Page 195 of The Encore’s Crown

“He’s still as much of a pussy as he ever was.” He points at Ma. “You ruined these boys. Both of them.”

Her face collapses. I hate him more for that than anything else he’s ever said.

“Don’t come back,” he says, looking between us. “You’re not welcome here.”

Rithy is already lifting a middle finger as he heads for the door. I join him, Natalia’s hand still locked in the other.

“Enjoy the house, asshole,” I say.

The house we bought. The house he drinks inside while Ma keeps every surface polished enough to reflect the life she pretends they have.

We step outside, and the door shuts behind us. Cold night air hits my face and for a moment, none of us speaks. Rithy drags both hands through his hair and lets out a shaky breath.

“Nothing says 'Happy birthday Ma' like raging homophobia, and Kiri nearly catching a murder charge. All in all, a typical Chhim family event.”

The joke doesn’t hide the tremor beneath it. I pull him into me and he goes stiff before his arms lock around my back. We stand there gripping each other like we’re teenagers again, as if holding on tightly enough can keep either of us from being dragged back inside.

“You good?” I ask.

“No,” he says. “You?”

I scoff. “No.”

“Excellent.”

I squeeze him harder before letting go. His eyes are bright, but he looks away before I can say anything about it. Then he turns toward Natalia.

“If Kiri had taken another minute to piss, I would’ve had to explain why his girlfriend was standing over Dad’s body with a heel through his skull.”

Natalia folds her arms. “He called me a dumb blonde bitch.”

Rithy pulls her into a hug. “That’s exactly why I like you more than Kasia.”

She laughs against his shoulder. “Kasia would’ve killed him too.”

“Yeah, but she’d manage to make it dull. You make things theatrical.”

“I have high expectations for murder. If I’m going to jail it better be worth it.”

“See?” He releases her and gestures toward me. “Keep this one.”

“I was planning to.”

Natalia looks at me. The laughter fades from her face when she sees mine, and Rithy catches it too.

“I’ll call you later,” he says.

I nod.

He points at Natalia. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

She glances toward the house. “Too late.”

“That’s fair.”

Rithy gets into his car. We wait until his headlights disappear before climbing into mine.

The drive home is silent. We're both emptied out. I keep one hand on the steering wheel and the other on Natalia’s thigh. She covers it with hers, threading our fingers together. A tremor runs through my hand. I try to stop it, but she notices anyway. Her thumb passes slowly over my knuckles, warming the birds inked across them.