Page 41 of Just Try, Again and Again

I also don’t have to wonder whether he has been seeing other women or not—he has. Bryce goes on dates and sleeps around here and there. He told me that he started once he was done with grad school. Classes and helping out with Birdie filled out his calendar in the first two years he was in Berlin. I told him during that call that he didn’t need to feel guilty, because I also wasn’t celibate. After that, one of us made an awkward joke about sending divorce papers via email if something would ever become serious.

“Haruki, look who I met in the lobby!” my father says with a huge grin on his face.

I give my cousin a big hug. The sight of him after four years apart warms my heart. The last time I saw him was at his wedding. I let go of him to take a good look at Lorenzo. His curly, jet-black hair and pale skin remind me of my mother. But unlike her, Lorenzo has piercing blue eyes from his father’s side of the family. Eyes that remind me of Bryce’s. I wonder whether meeting Bryce will feel like this as well.Light. Happy.

“Your grandmother told us that you moved to Los Angeles. What a lovely coincidence! Now we don’t have to wait until next week to meet in Oxnard,” my dad says to him in a cheery voice. We have a relationship with my mom’s side of the family now, but Lorenzo is my dad’s favorite. Just like my dad and my brother, who is currently holding down the fort back in Osaka, Lorenzo is also a realtor.

“Yeah, Haruto. A lovely coincidence, indeed. I was dropping off a client. He’s from out of town and we just finished looking at houses here in LA.”

My dad squeezes Lorenzo’s shoulder proudly. “Very hardworking. If you ever think about moving to Japan, you are welcome to work for me.” Lorenzo just smiles at the comment, not realizing that the offer is genuine. “Haruki and I are going to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Do you want to join us?”

“Of course,” he replies.

The factthat my father and Lorenzo are deep in conversation is something that I gladly welcome. It gives me more time to think about tomorrow. About Bryce. My anxiety is starting to kick in and I’m beginning to doubt whether he’s actually coming here because he wants to see me and spend time with me, or whether he’s, in fact, here to ask for a divorce. And for the life of me, I don’t know why the thought of that is causing my body to produce so much sweat that my armpits are starting to get damp.

Lorenzo and my dad fight over who is going to pay for the check. Lorenzo sighs in defeat when my dad manages to pry the black, leather bill holder away from him. “You save your money for your family, Lorenzo. Your wife is pregnant,” my dad says as the waitstaff returns with complimentary candies.

“Thank you so much, Haruto. If you two don’t mind, I’m going to vape outside now. I’ll come back in to say goodbye after that.”

My father shakes his head. He doesn’t understand why the younger generation is obsessed with bubblegum-flavoredcigarettes. “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” he says to both me and Lorenzo.

Not wanting to be alone, I follow my cousin outside and we stand in front of the hotel entrance. Lorenzo stares at me with a loving look on his face as he exhales the smoke.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask, my head tilted to the side.

“No reason,” he says with a smile. “I’m just so proud of you, Ki. When I first met you…what happened again? You ran the fuck away from home and your dad had to get your ass?”

A giggle comes out of me. “That’s not exactly what happened, but okay, yeah.”

He loops one arm around my shoulder and gives me a brotherly hug. “Look at you both now. Going on father-daughter trips.” I look up to see a bittersweet smile on his face. Lorenzo takes another puff before bringing his lips closer to my ear so that the other smokers can’t hear him. “Your mother would have been proud of you, Ki. Of both of you.”

I give him a big hug, tiptoeing in the process so my height somewhat matches his. “I’m so grateful that I ran away, because it led me to you guys. My dad wouldn’t have contacted our grandma otherwise, because we wouldn’t have been in America to begin with.” My vision is getting blurry from the unshed tears. That was the trip of a lifetime for me, in more ways than one. And even though Lily’s mom didn’t act in my best interest, what she did, contacting my dad, turned out to be one of the best things to ever happen to me. Meeting Bryce was life-changing, and I’m going to thank him for everything tomorrow, no matter the reason for him coming here.

Lorenzo pulls me away from our hug to vape again. “I’m so glad you found us, Haruki. I love you, I love your brother, and I love your dad.”

Suddenly, strong hands pull Lorenzo away from me.What the hell is going on?I blink once. I blink twice. I blink thrice. I see Bryce here with us. Shoving Lorenzo to the wall. Holding him by the collar of his shirt. His fist connects with Lorenzo’s face before he lets go of his hold, letting Lorenzo slump a little against the wall.

“What are you doing?” I scream, trying to push Bryce away from Lorenzo. Bryce doesn’t even see me, he’s just breathing heavily, looking like he could kill Lorenzo with his bare hands.He actually might.

“Did you come here just to flaunt your new boyfriend in front of me, Haruki, huh?” he yells to me with fury in his eyes. “Did you tell me that it was okay for me to come here, just so you could laugh about me with him afterward?” The smell of alcohol on his breath doesn’t go unnoticed. Bryce turns his head to Lorenzo, who is about to stand up and throw a punch of his own. “Well, guess what? Joke’s on you. She’s fucking married, you asshole.”

Lorenzo puts his arm to his side the moment Bryce breathes our secret out. “Married? What the fuck are you talking about?” he asks, jerking his head.

“She’s mine, you asshole. Keep your hands away from her.”

“I’m her cousin, you idiot,” Lorenzo growls as he spits out blood.

Bryce’s blue orbs widen, his eyes move from me to Lorenzo. We don’t look that much alike, but he’s probably seeing some form of resemblance now because he looks ashamed of himself.

And because the universe is a cruel bitch, my father appears next to us with his hands behind his back and a stern look on his face. “Would someone please explain to me what this man means by married?”

37

Bryce - 27 years old

Igrab my towel from the pool lounger at the place I’ve called home since I was born. It’s not exactly swimming weather yet, but it’s always hot tub weather. We don’t have this kind of luxury in Berlin and I’m not about to let it go to waste.

You guys doing okay without me? How’s Birdie doing?

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