by Nia Arthurs
“No wonder Gwen’s gone insane.” Winnie shakes her head. “Are you the one who told her to drop us?”
I freeze. “Excuse me?”
“I should have known you were the abusive type.” She scoffs. “Gwen’s too innocent to figure these things out, but I can sense it. You’re controlling. What did you tell her? That she shouldn’t hang around us anymore because we were ‘bad influences’?” She puts bunny ears around the word.
Winnie’s so far down the path of delusion there’s no rescuing her. I try anyway. “I don’t know what you’ve ‘sensed’, but Gwen can be friends with whomever she pleases.”
“Yeah right.”
I bristle at her tone. “If you must know, I warned her about you two. Not because I want to control her, but because I’ve heard her complain more times than I can count. You’re incapable of appreciating the amazing person she is, and I’m glad she finally saw it.”
“I’m not going to let you get away with this. I’ll make sure Gwen sees who you really are.”
“Really?” I rub my chin in feign concern. “How do you plan on doing that?”
“Just wait.” She fixes dark eyes on me. “I’ll make it happen.”
I grit my teeth. “You’ve made your threat. You’ve stormed my office. Consider your warning received. You can leave now.”
Winnie tosses her hair over her shoulder. “One more thing.”
Great.
“What do you see in her?” Winnie purses her lips, her brows slanting together.
I debate ignoring her again, but in the end, I pull my book bag over my shoulder and answer. “You want the truth?”
“Of course.”
“When I look at Gwen, I see my future. I’ve never felt that way about anyone before.”
Winnie flutters her eyelashes. I can tell that she’s struggling to form a comeback, but I walk to the door and open it for her.
“Goodbye, Winnie.”
She straightens her shoulders and sashays past me. I slam the door behind her.
I’m nervous.
And I hate that.
If it were a physical threat, I could take it any day. That night when Brock came at me, I was confident I could win.
But Winnie’s trickier. I hope Gwen and I can triumph over whatever she throws our way.
19 Gwen
The Belize City Bus Terminal is crowded with locals heading home. A Mayan woman in traditional dress leads her two beautiful children behind her. A South Asian man carries a bag of wares on his shoulders. A Hispanic worker limps to the small kiosk in the open-aired station.
I’ve never been in the terminal before.
I’ve never ridden the bus before.
Now I know why.
The ride was pure torture. I sat beside a Rastafarian man who smelled like weed and sweat. He was ‘sleeping’ the entire way, though I’m not sure how he managed to land on my shoulder every fifteen minutes.
Getting off the bus was no walk in the park either. That little Mayan woman is a beast. She looks all small and harmless with her two kids and her grandmother-type vibe, but she elbowed me in the breast in her rush down the bus steps.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I check and see a pancake where my chest should be.
As much as I hate public transit, I’d do it again if it meant I had an excuse to spend more time with Danny.
Speaking of… where is he?
I let the flow of the crowd carry me along and check my cell phone again. Danny said he was waiting at the gate. I’ve passed the iron fence dividing the bus parking lot from the waiting area, and I don’t see him.
The evening light is blinding. The sun is making its descent, but it’s not going down without a fight. I rummage in my purse for my sunglasses when I bump into a hard wall.
“I’m so sorry.” I glance up and fall into a pair of intense brown eyes. “Danny!”
He grins, looking more handsome than a man has any right to be. “Hey, Gwen.”
I’ve never done a backflip in my life, but my heart is a breakdancing prodigy. I’m always stunned by the way my body reacts to Danny. It’s like ten years of emotions rush into me all at once.
We’re squashed in a crowd of impatient Belizeans—and some foreigners—and yet it feels like Danny and I are the only ones here.
“Let me take that.” He relieves me of my duffel bag stuffed with my clothes for the weekend and then takes my hand.
Our fingers slide together. Excitement stirs in my stomach. His callouses are so hot. I definitely have a thing for Danny’s rough hands.
“Let’s go,” he says.
Danny seems to know what he’s doing because he makes his way around the travellers like he’s ridden the bus a hundred times.
Come to think of it, maybe he has.
Danny’s parents were more trusting than mine. Sure they didn’t like it when he stayed out too late and they warned him away from drugs as most decent parents do, but he was allowed many more freedoms than I was.
I’m a little jealous.
Not of riding the bus, but of the other perks he enjoyed that I didn’t.
As we walk into another section of the terminal, I notice people staring. At us.
I inspect my outfit immediately. My zipper’s up and my bra isn’t showing through my T-shirt. Then… what are people looking at?
A group of high school girls in white uniforms giggle and point at Danny’s hands over mine.
That’s when it hits me.
People are staring because a black girl and an Asian guy are holding hands.
Something inside me shatters. We’re in Belize—a melting pot of cultures. Almost everyone is mixed with something here.
Are people really that stunned by us?
A glance at Danny’s face reveals nothing. He’s either not paying attention or he doesn’t care. I try to squirm my hand out of his, but he holds on tight and doesn’t let it go even as we walk on the street to his car.
I let out a relieved breath.
