“I wouldn’t be if I were in your shoes, but there’s still nothing else to do but wait, without knowing specifics, neither of us wants to go up there and make it any worse,” he points out, and I almost growl in frustration because I know he’s right.
“I’m assuming Kingston is the evil jackass ex,” I point out the obvious to compartmentalize as much of what happened earlier as possible.
Tristan’s jaw tightens in anger, and he jerks his head harshly, a gesture that was probably meant as a nod but got tangled up in the negative emotion. Considering he truly cares about Qiang as a person, and not just as an extension of being someone important tohismost important person, he’s no happier that Qiang is hurt than anyone else is.
“Kind of hard to picture Qiang being all twitterpated over that guy,” I snort derisively at the thought.
I don’t know what I imagined, but I got the gist that the guy Qiang was so messed up over had to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I didn’t see the sheep’s clothing; I only saw the wolf today, which wasn’t really all that voracious. He was pretty much just a pup clinging to his daddy’s coattails for handouts to get ahead. Nothing but ego, nepotism, and a bad attitude. He’s the farthest from what I imagined would have attracted Qiang’s attention in the first place.
“Well, I don’t think Qiang really got a comprehensive view of that guy’s real personality until it was too late,” Tristan points out.
“I guess that explains some of the deep-rooted trust issues,” I comment, thinking about how deceptive Kingston must have been to have fooled them so well.
A door upstairs finally opens, and I look up expectantly, but the punkish-looking girl who heads down is such a far cry from either of the Jiangs that it jars me a bit. She’s full of leather clothes and piercings that are softened drastically by the soft curve of her face, and the wild brown curls that frame it.
She looks like she could be the greatest friend you could ever have, or the biggest nightmare imaginable, depending on whether she likes you or not, so the very abrasive “Who are you?” that pops out ofmy mouth probably isn’t the greatest first-impression delivery of all time.
Her eyes take me in, then sweep over to Tristan before lighting up with interest. “Well, hi. Seems like Qiang moved in with a bunch of hotties, so it’s no wonder they haven’t reached out to me all semester,” she says enthusiastically. “Which one of you is Tristan?” she asks, her interested eyes bouncing between us.
“That would be me?” Tristan’s response comes across more as a question than an answer, as he takes her in and tries to piece together who she is and what she’s doing in our house.
She looks him up and down before nodding. “I cantotallysee it,” she says, as if that somehow makes any shred of sense to anyone but her.
Before I can ask again who she is, her eyes swivel back to me. “So that means you are?” she asks.
Before I have a chance to bite out a reminder that she’s inourhouse and hasn’t even answered my inquiry yet, Tristan responds to her question with “Marcus, my best friend,” as if this is normal homeowner-to-houseguest behavior.
“That doesn’t explain whoyouare,” I remind her a bit harshly.
Tristan raises an eyebrow at me, and I realize I’m probably being a bit caustic at the moment. In my defense, it’s been one hell of a roller coaster of emotions today. I started about as high as I could start, and now I’m so fucking worried about Qiang that my chest hurts right now. Amid all that, there’s this random person in our house who somehow seems to be getting more answers from us than we are getting from her, and it’s annoying.
She gives me this weird ass smile that looks as though she knows every thought I’m having right now, and it’s a bit unnerving. She reminds me of those deities in movies that enjoy giving answers in the form of riddles and laughing as the characters hurt their brains trying to figure them out.
“Oh, right. I’m Natasha, Qiang’s friend,” she says, nodding her head towards Qiang’s room. “They had a bad day, so I was just keepingthem company for a bit to cheer them up. Qi’s up there now, so,” she trails off and shrugs lightly.
Great way to make a good first impression with one of Qiang’s friends.My prickliness gives over to a slightly abashed emotion before the reminder of why she’s here sets in, and my chest clenches painfully with worry again.
“How are they doing?”
Natasha gives me a skeptical look. “Better? Like, I realize you live here with them, but I don’t really know who you are to them beyond obviously being their roommate, so I’m not gonna detail it. But they’re alright, and their brother is up there,” she says loyally before her eyes scan me again with something more than just curiosity. “But while we’re on the subject of getting to know each other…” She crooks a half-smile with obvious interest.
I frown at that. I usually try really hard to be kind when I have to let someone down who's expressed interest in me if I’m not feeling it, too, but I’m just too emotionally charged right now to be on my best behavior.
“The sun rises and falls on Qiang’s sweet face,” I tell her point-blank, letting her know my attention is undividedly on her friend.
Instead of looking annoyed, though, she lets out a laugh. “I think that has to be the most obnoxiously adorable way I have ever been turned down. Forewarning, I’m all for Qiang’s happy ever after, so hot as fuck or not, you step on them in any way, and I’ll crush your balls,” she says with a mixture of seriousness and amusement on her face.
Something tells me that, regardless of how much of an emotionless ass I’ve been up to this point, I’ve somehow still won her seal of approval. Not that I really care all that much about her approval, just that it’s easier for Qiang’s friends to like me as opposed to the alternative.
“Duly noted,” I tell her, my respect for her rising because it’s obvious she has no intention of competing with her friend for my attention.
“Well, I best be off,” she says as she heads towards the door. “Qiang’s in good hands; you can probably like meditate or do somebreathing exercises or something before hurting yourself,” she adds before leaving.
Tristan chuckles lightly at her parting sentiment towards me while I scowl. Arguably, I’m not in my best frame of mind right now, but I’m notthatwound up.
“Well, she’s intense,” Tristan comments lightly.
I snort at that because she was definitely intense, but there was also enough sass and personality there for me to realize why Qiang would gravitate around her. I imagine they’re probably a hoot and a half when they’re together, and the circumstances are markedly kinder.
