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Henry had once found himself wondering, what truly awkward situations were. This, he felt, was one of them. He wasn’t used to this kind of thing; normally, Henry was the odd man out. At family gatherings, Henry war with his mothers had made family dinners awkward for him, even though it normally went well for everyone else. But right now? Right now was next level. For starters, everyone except him and Justin were dressed to the gills. Henry had, quite casually, lied to Justin and told him that the dinner was ‘pretty casual, yo’ and ‘don’t trip too much on dressin’ up, nobody else is gonna! here, just wear this,’ which was why he and Justin were wearing matching tuxedo t-shirts. Henry hadn’t done it to ruin Justin’s chances with Cyndi, or Justin’s night. No, no Henry was just petty and liked to say ‘fuck Hailey’ whenever he got the chance, and that was why he’d decided to mock her dress code.
But… Henry had pretty quickly found out that he needn’t try to make things bad… they were already pretty shitty! He must have not been paying attention, which was… entirely possible, given that he had a hot Korean GF that lived with him. They were working on the language barrier, but sex and love were universal. Especially sex! The important point was that Henry had missed something. Hailey was glancing at Mother and Dad like she hated them, Mama was eyeing the entire table like it was going to spontaneously combust.
What the fuck had he missed? It must have been something big. Not even just that though, there was Hailey’s girlfriend, who looked so nervous she might fall out of her chair at any given time, and Justin — who just looked completely out of place, dude probably didn’t know anything about fine dining, and Min-seo’s eyes were wide and he could almost smell the fear on her… well, fear and pretty flowers, which he was pretty sure was her hair, which was so soft and velvety to the touch and… oh, oops, Henry was horny again. Jesus it was hard being a teenager. Appetizers hadn’t even been served yet for fuck’s sake! But, it wasn’t Henry’s fault that Min-seo smelled yummy!
Then, of course, there were the parents, the dad, Ty, who was as bright and jolly as ever. Nothing would ever bring him down, it seemed, even if Hailey looked so… venomous. Or, maybe Henry was just misjudging, and Hailey had to go to the bathroom… Upon second glance, no way. That was definitely just her bitch face. There was Julie, who had come with Ty to meet all the kids’s S.O.’s, and she just had a smile on her face. Mama, and Mother, who were both basically always on resting bitch faces…
Henry couldn’t handle the quiet, and the awkwardness, he couldn’t handle how his girlfriend looked terrified, and he most importantly couldn’t handle his big sister looking like she hated their parents. That was just, not okay. Henry hated her, sure, and he hated them too, sure, but he respected the bond they had. And dammit, deep down, Henry loved Hailey and he loved his parents and he couldn’t handle them being so WEIRD. Clearing his throat, Henry looked across the table at Justin.
“So, dinner parties, huh? Where’s the fire, am I right, yo? Or am I right?”
He tried, okay?
For once, Cyndi Green was relating to her brother, which was rare since her return. She couldn’t handle whatever this was. Why did Hailey want a formal dinner? Was it really to have the parents meet the two girlfriends and one boyfriend? Her eyes were like fire in water, passion in ice. She scanned the room, resting on each person for a second, and then stopping on Alyssa. The boss bitch of the house. She wanted to bite her cheek, but she had to be composed. She had to show her mother she was ready for a relationship, even though to her, this was far too fast. She barely knew her date!
When Cyndi looked at Alyssa, it was obvious that she sought out for constant approval and desired for mother to be happy with her, over her own happiness. Her right hand reached for her hair to twirl it, pull it, play with it, but she stopped herself. No fiddling! Instead, she grabbed her glass of water and took a sip of it, before placing it gently down. Turning her head, she looked at Justin, who most likely felt ten times worse than anyone at this table. One, they only went on their first date four days ago and two, he was sitting at the Green table. “I like your shirt.” She mouthed, hoping that gave him a boost in confidence. And well, she did like seeing his biceps and stuff. She wouldn’t allow just anyone to date her, after all.
“How often do you workout?!” Aunty Julie chirped in. Hey, she wasn’t one to lie about seeing a handsome young lad. And Justin there, he was fucking fine. She had yet to meet this mystery man that’s taken the heart of her Stella. It may have not been disclosed to her, but Julianna wasn’t dumb. Call it mother’s intuition or the fact that Stella literally hums wherever she goes in the house like a Disney princess, Julie knew there was someone and it was only a matter of time where she’d have to request (demand) to meet him. At this point, Julie was use to seeing Min around, but Hana was new for her. Since the attention was thrown on Justin, she didn’t want to take away the spotlight from him just yet so she turned her attention to Hailey and Hana respectively and gave them a giddy two thumbs up. She approved! And she loved the collar!
Justin hadn’t felt this nervous since the first time he worked out with Ryan Townsend, the Los Angeles Chargers legend. Somehow, this felt far, far worse to him. It was one thing to work out with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, but to be sitting here with his… whatever Cyndi was to him at this point (because they definitely weren’t just friends anymore). It was bad enough that he was sitting here with the Greens practically boring holes into him with those gazes. It was even worse that he was sitting in a tuxedo shirt that was clearly too small for him. The color was nice though. Made his eyes pop.
Glancing at Cyndi, he saw her mouth something at him. He wasn’t exactly the best at reading lips, but he was pretty sure it was a compliment about his shirt. At least somebody liked it, and Justin showed his gratitude by flashing a quick smile at Cyndi. Justin felt like his shirt was going to pop and explode at any given minute if he so much as reached for a fork.
Suddenly, a nice lady from somewhere he couldn’t place had asked him a question. How often did he work out? It was hard for him to be humble about it. He couldn’t give a modest answer because nobody would believe it. Or, it might’ve given the impression that he was on steroids, which he was not on. He found it hard to figure out what sorts of answers to give in a situation like this.
“At least once a day, ma’am. Different groups every day.” For a brief second, Julianna Locke’s right eye twitched, but her smile never wavered from her face. He called her MA’AM. She’d have to cry about it later! Ask her husband if she was getting old and if she should start considering plastic surgery. Maybe her diet and workout plan was failing her! Oh no. She was absolutely UGLY.
The weirdest thing about the dinner for Hana Park wasn’t the eye-rolling fact that Henry and his cohort decided to take things incredibly seriously with their little t-shirt stunt nor was it the fact that Min-seo seemed to be dressed more for an Academy Awards after party rather than an assuredly awkward dinner. The weirdest thing was the thumbs up flashed her way by someone she assumed to be a family member. Hana used to think her family was big just because she had three siblings - but a family of six felt a lot smaller when she only ever saw four people at dinner at any one time. The Green family seemed nothing if not...elaborate and perhaps eccentric but that could well have been the opinion of someone on the outside looking in. Hailey didn’t talk much about her family and Hana didn’t ask - not that she often had a chance to do so in the first place. But she had made a conscious decision to not involve herself unless called upon. Nothing would be worse for Hailey and by extension herself than Hana piping in with a comment or remark that got promptly ignored or shot down. Fortunately the attention was on someone who Henry probably convinced cutting off the blood flow via a shirt was a good idea. But the night was young.
