I smile. “Zoan will come tonight.”
She nods knowingly. “I figured that from your happiness.”
“I’m going to tell Ma and Pa.”
I leave the kitchen, my grin still plastered across my face. Wen has gone to DC to stay a few days with Uncle and Aunty, so now it’s just Ma, Pa, and me.
They are sitting in theatre room, watching some old movie. I sit down between them. “Zoan will come today.”
Pa pauses the movie. “When?”
“I don’t know the exact time. But before 7 pm.”
Ma grins. “That’s good. Let’s order a cake for him.”
I shake my head and pat my chest proudly. “I’ve made the cake for him. He’s coming specifically for that cake.”
Pa laughs. “Is that cake even edible?”
I pout. “Come on, Pa, I’m not that bad.”
Ma nods slyly. “You are.”
I sigh dramatically. “I took Wendy’s help, and she approved it. I’ve also tasted it, and it’s decent.”
I get up. “You guys resume your movie. I’m going to discuss dinner plans with Wendy.”
And that’s exactly what I did. I discussed the dinner plans, picked my dress, and spent hours preparing dozens of fantasies about what I would do when I saw him. The only plot twist is, I won’t actually do any of those. I can’t. I can’t run into his arms and kiss him, he’s my adopted brother, after all. I can’t bring him into my room and… well, do anything inappropriate. I can’t sit in his lap and feed him the cake I made for him with my hands. Yeah, I have a lot of cheesy fantasies, too, but they’ll stay exactly that—fantasies.
And now I’m waiting. The clock has moved from 5 pm to 5:30 pm, then to 6 pm, and now it’s 6:30 pm, and he still hasn’t come. I’m sitting in the window of my room, waiting for the man I love in a very classical, almost cinematic way.
My mind drifts again into dreamland, another fantasy where he isn’t any kind of brother to me. He is a stranger I met when he came to my house, and I was sitting in a window like this. He saw me, I saw him, and we fell for each other. I close my eyes. How easy it would be to have such love. I wouldn’t have to hide it. There would be nothing to feel ashamed about. And most importantly, hewould love me. If not at first sight, I would do everything possible to make him fall for me.
Not like now, where I can never have him. I can’t even try to make him fall for me, how could I, with my adopted brother who only sees me like a sister?
“Dove.”
My eyes snap open. My head jerks toward the door of my room, and there he is, standing there.
I leap down and sprint toward him. All the useful and useless thoughts vanish, his presence fills my head and heart with joy.
I hug him tightly, inhaling his scent, it’s like the smell of first rain. He wraps me in his arms just as tightly. I let myself melt into his embrace, staying there many minutes longer than a sibling hug. I don’t have the strength to pull away quickly, but I have to eventually. I can’t stay in his arms forever, no matter how much I want to.
I reluctantly pull away and smile at him. “Happy birthday.”
His lips curl just a little. “Thank you.”
I grab his arm as we walk downstairs. “Why didn’t I hear you coming?”
“Your room is in the opposite direction of the helipad.”
“Have you met Ma and Pa?” I ask, looking at him, staring at his features up close.
His ice-blue eyes lock onto mine. “I’ve been here for half an hour.”
I gasp. “Why didn’t you call me downstairs?”
I’ve missed half an hour.
