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FOUR
~ Zane ~
My head was a sea of pain and unknown emotions.
After our kiss the night before, we didn’t speak about it. Instead, we just finished up our glasses and said our goodbyes as though nothing had happened. I knew we would have to talk about it sooner rather than later, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. I hadn’t expected that kiss to have such a powerful effect on me. All I knew was that I wanted her.
I wanted her bad.
It had been a struggle to get to sleep, not only because of my high level of intoxication but also due to the fact I couldn’t get her off my mind. The feel of her lips against mine. The curves of her body leaning into me. The smell of her perfume lingering on my clothes. By the time I fell asleep, I was rock hard and trying my best not to march right over there and knock on her door. Now that morning had come, I was starting to see everything more clearly.
The dynamic had changed.
Walking down the stairs, I poured myself a large glass of water and a strong cup of coffee. I grabbed some pain medicine out from behind the bathroom medicine cabinet, popping a few before nursing my headache at the kitchen counter with an ice pack. It felt good to have my forehead against a cold hard surface. Then the doorbell rang. My first thought was wondering if Elina had come to visit. Panicked, I checked myself in the mirror before answering the door. My eyes were bloodshot, and I looked like shit, but what could I do? I tried my best to wrangle my hair into shape before I opened the door.
“Jian?” I asked, confused.
My son took one look at me before bursting into laughter. Heaving his laundry bag, he brushed past me, dumping the bag onto the floor while I closed the door behind us. When I turned around, he was standing there, looking at the condition I was in.
“So, what happened to you?” he grinned, “You look like a ton of bricks fell on you, although I know a hangover when I see one. What’s the occasion?”
I gritted my teeth. After Mei had left us, I had raised Jian by myself, and we had grown close over the years. He knew Elina well, but I wasn’t sure how to approach him on the sudden change in our relationship. I knew I had to tell someone and Jian was my best bet.
“Elina has moved back into her old house.”
“Auntie Elina?” Jian smiled excitedly, “I haven’t seen her in ages. Did you go over last night? Is that why you look so bad? How is she?”
“Slow down, one thing at a time. First, let me have my coffee, and then you can tell me why you’re here.”
I walked back to the kitchen, where Jian helped himself to a beer from the fridge, popping it open with his teeth. I winced at the sight.
“You’re going to break them if you keep doing that.”
“Only if I do it wrong,” he smirked, “And as for why I’m here, did you forget? It’s Spring Break! I thought I’d come home for a couple of days before I go out with the guys.”
I slapped a hand to my head before instantly regretting it, “Ouch! I completely forgot. I’m so sorry. I meant to have everything ready for when you got back. Between work and Elina coming back, it completely slipped my mind. You must be hungry. Let me get lunch going.”
“Do you need some help?”
I shook my head, “No, this is my punishment for being a bad dad.”
Jian laughed, “You’re far from a bad dad. Anyway, what happened with Auntie Elina?”
Thinking about what to say, I started chopping vegetables. My hand expertly sliced as my mind wandered. What did happen with Auntie Elina? And what is going to happen now?
“Well, you know she got a divorce from Seth and moved back into her parents’ house. She didn’t give me much warning, but I helped her unload some of her boxes. And yesterday, I brought a few small things over as a house-warming gift. She wanted to celebrate her new life, so we cracked open a bottle of vodka and sat out on the porch drinking. We talked a lot and then…”
I drifted off, not sure how to continue. Jian wasn’t going to let it go that easily.
“And then?” he prompted.
“And then we kissed. But that was it.”
“You what?” Jian exclaimed, jumping off his stool, “You kissed Auntie Elina? Why? How?”
“Yes, I’m not sure, and with my lips,” I answered, trying to cut the conversation short.
“You’re not sure why you kissed her?” Jian leaned against the counter next to me, “But how did it happen? Did you kiss her first, or did she kiss you?”