Until then, however, she held Hailey’s hand under the table, having given it a calming squeeze when the Tuxedo Terrors entered the room.
Hailey didn’t say a word, because what could she possibly say at this point? She didn’t want to speak to these people, and she almost didn’t want to be here. It was cringey to hear her mother-in-law (or whatever) lust after a man half her age, it was ridiculous to see the shirt that Henry and Cyndi’s boytoy were wearing, and the only good things going for Hailey was the simple fact that Korea raised their women to be quiet, heads down, and submissive. Neither Hana nor Min-seo had said something that would embarrass her or make it worse. Even so, Hailey didn’t say a word, she kept her hand on Hana’s, squeezing tighter and tighter as she got more and more frustrated. This was pointless, for fuck’s sake. There was no such thing as honor anymore! What was the point of this?
There wasn’t a point, that was the goddamn point of this. That it was, inherently, pointless! Henry’s attempt at conversation, his attempt at offering an olive branch to his sister was unsuccessful. All it had done was make her even more furious, shaking her head, Hailey looked at the head of the table, toward her mother, asking with her eyes.
“The food will be here shortly. For now, I suggest you make polite conversation with your family and their loved ones.”
In an instant, it was painfully clear where Hailey’s cadence and speaking habits came from.
There really was not enough wine for this night. None of the Greens and Lockes put together could act ordinary for once. They made dysfunctional look bearable. They made simple COMPLICATED. Just one normal night. Could Evelyn have that? Just once? Where she didn’t have to take care of everyone and make sure no one killed each other? It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this filthy rich family weren’t laid back and the ones that suffered? Those that were trying to get a glimpse at all the demons. Eerily picking up her glass, Eve took a sip wondering what it would take to make everyone behave and compliant. Find a happy middle ground. No one had to like each other in this damn family but they could at least act mature while there were guests over. Placing her glass down, she decided to break the tension with a subject everyone should be aware of: “Henry, Cyndi. It’s almost your birthday. I’d like to do something for you two, even if it’s small. And I’d prefer if we all could be together, as a family, like tonight.”
“The fuck?”
After speaking, Henry could feel the bewildered look of his father, and the icy stare of his mother on him, and he cleared his throat. “I mean, uhm. I thought we agreed, ma’am, that you and the rest of the family, ma’am, would leave me alone and let me go to Disneyland with Min-seo alone and you wouldn’t try to do something as a family, ma’am. So I could… enjoy myself, ma’am.” There, Henry couldn’t have spoken with more respect if his life depended on it. He’d said ‘ma’am’ like almost six times! Mission accomplished, he was surely free… why wasn’t Alyssa looking away from him? Why did it just seem like she was staring harder? “But perhaps…” Alyssa nodded slightly, and Henry kept going, slowly, deliberately. Carefully. “We could, ma’am, have a quick family breakfast before we left to Disney.”
Hm. Evelyn took another sip and nodded. That sufficed. She knew very well what the arrangements were, but as a mother that never got to spend time with her children, of course she’d bargain for more. Her eyes went to Cyndi. For her lack of friends, Eve was going to throw her a party but she wanted to see exactly what her daughter wanted. Henry and Hailey never failed to make things clear with her. Cyndi only cared to share with Alyssa. Cyndi focused on not breaking eye contact with her mama even if she wanted to run into her hole. She hated when the attention was all on her. She thought back on her date with Justin and then the conversation she had with both her siblings after it. What did she want? At first hesitant and then nodding to herself, she firmly answered (even if there was a slight shake in her voice), “I want to spend a weekend at our private beach, hopefully with friends if I get more by then.” Wow. She was such a sad soul.
That was easy enough. Okay, Eve was satisfied with the answers she’d received, now she’d allow someone else to talk. The lady of the Green family went back to her alcohol. She wasn’t going to direct anything toward Hailey because she knew Hailey was already past her limit.
While the Greens and Lockes were talking amongst themselves and taking care of family business, Justin took a page out of the Koreans' book and sat there idly, staring off into the distance. The awkward feeling was so thick that it had to be cut with a hot knife to do anything. Justin felt awkward, and he was more than sure that he wasn't the only person who felt the same way.
He was in over his head. Every single fiber of his being wanted to tear away from this situation and retreat home so he could sit on his couch and not be subjected to this torture. The Greens were a completely different caliber. Why did he let Henry convince him to wear something like this? He felt stupid. He felt embarrassed.
Justin really wished someone could save him before the tension would kill him.
“I’m not hearing polite conversation.” Alyssa said in a voice that was only one or two steps away from a flatout hiss. From her spot at the head of the table, Alyssa glared individually at every one there, casually swirling her wine glass in her hand. Did they not understand they were to do what they were told? This was the kind of person her children were ‘dating?’ Poor taste. They almost surely got it from their father. Who, by the way, was not helping things. At least Evelyn seemed pleased…
“So… Justin, right? Nice shirt, bud.” Cyndi’s father was speaking now, looking down at Justin who was sitting beside his youngest daughter. As he spoke, Henry raised his glass in his father’s direction. At least someone got it in this hellhole. “Trust me, if you think this is bad, you should see us at Christmas. There’s a fully stocked bar.”
"Yeah, it's Justin." He paused momentarily, "Thanks." Justin chuckled sheepishly. Right now Justin was more of a coward than the field general he was on the field. He couldn't get past how many eyes were on him, and he was pretty sure the head of the table just cursed him.
However Justin had no idea what he assumed to be Cyndi's dad was talking about, which was shown by the rather puzzled look on his face. He just glanced at Cyndi, before looking back at the elder Green. Evelyn had finished her glass and one of the butlers of the household immediately poured more, which was a perfect display of exactly what Ty was talking about.
“SO.” Evelyn took another sip. Her irritation increasing. “Let’s play an ice breaker game since no one wants to actually move the conversation anywhere. Two truths and a lie. When I go, Ty and Alyssa aren’t allowed to participate. Let’s see how well you all actually know each other.” Yeah, the alcohol was hitting the musician and if Hailey was just about having it, Eve was peaking as well. “I was born in Milan, Italy. I absolutely love Gummy candy. Specifically Gummy Bears. And I was twelve years old when my band started.”
Figuring nobody else was going to answer, especially the silent Koreans, Justin cleared his throat and made his guess. This was a total shot in the dark but Justin had a feeling that the gummy candy thing was a lie. There was a bit too much behind that answer which lead him to believe that wasn't the correct answer. "Gummy candy is the lie.".