We’re almost there when…
“Hey, miss!” A taxi man squatting outside the terminal waves at me. “You need a ride?” He mumbles loud enough that we can hear. “Or a real man?”
Danny pauses in his tracks as the people around the taximan laugh.
Encouraged by his audience, the man continues in Creole. “You must love fry chicken, noh? You wid him fuh di discounts?”
Danny growls and starts forward.
The taxi man ignores him and speaks to me. “You couldn’t find a black man, miss? I could introduce you to some.”
I press my hand to Danny’s chest to keep him from engaging. “Forget it. Let’s just go.”
Danny clenches his jaw and walks away. I glance over my shoulder, studying the man. He’s got dark skin, a shade as rich as my father’s. His eyes are brown and bracketed by wrinkles. His green T-shirt is faded and the hem of his pants are frayed.
What would make a perfect stranger say things like that?
Danny clicks the alarm fob for his car and places my luggage in the back. He’s moving carefully, but I can feel his restraint like invisible waves.
The moment we climb inside the car, he slams the steering wheel with the heel of his hand.
I jump.
Danny curses under his breath. “What is wrong with those people?”
“Danny, calm down.”
“Aren’t you upset?” He turns to me, eyes spitting flames. “Are you okay with what he said?”
“Even if we addressed him, it wouldn’t change anything. He’s a racist, ignorant person looking for attention.”
Danny takes a few stabilizing breaths. Silence lingers in the car.
At last, he sighs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It just… it’s been a long day.”
I rub his back, shifting from frazzled to concerned. “What’s wrong?”
He clenches his jaw. “Winnie stopped by my office today.”
“For what?”
I hav
en’t talked to Winnie since I stormed out of her house last Sunday. Both of my friends avoid me at school. I’m just grateful they’re studying another subject and have no classes with me.
“She says I influenced you to dump them and that I’m abusive.”
“Is she crazy?” Anger bubbles in my chest. “I guess when she couldn’t have you, she made you the bad guy.”
“Gwen,” Danny turns to me, “I hope you know that I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to and if you ever feel pressured by me—”
I place my hand on his. “Danny, stop it. You’ve been warning me about Winnie and Britney for years, and I ignored you all that time. Trust me. The last thing you are is abusive.”
I study his face in the waning light. Golden skin. Chiseled jaw. Thin black eyelashes. There’s something just beneath the surface. Something deeper. Something more important that’s weighing on his shoulders.
“What’s really going on? Winnie’s annoying, but she’s not enough to get a rise out of you.”
He sighs. “I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
I see worry in his eyes. “I talked to my parents about dating someone last week. Someone that… wasn’t Asian.”
“Were they… are you about to say they were against it?”
He nods.
My mind races. Since when? I thought Mr. and Mrs. Kwan loved me? They welcomed me whenever I tagged along with Aiden to the Kwan family events. Some of his aunts even cooed about having a daughter in law like me someday.
That one comment made my entire year.
“Is that why you haven’t invited me to the wedding yet?” I ask, my voice hoarse. “Because you’re afraid of what your parents will think?”
“Not what they’ll think,” he blurts. “I’m not ashamed of you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I see.”
“When I heard that guy talking and no one standing up for us or correcting him, it reminded me of my parents. I understand why they’re against us, but the rest of the world? Why do they have a problem too?”
I want to scream my frustration, but Danny’s unraveling and I have to reel him back in first.
“Listen to me, that was one guy. One. He does not dictate who we can and cannot love. And about your parents…” My gaze flits away. “We can cross that bridge when we get to it. With the wedding—I just wanted to spend time with you. It’s not like I’m dying to attend.”
Danny lifts his head, determination etched into the lines around his mouth. “No. You should come.”
“Danny…”
“I care about you, Gwen. A lot. I don’t want to hide it. Now more than ever. My family can say what they want.”
“Are you sure?”
He smiles a little and kisses my forehead. When he eases back, his eyes are glistening. “Definitely.”
I hold his hand as he drives us home.
A few minutes later, I walk into the house Aiden and Danny share. Aiden wraps me in his arms the moment I enter the living room. His bone-crushing hug is painful but welcome after the drama of the bus terminal.
“Put her down, Aiden. You’re killing her.”
Aiden sets me on the ground and rolls his eyes. “What are you? Gwen’s bodyguard.”
“Among other things.” He winks.
“Ugh! Gross!” Aiden cups his mouth and shouts, “New rule! No heart eyes allowed in this house while I’m here.”
“Heart eyes?” Danny asks, laughter in his voice.
“That thing you’re both doing.” Aiden widens his eyes and tilts his head from side to side. He looks more like an extra in a demon possession movie than a man in love.
“Please stop.” Danny flinches. “You’re freaking me out.”
“Don’t do anything too cheesy in front of me. I’m warning you.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” I salute my brother and then run to Danny and plant a wet kiss on his lips.
He leans back, dazed. “Wow. You sure you haven’t done that before?”
“Positive,” I whisper.
“You’re good.”
“Please stop. My eyes are burning!” Aiden whines.
