Page 11

Visha

He squeals and slams his skull in the cushion behind his head like a lunatic. Maybe the fright made him lose some brain cells?

“You’re too cute for your own good!” he claims, shaking with laughter.

Cute? Me? As if. I’m a handsome boy, I’m not cute!

“Verdict?”

“Right, my bad. I got distracted. You’re coming with me tonight and that way we’ll figure out a way for you to never go back to those horrible people and maybe stay with me instead for a while. What do you think?” he says as if it’s the most obvious fact in the world.

Anything he says sounds smart even when he squeals like a madman. The specific detail that strikes me is the manner in which he asks for my opinion on the matter instead of deciding without involving me.

I jump around his neck, hugging him. I’ll never be able to express my gratitude no matter how hard I try so the least I can do is hug him and behave well to not burden him.

He’s my savior after all.

“But we’re going to need to go to the mall first.” He laughs and gives my back a slight tap.

Right, I don’t have clothes. I could go back home and grab some stuff, but I want to be selfish for once and stay with Aoi as long as I can.

“Are you hungry? You haven’t had lunch yet and only ate a bowl of cereal earlier,” he points out preoccupied.

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

“I’m still digesting the cereal so I’m not hungry yet. I think I’m not used to eating so much food so fast. My tummy probably isn’t used to it yet, so I don’t get hungry quickly.”

It’s the first time in a while that I’ve spoken so much at once. His expression is priceless as he stares a hole through my face, his jaw hanging open.

“You’re…smarter than I expected. I mean, not that I thought you weren’t, but I don’t often converse with younger children, so, you know.” He chuckles awkwardly and straightens in his seat, carefully pushing me aside.

Not in rejection but for convenience, he can’t get up with me clinging to him. It’s grueling always having to wonder what others are thinking about at any given time. I feel like I have to analyze his behavior and facial expressions, each tone and mannerism.

There was a time when I had no idea, I subconsciously did that. Now I notice when my brain picks up on a change in someone’s behavior. I’m not sure why I do that.

He picks me up from the couch and lowers me down on the fluffy carpet. “Let’s go.”

I don’t think that his touch repulses me. I meant to apologize for my reaction yesterday, but I don’t know how to even mention it. It’s just that when he grabbed me so suddenly it reminded me of Brad and terror took over.

But Aoi is different. He wouldn’t do that to me.

He beams with excitement and rushes to the shoe rack to put on his black leather boots. I peer at him in silence then swiftly stalk behind him, following his every movement.

“Come here,” he says, waving at me from the front door and getting on one knee.

He looks like he’s about to propose which makes me chortle. I dash in his direction, eager to spend more time with him. He draws my worn-out shoes from the shelf and helps me put them on, tying my laces for me.

I have a clean view of the top of his head as he tends to my footwear. His hair looks shiny and soft, to the point that I want to touch it. Is that weird? He patted my head before so it couldn’t be strange to touch his hair too. I stick out my arm and drive my fingers through the softness of his light brown hair. It feels like velvet to the touch.

He tips his head back and looks up at me with a wide grin. “Do you like my hair?”

It’s really pretty. “It looks like a Persian cat’s fur.”

And at that he starts wheezing, “Did you just compare my hair to a cat’s fur?”

I hate to admit it, but I enjoy seeing him so cheerful. I wish that was me. Aoi strikes me as a person with no worries, a huge heart and a peaceful mind but it’s not his real self is it?

He bends over in two and holds his stomach as he laughs uncontrollably, his cheeks flushed. It’s quite a sight. He looks so carefree and relaxed now compared to when he was lying on the couch, lost in deep thought. He seemed to be reminiscing about unwanted memories, but now Aoi’s cheeks are colored by a peachy tint.

“You’re so iffy, it’s hilarious and kinda unsettling.”

He brushes a tear away from the corner of his eye and rises up, catching our jackets from the closet and wrapping me in mine. The midnight blue scarf he lent me last night envelops my throat as his scent submerges my senses like a tidal wave.

“What does iffy mean?”

Aoi doesn’t dumb down his speech with me which I appreciate yet also aggravates me if I don’t understand a word. I read as many books as I could to further my education and one day get out of Redmond so I’m not dumb to say the least. But his manner of speech is sometimes hard to understand as his vocabulary is more developed than mine.

“It means unpredictable or unsure,” he explains, helpfully zipping up my grey puffer jacket.

I’m iffy?

“What cologne do you wear?” I interrogate and stare intently, needing an answer or I’ll die.

Okay, I won’t die but close enough. When I’m grown, I’ll buy the same cologne and smell as ephemeral as he does.

“Why? Does it smell bad or is it too strong? Does it bother you?” He tugs on his shirt and sniffs himself.

I shake my head frantically and catch his hands, pulling them away from his shirt. “No, no, it smells good! I was simply curious.”

Aoi exhales a sigh of relief, wiping nonexistent sweat off his temple. “You almost gave me a heart attack. If you hadn’t liked my perfume, it would’ve been a real issue because it’s my favorite. I can’t stop using it for your sake.”

As though remembering something important, he lets out a small breath then says, “It’s Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford but I doubt you know what I’m talking about. I’ll show you at the mall.”

He grabs his keys and shoves his phone in his back pocket. I can’t wait to see the perfume bottle. I wonder what color it is.

Aoi extends his palm and smiles. “Shall we get going then?”

I nod. “Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

“Promise you won’t get mad.”

“I promise.”

I hold my pinky up and unexpectedly he reciprocates the gesture. The sun shines through the window and reflects over his frame, radiating a heavenly glow around him.

“You’re a terrible driver.”

He gasps but instead of getting mad he cracks up and ruffles up my hair. “Care to drive in my stead then?”

“Sure, if you want us to crash.”

“At least you’re self-aware.”

Aoi’s eyes shimmer with delight and I momentarily catch myself hoping this moment could last a lifetime and it still wouldn’t be enough.