“Correct. I prefer sour skittles. Gummy bears is their aunt Amity’s favorite. Now, you go.”
Justin did something. He was proud of the fact that he somehow managed to figure out the one lie his… Cyndi's aunt told (Eve was Cyndi’s mommy, Justin). Now he just had to figure out one of his own. That was hard. How much could he reveal about himself right now? What sorts of things should he say?
"Uhhh… I also play baseball. I love strawberries. Aaannndd…. I- I have a sister."
“This bitch ain’t like strawberries, no way.” While Henry was the first one to crop up, Alyssa seemed interested in the conversation for the first time since it had began. Were they talking about strawberries? That was something that deserved her interest. Henry took a sip from his soda, whatever it was. Coke? Vanilla coke? He wasn’t sure. “How ‘bout it, Justin. You like strawberries?”
"Nah, you got me." Justin chuckled, before glaring at the pile of strawberries in a nearby cornucopia. "Never liked them. Too sour." Strangely enough Justin did like strawberry flavored things, just not strawberries themselves. It was kind of like liking ketchup but not tomatoes. "Your turn, dude."
Alyssa raised an eyebrow. Eh! Wrong answer, pal. Alyssa had never found herself so quickly disinterested in someone before. Almost as a sign of defiance, she reached out and casually grabbed one of the strawberries, popping it into her mouth and munching on it. Henry watched his mother do that, and shook his head in Justin’s direction. He went straight for the jugular on the one thing she truly loved in life… even Cyndi looked displeased by this answer. Like mother, like daughter. When he took his turn, Henry leaned back in the chair, “I used to play the violin, I named my capybaras after my parents’s betrayal, and I like playing the flute.” There, that was good, surely.
Hailey looked up then, and scowled, shaking her head in her brother’s direction. “Neither of those are a lie! It’s literally in the name that one of them needs to be a lie! You can’t just bend every rule to fit yourself, Henry! That’s retarded.”
“Alright, alright! Damn.” Henry had to think. If one of them had to be a lie, then it wasn’t exactly an easy situation. Who made the rules to these stupid ass games, anyway? Two truths and a lie, about himself? “Uh…” Stupid ass game, stupid ass prizes. Pour another glass for yourself, you alcoholic bitch. Ain’t like Henry DIDN’T WANT TO BE HERE or anything. “I like k-pop, my capybaras are named after my parent’s betrayal —” Henry was trying to make a point. “My favorite movie is Cloud Atlas.”
Good fucking luck.
Min-seo made a move like she was ready to speak up at long last; she didn’t quite know the rules of the game - namely if she was allowed to answer or if someone specific had to, but if there was one thing she knew about Henry (and really she liked to think she knew a decent amount) she knew he wasn’t exactly a fan of k-pop. If he was he probably would’ve asked if she was related to a trainee in Seoul that shared her family name. She was but Henry didn’t know that.
”You don’t-”
“There’s no way your favorite movie is Cloud Atlas.” Hana spoke up, cutting Min-seo and her softer voice off. Min-seo closed her mouth and retreated back to her quiet space of awkward fidgeting. “That’s a three hour, high concept, genre-crossing, allegorical movie. The book even more so. Other than the Nea So Copros - sorry, the Neo Seoul - story there’s not even any action.” Cloud Atlas was ostensibly a science fiction novel and movie even if it crossed genres which, of course, made it a work Hana was incredibly familiar with. She preferred the book but she had seen the movie multiple times in theaters. It made her cry. She told no one, other than her sister. “Sonmi-451...the Fabricant in the movie? I told my sister that the actress looks like her but she just laughed and said they had different noses. And then she fell asleep. No way is that your favorite movie.”
At her end of the table, Min-seo was smiling to herself. "This should be funny.”
Henry leaned forward and shook his head, “WRONG ANSWER, PAL. What do you think I am, some kind of fuckin’, Marvel watchin’, fuckin’ The Rock movie watchin’, scrub ass, chad movies only little ass BITCH? Is that what you think over there? Call me an idiot in my own home, huh? Who do ya think you are?” Henry demanded, waving a peach at Hana as if it were a deadly weapon. Unfortunately for the middle Green, his words set off the ticking time bomb, as Hailey lifted up her fork and stabbed it into the table, causing Ty to wince and Cyndi to ‘eep’. He’d be hearing it from Alyssa over this tomorrow. It was an expensive table, to be fair.
“Do not speak to her, as if she is one of your slimy little friends! You are beneath her, and you will act like it, you little prick. Don’t think that just because, oh no, ‘the family is together for a nice little dinner’ that you’re immune. You do not have any right to be mean to her because she called you out as an idiot. WHICH IS WHAT YOU PRESENT YOURSELF AS!” Hailey’s brother had brought this down upon himself, but maybe it was all part of his plan to ruin their night and get out of it so he could go make out with that little brat who he’d fooled into liking her.
While Henry got ready to fire back, Alyssa took another sip from her wine glass, and turned her attention to the quiet girl in the room, Min-seo. Leaning forward, Alyssa spoke to her; though she was speaking not in English, but instead, Min-seo’s native language. “And what exactly, dear, do you see in this one?” Alyssa asked, gesturing with a strawberry toward her son.
Henry didn’t get an aggressive word out toward Hailey, because he stopped, and stared at his mother, and then at Min-seo. “Wait… what?” With her cheeks puffed in embarrassment, and big eyes, Cyndi was looking from Hana, to Min, to Henry, to Hailey, to her mother, then to Min again. She couldn’t even think about what was going on in Justin’s head anymore because this was probably the most intense family dinner she’s ever had, and they were usually pretty intense! When her mother spoke Korean, which she could actually catch on to most of the words, thanks to classes she took in Seoul, Cyndi anxiously waited for Min’s response. The anxiety of this whole night was killing her. It was obvious her mother was over Justin simply by the fact that he hated strawberry and now here she was giving the cute, timid one the floor. Could this night get any worse?!
Hana had every intention of following up on Henry’s predictable response with her own but Hailey took to the field in typical Hailey fashion. She could sit back and watch the fireworks and finally get an understanding as to the appeal of ‘white knights’. Though she doubted that term applied when the one doing the defending was actually her girlfriend. Hana just assumed Henry was getting super defensive because she was right in her claims; it was easy to say the lie wasn’t actually a lie just like it was easy to say you didn’t have a good hand in poker. At this table, Hana figured she was the best at telling lies anyway with the difference being all the lies she told had always been to herself.
