Freeing Asia

by E. M. Abel

  “Sounds like we have more shopping to do!” he said, grabbing my hand.

  It appeared Jay or his assistant had called every store in the area with the same request to pay for everything I would want. After three hours of shopping, I was exhausted, and my feet were killing me. In addition to the shirt from the first store, I had chosen two new outfits, a blue sundress and a black negligee I was planning on surprising Jay with when he came home. Nick had picked out a nice suit and a new pair of shoes to go with it.

  After we were done, Nick and I stopped at a bar for a drink before heading home. I made Nick pay for the drinks just in case Jay had called the restaurants or bars, too.

  “That’s one hell of a man you got there,” Nick said as we sat at the bar with our beers. “Can I borrow him?”

  “What? The perks of being my friend aren’t enough?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

  He smirked and lifted his glass to his lips. “Well, I guess this will do for now.”

  I smiled and shook my head before taking a sip.

  “So, what are you doing Friday? We could go celebrate your cherry gettin’ popped again since Jay won’t be back yet.”

  I put my glass down and took in a deep breath.

  “What? What did I say?” Nick asked, trying to figure out the change in my mood.

  “Marcus is coming,” I muttered quietly.

  “What?” Nick wasn’t so quiet. “What do you mean Marcus is coming? Coming where?”

  “To my dad’s. He’s having a barbeque. He told me Marcus is in town, and he’s coming.”

  “Holy shit.” Nick was silent for a moment as the seriousness of my situation sank in. “I have to admit that I’ve been dying to meet him—the untouchable bad boy who stole my girl’s heart and left her all fucked-up.”

  I twisted my neck and drew my eyebrows together as I glared at Nick. “I am not all fucked-up!”

  “Well, not as much now, but you were. I’ve known you for four years, Ais, and you only told me about Marcus once when you were drunk off your ass. After that night, I knew he was the reason you never put yourself out there, why you never gave any guys a chance. Somehow, you convinced yourself that guys weren’t into you when the truth was that Marcus had blinded you, baby girl. I know you don’t want to hear it, but he did. And now you’re seein’ again, and he’s coming back. How fucked-up is that?”

  I didn’t answer. I just studied my glass of beer for a few seconds before taking a big gulp. Nick was right, and I knew it. Fate was one twisted motherfucker.

  As I was walking into my apartment that night, my phone rang, and I saw it was Hailey calling. I tossed my bags onto my couch and answered it.

  “Hey, girl. How are you?”

  “I’m beat. My boss is kicking my ass! We’ve been so busy at work that I barely had time to eat lunch. I would have called earlier, but John took me to dinner.”

  “Oh, it’s cool. Did you get my message?”

  “Yeah, so your dad’s having a barbeque, huh? I haven’t been to one of those in years. Jay won’t be back in time to go with you?”

  “No. And guess who’s going to be there?” I plopped down onto my couch.

  “Who?”

  “Marcus.”

  Hailey gasped. “Are you serious?”

  “Completely.”

  “Oh my god, Ais. I can’t believe it. How long has it been? Like six years?”

  “Seven.”

  “Well, now I know why you need me to come. That sucks Jay won’t be there. That would be the perfect opportunity for you to show him off.”

  “I know, right?” I peeled off my shoes and started to rub my sore feet. “Although, I don’t know if I’m ready to expose Jay to my crazy brothers yet.”

  The thought hadn’t occurred to me before, but I had never brought a guy home to meet my dad and brothers. When the time came, I knew it would be bad.

  “Yeah, it’s probably better that you don’t bring him. I’m sure they’d give him the third degree.”

  “So, does that mean you’ll be my date?”

  “Of course. There’s no way I’d let you face Marcus without me. I don’t think John had anything planned for us, and besides, we need more girl time. I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too,” I replied. Knowing Hailey would be there for support, I already felt better about my upcoming reunion with Marcus. “Okay, well, I’ll call you. Love you, girl.”

  “Love you, too.”

