Page 18 of The Other Side of Apart

I pull away from Johnny and watch Guo teeter through the gate, smiling so big I can see all her teeth. I scoop her into my arms and lift her off her feet, my eyes stinging.

“When Guo told us what was about to go down,” Johnny says beside us, “she said she could use a couple of witnesses, and there was no way I was gonna miss this. I just want you to know, I dropped a fairly hot second date so we could leave for the airport at six AM to get here in time. Six AM, Miller.” He gets in my face. “If that doesn’t prove my love for you, there’s nothing that will. Hope Mei Li knows she comes in a solid second place to me.”

Johnny and I laugh, and I grab him and bring him in for another hug. “I have missed you, brother.”

Someone squeals, and we break the hug as Lin pushes through the gate, wheeling a carry-on suitcase behind her.

“I cannot believe this is for real! I feel like I’m in some kind of rom-com right now.” Lin’s excitement is at an eleven and she might explode if it amps any higher.

I turn to Guo. “You really can make everything happen.”

She pats my face. “I am so happy about this. I wanted to tell everyone but…you know. I honor your privacy and safety.”

I wrap my arms around her again and want to pick her up and hold her on my shoulders like she just won the championship game for us, but Lin steps up.

“I don’t recall you asking my permission to marry my best friend, but if you let me in on the hugging action, I’ll give it to you.” Lin holds out her arms.

I laugh and lean down to give her a full two-armed hug.

“I’m just going to say this once and never again, even if I think it, and I definitely will: I am wildly jealous of Mei Li. Also…you smell…wow. And muscles and face and legs and…okay.” She steps back, waves her hands. “Done. I’m so done. You’re all Mei Li’s. I just remembered. Taken. Solidly taken. Permission granted. I can live vicariously. I’m really good at it by now.”

She beams at me, and I smile, rubbing the back of my neck and hoping Mei will come out soon. Like, right now.

“Where’s the lucky lady, anyway? She’s going tofreakwhen she sees me, and I’m just so ready for it.”

“Inside.” I point toward Jerry and Wen’s house, and Lin takes off running, her suitcase bouncing behind her. It takes under two seconds for squealing to erupt from the open sliding glass door.

“This is for you and Xiao Mei,” Guo says, holding out an envelope. “So tuck it somewhere very safe. And this,” she says, holding up a piece of paper from some weird online ministry service, “is proof I can make you and Mei Li very official. Also, I have a slightly forged marriage license, but no matter. It will work. Desperate times.”

Guo checks her watch. “We were later than planned, and it’s time we got this party started.” She laughs at her own slang. “You go finish getting ready. When it’s time, Lin will walk Mei Li down the aisle.” She waves her hand toward the brick path between Jerry and Wen’s house and our cottage. “Let’s do this, Marcus Miller.” She pats my chest, chuckling, and shuffles toward the house. “I will go say hi to my brother, I guess.”

Johnny slings his arm around my shoulder. This whole scene turns into a still shot I’ll never forget: gray sky, green ruffled trees arching over us like a canopy, Guo bright purple, Lin red and orange, and when Mei comes out of the house, she’ll set this place, and me, on fire.

I take the card Guo gave me and put it in the seat of the motorcycle as Johnny inspects my streamers.

“Not bad, man. Looks like you’ve figured out life on your own. I’m impressed.” He points at my shirt. “You’re even wearing a real shirt. Looking good, Miller, as usual, but you’re missing one thing, brother.”

He digs around in the backpack he set on the ground when he came in and pulls out a tie. The one I used to wear on game days.

I take it from him. “How?”

“You think you’re the only sneaky one?” He dusts off his shirt. “You’re not.”

Staring at it, I laugh and wonder how he managed to get into The Clubhouse. I resist the urge to check if it smells like my closet.

Johnny snatches it from me and wraps it around my neck, tying and adjusting it. “Let’s get you married, Miller.”

We walk toward the circle of trees, just enough room for all of us to gather, and he nudges me with his elbow. “You nervous, man? This is seriously crazy.”

I run my fingers through my hair, and Johnny swats my hand away, fixes it. “Not nervous to marry Mei, just…want it to be perfect, and this is so far from it.”

Johnny looks around. “Seems pretty downright perfect, if you ask me. I get it’s not the usual way. But different isn’t a bad thing. And you…?” He smiles, squinting at me. “You’re different. In a good way. Like you’ve gone and grown up on me. Like you’re a real man now. Welcome. It’s a great place to be. I’ve been here in Man-land for a while. Got everything ready for you.” He sniffs dramatically, then busts up laughing, and I flick his ear. “I mean…”—he gestures at the motorcycle “I assume you’re in the gentleman’s club by now since you got that and are all shacked up with your girl…”

“We waited,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to check for Mei. “Saw your disasters and didn’t want any of it for us.”

“Wow. Alright, then. Alright, okay. Good for you, man. Just proves my theory that when Marcus Miller says he’s gonna do something—or not do something—just stay out of his way, ’cause it’s gonna happen just like that.” He pats my face and smiles.

The lump in my throat stretches, and I pull Johnny into the third hug in twenty minutes. “Thanks for being here. For being in my life through all the craziness.” I let go of him and swallowhard. There’s one more thing I gotta ask because it’s eating at me. “You seen him?”

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