Min-seo glanced up from looking between the table and the loud argument between siblings and turned her head towards Alyssa, a look of confusion to her face. Of all the places she figured she’d hear her native language she never figured it would be here. Most people she encountered only knew Korean through K-Pop which was like saying someone knew Japanese because they watched anime or Spanish because they knew the macarena. Min wasn’t going to question it, she was just glad to hear a language she understood. ”That’s...difficult to answer. But it’s because of how kind he is. He might not always show it, but he is a soft, sweetheart towards me and towards Parker. Of course he is cute but being cute doesn’t make up for a bad personality. I think...I think with me helping him with his...demons...he will be better off. I see...in him...the good parts.” Min-seo responded quickly, speaking longer and more fluently than she likely had since her arrival. Cyndi’s once confused expression turned into hopeful admiration. That was the nicest anyone’s talked about Henry. Her heart fluttered in excitement for her brother. He had such a good catch!
Alyssa tapped her chin. The plot thickened, and her interest was rising. Score one for the children, and to everyone’s (most importantly Alyssa’s) surprise, it was for her son. Hailey’s outburst wasn’t attractive, and the haughty words of the girlfriend didn’t help. At the very least, Alyssa was happy for Hailey and Cyndi, but it was Henry she was most proud of. He had, it seemed, done well. Or, at the very least, he’d tricked Min-seo. “Hm… We will talk later. For now, I do have one other question. My son, and this boy,” a lazy finger lifted up and toward Justin. “You will draw them together, yes? Like the ones I found in your room.” Alyssa’s words were accented with an almost smug, teasing smile.
It was fortunate that Min wasn’t in the middle of eating or drinking since the question posed to her would have caused something to be dropped from her hands and frankly, a broken glass in this house was probably worth a small fortune. How had Alyssa seen those drawings? Min had been careful to keep them out of sight...though there was that one evening where Parker demanded attention and Min...might have left a sketchbook behind but...she shook her head as her eyes darted around the table. No one else here spoke Korean, right? No one else knew? Then why did she feel like she did back in Seoul? Why did she feel like everyone was glaring at her, judging her, thinking ill of her? Min grabbed a glass of water, careful that it didn't spill with how shaky her hand was holding it, and took a long sip. Everyone was staring...everyone was looking...everyone was thinking the worst about her… ”Those...weren’t...I didn’t...I...I can’t….it...it wouldn’t be...right.”
“Of course it would. It is the American way, and you know what they say. When in Rome… Ask Cyndi about Tumblr. She will show you how to build a following for your art. It’s very good, and you can refine it… perhaps stop drawing your classmates, but… no one has to know.” Alyssa said, eating her strawberry, as Henry looked between his mother and his girlfriend. What was going on? What was he missing? What were they talking about? Why didn’t he speak Korean!? This was bullshit! “Trust me. You have a talent, don’t run from it. It is your turn in the game. English, please.” Alyssa cleared her throat and moved back to English, looking around the group. “It is Min-seo’s turn now.”
“What?! You can’t just talk to my girlfriend in a language I don’t even vaguely understand, and then just change the rules of the game in front of us! What the hell!? Mom, put a stop to this madness! Dad, step in! Raise your hand, threaten her! Julie make whiny noises! Does no one see the insanity being laid out before us!?”
The only parent that responded was unfortunately Alyssa, in a voice that was a thousand degrees colder than the one she had been using to speak with Min-seo. “I make the rules, Henry.”
Henry glared, but… Henry shut his mouth, and gave the floor to Min-seo.
They were still playing the game? Min blinked twice and returned to the present situation; the verbal fight between Henry and Hailey seemed to die down but Min-seo still had so many questions. What was a ‘tumblr’ and how much of her art had Alyssa seen and in what capacity? Min’s style of art wasn’t exactly the kind of thing they did gallery openings for, they had a very specific sort of audience and that audience was...not found at home. Once again she shook her head; it was probably not a good idea to wonder if her boyfriend’s mother looked at her yaoi art. ”I...have been in...teevee...video...I have...two...mom….I...have been..to...four...country.”
With her hands on her chest, Cyndi couldn’t help but feel Min’s embarrassment. She was too sweet for this world. Hopefully this would make her feel better. She chimed in, “I’m going to take an educational guess and say you haven’t been to four countries.” And then like her mother did, but more broken, Cyndi spoke in Korean, “Is… falsehood… countries? And…. I… will help… with… art…. I like.... that… art… and you… have… cute...” What was the word for ducks? What was the word for DUCKS?! She’ll just say it in English, “Ducks.”
Listening to the ordeal between the Green family and the Koreans had revealed a lot more about Cyndi’s family than he had previously anticipated. Alyssa could speak Korean? Damn, Justin didn’t speak Korean at all and from what it looked like, Alyssa already wasn’t the biggest fan of him. As a matter of fact, she seemed like the polar opposite of a fan. Justin could feel every single word from her that was directed at him penetrate into his soul.
He had to do something to turn the tide, because at the rate things were going the Greens would’ve probably pulled up to his house and relocated him to buttfuck nowhere, Nebraska to get him away from Cyndi. It was tough to figure out what to do. Maybe his opportunity would rise up later, but for the time being he was going to bide his time and wait for the opportunity should it come.
However, he couldn’t just leave Cyndi’s efforts alone. He was amazed at her efforts to speak Korean. It was tough for westerners to pick up the language, despite one just schooling the whole damn family in it just now. Justin took the opportunity to nudge Cyndi, before looking at her. “Nice Korean…”
Her cheeks were kissed pink with the compliment. Was her korean really okay? Justin seemed to think so. That was part of the reason she broke down and wanted to go home. She couldn’t handle the language barrier. “Thank you…” For the first time that night, Cyndi took a risk and went to hold her boyfriend’s hand under the table, officially deciding yes, she’d give him a chance.
Justin’s eyes widened as he felt a soft, warm object in his hand underneath the table. Taking a gander underneath, it turned out to be Cyndi’s hand. It… made him feel all warm and tingly inside. He smiled softly, before looking over at Cyndi again, squeezing her hand just a bit. “Always.”
Alyssa watched the exchanged between Cyndi and Justin with muted interest. Maybe there was something there, though she hadn’t been certain about Justin when he’d walked in, and she’d suddenly been less so after the strawberry incident, but… this was okay. She could learn to live with this, and be happy with it.
“HA. Y’all niggas gayyyyy.”
And then it was over.
With flaming red cheeks, Cyndi retracted her hand. Yeah, she wasn’t used to PDA and her brother ruined a moment for her! She actually showed Justin affection! What a jerk.
“Henry.” Evelyn tsked and when she did so, the food finally came in. “Oh, great. Game’s over. Let’s eat.” Cyndi’s embarrassment turned into a glare at her brother, as Xander put a plate in front of her and her boyfriend. Tonight they’d have Osso buco alla Milanese, which was a Lombard speciality cuisine. With a whisper, Cyndi’s butler hinted at the dessert, “And for dessert, tiramisu and gelato.”
