They both watch me like I’m a crime scene and they’re the inspectors. Reluctantly, they finally give me a clean slate.
Wen speaks up. “By the way, Avi, did you know we can start wishing Leo happy birthdays again? And probably festivals too.”
Avi laughs with a scoff. “Ha… didn’t I tell you? It’s all because of Lyn.”
“What!”
Avi nods. “After he fucked up and you stopped talking to him, he became completely unbearable. That year, when we wished him a happy birthday, he glared at us like we’d asked for his kidney. He neither replied to anyone, and when someone called him and said ‘happy birthday,’ he cut the call immediately. The same thing happened on Christmas, New Year, and then his next birthday. When I asked Zoan what was wrong with him, he said something like… he doesn’t get wishes from someone he really wants, so he just sulks. That same thing carried on for all these years. And this time, when on New Year he was sulking, I asked Zoan if it was because of Lyn. He nodded and told me that Leo waited the whole day for your text and call on his birthday, Christmas, and New Year every year, and by theend of the day, he turned into a bomb that could explode even if someone so much as touched him.”
She looks at Wen. “I told you, and you said this couldn’t be the reason.”
Wen blinks. “If he was so affected by her”—she points toward me—“then why the hell was he behaving like a total jerk?”
Avi shrugs. “According to Zoan, Leo was in denial for a very long time.”
I lock my gaze on the wall, diving into old, locked memories I had only ever wanted to keep buried.
It was the Christmas when I was fifteen years old, the last Christmas I spent living a happy life in my dreamland, where I was the princess and Matleon was the prince. I was a girl who believed she could get anything she wanted. Even in my one-sided relationship with Matleon, I was happy because I was under the naive impression that, when I grew older, Matleon would definitely reciprocate my feelings.
That Christmas, I fell sick and spent the entire evening sleeping. At 7 p.m. in Vladivostok, Christmas Day had started in San Diego. I usually wished Matleon everything at that time, but that day, I didn’t.
The next morning, when I woke up, I saw a missed call from him. My heart leapt, I was thrilled that he had called to wish me a Merry Christmas, especially since I hadn’t wished him. When I called him back and asked why he had called, he said he dialed my number by mistake. My heart sank for a moment, but I pushed the disappointment away and wished him a Merry Christmas, telling him I had been sick. He told me to drink cinnamon milk tea. I grinned the whole day because of that. I decided to believe that Matleon cared about me. I drank so much cinnamon milk tea that day that the next morning I woke up with three pimples.
Wen snaps her fingers in front of me. “What are you thinking?”
“Cinnamon milk tea,” I mutter.
Matleon
The girls decided we should play games in the garden after dinner. Now here we are, sitting in a circle on garden chairs. Avi is glued to Zo as usual, and Wen has stolen my wife, as usual. I’m already plotting to send her back to Pa’s mansion by canceling her upcoming event. She would have gotten lost by now if her event hadn’t been postponed. One more week of her third-wheeling—great.
Wen places her phone on the rock table in the center. “I’ll press shuffle, and two names will come up on the screen. The first person will do or answer whatever the second one asks.”
She presses the button. “Avi and Leo.”
I rub my hands together. “I know everything about you, so it’s a dare.” I grin. “Put your chair one foot away from Zo’s.”
She purses her lips but does it. Zo glares at me, and I wink.
“You’re just a jealous, mean guy, Leo,” Avi grunts.
Wen presses shuffle again. “Wen.” She pouts. “Again, Leo.”
“Can I dare you to go back to Pa’s house?”
She flares her nostrils. “No. Dares have to be short-term, easy things.”
I sigh. “What’s the benefit of such a useless game?” I wave my hand. “Alright then, get away from my wife.”
I give a smile to Iselyn, who’s watching me closely.
Wen groans, shifting her chair and muttering, “I hope his name doesn’t come up again.” She presses shuffle, and Zo and Wen’s names appear.
“I have a question for you, Zo. Suppose Leo and Avi are about to get shot, and you can save only one, who would you save?”
He shrugs. “I’ll shoot the shooter. But if there’s a situation where that’s not possible, then I’ll save Avira, because Leo could take a bullet without dying.”
I snarl. “A man betraying his brother for his woman is nothing new.”
