After parting with Savannah, I slowly approach my parents' weathered car, my mind whirling with her words. Her confession did not just take me by complete surprise, it was like a sudden gust of wind on a calm day. Savannah, the girl who has hated me throughout our high school years, actually harboured feelings for me to begin with? How does that make any sense? Was I blind to the affection she held for me?
I'm gay though.
"Is that our little salutatorian?"
I break out of my train of thought and glance up to see Franklin waving me over to the rest of the family who is huddled up outside the car and a bashful grin makes its way onto my lips. My pace picks up and I jog over to join them.
"It is our little salutatorian." Amma pinches my cheeks between her fingers and then she starts with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "You do know though that second place is just the—"
"First loser," I finish her sentence with an eye roll. "Yes, I know, Amma."
"What she actually means by that is that she's very proud of you but incapable of conveying that vulnerability effectively," Yang Jin pipes up over our mother's shoulder.
With an amused look, I reply jokingly, "Yeah, hyeong, unlike you I can actually take a joke."
He raises his hand to give me the middle finger but our mother smacks him upside the head scoldingly. He flinches away from her, pouting petulantly while secretly glowering at her through the corner of his eye.
"Seong Jin, can you please go and get Chu Hua. She went to the bathroom a couple of minutes ago and I'm beginning to get worried. She probably wandered around and got lost in your school. As soon as you're done with your photography, I want us to go home. Your father is going to cook up a feast in celebration."
"I am?" Franklin muses as if this is news to him.
Glancing at my mum sheepishly, I hesitantly say, "I'm actually not going to ride back home with you guys."
Her brows furrow down and she narrows her eyes at me in suspicion. "What do you mean you're not coming home with us?"
"His boyfriend is picking him up," my brother informs them with a teasing grin directed at me.
"I told you that in confidence," I say to him with a flat look.
"Seong Jin, do I need to bring you condoms from work because I will?"
"Amma, please stop asking me that." I blush a cherry red colour.
After telling her that I'm going to go and find Chu Hua for her, I turn around and blitz back into the school building. Once inside, I walk in the direction of the restrooms while sending a text to Kai to let him know that the ceremony ended. Just as I am about to round the corner, I see the pair standing in the deserted hallway and double back behind the wall. Then I snoopily peek over at them. Glancing over at Chu Hua, I notice the inquisitive look on her face as she glances up at Dominic.
"I don't understand," she says to him and with a smile on his face, Dominic kneels down before her, "and if you're about to say something along the lines of you'll understand when you're older, don't because I think I might genuinely punch you in the face."
"Okay, then I will refrain from saying that."
"Why would you not try to fight for Seong Jin if you like him? Is he not worth it?"
My face sets into a bemused frown. Why are they talking about me?
"It's precisely because I like him that I did not fight for him," he explains to her and his words send a flutter through my stomach. "Because I want him to be happy even if it is without me."
I nervously gnaw on my bottom lip.
"Besides Keiji seems like a pretty sound guy, don't you think?"
"Yeah, he is," she says to him and that makes me happy to know that she thinks my boyfriend is a good person. "Honestly, I think he might be too good for Seong Jin."
My face drops and I glare at the back of her head angrily. This little shit…
"You know that sometimes when Seong Jin gets really tired Kai will travel all the way from Oxfordshire to deliver cappuccino for him. It is scary how devoted to my brother he is especially because Seong Jin does not deserve it."
I don't deserve it?
What the fuck does that mean?
Also how does she know that? Whenever Kai has those surprise visits to my house late at night with a cup of coffee burning his palm, he never uses the front door. It might have something to do with the fact that my mum would one, not allow him into her house late at night and two, bury me six feet under for having my boyfriend over so late at night. When did Chu Hua find out that Kai had sneaked into my room and brought me a cup of cappuccino? How crafty is this little miscreant?
After waiting for Dominic to leave, I come out of hiding and approach my sister with a scowl adorning my face. Instead of confronting her about her private conversation with Dominic, I inform her that our mother is outside waiting for her impatiently.
Just to terrify her for all the comments she said about me behind my back, I tell her that Amma is pissed at her for taking so long in the restroom, but she immediately sees through my lie and after punching me in the stomach, she dashes away with a satisfied chortle.
Before I can chase after her, my phone chimes in my pocket and with an irate look on my face, I reach for it.
I'm here to pick up this guy. Some people say he's the salutatorian of his class?
A pleased grin breaks out over my face, replacing my look of irritation and I hastily text Kai back, asking him which entrance he is waiting for this supposed salutatorian at. When he confirms his location, I quickly jog out of the building.
I spot his car in the car park and the excited smile on my face stretches wider, from ear to ear as I head over to him. His eyes meet mine and he quickly leans over to open the door for me. I reach for the handle, the cool metal under my fingertips is in stark contrast to the warmth of his gaze and after leaning over to give him a peck on the corner of his mouth, I settle into the passenger seat.
"How was it?" he immediately muses interested and I turn around to put my sketchbook in the backseat, making a reminder to look at all my forgotten designs.
"Good," I reply as I close the door and buckle my seatbelt.
"Salutatorian, huh?" His eyes shine with pride.
Trying to come off as callous, I tilt my mortarboard at him. "You know the vibes."
He throws his head back to laugh. "Congratulations. I'm proud of you."
Shyly, I whisper while averting my gaze. "Thank you."
"I got you this on my way over here." He reaches for the cup of iced coffee in his cupholder and carefully hands it over to me, the cube inside creating a pleasing sound as they slosh in the liquid. "You said you were a bit tired after barely getting any sleep last night because of how nervous you were even after I kept telling you that you had nothing to worry about."
I press my lips together to hide my content smile. "You are quite literally the best."
"Am I?"
"Mm-hmm." Again, I kiss him on the cheek and this time it lingers for a second. As he grins a dimple appears beneath my lips.
Then we take off driving.