”Delicious! Thank you so much.” With that, Xander finished his rounds, giving everyone a plate, since Hailey’s butler had better things to do and Henry’s butler was still overseas and then left the room to go back to his game of candy crush.
“Oh, great, yeah. No, no, this doesn’t make us look like rich, elitist prick McAssholes at all.”
But… Henry had pretty quickly found out that he needn’t try to make things bad… they were already pretty shitty! He must have not been paying attention, which was… entirely possible, given that he had a hot Korean GF that lived with him. They were working on the language barrier, but sex and love were universal. Especially sex! The important point was that Henry had missed something. Hailey was glancing at Mother and Dad like she hated them, Mama was eyeing the entire table like it was going to spontaneously combust.
What the fuck had he missed? It must have been something big. Not even just that though, there was Hailey’s girlfriend, who looked so nervous she might fall out of her chair at any given time, and Justin — who just looked completely out of place, dude probably didn’t know anything about fine dining, and Min-seo’s eyes were wide and he could almost smell the fear on her… well, fear and pretty flowers, which he was pretty sure was her hair, which was so soft and velvety to the touch and… oh, oops, Henry was horny again. Jesus it was hard being a teenager. Appetizers hadn’t even been served yet for fuck’s sake! But, it wasn’t Henry’s fault that Min-seo smelled yummy!
Then, of course, there were the parents, the dad, Ty, who was as bright and jolly as ever. Nothing would ever bring him down, it seemed, even if Hailey looked so… venomous. Or, maybe Henry was just misjudging, and Hailey had to go to the bathroom… Upon second glance, no way. That was definitely just her bitch face. There was Julie, who had come with Ty to meet all the kids’s S.O.’s, and she just had a smile on her face. Mama, and Mother, who were both basically always on resting bitch faces…
Henry couldn’t handle the quiet, and the awkwardness, he couldn’t handle how his girlfriend looked terrified, and he most importantly couldn’t handle his big sister looking like she hated their parents. That was just, not okay. Henry hated her, sure, and he hated them too, sure, but he respected the bond they had. And dammit, deep down, Henry loved Hailey and he loved his parents and he couldn’t handle them being so WEIRD. Clearing his throat, Henry looked across the table at Justin.
“So, dinner parties, huh? Where’s the fire, am I right, yo? Or am I right?”
He tried, okay?
For once, Cyndi Green was relating to her brother, which was rare since her return. She couldn’t handle whatever this was. Why did Hailey want a formal dinner? Was it really to have the parents meet the two girlfriends and one boyfriend? Her eyes were like fire in water, passion in ice. She scanned the room, resting on each person for a second, and then stopping on Alyssa. The boss bitch of the house. She wanted to bite her cheek, but she had to be composed. She had to show her mother she was ready for a relationship, even though to her, this was far too fast. She barely knew her date!
When Cyndi looked at Alyssa, it was obvious that she sought out for constant approval and desired for mother to be happy with her, over her own happiness. Her right hand reached for her hair to twirl it, pull it, play with it, but she stopped herself. No fiddling! Instead, she grabbed her glass of water and took a sip of it, before placing it gently down. Turning her head, she looked at Justin, who most likely felt ten times worse than anyone at this table. One, they only went on their first date four days ago and two, he was sitting at the Green table. “I like your shirt.” She mouthed, hoping that gave him a boost in confidence. And well, she did like seeing his biceps and stuff. She wouldn’t allow just anyone to date her, after all.
“How often do you workout?!” Aunty Julie chirped in. Hey, she wasn’t one to lie about seeing a handsome young lad. And Justin there, he was fucking fine. She had yet to meet this mystery man that’s taken the heart of her Stella. It may have not been disclosed to her, but Julianna wasn’t dumb. Call it mother’s intuition or the fact that Stella literally hums wherever she goes in the house like a Disney princess, Julie knew there was someone and it was only a matter of time where she’d have to request (demand) to meet him. At this point, Julie was use to seeing Min around, but Hana was new for her. Since the attention was thrown on Justin, she didn’t want to take away the spotlight from him just yet so she turned her attention to Hailey and Hana respectively and gave them a giddy two thumbs up. She approved! And she loved the collar!
Justin hadn’t felt this nervous since the first time he worked out with Ryan Townsend, the Los Angeles Chargers legend. Somehow, this felt far, far worse to him. It was one thing to work out with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, but to be sitting here with his… whatever Cyndi was to him at this point (because they definitely weren’t just friends anymore). It was bad enough that he was sitting here with the Greens practically boring holes into him with those gazes. It was even worse that he was sitting in a tuxedo shirt that was clearly too small for him. The color was nice though. Made his eyes pop.
Glancing at Cyndi, he saw her mouth something at him. He wasn’t exactly the best at reading lips, but he was pretty sure it was a compliment about his shirt. At least somebody liked it, and Justin showed his gratitude by flashing a quick smile at Cyndi. Justin felt like his shirt was going to pop and explode at any given minute if he so much as reached for a fork.
Suddenly, a nice lady from somewhere he couldn’t place had asked him a question. How often did he work out? It was hard for him to be humble about it. He couldn’t give a modest answer because nobody would believe it. Or, it might’ve given the impression that he was on steroids, which he was not on. He found it hard to figure out what sorts of answers to give in a situation like this.
“At least once a day, ma’am. Different groups every day.” For a brief second, Julianna Locke’s right eye twitched, but her smile never wavered from her face. He called her MA’AM. She’d have to cry about it later! Ask her husband if she was getting old and if she should start considering plastic surgery. Maybe her diet and workout plan was failing her! Oh no. She was absolutely UGLY.
The weirdest thing about the dinner for Hana Park wasn’t the eye-rolling fact that Henry and his cohort decided to take things incredibly seriously with their little t-shirt stunt nor was it the fact that Min-seo seemed to be dressed more for an Academy Awards after party rather than an assuredly awkward dinner. The weirdest thing was the thumbs up flashed her way by someone she assumed to be a family member. Hana used to think her family was big just because she had three siblings - but a family of six felt a lot smaller when she only ever saw four people at dinner at any one time. The Green family seemed nothing if not...elaborate and perhaps eccentric but that could well have been the opinion of someone on the outside looking in. Hailey didn’t talk much about her family and Hana didn’t ask - not that she often had a chance to do so in the first place. But she had made a conscious decision to not involve herself unless called upon. Nothing would be worse for Hailey and by extension herself than Hana piping in with a comment or remark that got promptly ignored or shot down. Fortunately the attention was on someone who Henry probably convinced cutting off the blood flow via a shirt was a good idea. But the night was young.