I grin and turn in Danny’s arms, allowing him to drape his hand around my waist and keep me pressed to his body. “Since I’m here, invite Melissa over. We could go on a group date.”
“No, thanks.” Aiden screws his nose like he caught a whiff of days-old garbage. “I’d rather starve.”
I wince. “She’s your girlfriend.”
“Heck no!” Aiden looks offended. “She’s the mother of my child. That’s it.”
“Does Melissa know that?” I ask. “Either way, it’s best you have an amicable relationship. A child needs two loving, involved parents if you want them to have the best emotional and mental—”
Aiden snorts. “I didn’t know you’d switched your major to psychology.”
“Sorry. Did I sound too preachy? I was just trying to help.”
“Babe,” Danny nuzzles my neck, putting out the fire of a potential fight with his question, “what do you feel like having tonight?”
“I want pasta.” Aiden jumps into the chair and flips on the television. “Are we eating out? Because I need to take a shower if we’re going out.”
Danny gives my brother a tough look. “I didn’t invite you.”
Aiden pulls his best puppy dog expression. “Gwen, you wouldn’t leave your big brother home alone on a Friday night would you?”
I exchange a look with Danny. “You can come if you bring Melissa.”
“I’m out.” Aiden scrunches his nose. “I don’t want to eat that badly.”
I run to the sofa and jump on Aiden’s legs. He moans in pain and tries to bat me off, but I remain seated and keep my balance. “Stop being a wimp and take your girlfriend out.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
Danny leans against the wall, an amused grin on his face.
“Do it!”
“No!” Aiden protests.
Thirty minutes later, we settle around a table at the restaurant inside LaRuba Hotel. Melissa sits across the booth with Aiden, while Danny and I are cuddled together on our side.
Aiden is shooting daggers with his eyes.
I barely restrain my snort.
“This place is nice,” Melissa says.
“Isn’t it?” I wiggle my eyebrows at Aiden.
He sticks his tongue out in reply.
Mature.
When the waitress arrives to take our orders, I glance over at Danny to ask what he’s getting when I notice his expression darkening.
“What is it?” I whisper.
He jerks his chin to the couple approaching our table.
I glance over and smile. It’s Richie.
And a pretty girl who must be his future wife.
20 Danny
“Richie!” Gwen waves her arms, a bright smile on her face. She climbs to her feet, half of her gorgeous behind in my lap as she flags my cousin down. “Richie, come sit with us!”
“Who’s that?” Melissa asks.
Aiden leans over to answer. “He’s Danny’s cousin… and rival.”
Melissa looks curiously at me. “Rival in what?”
“Nothing.” My gaze lands on Gwen who plops back into her seat. Her eyes are sparkling gems. You’d think she’d known Richie for years. They met all of what? Three times?
Richie is strolling near our table now, Mei An on his arm. It’s the first time I’ve seen his betrothed in person.
She’s small and pale with long, black hair. Her eyes are larger than average and seem to take up most of her face. With her big eyes and that white dress, she looks innocent and frail.
“This must be your fiancée,” Gwen says gleefully.
Richie stuffs one hand into his pocket. His eyes dart to mine before they land on the table again. His long fingers curl against the wooden surface. Mei An looks equally traumatized.
“Hey, Richie.” Aide
n gives my cousin a chin-up gesture and scoots down to make room for the new arrivals.
“Hello.” Gwen smiles at Mei An. Kindness spurts from her eyes. “I’m Gwen, Danny’s girlfriend.”
Richie stiffens, his voice wavering as he says, “Girlfriend?”
Melissa covers her mouth to hide her gasp. “Yes! I knew there was something between you two!”
“Yeah right.” Aiden bats her comment away. “You’re just saying that now because they confirmed it.”
“My intuition is flawless. The first time I saw those two together, they were crackling with chemistry.”
“Crackling?” Aiden snorts.
“Don’t make fun. It was clear they were into each other and doing a bad job of hiding it.” Melissa thrusts her arm out and points across the table. “That guy couldn’t take his eyes off Gwen the entire night.”
“Really?” Gwen looks pleased.
“You should’ve warned me,” Aiden teases. “So I had a heads up.”
Melissa lifts one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “They’re grown adults. They can do what they want.”
“Preach, sister!” Gwen raises her hand.
Aiden laughs.
An amused smile cracks my stony demeanor.
“I think it’s great. You look good together.” Melissa nods.
My chest swells with pride, and I drape my arm over the back of Gwen’s chair. After the fiasco at the bus station, every bit of validation goes a long way.
“Enough about us. We’ve got a bride in our midst.” Gwen leans over the table, focused on the shy girl next to Richie. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”
Mei An avoids eye contact and dips her head so all we can see is a crown of silky black hair. “Yes, yes.”
Her accent is so thick it’s hard to understand those simple words.
Richie’s cheeks turn pink. “She’s taken a few lessons, but she understands English better than she speaks it. We’ll have to translate for her.”
“Oh.” Gwen’s eyelashes flutter. “No problem. I can’t imagine coming to a new country and barely knowing the language. It must be overwhelming.”
“Our family is taking care of her,” I assure Gwen. “She’s not alone.”
