Page 119 of Heart of a Villain

“So,” Josiah dropped his hands, “I think I have a crush on Malia.”

A chorus of faux shock reverberated around the room, but Josiah didn’t seem to pick up on the “faux” part.

“When me and your mom were teasing you about it, we were just joking,” Joel lied, smoother than wax paper. “I’m guessing she’s your first crush?”

“My first real crush, yeah,” Josiah said. “I used to have a super huge crush on Marsai Martin. I mean, she’s only four years older than me, so if things with Malia don’t work out…”

They all laughed.

His face flushed.

“So, what’s up?” Mike asked, taking a seat on a weight bench. “I can imagine it’s probably weird to have a crush on your best friend.”

“Yeah, in a way. It’s kind of inconvenient. Sometimes, I’m trying to read my books or my manga, but I keep thinking about her, so I can’t concentrate.”

They all grumbled in agreement.

“I think about…doing things with her.”

The entire room, including Giorgio and Thanasis, seemed to hold their breath.

Gage, clearing his throat, scratched the back of his head. “Uh, what kinds of things, mate?”

“Like going to the movies. Or getting a burger together.” Josiah tapped his fingertips together, shifting his weight from leg to leg. “But I also think about…holding her hand.”

Although they were lower than a whisper, Adrían heard the collective sighs of relief. With certain things so accessible, there was no telling what Josiah had already been exposed to. Talking through handholding was simple. Explaining the unrealistic expectations of porn would probably kill them all. Whoever survived, Ayesha would end like a Mortal Kombat finishing move.

“And Dad, you know how you always kiss Ma’s forehead?” Josiah tapped his own forehead. “I think about kissing Malia’s forehead.”

“And you…hate that?” Dez pressed.

“No. I don’t. I kind of wish I did sometimes, though. Actually, can I say something stupid?”

“There are no stupid questions in Joel’s classroom,” Joel said.

“I want her to be my only crush.”

Adrían frowned. “You have more than one, mano?”

“No, I mean, like…” He continued to shift and rubbed his hands together, his face reddening all over again. “Like Uncle Mike and Aunt Xara, kind of? I want some advice on how to treat her well and with respect so that she wants to be happy with me forever.”

Silence blanketed the room.

It was clear that none of them had been expecting that to come out of a twelve-year-old’s mouth. Adrían tried to think back to what he’d been concerned with at twelve when it came to crushes, but his experience was different. Josiah had excellent role models bursting out of the seams. At that age, he’d only been a year removed from witnessing his mother’s murder.

“Um…” Mike scratched the tip of his nose. “Well, the thing about that is…”

“It’s unrealistic,” Josiah finished. “I know.”

“Can we ask why?” Julien urged. “Not that it’s a bad thing. It might help us give you a better answer.”

“Because I think Malia would love being part of this family,” Josiah said, motioning around. “Like, I’m not ignorant. I know how good I have it. I lost my dad, and it was hard. It still is, but I ended up surrounded by a ton of people who love me just the way I am. I ended up with another great, amazing dad.”

Joel tapped his chest. “My boy.”

Josiah ducked his head, attempting to hide a shy grin. “I figured it out today when we saw that man at the bakery,” he continued. “I already love Aunt Seda. We’ll take care of her, and I’m old enough now to help. Malia lost her mom, like I lost my dad, and her dad’s been sick. I’m hoping nothing bad happens, but if she needs me, I want to be there for her. I want all of us to be.”

“And we will,” Joel said.

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