Until then, however, she held Hailey’s hand under the table, having given it a calming squeeze when the Tuxedo Terrors entered the room.
Hailey didn’t say a word, because what could she possibly say at this point? She didn’t want to speak to these people, and she almost didn’t want to be here. It was cringey to hear her mother-in-law (or whatever) lust after a man half her age, it was ridiculous to see the shirt that Henry and Cyndi’s boytoy were wearing, and the only good things going for Hailey was the simple fact that Korea raised their women to be quiet, heads down, and submissive. Neither Hana nor Min-seo had said something that would embarrass her or make it worse. Even so, Hailey didn’t say a word, she kept her hand on Hana’s, squeezing tighter and tighter as she got more and more frustrated. This was pointless, for fuck’s sake. There was no such thing as honor anymore! What was the point of this?
There wasn’t a point, that was the goddamn point of this. That it was, inherently, pointless! Henry’s attempt at conversation, his attempt at offering an olive branch to his sister was unsuccessful. All it had done was make her even more furious, shaking her head, Hailey looked at the head of the table, toward her mother, asking with her eyes.
“The food will be here shortly. For now, I suggest you make polite conversation with your family and their loved ones.”
In an instant, it was painfully clear where Hailey’s cadence and speaking habits came from.
There really was not enough wine for this night. None of the Greens and Lockes put together could act ordinary for once. They made dysfunctional look bearable. They made simple COMPLICATED. Just one normal night. Could Evelyn have that? Just once? Where she didn’t have to take care of everyone and make sure no one killed each other? It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this filthy rich family weren’t laid back and the ones that suffered? Those that were trying to get a glimpse at all the demons. Eerily picking up her glass, Eve took a sip wondering what it would take to make everyone behave and compliant. Find a happy middle ground. No one had to like each other in this damn family but they could at least act mature while there were guests over. Placing her glass down, she decided to break the tension with a subject everyone should be aware of: “Henry, Cyndi. It’s almost your birthday. I’d like to do something for you two, even if it’s small. And I’d prefer if we all could be together, as a family, like tonight.”
“The fuck?”
After speaking, Henry could feel the bewildered look of his father, and the icy stare of his mother on him, and he cleared his throat. “I mean, uhm. I thought we agreed, ma’am, that you and the rest of the family, ma’am, would leave me alone and let me go to Disneyland with Min-seo alone and you wouldn’t try to do something as a family, ma’am. So I could… enjoy myself, ma’am.” There, Henry couldn’t have spoken with more respect if his life depended on it. He’d said ‘ma’am’ like almost six times! Mission accomplished, he was surely free… why wasn’t Alyssa looking away from him? Why did it just seem like she was staring harder? “But perhaps…” Alyssa nodded slightly, and Henry kept going, slowly, deliberately. Carefully. “We could, ma’am, have a quick family breakfast before we left to Disney.”
Hm. Evelyn took another sip and nodded. That sufficed. She knew very well what the arrangements were, but as a mother that never got to spend time with her children, of course she’d bargain for more. Her eyes went to Cyndi. For her lack of friends, Eve was going to throw her a party but she wanted to see exactly what her daughter wanted. Henry and Hailey never failed to make things clear with her. Cyndi only cared to share with Alyssa. Cyndi focused on not breaking eye contact with her mama even if she wanted to run into her hole. She hated when the attention was all on her. She thought back on her date with Justin and then the conversation she had with both her siblings after it. What did she want? At first hesitant and then nodding to herself, she firmly answered (even if there was a slight shake in her voice), “I want to spend a weekend at our private beach, hopefully with friends if I get more by then.” Wow. She was such a sad soul.
That was easy enough. Okay, Eve was satisfied with the answers she’d received, now she’d allow someone else to talk. The lady of the Green family went back to her alcohol. She wasn’t going to direct anything toward Hailey because she knew Hailey was already past her limit.
While the Greens and Lockes were talking amongst themselves and taking care of family business, Justin took a page out of the Koreans' book and sat there idly, staring off into the distance. The awkward feeling was so thick that it had to be cut with a hot knife to do anything. Justin felt awkward, and he was more than sure that he wasn't the only person who felt the same way.
He was in over his head. Every single fiber of his being wanted to tear away from this situation and retreat home so he could sit on his couch and not be subjected to this torture. The Greens were a completely different caliber. Why did he let Henry convince him to wear something like this? He felt stupid. He felt embarrassed.
Justin really wished someone could save him before the tension would kill him.
“I’m not hearing polite conversation.” Alyssa said in a voice that was only one or two steps away from a flatout hiss. From her spot at the head of the table, Alyssa glared individually at every one there, casually swirling her wine glass in her hand. Did they not understand they were to do what they were told? This was the kind of person her children were ‘dating?’ Poor taste. They almost surely got it from their father. Who, by the way, was not helping things. At least Evelyn seemed pleased…
“So… Justin, right? Nice shirt, bud.” Cyndi’s father was speaking now, looking down at Justin who was sitting beside his youngest daughter. As he spoke, Henry raised his glass in his father’s direction. At least someone got it in this hellhole. “Trust me, if you think this is bad, you should see us at Christmas. There’s a fully stocked bar.”
"Yeah, it's Justin." He paused momentarily, "Thanks." Justin chuckled sheepishly. Right now Justin was more of a coward than the field general he was on the field. He couldn't get past how many eyes were on him, and he was pretty sure the head of the table just cursed him.
However Justin had no idea what he assumed to be Cyndi's dad was talking about, which was shown by the rather puzzled look on his face. He just glanced at Cyndi, before looking back at the elder Green. Evelyn had finished her glass and one of the butlers of the household immediately poured more, which was a perfect display of exactly what Ty was talking about.
“SO.” Evelyn took another sip. Her irritation increasing. “Let’s play an ice breaker game since no one wants to actually move the conversation anywhere. Two truths and a lie. When I go, Ty and Alyssa aren’t allowed to participate. Let’s see how well you all actually know each other.” Yeah, the alcohol was hitting the musician and if Hailey was just about having it, Eve was peaking as well. “I was born in Milan, Italy. I absolutely love Gummy candy. Specifically Gummy Bears. And I was twelve years old when my band started.”
Figuring nobody else was going to answer, especially the silent Koreans, Justin cleared his throat and made his guess. This was a total shot in the dark but Justin had a feeling that the gummy candy thing was a lie. There was a bit too much behind that answer which lead him to believe that wasn't the correct answer. "Gummy candy is the lie.".
“Correct. I prefer sour skittles. Gummy bears is their aunt Amity’s favorite. Now, you go.”
Justin did something. He was proud of the fact that he somehow managed to figure out the one lie his… Cyndi's aunt told (Eve was Cyndi’s mommy, Justin). Now he just had to figure out one of his own. That was hard. How much could he reveal about himself right now? What sorts of things should he say?
