Page 32 of Taeja

She pursed her lips.

Zain sighed. “I was trained not to say more than needed.”

“In the military?” she asked, and he nodded. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

He side-eyed her before looking away with a shake of his head.

Though she was curious to know more, she dropped it. He was slowly opening up to her, and she didn’t want to push him. As a person with unhealed trauma, she understood how difficult it was to talk about some things.

“Why are you smiling?” Zain asked.

Taeja went straight-faced. She hadn’t realized she was smiling. “Because I’m happy you’re finally talking,” she said, in total awe of his voice. It was deeper than Damon’s, but she was attracted to it just the same.

“I’m not mute, Taeja,” he said and laid back on the bench. He gripped the bar and started bench pressing. “Talk to me,” he huffed out.

Eyes glued to his flexing muscles, she almost didn’t hear what he’d said. How did this man manage to get this muscular? Zain was cut from stone; his build was intimidating. She truly believed he could crush her with his pinky if he wanted to.

“How can I when you’re distracting me? I want to do more than talk to you.”

Zain released something that was a mix of a short laugh and a huff. “Taeja,” her name rolled off his tongue in a warning.

She frowned, lowering herself onto the floor and crossing her feet. “Why yu always call mi Taeja?”

“That’s.” He did a pump. “Your.” Another pump. “Name.”

“Yeah, but you’re my boyfriend now,” she said, smiling as she remembered how Damon always called her ‘baby’ and ‘gorgeous’. That man knew how to show her affection in all the ways she’d begged her flings for. And the best part about it? She never asked him to do it.

Zain rested the weights back in their original position and sat up. His breaths were heavy as he grabbed his water bottle off the floor and took a few chugs. After he finished, he placed the bottle on the floor. “I don’t like nicknames, but if you want one, I can give it to you.”

“No,” she said immediately, not wanting him to feel forced into doing it. She wanted everything to flow naturally. Just like wherever this relationship would lead them. “It’s fine. I love my name, so you can call me Taeja. But why don’t you like nicknames?”

“Remember what Damon told you yesterday?”

“Yes.”

Zain took a moment before he said, “Our mom was the breadwinner, so she wasn’t home much. Our… dad… ended up doing whatever he wanted. He was rough on me growing up. He’d give Damon the pats on his back, extra money,you name it. If it wasn’t for my brother, I wouldn’t know what love and kindness are.”

Taeja sighed. “I can relate to you.”

“What? We’re both fucked up?” he asked as if he expected Taeja to say the opposite.

Taeja smiled sadly. “Basically,” she said, watching Zain’s eyes swirl with questions. She waited for the questions to come, but they never did. Wanting to break the sudden silence, she asked, “Is that all?”

“They also make me think of the army.”

“Oh… Why was your father rough on you? You’re twins. I don’t understand how he could love one more than the other.”

Zain stared at her for a long minute, as if he was debating if it was worth it to share a deep secret with her. After a moment of complete silence between them, he spoke. “I’m not Andrew’s son.”

Taeja’s mouth fell open and her brows raised to her hairline. “Wa?! You said you’re twins!”

“Heteropaternal superfecundation.”

Her surprise skyrocketed. “Mi baxide! Your mom cheated?”

“No, she didn’t cheat. She had a one-night stand when they were getting a divorce. Andrew had suspicions after they worked things out, and he requested a DNA test. That’s when Mom found out, too.”

Taeja frowned. “Oh… but that isn’t fair. He shouldn’t hold it over your head—”

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