  After eating a light dinner and then taking a shower, I hung up my new clothes in the closet, imagining what Jay would think of them. I wondered about why I was so scared to let my guard down around him. He had seen me naked, but for some reason, I was still scared to let him see me in jeans and a T-shirt. My new clothes were pretty, and they made me feel attractive, but they still didn’t feel right.

  I woke up at two in the morning as my phone started ringing, and I remembered I had left it in my living room. I jumped up, disoriented, and quickly went to answer it.

  “Hello?” I whispered, sounding half-asleep.

  “Sorry to wake you up. I just wanted to tell you good night,” Jay murmured in my ear.

  His voice had an effect on my entire body, and suddenly, I felt more alert.

  “No, it’s okay. Is everything alright?”

  “Everything’s fine. I just had a late night at the office, so I didn’t have time to call earlier. I’ll let you go back to sleep. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. Did you have fun shopping?”

  “Yes, thank you.” I paused to yawn. “I even got something for you. Well, it’s something for you to take off of me.”

  “Oh…well, I can’t wait to see it. Go to sleep, beautiful. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Thursday went by in a blur. I had actually been busy at work. By the time I got home, I was exhausted, and as I changed into a pair of comfy sweats, I decided to have a relaxing night in front of the TV.

  I called Hailey. We planned that she would come by my apartment after work the next day, and then she would drive us to my dad’s house. Just as I was about to head to bed, I got a text message from Jay.

  Looks like another late night at the office for me. I just wanted to tell you good night, and I miss you. I’ll try to call you during your lunch break tomorrow.

  I was a little disappointed that he couldn’t call me tonight, but I knew he was working hard, and he would have called me if he could. I brought my phone to bed with me, and then I thought about my new art supplies. Thinking them made me smile, and I realized my disappointment seemed petty. I unlocked my phone and texted Jay back.

  Good night. I miss you, too. Don’t work too hard. Talk to you tomorrow.

  The next day, I decided to wear my new blue sundress, and instead of heels, I slipped into the same wedge sandals I had worn on my first date with Jay. With the upcoming barbecue at my dad’s house, I wanted to be sure I looked good, but I also wanted to be prepared for anything. Whenever my family got together, things would usually get pretty crazy.

  It had been about a year since our entire family was in one place. I was excited to see everyone, but knowing Marcus would be there made me nervous. Even after all these years, the thought of him still gave me butterflies. I was terrified of the effect he would have on me and on my heart—especially if he wasn’t alone.

  Things at work were still pretty busy. I was trying to get everything wrapped up for the weekend, so I wouldn’t have a pile of brochures to do when I came in on Monday morning. Fridays were my favorite day at the office. Everyone was in a better mood and anxious to leave.

  I was anxious to see Jay the next day. During lunch, he called and told me that his flight would be arriving around noon. It was comforting to know I would have plenty of time to prepare for his arrival, especially since I would probably have a hangover after tonight.

  Before I left work, Nick gave me a big hug and wished me luck at the barbecue. He made me promise to call him as soon as I could. He wanted all the det
ails, and he even tried to convince me to take a picture of Marcus for him. Of course, I told him that he was crazy, but I did promise to try and call him.

  Hailey got to my apartment around six that evening. I was just touching up my makeup and putting the finishing touches on my hair. I’d decided to use the flat iron again, so I could leave it down. I remembered Marcus would always play with my hair and comment on how much he liked it, so I figured I’d show it off.

  “You ready?” Hailey called from the front door. She still had a key, so she walked in, and I heard her go straight to the fridge. “You have anything to snack on? I’m starving!”

  “I should have some chips or something in the cabinet.” I told her as I walked into the living room grabbing my phone and putting it in my purse.

  Hailey looked beautiful as usual. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she was wearing a black miniskirt with a yellow V-neck shirt. That was about as casual as Hailey got.

  With a mouthful of ranch Doritos, Hailey’s eyes grew wide as she stared at me from the kitchen. She quickly chewed her chips and swallowed them. “Oh my god, Asia! Marcus is going to shit a brick! Have your brothers even seen you in a dress?”

