Page 183 of Masters of Control

He just wasn’t sure how to shake off the emotions surrounding it. So, he pushed them down and away instead.

“Coming, Ma.” The casual ‘ma’ made her wince because she hated being called ‘ma,’ which was exactly why he did it. He hadn’t even done it consciously; it was just what came out of his mouth. Behind him, his father sighed that deep-deep sigh of disappointment he was so good at.

Asad felt tension roll down his spine, but he shook it off again and sauntered after his mom and Morgan.

He might feel it, but he’d be damned if he let them see it.

Chapter Seven

Morgan

There was something going on with Asad’s family, though Morgan couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She hadn’t noticed at first, but as the evening went on, it became more and more obvious to her that he was very tense, and she couldn’t understand why.

His mother was lovely and welcoming, his father was quiet but friendly, and his brother had bounded into the house with boisterous energy and a huge smile when he saw his brother. Anna was also very friendly, though clearly nervous and a little distracted. Asad had seemed glad to see Cyrus, they’d shared a huge hug, but during dinner, she’d realized he wasn’t behaving like himself.

He wasn’t behaving like the confident Master Asad she knew, with his flirtations and jokes. Did he still joke? Yes, but there was an edge to it, an undercurrent rather than the lighthearted jokester he often was. He was being more sarcastic than funny, and the laughter that followed was more uncomfortable than truly amused.

And she had no idea how to fix any of it.

“So, how did you two meet?” she asked Cyrus and Anna as they all started dessert. The baklava was very sweet, which Morgan wasn’t usually a fan of, but she liked honey better than most sugars. Combined with the nuts and pastry, it turned into something she liked rather than being too sugary for her palate. Conversation had hit another lull while everyone dug in, and she figured that at least should be something they’d enjoy talking about.

“Asad didn’t tell you?” Cyrus raised his eyebrows and shrugged at the same time, hinting that maybe it wasn’t as innocuous a point of conversation as she’d thought.

Asad shrugged as well, looking unconcerned as he leaned back in his chair and took another sip of wine.

“We spend more time talking about me than you, as unusual as that might seem.” Asad smirked, turning the words into something teasing, but it didn’t feel like a very nice tease. Then again, Morgan hadn’t had siblings. It was her understanding that siblings did tease each other a lot. Maybe she just didn’t understand the relationship because she didn’t have any experience with it. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Afraid she’d be more interested in the better brother?” Cyrus puffed his chest out, grinning as he teased Asad back, at the same time that Lena frowned at her eldest son.

“Asad, be nice to your brother,” she chided over the top of Cyrus’ retort, which she didn’t give any sign of hearing. At the other end of the table, Darius sighed. He seemed to do that a lot.

Morgan had absolutely no idea what to do, and she felt like she’d blundered into dangerous waters. Thankfully, Anna rescued her. The pretty blonde looked as uncomfortable as Morgan felt and as if she was relieved to have a topic to grab on to.

“Cyrus and I met in high school, though we were just friends back then.” She glanced to her right and smiled at him. His gaze softened as he looked back at her, and the atmosphere around the table relaxed. Morgan could have sighed at how romantic it looked, like a moment straight out of a movie. “We met again a few years ago through mutual friends at a party, and… well, things just worked out.”

“Yeah, it did.” Cyrus leaned over to give her a kiss.

“Wow, that’s wonderful. I didn’t realize after Asad said he’d only met Anna a few times.” It wasn’t until after she’d said it that Morgan realized she maybe should have kept that to herself, even though he had said it.

“Yeah, well, Asad wasn’t around much when I was in high school, so that’s true,” Cyrus said mildly.

“He went off to get his engineering degree,” Lena added. “Which we were very proud of, even though it meant we didn’t get to see him very much.”

“I’m surprised you noticed,” Asad said dryly as he glared at his plate, pushing the pieces of baklava around rather than eating it.

“Of course, we noticed.” Lena pressed her lips together. Her eyes darted back and forth between Morgan and Anna, as if she wanted to say more but wasn’t sure she should with them there. Morgan was already regretting asking her question. It might be better not to introduce any new topics of conversation during the rest of the week.

Darius cleared his throat.

“Morgan, you said you’re a makeup artist?” he asked.

Asad’s head snapped up, and he glared at his dad.

“Yes, and I also do ASMR videos,” she said, setting down her fork and reaching out with her free hand to place it on Asad’s leg. Something about the way his posture had shifted made her think of a predator about to pounce, and she really didn’t want to be the cause of an argument in his family. She didn’t mind talking about what she did. She loved her work.

“What’s ASMR?” Anna’s question was full of simple curiosity, and maybe because it was her asking and not one of Asad’s family members, Morgan felt Asad relax. His hand covered hers.

She was only half finished with her baklava, but she kept holding his hand. She couldn’t eat while she was talking, anyway.