“I think you’ve met everyone here except my parents,” he says, steering me towards them. There’s a tightness in my stomach, an alarm in the back of my head, but before I can fully process it, I’m standing in front of Marcus’s mom with his arm still firmly wrapped around my waist.
Marcus favors his mother. They have the same facial structure, except that Marcus’s features are slightly more chiseled than hers. They have the same obsidian eyes and dark brown skin, with an almost bluish tint. She’s nearly six feet tall with her heels on, and I don’t have to see her without them to know she’d still stand at least acouple of inches taller than me. Her hair is parted to one side, and the short bob highlights her high cheekbones and full lips.
“Mom, this is Qiang, Qi’s older sibling. They’ve just agreed to move into the house with us when the semester starts,” he tells her before turning to me. “Qiang, this is my mother, Samayah Bauer.”
I know it would be weird for me to know everyone in the group and be introduced to everyone’s parents except for Marcus’s. I also know that his parents, knowing I am moving into the house, means the likelihood of them wanting to know everyone their son is living with is high. There are very logical reasons why I should be meeting Marcus’s parents right now. But none of those reasons feel like the ones that Marcus has for introducing me.
I don’t know if it’s knowing he has a crush, or the ridiculously sweet smile he has on his devilishly handsome face, or even if it’s simply because of the crossed wires in my brain, but this feels like introducing the significant other to the parents, and that has every ounce of awkwardness in my body rushing to the surface because that’s not what this is, what it should be, or what it ever will be. But I swallow it down because I’m not sure if my suspicions are ridiculous, or ifI’mbeing ridiculous right now.
Samayah smiles brightly at me and reaches out her hand. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you from Marcus, Dawn, and Qi,” she says while I take her hand in mine. “This is my husband, and Marcus’s father, Elijah,” she adds, giving her husband’s hand the slightest tug to get his attention.
His dad is not nearly as physically commanding as his mother is. His face lacks the same chiseled structure as his wife's and son's. He’s shorter than his wife with her in heels, and probably about the same height as her when she’s not wearing them. And neither of them is as tall as Marcus is, with or without heels.
However, regardless of not being as physically striking, his personality more than makes up for it. He has a gravity of sunshine around him. A lightness that feels as though he’s the perfect benevolent king standing beside his striking queen. They have a kindness and a wisdom that radiates outward.
His smile widens as he looks at me. “You must be the infamous Qiang we’ve heard so much about,” he says, reaching his hand out towards me.
“I don’t know about infamous, but it’s nice to meet you both,” I tell him.
“The pleasure is all ours! We’ve been looking forward to meeting the person who has had such a positive effect on Qi. He’s told us several times how much of a positive influence you are,” Elijah says happily, and I can’t help but feel warmth at the praise.
Samayah looks over at her husband. “Marcus says Qiang has finally agreed to move in with them.”
“That’s wonderful news. Qi must be so happy,” Elijah says, as though it’s the greatest news in the world. “Not gonna lie, we were kind of hoping you would agree. It’ll be comforting to know someone a bit older with a good head on their shoulders will be there.”
“Hey, man, they’re calling everyone to take their places,” Darryl interrupts us, tugging on Marcus to join him.
Marcus claps his dad on the shoulder. “Will you guys take good care of Qiang while I go graduate?” he says with a playful wink that has his dad shaking his head with amusement and his mom beaming at him with pride.
I have to fight the urge not to roll my eyes. I came for Tristan, and with my own family, but somehow Marcus has flipped it around to feel like I’m here for him and his. He’s a slick one, and I almost laugh at the ploy.
As Marcus leaves to join the graduates, I turn to join my family. I don’t get far, though, before I feel Samayah slip her arm through mine.
“Qi said you’re a makeup artist, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued, so I looked you up. You’re quite the talent, especially given that you’re self-taught. Even now, with a subtle look, you’re quite striking. I hope you don’t mind if I forward some of your videos to a few larger influencer friends of mine,” she says.