  I laughed as I glanced down at my outfit. “Not since I was like six.”

  “Marcus has no idea what he’s in for tonight. Poor guy.”

  “Um, whose side are you on anyway? Don’t you remember what he put me through? I think seeing me dressed like this pales in comparison,” I said, putting my hands on my hips.

  “You’re right. Let’s go make him miserable,” Hailey replied as she walked toward me, smiling.

  I inspected my dress again, second-guessing my decision. “You don’t think this is too much, do you? I don’t want Marcus to think I dressed like this for him.”

  “Didn’t you?” Hailey smirked at me.

  “Well…yeah, kinda. But I don’t want him to know that!”

  “Don’t worry about it, girl. You look amazing. Besides, you were dressing like this before you knew you would be seeing Marcus. Just hold your head up high, and be confident. Show him what he’s missing.”

  I gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you’re coming with me.”

  “Me, too. I can’t wait to see the look on Marcus’s face when he sees you in this dress. It’s gonna be fucking awesome!”

  Hailey and I laughed as we made our way to the door. I hoped she was right.

  Driving down my dad’s street brought back so many memories for me. I’d spent most of my high school days hanging out in this neighborhood while my brothers and our friends were skateboarding and doing things we weren’t supposed to be doing.

  As we pulled into my dad’s driveway, it looked like we were the last to arrive. I saw Rob’s Cadillac parked in the driveway while my dad’s truck and two other cars were parked on the curb. As soon as I noticed the shiny black ’68 Chevelle, I knew Marcus was there.

  He’d bought that car as soon as he got his license, and he had spent hours working on it. When Marcus said he would be driving it all the way from California, my dad had been worried, but apparently, the car had survived the trip. It was still in amazing mint condition, and the sight of it sitting in front of my dad’s house had my palms sweating, and my heart racing again.

  Shaun’s Jetta was parked in front of the Chevelle. Dad would always argue with Shaun about the fact that he owned a foreign car. I thought Shaun had bought it just to piss off our Dad. He had always rebelled from our father in every way he could.

  I took in a deep breath as Hailey parked her Honda behind Marcus’s beautiful car. Think of Jay. Think of Jay. Think of Jay. For some reason, thoughts of Jay helped calm me and made feel more confident. What Marcus might think about me didn’t matter because I had someone who thought I was beautiful. Jay was someone who called me every day, who was thoughtful, and who showed me how much he cared about me.

  “Ready?” Hailey asked as she opened her door.

  I took another deep breath and smiled at her. “Let’s do this.”

  As we walked up my dad’s driveway, I smelled the smoke coming from the grill on the back deck. With ’70s rock music playing in the background, I could hear my dad’s deep voice as he was talking to someone. It sounded like a debate about football.

  Hailey and I walked in the front door and made our way through the house toward the back. As we approached the sliding glass door that led to the back deck, my dad saw us and stopped talking to give us a quick smile. My brothers were sitting at the outdoor table with their backs to the door, and my sister-in-law, Alexis, was sitting between them. I took another deep breath and smiled, trying to hide the fact that I was a nervous wreck.

  As my dad stopped talking, my brothers turned around in their chairs. Both of them looked shocked when they realized who they were looking at. Oh great. Rob stood up first with his arms raised in the air, holding a Bud Light in one hand.

  When Hailey opened the door, he yelled, “Is that my little brat of a sister? Asia! How are you, sis?”

  Looking over her shoulder, Alexis gave me a big smile. With her shoulder-length wavy brown hair and hazel eyes, she had a natural beauty that I admired. She always had a smile for everyone, and she was definitely the best thing that ever happened to Rob.

  They had gotten married a year after graduating from high school, and having a wife to take care of had helped motivate my brother to get his act together and make something of himself. Working as a broker at a large firm in the city, he was doing well now.

  “There’s my girl,” my dad said as I walked outside and gave him a hug.

  He had on his usual aftershave. That smell was like home to me, and I realized just how much I had missed him.

