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As an awkward silence settles on the room, I tilt my head back and burst out laughing. Niko giggles, her eyes darting between me and her father.
Sazuki’s eyes widen. He still hasn’t swallowed any of the dumplings yet.
Poor thing.
“Spit it out, Sazuki.” I get a napkin and gesture to him.
But he refuses.
He swallows my dry dumplings with a giant gulp of water and proceeds to polish off everything in the tray.
Abruptly, he gets up.
His chair scrapes behind him.
Every head launches in his direction.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Sazuki announces.
“Why are you telling us?” His mother frowns.
“Dejonae, come with me.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” He wipes his mouth with a napkin, drops it forcefully into his plate and leads me down the hallway.
Once the bathroom door is closed, his eyes slide over my face. “I do not know what to say. My mother…” His nostrils flare and he taps his chest. “I want to protect you, but I do not want to disrespect her. It might be better to leave.”
“I’m not going to run away. If I plan to stay with you, I might as well get used to these awkward dinners now.”
His eyes darken. Sazuki backs me up against the sink and cages me between his arms. His desire smothers me, filling in all the places that his body can’t reach.
“I will speak to Ashanti. My mother is one thing. But I will not have her disrespect you.”
He’s so soft with his family, with his mother and daughter.
I forgot how sharp he could be.
It makes me want to grab his face and suck the life out of it.
“Watch me take care of myself, hm?” I arch a brow.
He nods.
We leave the bathroom together.
Everyone has moved to the living room and they swivel to watch us.
“Niko,” I sign, “now that dinner’s over, how about we play for your grandmother?”
Niko brightens and nods.
Sazuki’s mother looks confused. I wonder if she doesn’t understand ASL.
“Niko and her teacher have been working on a song,” I explain, walking around to the piano Sazuki keeps in his living room.
Niko takes the bench beside me, her face beaming with excitement.