My eyes widen at the offer, and I hesitate for a moment. “It’s so generous for someone you’ve known less than five minutes,” I pointout, making sure the question is evident in my tone so she knows I’m surprised, not disrespectful.
Her smile widens as she takes me in. “Qi is one of the brightest humans I’ve ever had the privilege to meet, and I think that’s largely because of you. He talks about his journey to Tristan and how, over the years, he’s always been allowed to be completely himself with you. That’s not a gift everyone has, and I think you’re an amazing sibling to him for granting him the freedom and encouragement to be his true self.
“AndI believe talent and integrity are things that are not necessarily lacking in this world, but that are covered up and hidden by those with money and power. Without the faith of a few people, Elijah and I wouldn’t be where we are now. I love being able to show my gratitude for that by showing that same faith to others who have both integrity and talent that may not have access to the resources, attention, and promotion they deserve,” Samayah says, and that catches in my throat.
What is up with the wholesomeness of these people? In all fairness, my family is wholesome, and I know Tristan's family is wholesome. But Marcus doesn’t come across as wholesome. He comes across as playful and mischievous, and obviously an amazing friend to have, so most likely good-natured and genuine, but not wholesome. I guess I just assumed his parents would be more like him and less like Tristan’s, but that’s what I get for making assumptions.
“Thank you for the offer. I would love the chance to reach a higher platform. But I don’t know if I’d claim any form of higher integrity for being a safe space for Qi to grow. Everyone deserves that safe space; I’m just thankful he knows he’s safe with me,” I respond.
Samayah stops me for just a second and gazes at me steadily. “However, in today’s society, that logic rarely follows suit. Most people would steer Qi towards societal expectations instead of helping him embrace his authentic self. It takes maturity and bravery to be a true voice of reason and support, rather than just mindlessly following the masses. We’re happy knowing there will be an older, more sensible voice in the house with them. And of course, if theyever get too much or out of hand, just reach out to us, and we’ll take care of it. And I’m sure I’ll be in touch with you, too, about the possibilities of where you can take your channel. This is strictly personal, not business, so you don’t have to worry about being supplanted or jumping through hoops you have no desire to jump through,” she reassures me.
Excitement buzzes beneath my skin at her offer, at the chance to really take the makeup channel somewhere. It’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do, or could foresee myself doing. I just always worried about how sustainable it could be. But with help and getting my reach to the right platforms, I might actually have a chance.
I can almost breathe a sigh of relief knowing my discomfort about meeting Marcus’s parents was just me being ridiculous. It wasn’t that kind of introduction at all. It was introducing me to them as a roommate. Thelogicalreason, and I’m just spinning it otherwise. I need to quit reading too much into things.
Not long after we take our seats, the ceremony begins. Speeches and awards are given. Diplomas are handed out. I watch Tristan cross the stage and lock eyes with his parents before drifting them over to Qi.
They exchange secret smiles that aren’t secret at all. A million things are spoken with just a glance and the slight upturn of their lips. They are a fucking modern-day fairy tale that should be corny as hell, but their love is so transcendent that there’s no humor, just warmth and forever. Tristan hovers just offstage and waits for his two best friends to join him.
Darryl crosses the stage next, focusing on Tristan and Marcus. Probably better off because his mom still hasn’t torn her ear from her phone, and I doubt she even noticed her son walking across the stage. I don’t want to judge because I don’t know their dynamic at all, but graduating high school is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and she just fucking missed it.
I remember the amount of hurt and guilt I felt when it was time for me to graduate, and we all had to miss it because I wasn’t allowed to attend mine. My parents tried to make up for it, to show theirsupport, by my dad handing me my diploma when it arrived in the mail, with a bunch of pompous fanfare that my mom and Qi hooted and hollered over. But it wasn’t the same as them finally getting to see at least one of their children walk the stage when Qi graduated yesterday.
