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He hummed, roving his gaze over me and said, “It’s a secret.”
PART IV
“I broke a rule.”
41
PARTICULAR PERSON
DAMON
When Summer’s nana said she wanted to talk to me with her serious face, I thought I knew how it would go. After all, I had watched enough K-Dramas with Emma and Mia to know how this works.
So, before she could say a word, I set my intentions straight even though there wasn’t a glass of water or coffee nearby for my parched throat.
“I’m sorry, but I like Summer, and I won’t accept any money you offer to break up with her,” I said, bowing my head.
There. Nailed it.
“What?” she asked, and I raised my head. “Why would I give you money to break up with my granddaughter?”
I blinked at her, confused. “You don’t know? They do this in K-Dramas, but usually the genders are reversed—anyway, I thought you wanted to talk to me because you think I’m too poor or unworthy of her.”
“Poor?” She chuckled, eyeing my clothes, and sat down on a chair beside Summer’s desk. “You silly boy. I’m here to ask about your intentions for Summer.” She sighed as I helped her lean her cane against the desk. “She has loved bad people before, and my sweet girl deserves someone better than them. Are you?”
Her stare was so intense that I had to be honest. “No, ma’am. I am not someone she deserves. Yet.” I took a deep breath and continued, “But I will be. I am sorry, but I must tell you, I’m selfish and ruthless. And she’s too… precious for me to let go.”
She nodded, staring at me for a little longer, and said, “Make sure you eat a lot before you go, okay? Too skinny!”
Huh? I looked at her with confusion and looked down at my body. She thought I was skinny? I followed her downstairs and met my sister.
Summer’s face turned sour when I didn’t tell her how weird her nana was. She was glowing as she chatted with her friends, and I wished I could kiss her, but Emma and Cillian knew it was a fake relationship. I hated how her Nana kept praising Cillian and how he was not skinny, despite being covered in tattoos with a scar on his lips.
The dinner was delicious, and I helped Summer’s dad in cleaning the plates before loading them in the dishwasher. Watching her smile and laugh freely around her parents made me feel warm.
Since the girls wanted to hang out on their own, we guys decided to play basketball in the nearby park. Aiden and James were wearing shirts and pants while Cillian was in a tee shirt, and I was in a suit. I removed my suit jacket and started dribbling the basketball.
I always thought that I didn’t have any friends because I didn’t need any, but I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t feel great to have small talk with all three of them while we played. Cillian was winning since he was the tallest among us, but James was a close second until I took over, dunking the ball in the basket.
Since Cillian’s friend, Sean, was passing by, he joined us too, and he was the most talkative among us, keeping the conversation light.
“Emma has started calling me ah-juicy, and it feels weird,” Cillian confessed, making Sean burst into laughter.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Ahujussi means old man or old uncle in Korean,” he deadpanned.
Sean added, “And she’s calling him ah-juicy. Which makes it hilarious.”
“Har har,” Cillian said, grabbing the ball away from him and throwing it in the basket.
When Aiden was nearby, I decided to talk to him about my recent struggle. “My friend is having heart issues.”
“I’m a therapist, Damon.” He looked at me, his dark eyes narrowing. “Not a cardiologist.”
James offered him a water bottle and joined our conversation. “Humor him.”
“Right,” I said. “He told me his chest aches whenever he thinks of this… particular person.”
