Page 26 of The Arrival
“But I felt guilty. Dad was still sick, and you were married but you still needed me. I didn’t know how to walk away from that feeling of ‘He’s my kid, I’m the only one who can look out for him,’ you know? It’s weird, and I get frustrated with myself. But I don’t want to take it out on you and yell at you, either. Can you understand?”
Relaxing his shoulders, Nino nods. “I understand, I think. So… the reason why you haven’t spoken to me in six monthsisn’tbecause you’re angry?”
“I’m not angry about anything. I just need to… disengage myself from this feeling that I always need to check on you and rescue you. I don’t know how to do it. I know ignoring you isn’t healthy either, so…” Giovanni shrugs. “And I don’t want to ignore you. I want to know what’s happening with the new kid and your businesses. I’mproudof you and everything you’ve accomplished in the past couple years, but I just… I need to reset my mind and know that you’re fine. That you don’t need me anymore.”
Reminiscing about the hurts and hardships of their family’s past, the mood had been grim. Heavy. But Nino’s chest hitches with understanding. He smiles. “Can I say something?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you… for always being there for me—even though I apparently made you trip over a pile of peaches, which sounds stupid but also very me.”
Giovanni scoffs, but he’s smiling and shaking his head. “You were a weird kid. But it was cute. You meant well.”
“You know what I think about fairly often?”
“What?”
“How I never would have bonded with Haru if it hadn’t been for you. When we first met, he asked me to go to that bonding ceremony and study at his house, remember? I told him no, and I meant it. I really didn’t want to do it. But then you told me to go, point blank. I trust your judgment, so I did. The rest is history.”
Giovanni folds his arms and lifts his chin. “Great. I helped you get laid.”
Nino turns his nose up. “Yeah, but a lot more than that, obviously… and that stuff came much later—”
“Noooo, fuck no. I don’t need to know any details about that. Walking in on you two making out is already permanently burned into my cerebral cortex.”
Laughing, Nino stands. Turnabout is fair play. “I’m serious, though. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I still need you—not as a guardian but as my brother. Like a friend.”
“Yeah, the problem is, I don’t know how to do that.”
“We can figure it out together.” Grinning, Nino opens his arms wide. “I love you.”
Giovanni rolls his eyes and groans, but he stands, then steps into Nino’s embrace. “I love you, too… and Lina told me you’re worried about being a good father to this kid. Don’t worry about that. You’re going to do great. You can’t be any worse than I was.”
“Given our circumstance, you were amazing, G. Don’t feel that way. And thank you for telling me that you’re proud of me.”
“I am. But don’t let Asao hit your aura with a baseball bat. Or at least, don’t tell people about it. That shit subtracts from your pride points. Like minus five hundred.”
Nino chuckles as they move back up the path, the spring breeze sweeping through his coppery hair. “Alright, fair enough.”
EIGHT
FLAWLESS
“Honestly, I’m just so surprised that Junii has officially settled down.” Simone, who is apparently one of Cellina’s best friends, shifts against the blanket to fold his legs. They’re clad in very tight stonewashed jeans with tatters and rips across his thighs. Haruka is watching him and thinking that he could not possibly be comfortable. “It’s weird. Like, a sign of the end times.”
Jae looks at Junichi beside him. “Have we triggered the apocalypse?”
Breaking apart his croissant, Junichi takes a bite and speaks around the mouthful. “No. Shut up, Simone.”
Simone places his palm against his chest, his eyes sincere. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you. But wait until the hommes et femmes of the Paris fashion industry hear about this. Oh, mon Dieu, quel désastre!”
Jae looks at Junichi once more. “Have I ruined your career?”
“Ignore him, Jae,” Cellina says from Haruka’s side, spreading mascarpone atop her biscuit. “Simone is all drama, all the time. It’s best to understand that upfront.”
Sensing Nino drawing nearer, Haruka glances toward the path, relishing in the gentle wind brushing against his face as it subtly carries the inexplicable scent of his love. As they approach, he takes note of Nino’s relaxed countenance. His tender smile.
Cellina’s voice is low beside him so that only he can hear. “Looks like the talk went well.”
