“Don’t call me that,” he says with way more force than he intends.
Eden stiffens, startled. “Oh, I just thought—”
He shakes his head. “Sorry. I just... Please don’t use that name.”
She frowns, understandably confused. “Why?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You said that last time, too. You said you’d tell me when you’re ready.”
“Well, I’m still not ready.”
“But Shang, I—”
“Stop it.” He pulls away with a huff.
The mood’s ruined.
Eden bites her bottom lip, a flicker of annoyance ghosting past her hazel eyes. She closes her legs, suddenly bashful. “Do you not trust me or something?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“That name. Everything it represents. It’s not something I want to deal with. Ever.”
“Everything it represents? I don’t understand.”
“You don’t have to.”
She gawks at him. “What the hell happened to you? What made you—” she gestures at him, “like this? Are we really going to have a fight over a name?”
“Leave it alone, Eden. It doesn’t concern you.”
Her jaw tightens. “What even is this?”
“What?”
“Us.” The word lingers in the air, heavy and pointed.
“Eden—”
“If this is... I’m yourgirlfriend. You said you wanted to do this right. I assumed you meant...” Eden huffs, growing more and more agitated. She hops off the edge of the kitchen counter and stares up at him. “I assumed you meant trying to be together for real.”
“That’s what I meant, yes.”
“Well, then I hate to break it to you, but that means talking to me. About everything. But if you don’t trust me enough, then—”
“What are you saying?”
Eden gets up and pulls her hair up into a messy ponytail. “Shit,” she hisses. “Shit. Maybe this was a mistake.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” she snaps. “You have two fucking names, and you won’t tell me why. If Alexander were your middle name, I’d get it, but it’s not. It’s astagename. Why are you hiding who you really are? I don’t... I don’t know you.”
“Don’t say that.”