"Uhhh… I also play baseball. I love strawberries. Aaannndd…. I- I have a sister."
“This bitch ain’t like strawberries, no way.” While Henry was the first one to crop up, Alyssa seemed interested in the conversation for the first time since it had began. Were they talking about strawberries? That was something that deserved her interest. Henry took a sip from his soda, whatever it was. Coke? Vanilla coke? He wasn’t sure. “How ‘bout it, Justin. You like strawberries?”
"Nah, you got me." Justin chuckled, before glaring at the pile of strawberries in a nearby cornucopia. "Never liked them. Too sour." Strangely enough Justin did like strawberry flavored things, just not strawberries themselves. It was kind of like liking ketchup but not tomatoes. "Your turn, dude."
Alyssa raised an eyebrow. Eh! Wrong answer, pal. Alyssa had never found herself so quickly disinterested in someone before. Almost as a sign of defiance, she reached out and casually grabbed one of the strawberries, popping it into her mouth and munching on it. Henry watched his mother do that, and shook his head in Justin’s direction. He went straight for the jugular on the one thing she truly loved in life… even Cyndi looked displeased by this answer. Like mother, like daughter. When he took his turn, Henry leaned back in the chair, “I used to play the violin, I named my capybaras after my parents’s betrayal, and I like playing the flute.” There, that was good, surely.
Hailey looked up then, and scowled, shaking her head in her brother’s direction. “Neither of those are a lie! It’s literally in the name that one of them needs to be a lie! You can’t just bend every rule to fit yourself, Henry! That’s retarded.”
“Alright, alright! Damn.” Henry had to think. If one of them had to be a lie, then it wasn’t exactly an easy situation. Who made the rules to these stupid ass games, anyway? Two truths and a lie, about himself? “Uh…” Stupid ass game, stupid ass prizes. Pour another glass for yourself, you alcoholic bitch. Ain’t like Henry DIDN’T WANT TO BE HERE or anything. “I like k-pop, my capybaras are named after my parent’s betrayal —” Henry was trying to make a point. “My favorite movie is Cloud Atlas.”
Good fucking luck.
Min-seo made a move like she was ready to speak up at long last; she didn’t quite know the rules of the game - namely if she was allowed to answer or if someone specific had to, but if there was one thing she knew about Henry (and really she liked to think she knew a decent amount) she knew he wasn’t exactly a fan of k-pop. If he was he probably would’ve asked if she was related to a trainee in Seoul that shared her family name. She was but Henry didn’t know that.
”You don’t-”
“There’s no way your favorite movie is Cloud Atlas.” Hana spoke up, cutting Min-seo and her softer voice off. Min-seo closed her mouth and retreated back to her quiet space of awkward fidgeting. “That’s a three hour, high concept, genre-crossing, allegorical movie. The book even more so. Other than the Nea So Copros - sorry, the Neo Seoul - story there’s not even any action.” Cloud Atlas was ostensibly a science fiction novel and movie even if it crossed genres which, of course, made it a work Hana was incredibly familiar with. She preferred the book but she had seen the movie multiple times in theaters. It made her cry. She told no one, other than her sister. “Sonmi-451...the Fabricant in the movie? I told my sister that the actress looks like her but she just laughed and said they had different noses. And then she fell asleep. No way is that your favorite movie.”
At her end of the table, Min-seo was smiling to herself. "This should be funny.”
Henry leaned forward and shook his head, “WRONG ANSWER, PAL. What do you think I am, some kind of fuckin’, Marvel watchin’, fuckin’ The Rock movie watchin’, scrub ass, chad movies only little ass BITCH? Is that what you think over there? Call me an idiot in my own home, huh? Who do ya think you are?” Henry demanded, waving a peach at Hana as if it were a deadly weapon. Unfortunately for the middle Green, his words set off the ticking time bomb, as Hailey lifted up her fork and stabbed it into the table, causing Ty to wince and Cyndi to ‘eep’. He’d be hearing it from Alyssa over this tomorrow. It was an expensive table, to be fair.
“Do not speak to her, as if she is one of your slimy little friends! You are beneath her, and you will act like it, you little prick. Don’t think that just because, oh no, ‘the family is together for a nice little dinner’ that you’re immune. You do not have any right to be mean to her because she called you out as an idiot. WHICH IS WHAT YOU PRESENT YOURSELF AS!” Hailey’s brother had brought this down upon himself, but maybe it was all part of his plan to ruin their night and get out of it so he could go make out with that little brat who he’d fooled into liking her.
While Henry got ready to fire back, Alyssa took another sip from her wine glass, and turned her attention to the quiet girl in the room, Min-seo. Leaning forward, Alyssa spoke to her; though she was speaking not in English, but instead, Min-seo’s native language. “And what exactly, dear, do you see in this one?” Alyssa asked, gesturing with a strawberry toward her son.
Henry didn’t get an aggressive word out toward Hailey, because he stopped, and stared at his mother, and then at Min-seo. “Wait… what?” With her cheeks puffed in embarrassment, and big eyes, Cyndi was looking from Hana, to Min, to Henry, to Hailey, to her mother, then to Min again. She couldn’t even think about what was going on in Justin’s head anymore because this was probably the most intense family dinner she’s ever had, and they were usually pretty intense! When her mother spoke Korean, which she could actually catch on to most of the words, thanks to classes she took in Seoul, Cyndi anxiously waited for Min’s response. The anxiety of this whole night was killing her. It was obvious her mother was over Justin simply by the fact that he hated strawberry and now here she was giving the cute, timid one the floor. Could this night get any worse?!
Hana had every intention of following up on Henry’s predictable response with her own but Hailey took to the field in typical Hailey fashion. She could sit back and watch the fireworks and finally get an understanding as to the appeal of ‘white knights’. Though she doubted that term applied when the one doing the defending was actually her girlfriend. Hana just assumed Henry was getting super defensive because she was right in her claims; it was easy to say the lie wasn’t actually a lie just like it was easy to say you didn’t have a good hand in poker. At this table, Hana figured she was the best at telling lies anyway with the difference being all the lies she told had always been to herself.
Min-seo glanced up from looking between the table and the loud argument between siblings and turned her head towards Alyssa, a look of confusion to her face. Of all the places she figured she’d hear her native language she never figured it would be here. Most people she encountered only knew Korean through K-Pop which was like saying someone knew Japanese because they watched anime or Spanish because they knew the macarena. Min wasn’t going to question it, she was just glad to hear a language she understood. ”That’s...difficult to answer. But it’s because of how kind he is. He might not always show it, but he is a soft, sweetheart towards me and towards Parker. Of course he is cute but being cute doesn’t make up for a bad personality. I think...I think with me helping him with his...demons...he will be better off. I see...in him...the good parts.” Min-seo responded quickly, speaking longer and more fluently than she likely had since her arrival. Cyndi’s once confused expression turned into hopeful admiration. That was the nicest anyone’s talked about Henry. Her heart fluttered in excitement for her brother. He had such a good catch!
