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My dad walked in.“What’s all this commotion?”He looked Aiden up and down, eying the way my boyfriend’s arms were wrapped tightly around my waist.“Ah.You must be Aiden?Jay has been a mess for the past week.I’m not sure he can survive without you.What’s that called?”
“Codependent?”my mom suggested, giggling.I narrowed my eyes at her, and she raised her hands apologetically.“Or maybe they’re young and in love.”
“I have not been a mess!”I exclaimed, which was definitely a lie.Aiden’s arms tightened around my waist and he leaned down, brushing his lips against the shell of my ear.
“I’ve been a mess without you,” he murmured.“A complete disaster.I can’t sleep for shit.”A warm rush started in my chest, spreading through my body as I tried to press even closer to him.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” my dad said, extending his hand.Aiden’s grandfather shook it firmly, a small smile flickering across his face.“Marcus Stone.And this is my wife, Laura.”
“Kaito Yamada,” Aiden’s grandfather returned the handshake with a smile.I looked up into Aiden’s eyes as the adults made some small talk, and we kissed again.
“Missed you like crazy,” he whispered.
“Let’s sit down, shall we?”Marcus suggested, gesturing toward our living room.My parents sat on the couch, and Kaito sat on one of the big end chairs, while Aiden took the other.I hesitated for a moment, looking at the spot on the sofa next to my mom, but Aiden grabbed my hand and yanked me into his lap.
I landed ungracefully with a yelp, elbowing Aiden in the stomach.He laughed and tucked me against his chest, kissing the top of my head like I was small and precious, which I wasn’t, not really.
“I thought your dad didn’t approve?”Aiden whispered.
“We’ve been talking.I guess I misunderstood.He just wanted me to have survival skills.”
“All right, here goes,” Kaito said, interrupting our whispered conversation, a small smile playing at his lips.“Jay, I wanted you to be here for this announcement, so I tricked Aiden into coming to Seattle.”
“What?”Aiden stiffened beneath me.“I thought we were here to ask Jay—”
“All in good time, Aiden,” Kaito said, grinning.“First of all, I wanted to thank Jay’s parents for raising such a strong, good-hearted young man.He has done wonders for my grandson, especially for his confidence in himself.”
“Aw.”My mom already looked like she was going to cry.My dad rubbed her back and reached for the tissues.
“I’m so fucking confused,” Aiden muttered near my ear.I glanced towards him, wide-eyed, and he shrugged.“Your guess is as good as mine.”He wrapped his hands more tightly around my waist, though, burying his face against the side of my shoulder.
“This young man right here, he did what no one else in our family could do for Aiden, even Aiden himself.He fought for Aiden’s dream.”Kaito paused dramatically, studying us all.
Beneath me, Aiden stiffened.I rubbed his shoulder.“It’s only what anyone who loved him would do.”I suddenly felt bashful and tucked my head against Aiden’s shoulder.
“Jay, did you know that when I was a boy, I dreamed of being a potter?I even enrolled in a school in Seto, Japan to study a technique called seto yaki.”
“Um, no?”I said, laughing awkwardly.
“Well, it’s true.But my parents felt a career in the family business was more important.”At this, Aiden’s hand tightened on my waist.“I’ll never know if I could have been happier as a potter, but I don’t want Aiden to have to wonder about that.”
“What do you mean, grandpa?”Aiden whispered.
“I called Stanford and pulled some strings.You’re now enrolled in the conservation biology program there.”
“Are you fucking with me?”Aiden asked.
“I certainly hope not.I made a rather large endowment to the biology department at Stanford,” Kaito said, smiling.“Of course, the family business will always be here for you if you don’t find science is your true passion.”
“Wait, really?”I stammered, hardly able to believe my ears.I looked towards Aiden, my eyes wide.Aiden looked as shocked as I was.
“Yeah, and you have this young man to thank for my change of heart,” Kaito said.I turned to Aiden’s grandfather and studied him, noticing how relaxed and happy he looked.
“What about my parents?”Aiden asked.
Kaito waved his hand.“Your parents aren’t paying for your education.I am.They can gripe all they want, but they can’t change what you decide to do.”
“Holy shit,” Aiden said.
