I laugh, nearly choking on my chip. He grins, reaching for his own snack, and for a moment we just eat—passing the skillet back and forth, occasionally reaching for Oreos or handfuls of Goldfish to break up the cheese intake.
Black Cat materializes from somewhere, using his truly unsettling ability to appear out of thin air. He inserts himself between us as if this spread is for him. He immediately begins stealing Goldfish from the pile near Taio’s knee, crunching them with aggressive satisfaction.
“Hey.” Taio nudges him gently with his elbow. “Those aren’t for you.”
Black Cat ignores him completely, selecting another Goldfish with deliberate care and consuming it while maintaining direct eye contact. Dominance established.
“He’s so obedient,” I observe, reaching for a gummy worm. “You’ve done wonders as a cat trainer.”
“I’m not fully convinced he’s a cat. He likes walks, belly scratches, and has stolen my shower on multiple occasions. I think someone bred this dog wrong. I genuinely don’t know why I keep him around.”
“Because you love him.”
“I tolerate him. There’s a significant difference.”
Black Cat, as if understanding the conversation, curls into a ball against Taio’s thigh and begins purring at a volume that seems medically improbable for an animal his size. Taio’s hand moves automatically to scratch behind his ears, completely undermining his protestations of mere tolerance.
Once my belly is comfortably protruding, I settle deeper into the cushions, pulling a throw pillow into my lap. The combination of food and warmth and soft lighting is already working its magic—I can feel the tension from the concert starting to unspool, the hum of anxiety in my chest finally beginning to quiet.
“So,” Taio says, reaching for another chip. “Tonight. The concert. How are you feeling about all of it? Are you going to work in a piano performance for each stop moving forward?”
I groan, tipping my head back against the cushion wall behind me. “Honestly? I don’t know. And I don’t want to think about it. I’m sick of myself.” I stare up at the sheet-draped ceiling, watching the candlelight dance across the fabric. “Tonight, I just want to talk about literally anything else. Tell me about you. Tell me something I don’t know.”
Taio is quiet for a moment, his hand still moving absently through Black Cat’s fur. I prop myself up on my elbows to look at him—really look at him—and catch something vulnerable flickering across his face before he smooths it away.
“What do you want to know?”
“More about your mom.” I sit up fully, crossing my legs beneath me and setting the throw pillow aside. “You said she moved after everything happened? Was that hard?”
The silence stretches long enough that I start to worry I’ve pushed too far, asked for too much too soon. But then Taioexhales slowly, setting down his chip and brushing the salt from his fingers.
“It was all so sudden.” The words come out quiet, almost reluctant, like he’s not used to saying them out loud. “I had a lot of guilt. All the nice things I had—my Bentley, my Stanford degree, my nice clothes and shoes. I can’t stop thinking about who actually paid for all of it. But my mom didn’t feel guilty. She was angry. She had no problem blaming my dad for what he did. She wanted me to do the same. To choose sides. To choose her.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because my mom’s a wonderful human being. Her life will always be filled with love, friendship, and karmic blessings. I don’t worry about her. My dad? I’m it. The only person left who still wants to see him get out and get better. My mom has everything. My dad has…me. It was the only choice.”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”
“Maybe. He’s my dad though, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it. Do you still talk to her?”
“Holidays. Birthdays. But no, not really. I think she’s mad at me for staying. I think I’m mad at her for leaving. But I can only focus on one painful parental relationship at a time.” He’s staring at Black Cat now, fingers still moving through his fur in slow, rhythmic strokes. “Once Dad’s out and on his feet, I do want to see her again. Clear the air.”
The pain in his voice is so raw, so unguarded, that I have to physically stop myself from reaching for him.
“Taio, honestly? You have such a unique heart. I don’t think anyone on this planet deserves you.”
“Except for you, right?”
I flash him my most serious look. “Obviously. Because I’m perfect.”
He chuckles warmly. “You definitely are.” He waits for me to look at him, and there’s something in his gaze that makesmy breath catch. “You’re easy to talk to, you know that? Dangerously easy.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was meant as a warning.”
