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I was sort of aware that Andreas had leaned forward to get some food from the coffee table, but he gets my full attention when he slides a plate in front of my nose. I look at him and frown in confusion.
“For you,” he explains quietly as people talk all around us.
I bite my lip and see that Jalen is currently helping himself. “What about you?”
“I’ll get mine next,” Andreas says warmly. “Is there anything else you fancied? I tried to get you a bit of everything, as I wasn’t sure if you could reach the table from there.”
My insides melt a little. I can reach just fine. He just saw that I was fretting and took matters into his own hands.
Jalen’s right. He’s a natural Daddy. I feel honored that he’s giving me that kind of attention. I know I promised to push him toward Jalen, but I can’t help but savor this moment for just a little while.
“Thank you,” I say sincerely. “That’s so sweet of you.”
I realize Jalen is watching us. When our eyes meet, Jalen beams at me like he’s pleased or proud. But I feel guilty. I don’t want to take Andreas away from him.
“You weren’t wrong,” Jalen says to Andreas, breaking the moment. “Your mom made a ton of food.”
“Always better to have too much than not enough,” Tianna says, wagging her finger. “And it’s all stuff you just bung in the oven. Even I can’t muck that up.”
“I don’t know about that,” Anisha says with a raised eyebrow, then ducks as her mother makes a show of pretending to clap her around the head.
This time, I flinch so badly I almost drop my plate.
Andreas is there in a flash, like a superhero. He grabs the edge before my food can fall on the carpet, saving me from having to die from extreme mortification. My heart is in my throat, though, and I struggle to take in decent breaths.
“Are you okay?” he murmurs. Luckily, no one else seems to have noticed my faux pas.
I swallow and manage to inhale properly, still feeling pretty stupid. Logically, I knew that his mum wasn’t about to hit his sister. They were just playing. But my instincts kicked in before my brain could, and I freaked out.
“Yeah, thanks,” I say shakily.
He doesn’t ask me to explain myself. He just waits until I’ve got a firm hold on my plate again, then rubs my back in a soothing way. I could almost cry. How does he manage to make me feel so much better with just a couple of simple gestures?
I need to be brave and try to adapt to the new situation. Thisisn’tmy old house or the people I grew up with. It’s an entirely new environment, so if I can manage it, I need to stop applying the old rules. Andreas is here to protect me, after all, so this is a safe place to try new things, if possible.
I think of my favorite Jurassic Galaxy character, Buckets. He was an orphan who took a long time to trust the rest of the crew. But when it really mattered, he did, and it saved all their lives.
Can I be like Buckets? It’s appalling thinking of putting myself out there and being vulnerable with people who could hurt me. But if I don’t start now, then when? Besides, there’s no one who makes me feel bold like Andreas and Jalen do. They’re by my side right now—literally pressed against me—and I do my best to feed off their courage.
Tentatively, I begin to nibble on some food. But it’s not long before there’s another commotion. “Andy? I hear Andy!” a new voice calls from out in the hallway. She sounds frail but excited.
“Nai Nai?” Andreas cries in disbelief.
“I thought you were sleeping, Mum,” Yuen says as he gets to his feet. A little old lady with thick glasses and perfectly permed white hair shuffles into the living room with a walking stick. Yuen gently helps her to an armchair and drapes a crocheted blanket over her lap.
“You having fun without me!” she accuses, making everyone laugh. She has a strong accent but speaks English with confidence.
Andreas puts his plate on the coffee table before extracting himself from the couch to go over and give her a careful hug. “I didn’t know you were here,” he says thickly as she pats his back.
“I don’t knowyouhere!” she cries in response, swatting his shoulder and making him laugh. “You bad boy.”
“It was a surprise, Nai Nai,” he says warmly. “I’d like you to meet my friends, Jalen and Colby. They traveled all the way from Sydney with me. Guys, this is my grandmother, Zhen.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” I say earnestly.
“Hi, Zhen!” Jalen cries with a wave.
“Oh, you pretty,” Zhen says, peering through her glasses at us. “Both of you. You my Andy’s boyfriends?”
