Page 89 of No Summer Hotter than You

He pretended not to hear me as he motioned to grab the graham crackers and chocolate that were also between Anthony and me. His hand was about to be on my knee again, when Anthony stood up. All our eyes were on him as Anthony leaned over me and handed Kelvin all the ingredients in a tense, thick silence. This all felt so childish and dumb. I wasn’t sure what game Kelvin was now playing at, but I didn’t like it.

“I’m going to go use the restroom,” I announced.

I needed a breather. This guy was making the obscenest claims about me and the motives I supposedly had towards him, and I wish I knew why. I let out a long breath as I glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror. I took in another deep inhale and closed my eyes. Aunt Sue, Evelyn, and Kelvin were only going to be here for another few days.

Only a few more days, I kept chanting to myself as I opened the door of the hallway bathroom.

My stomach immediately dropped at the sight of Kelvin waiting there. His dark, unreadable eyes made me rigid with apprehension. The taut smile across his face was a mere decoration. He moved forward and I stumbled a step back into the bathroom.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Shoua?” he questioned softly. “All I want to do is talk to you alone.”

Down the hallway, I could hear my aunts and Uncle Gary enjoying a movie in the family room—too far from this bathroom. The surround sound speakers were loud, and I doubt they’d hear me if I screamed or made a scene.

“W-why?” I stammered. “Why would we need to talk alone?”

“Because I’m in love with you,” he easily answered.

The blood in my body froze as my heart stopped pumping for one second from the sheer shock. “What?”

“I’m in love with you, Shoua,” Kelvin said louder.

I shuddered. “I’m sorry, but?—”

“I’ve seen the way you look at me, and I know you want me too,” Kelvin interrupted. His voice was firm as a divot formed between his brows. The smile on his face melted into pursed lips. His dark eyes glimmered and looked slightly crazed. “I’m tired of playing these mind games of yours. It’s about time I made myself clear. You’re mine, Shoua, and you’ll only be mine.”

My heart pounded wildly as I took another step back into the bathroom to form some distance between us. But he followed me, taking another step toward me. I parted my lips to say something—anything—to diffuse the situation. But the words wouldn’t leave me. I could barely mumble out a single syllable as fear dripped down my spine.

“Get the hell away from my girlfriend!” Anthony’s roar echoed from down the hallway. Before I could let out a breath, he was already wedged in between Kelvin and me protectively. “Step the hell back, man.”

Kelvin didn’t budge as he raised a brow. He stepped into Anthony’s space, not backing away. “Your girlfriend wants me! She’s been sending me signs this whole entire trip, and I’m simply telling her that I won’t stop at anything to make her mine. Even with you in the way.”

My aunts and Uncle Gary clamored into the hallway as Andy, Jonathan, and Julie arrived at the scene. They watched and gawked at the three of us as I tried to pull Anthony away from Kelvin. He didn’t budge.

“Take a hint, Kelvin. If she didn’t want you last year when you sent her an unsolicited picture of your pencil dick—” Anthony started.

“Anthony!” Uncle Gary said sternly.

But he paid no heed to his dad as he continued through gritted teeth. “She didn’t want you then, and she doesn’t want you now. Shoua never wanted you.”

Kelvin’s face turned a deep shade of red. His eyes churned darker with fury, never looking away from Anthony for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but I immediately pushed myself in between them and spoke up. “Kelvin, I think you’re confused. I never tried to lead you on. I was simply being nice to you since you kept to yourself this entire time. I thought I’d chitchat a bit with you. That was all. I never intended to make you believe I wanted you.”

His lips opened and closed like a fish out of water. He looked at me with wide eyes, surprised to hear what I had to say. “You—” he started.

“That wasn’t my intention, Kelvin,” I said through my croaking voice. “I’m not interested in you. Like I said, I was just being nice to you.”

Embarrassed, he spun around on his feet to see everyone watching us. “Fine,” he spat, glaring at Anthony and then at me. His face was darker red than before as he trembled with anger. “Fine. Whatever the hell you two have to say.”

“Please, this is no way you should be treating each other,” Uncle Gary said firmly. “There clearly seems to be just a misunder?—”

Kelvin stormed off with his heavy, stalking footsteps echoing in the hallway. Andy, Jonathan, and Julie quickly moved aside for him. Aunt Sue and Auntie Gao stepped forward with worried expressions.

“What happened?” Auntie Gao asked, confused.

“Why are you two arguing, Anthony?” Aunt Sue asked, almost out of breath. She glanced at me, and I could’ve sworn I saw her narrow her eyes. She frowned as if she was frustrated at me like she was my mother.

“It’s all just a misunderstanding,” he answered.

“Kelvin thought I was interested in him because I was being nice to him,” I muttered. Although I didn’t want to say much, I thought I’d at least owe everyone an explanation as to why we caused a scene.

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