  My dad was six foot four with light green eyes and brown hair that now had streaks of gray through it. He was always in pretty good shape, and he was popular with the ladies, but he’d never settled down with anyone since my mom passed.

  Growing up, my dad had been my hero. I could remember thinking he was the strongest man in the world. While fighting in wars, he’d lost a lot of his fellow Marines, including Marcus’s dad. Both of his parents had also died when he was nineteen, so he had experienced a lot of heartache throughout his life. But when my mom passed, a new sadness had appeared in his eyes, like part of his heart had been taken from him, and he had never been the same since.

  “Hey, Dad,” I murmured, pressing my cheek against his chest.

  When I let go, my dad reached over to give Hailey a hug, and I moved on to hug Rob.

  Rob was the spitting image of our father. He had the same eyes, and he was the same height with the same build. The only difference was his hair. It was black, like my mom’s and mine.

  “Hey, big brother. I missed you.” I gave Rob a big hug.

  “Missed you, too, little sis. You look so grown-up,” he said, smiling down at me.

  I’d missed Rob a lot. He was a good big brother, and we’d hardly ever fought, not like Shaun and me.

  “Hailey! What’s up, girl? It’s been a long time.” Rob reached over me to give Hailey a big squeeze.

  I bent down to give Alexis a hug. As I made my way around the circle of chairs, Shaun stood up, looking at my outfit.

  “Don’t you think that dress is a little tight on your boobs?” he asked, giving me a disapproving look.

  I rolled my eyes. “Shut up, and give me a hug,” I said, reaching my arms around his strong shoulders.

  Shaun was a couple inches shorter than Rob and my dad. Putting him at six foot two, he was still taller than me. His eyes looked more Asian like mine, but they were green. He had brown hair, like our dad.

  Shaun was always in really good shape. He wasn’t bulky, but he was solid and made entirely of muscle. He had stubble growing on his face, and his hair was hanging down around his eyes, looking messy but fitting his style perfectly. He always had the laid-back surfer look, like he had just come back from the beach, which was usually true. Like our father, Shaun had never had pro
blems with the ladies. His only problem had been finding enough time for all of them.

  As I was hugging Shaun, I glanced up and noticed Marcus for the first time. Oh god. My heart was beating faster as I felt that familiar pull in my chest again. It was the same pull I had every time I was around him. I hadn’t felt it with anyone else, but even after seven years apart, he still affected me like he always had.

  He was leaning on the side of my dad’s deck with one hand resting on the railing while the other held a beer. He hadn’t changed much since the last time I saw him. He just looked older now with a hint of stubble on his face. His once lean, muscular build was now more manly, and his shoulders seemed broader.

  He was smiling at me with those hazel-green eyes. Those eyes still haunted my dreams. His perfectly straight nose was exactly the same, and his full lips were even more amazing than I remembered. I’d be willing to bet that they still felt amazing, too.

  His left arm, the one holding his beer, was now covered in a sleeve of black-and-gray tattoos. He was wearing a white T-shirt with black cargo shorts hanging loose from his hips and matching white Air Force 1s on his feet. His hair was still the same dark brown. It was sticking out from the front of the black ball cap he was wearing on the back of his head. He still looked just as sexy and wild as he had when we were teenagers.

  Marcus looked perfect. He was beautiful, even more sexy than I remembered. It sucked.

  As I pulled away from Shaun, I smiled at Marcus, trying to hide my nerves and act casual.

  “Hey, Marcus,” I said as I walked toward him.

  “Puffy,” he greeted me in his deep voice.

  He was smiling at me like we shared a secret. I guess we do. Besides Hailey and Nick, no one else knew we had slept together.

  Pushing himself off of the side of the deck, Marcus leaned down and wrapped his arms around my waist.

  He smells so good. Think of Jay. Think of Jay. Think of Jay.

  I put my arms around his broad shoulders and hugged him back, trying not to get too close. My body was responding in a way that completely betrayed my better judgment. When I tried to step away, he just pulled me in closer. He picked me up off my feet and squeezed me against his hard body.