I nod. “It was a phenomenal experience. It was so hard leaving Kauai. I was tempted to retire early and move there.”
Asami slips a piece of sashimi in her mouth. “You should’ve invited Annalise over for dinner tonight. I miss her.”
A big grin takes over my face. “You’ll see her tomorrow at the game.”
Excitement builds within me at the thought of seeing her in my jersey tomorrow while she cheers me on. When we were in high school, her presence in the crowd always eased my nerves and gave me the confidence to perform my best.
Asami lets out a squeal and her eyes light up. She and Annalise were very close when we were together, but lost touch once we split. I know Asami is more than thrilled to rekindle their friendship.
“I can’t wait to see her! Watching your games will be less boring now.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, says the girl that’s on the edge of her seat during the entire game.”
“I’m so happy we will get to see Annalise more now.” Okasan squeezes my shoulder. “Make sure you bring her over for dinner next time.”
“Yeah—we don’t care about seeing you, we wanna see her!” Asami reaches for the last big piece of sashimi, but I beat her to it.
“Hey, you greedy ass!”
I shrug. “I have a big game tomorrow. Need to make sure I eat enough to build up my energy.”
“How are you feeling about the game tomorrow, Masashi?” Okasan asks.
“I’m pretty nervous, but I have a lot of faith in my team. We play against LA first, so I think we have a good chance of advancing to the next round.”
“You will,Masashi,” she says, smiling widely. “The championship is yours this year! I just know it.”
Swallowing, my eyes flicker to Otosan. “Otosan, will you, um, come to my game? It’s the first time in a decade that the Dragons have advanced to playoffs. It would mean a lot to me if you were there.”
Otosan reaches for a glass of water and gulps it down. My stomach twists in knots as I wait for his response.
He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I can’t. Kamado Tech is about to release our new VR. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.”
“Of fucking course,” I mutter under my breath.
I thought that with me playing for our hometown, and with it being the playoffs, he would change his mind—but I was wrong. I feel like a fucking idiot for even asking him.
Okasan narrows her eyes at him, her arms folded across her chest. “Can’t you spare a couple of hours to be there for your son?”
“It’s okay, Okasan,” I say, rising from my seat. “I don’t even know why I bothered asking. Nothing will ever be more important to him than his job.”
Otosan clears his throat. “That’s not true. I have a deadline to meet. You have to understand.”
Heat crawls up my spine. I am beyond fed up with his excuses. “When are you going to accept the fact that I have no desire to take over your company? You supported Asami. Why can’t you do the same for me?”
Asami gets up from her seat and scratches the back of her neck. “I’m gonna use the bathroom…”
“You never thought I’d make it to the NBA, but I did. I fought for every inch of it. Basketball was never just a hobby for me. It’s my passion. My purpose.” All of the anger I’ve kept bottled up for years erupts at this moment. “You know how much it means to me, yet you’ve never showed up for a single one of my games!” My voicetrembles, cracked and raw. “Why am I not good enough for you?” The words hang heavy in the air.
Otosan stares down at his plate and remains silent.
Walking over to Okasan, I plant a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.Daisuki, Okasan.”
“Daisuki, Masashi,” she says softly.
I storm out of my parents’ house and slam the door behind me. Pulling out my phone, I call the one person who always makes me feel better.
“Hey, can you come over? I need to see you.”