Alyssa tapped her chin. The plot thickened, and her interest was rising. Score one for the children, and to everyone’s (most importantly Alyssa’s) surprise, it was for her son. Hailey’s outburst wasn’t attractive, and the haughty words of the girlfriend didn’t help. At the very least, Alyssa was happy for Hailey and Cyndi, but it was Henry she was most proud of. He had, it seemed, done well. Or, at the very least, he’d tricked Min-seo. “Hm… We will talk later. For now, I do have one other question. My son, and this boy,” a lazy finger lifted up and toward Justin. “You will draw them together, yes? Like the ones I found in your room.” Alyssa’s words were accented with an almost smug, teasing smile.
It was fortunate that Min wasn’t in the middle of eating or drinking since the question posed to her would have caused something to be dropped from her hands and frankly, a broken glass in this house was probably worth a small fortune. How had Alyssa seen those drawings? Min had been careful to keep them out of sight...though there was that one evening where Parker demanded attention and Min...might have left a sketchbook behind but...she shook her head as her eyes darted around the table. No one else here spoke Korean, right? No one else knew? Then why did she feel like she did back in Seoul? Why did she feel like everyone was glaring at her, judging her, thinking ill of her? Min grabbed a glass of water, careful that it didn't spill with how shaky her hand was holding it, and took a long sip. Everyone was staring...everyone was looking...everyone was thinking the worst about her… ”Those...weren’t...I didn’t...I...I can’t….it...it wouldn’t be...right.”
“Of course it would. It is the American way, and you know what they say. When in Rome… Ask Cyndi about Tumblr. She will show you how to build a following for your art. It’s very good, and you can refine it… perhaps stop drawing your classmates, but… no one has to know.” Alyssa said, eating her strawberry, as Henry looked between his mother and his girlfriend. What was going on? What was he missing? What were they talking about? Why didn’t he speak Korean!? This was bullshit! “Trust me. You have a talent, don’t run from it. It is your turn in the game. English, please.” Alyssa cleared her throat and moved back to English, looking around the group. “It is Min-seo’s turn now.”
“What?! You can’t just talk to my girlfriend in a language I don’t even vaguely understand, and then just change the rules of the game in front of us! What the hell!? Mom, put a stop to this madness! Dad, step in! Raise your hand, threaten her! Julie make whiny noises! Does no one see the insanity being laid out before us!?”
The only parent that responded was unfortunately Alyssa, in a voice that was a thousand degrees colder than the one she had been using to speak with Min-seo. “I make the rules, Henry.”
Henry glared, but… Henry shut his mouth, and gave the floor to Min-seo.
They were still playing the game? Min blinked twice and returned to the present situation; the verbal fight between Henry and Hailey seemed to die down but Min-seo still had so many questions. What was a ‘tumblr’ and how much of her art had Alyssa seen and in what capacity? Min’s style of art wasn’t exactly the kind of thing they did gallery openings for, they had a very specific sort of audience and that audience was...not found at home. Once again she shook her head; it was probably not a good idea to wonder if her boyfriend’s mother looked at her yaoi art. ”I...have been in...teevee...video...I have...two...mom….I...have been..to...four...country.”
With her hands on her chest, Cyndi couldn’t help but feel Min’s embarrassment. She was too sweet for this world. Hopefully this would make her feel better. She chimed in, “I’m going to take an educational guess and say you haven’t been to four countries.” And then like her mother did, but more broken, Cyndi spoke in Korean, “Is… falsehood… countries? And…. I… will help… with… art…. I like.... that… art… and you… have… cute...” What was the word for ducks? What was the word for DUCKS?! She’ll just say it in English, “Ducks.”
Listening to the ordeal between the Green family and the Koreans had revealed a lot more about Cyndi’s family than he had previously anticipated. Alyssa could speak Korean? Damn, Justin didn’t speak Korean at all and from what it looked like, Alyssa already wasn’t the biggest fan of him. As a matter of fact, she seemed like the polar opposite of a fan. Justin could feel every single word from her that was directed at him penetrate into his soul.
He had to do something to turn the tide, because at the rate things were going the Greens would’ve probably pulled up to his house and relocated him to buttfuck nowhere, Nebraska to get him away from Cyndi. It was tough to figure out what to do. Maybe his opportunity would rise up later, but for the time being he was going to bide his time and wait for the opportunity should it come.
However, he couldn’t just leave Cyndi’s efforts alone. He was amazed at her efforts to speak Korean. It was tough for westerners to pick up the language, despite one just schooling the whole damn family in it just now. Justin took the opportunity to nudge Cyndi, before looking at her. “Nice Korean…”
Her cheeks were kissed pink with the compliment. Was her korean really okay? Justin seemed to think so. That was part of the reason she broke down and wanted to go home. She couldn’t handle the language barrier. “Thank you…” For the first time that night, Cyndi took a risk and went to hold her boyfriend’s hand under the table, officially deciding yes, she’d give him a chance.
Justin’s eyes widened as he felt a soft, warm object in his hand underneath the table. Taking a gander underneath, it turned out to be Cyndi’s hand. It… made him feel all warm and tingly inside. He smiled softly, before looking over at Cyndi again, squeezing her hand just a bit. “Always.”
Alyssa watched the exchanged between Cyndi and Justin with muted interest. Maybe there was something there, though she hadn’t been certain about Justin when he’d walked in, and she’d suddenly been less so after the strawberry incident, but… this was okay. She could learn to live with this, and be happy with it.
“HA. Y’all niggas gayyyyy.”
And then it was over.
With flaming red cheeks, Cyndi retracted her hand. Yeah, she wasn’t used to PDA and her brother ruined a moment for her! She actually showed Justin affection! What a jerk.
“Henry.” Evelyn tsked and when she did so, the food finally came in. “Oh, great. Game’s over. Let’s eat.” Cyndi’s embarrassment turned into a glare at her brother, as Xander put a plate in front of her and her boyfriend. Tonight they’d have Osso buco alla Milanese, which was a Lombard speciality cuisine. With a whisper, Cyndi’s butler hinted at the dessert, “And for dessert, tiramisu and gelato.”
”Delicious! Thank you so much.” With that, Xander finished his rounds, giving everyone a plate, since Hailey’s butler had better things to do and Henry’s butler was still overseas and then left the room to go back to his game of candy crush.
“Oh, great, yeah. No, no, this doesn’t make us look like rich, elitist prick McAssholes at all.”
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