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.”
