31. Chapter 31
thirty-one
“ W hat did you say?” Lina stared at the man, grinning down at her.
“I love you, Lina,” he said, enunciating each word clearly for her.
“You’re not serious.” She didn’t know why that was the first thing that came out of her mouth. Curtis said the damnedest things. For all she knew, he could turn around and say, “Just kidding!”
The man laughed—full-belly laughed—at her. The crowd started turning to see what shenanigans were happening.
“That’s your response to my declaration of love?” Curtis said as he tried to curb his laughter. “I may joke about everything, but this is the one thing I wouldn’t joke about.”
“What? Am I supposed to believe you fell in love with me in the two weeks we’ve been stuck together?” she retorted, though her heart expanded with stupid giddiness.
Curtis ran a gentle hand over her hair. “Try four years.”
“Four years?” Lina laughed. “Now you’re totally pulling my leg.”
“I think I fell a little in love with you the day you dropped the bomb in my green room.” A corner of his mouth rose in a tease. “And a little more each time you failed to ignore my attempts to make you laugh, each time you bailed me out of sticky situations.”
“But you never…” The laughter died. “You were with other women.”
“I didn’t think you would welcome my attention. And truthfully, I don’t think I was the right man for you back then, either,” Curtis added. “Yet, each time you showed up in my life again, something inside me shifted and started humming to your vibe . I've been waiting for you, Lina."
Lina couldn’t believe her ears. Nor could she believe her eyes as she stared at the man looking at her. There was calm longing in his eyes, instead of the passion she’d gotten used to. There was a steady conviction in the way he smiled at her, instead of his usual playful grin. And there was patience in his touch as he waited for her to digest his words.
A few feet behind Curtis, Lina saw her mother and Aunt Siu Lin watching them with hope and encouragement on their faces.
Don ’ t waste another minute of your precious life .
But Lina, for once in her life, froze. In front of all these people, her family, with all these beautiful flowers around them, Curtis had told her he loved her and she fucking froze.
She felt herself being reeled into a hug like an iceberg dragged by a tugboat.
Curtis whispered against her hair, “You don’t have to say anything if this doesn’t feel right for you.”
There was a trace of disappointment in his voice, but he added, “I just needed you to know how I feel.”
After a few beats, he turned to her family with his usual big smile. “What else to see here?”
They all knew she hadn’t responded to Curtis’ declaration, but they all hid their disappointment well. The men started chatting and led Curtis to a different part of the market. But before he detached himself from her, Lina caught his hand.
“Curtis…” she started, but didn’t know how to express herself the way he did. She just looked at him, hoping he didn’t misunderstand her silence.
Curtis winked at her. “I know.”
“Hard luck, huh?” Daniel patted Curtis on the shoulder.
“What do you mean?” Curtis glanced at Lina’s brother as they walked past vendors selling new year snacks, from wicked-looking roasted squid to yummy sticky mochi rice cakes smothered in sugar and crushed peanuts. If he wasn’t so stuffed, he’d want to try everything.
Daniel looked back, Curtis assumed, at his sister, who was walking with the ladies. “My sister can be unfeeling sometimes. But we, as a family, are not very verbal with our emotions.”
“Lina isn’t unfeeling. She feels deeply, but she bottles it up when it gets to be too much,” Curtis said. “I put her in a spot. That was my error.”
Daniel studied him with a serious frown. “Of all of us, she’s the worst at showing emotions.”
“Doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them.” Curtis smiled. “I’ve learned to read her better. I know how she feels about me.”
“See,” Ed said to Russel, who walked in front of him and Daniel. “He’s good for Lina.”
“Thanks, Ed.” Curtis laughed. “I appreciate the endorsement. But I think Lina is good for me.”
He’d never been this attuned to anyone before in his life. He loved his family and friends, but even they would say he could be clueless at times. It wasn’t as if he didn’t care; it was easier to be oblivious.
He’d learned the hard way with his sister. If he’d made more effort to be a better brother, he could’ve spared her some suffering. He’d almost lost his sister and hadn’t even known it.
He was lucky he had a badass sister. And now he was lucky to have fallen for another badass woman. But he believed even badass women needed back-ups. Badass women needed someone to take care of them, too, because they carried everyone else.
A thought that had been churning around his head for some time took hold of him. He made up his mind on what step he had to take next.
I ’ m done being scared .
The words echoed in Curtis’ mind as they strolled through the market. Rows of paper lanterns in the shape of a Chinese dragon caught his attention. He stopped and studied the long, wavy body of one of them, suspended with string as if it was flying.
A soft hand touched his arm.
Curtis turned to the older lady selling the lantern. She spoke to him, but he didn’t understand her.
“She asked if you like the red dragon,” translated Lina, who appeared at his side.
Pleased at her presence, Curtis smiled. “Yes. It looks majestic.”
The old lady smiled and said something else.
“She said the dragon signifies change or transformation. She asked about your zodiac sign,” Lina explained.
“Ah…”
The lady pushed a paper where all the Chinese zodiacs were listed with pictures and years.
“The goat.” Curtis pointed. “I think.”
Lina nodded, confirming it.
The lady beamed and gave him a fortune for the new year of the dragon with Lina translating. “You have an artistic flare. You’ll continue to thrive in your arts. But the year of the dragon will mark personal growth for you. This is the year for you to really discover yourself.”
Curtis smiled. “I think I see that.”
They bought the red dragon and thanked the woman. Well, Lina bought it for him because he wasn’t carrying any money and couldn’t use any of his cards.
“Thanks, honey. I really love it,” he teased.
“Curtis…” Lina’s voice was serious. “About before.”
“That can wait,” he assured her. “Let’s table that until we’re in private.”
“No, I—”
“Miss,” the lady vendor interrupted. They both turned back to her. The lady asked Lina something while still holding the zodiac calendar.
“I’m a rooster,” Lina answered with a smile. “But I don’t need a fortune.”
“Ah…” The lady looked thoughtful before she started talking in Cantonese.
“What is she saying?” Curtis asked.
Agnes stepped forward with a smile. “She’s saying a goat and a rooster may have their differences, but when they respect those differences, they can balance each other well. The goat and the rooster have a strong bond and deep trust in each other. They will need to work to bring out the best out of each other, but their love can thrive.”
“That sounds like a wonderful challenge,” Curtis said.
“A lasting relationship is the one that overcomes its challenges,” Agnes agreed.
Curtis nodded with a smile, thinking of Brandon and Callie, Rae and Dean, his two other brothers, Justin and Ram and their significant others. And though he hadn’t met Chris’ new fiancée yet, knowing that she was Rae’s half-sister already told him Chris had a challenge on his hands.
“I love challenges,” he concluded and took Lina’s hand.