For a second, I considered closing the laptop on Miracle. She and her natural no bounds curiosity. But my eyes lingered on Akira. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Can I introduce you?" I mouthed at him in Japanese.
His eyes widened, but he nodded, a smile beginning to form.
"What are you hiding, Reiko Grace?" Her tone turned sharped as she glared at me.
"For the nth time, stop calling me Grace." I sighed, shifting on my seat. "And I'm with my boyfriend if you really want to know, Miracle."
At the mention of the b-word, I glanced at Akira. He gave me a small smile. He recognized the word.
My cousin frowned. "I thought you guys broke up."
"We did." I gestured for Akira to come over, mouthing please and sorry. He hesitated but rose and knelt beside me. I adjusted the laptop.
"Miracle, this is Kawashita Akira." I turned to him and said in Japanese, "This is my cousin, Hirono Miracle."
"Hi," Akira said in English, smiling.
Miracle stilled for a second before she gave a small wave, darting her gaze back and forth between Akira and me. I could see theories and teasing formulating in her brain with the way her lips began to curl. Before she could open her mouth again, I shifted the laptop back to me alone. I greeted her happy birthday once more, bid her goodbye, and made up some mixed truths about dinner.
A faint wait along with Reiko Grace echoed as I disconnected the call. Akira and I exchanged awkward glances.
"I'm sorry about that ambush." I pushed the laptop towards him. "And thank you."
He folded the laptop close. "I'm making you meet my family. The least I could do is greet your cousin over the internet."
Oh, he was right. I was meeting his family. I rubbed my left eyebrow, dread pooling on my stomach. I didn't feel so hungry now.
"Hey." Akira grabbed my right hand. "My brother's cool. You'll do fine. You can wow him with your astounding English."
"Astounding?" I laughed.
"I can barely catch up." He squeezed my hand. "You are remarkable."
My smile widened, my cheeks hurting from the sudden onslaught. I only shook my head at lost for words. Akira didn't seem to mind. His other hand tucked in strands of hair behind my ears and lingered there. For a second, I thought he was going to lean in. Then a ping came from my phone, dissipating the mood.
Miracle's name flashed. I scowled but opened the message, confident that Akira would have to read it twice to understand it. But hiragana and katakana filled the screen except for my name.
I can't believe you, Reiko Grace. Who's that handsome guy?
I peeked at Akira, hurriedly closing the message.
Akira smirked. "She knows Japanese and has good taste. I guess you feel the same way. I'm not a pretty boy, just handsome, right?"
A blush finally crept its way to my cheeks. Akira chuckled, my favorite kind—I didn't know I even had one—a belly laugh where his eyes disappeared. My mind recognized the need for caution, but his laughter rang in my ears, warming every inch of my body.
Oh, butterflies.