. Mama and Aunt take our hand-swing chairs, Wen and I ordered them from France after searching for a whole week. Every corner of this house holds a story for Wen and me. That’s why we call it our heaven.
Mama speaks to Ma with a tense face. “Mom, what do we do now? We can’t just let him live like this his whole life. I was patient until now, believing that when he had a family he would start enjoying life. And now he is saying he is asexual.”
Ma sighs. “Don’t be so stressed. He is a good child, and I have faith that one day he will meet the right girl and open his heart to her.”
Aunt purses her lips. “Mom, I don’t think it’s that simple. I think he feels this way toward women because of his mother, maybe because of her, he doesn’t feel comfortable around any woman.”
Ma shakes her head. “He feels comfortable around Abi and Avi. Especially Avi.”
Wen covers her mouth, disguising her smile in a yawn. I pretend to wipe my lips to hide my own smile.
Ma keeps going on. “So it’s not that he feels uncomfortable with every woman. Just give him time. I have a feeling that everything will be alright.”
Mama pinches between her brows. “I wish that’s the case.
He has gone through a lot in the past. After we adopted him, he has been living his life as some sort of mission.
I’ve been waiting for a girl to come into his life who can help him see things beyond work, who can love him the way he deserves. ”
Ma and Aunt also become sad.
Wen breaks the heavy silence. “I have a solution for this problem.”
Everyone looks toward her, including me. What is she cooking up?
She grins. “Why don’t we marry Zoan and Avi?”
Ma slaps her on the head. “What nonsense are you throwing out without thinking?”
Mama and Aunt don’t react too strongly. I watch everyone’s reactions closely.
“Really, Wen? You don’t think before speaking?” I say with a serious, mad frown.
She sighs. “Look, I know it may sound bizarre to all of you. But Avi and Zoan are not biological siblings, and Zoan is very caring and protective toward Avi. Avi is kind of his first priority.” She lowers her voice, her face filled with a conspiratorial look.
“I even think he is confused about his love for Avi. Sometimes he stays unnaturally away from her. It feels like he wants to distance himself from her, but at the same time, he cares about her a lot.”
All three women have big frowns on their faces, I mirror their reaction. Now that the seed has been planted, I decide to finish the drama.
“She’s bullshitting. There is no such thing.”
Everyone’s eyes land on me with a complex look on their faces.
“When are you going on your next blind date?” Mama asks me, her face still holding that strange look.
Where has this come from? I look toward Wen, she looks as clueless as I am. What are we supposed to interpret from that? Is my mother doing some sort of digging?
“I’m in depression.” Hats off to me, I’m lying flat on the face of my Aunt. But she doesn’t seem fazed, so I think her abilities as a psychologist must be dead by now.
And I’ve never been more wrong.
Aunt smiles. “You are not.”
I gulp at that smile. Shit.
Aunt narrows her eyes. “You were in the early stages of depression when I came here in August. In September, your condition worsened. But in November, when we met on Wen’s birthday, you were fine. And now it looks like you were never in that state.”
I chuckle, giving my best to make it sound real. “Your observation is amazing, Aunt.”
Mama adds further to my anxiety, “Pheny is right. Your depression goes away on its own during your one-month stay with Zo.”
I shrug. “Zoan took good care of me.”
Aunt rubs her chin, pinning me with her eyes. “Why were you depressed in the first place?”
“I don’t know.” I act innocent, but I know none of these three women believe me.
Mama and Aunt share a look. They’ll discuss this matter in private.
Mama then says, “So now that you are not depressed, what other excuse do you have for not going on a blind date?”
I groan. “Come on, Mama, it’s not even two months since my breakup with Roxion. Let me move on first.”
Ma nods, patting my knee. “Give her time, Avi. She is still very young.”
Aunt speaks, “And you, Wen. Your dad and I have selected a few guys whom you should meet.”
Wen shakes her head, pursing her lips. “Mom, I don’t want to marry yet. Especially an arranged marriage.”
“You will not meet anyone without leaving this place. The only option you have is an arranged marriage,” Aunt answers firmly.
“You used to live the same way and still met Dad. The same way, I will meet someone,” Wen retorts.
Ma nods. “She is right, Pheny. And what’s wrong with you people? Wen has only turned twenty, Avi is still nineteen. What’s the hurry with marriage?”
Wen and I find our savior in her words. Wen pouts. “Look, Ma. They all married according to their own interest, and now they are forcing us.”
I join in, “and Ma, Mama and Daddy forced me to go on a date with Roxion.”
“No one forced you to marry him. We only forced you to go on a date because he is a good boy,” Mama explains, then narrows her eyes. “Wait a minute, Avi. Why do I have a feeling that agreeing to get married all of a sudden was some sort of drama?”
“You’re overthinking, Mama. I think Zoan being asexual has scrambled some circuits in your brain.”
I get up from the daybed and look toward Wen. “Wen, you haven’t shown me your puppy. Where have you caged that poor soul? It’s been two hours.”
She also gets down, and we walk out of the room. After closing the door behind us, we let out a long sigh of relief.
“From where does the idea of saying that come to you?” I ask Wen as we walk upstairs.
“I thought it was a good opportunity. And did you notice? Mom and Aunt didn’t react that badly,” she replies.
I nod. “I’m also surprised.”
She grins. “It could be good news.”
We enter Wen’s room. I walk silently toward the small black-and-white ball sleeping in a padded basket. It’s so small and cute.