Page 27 of The Arrival
Haruka nods. “Yes, I’m very relieved.” Something in Haruka’s chest eases. A tight, small but tense ball finally unraveling. Nino’s quiet internal conflict with Giovanni had been weighing on him as well. The two brothers desperately needed to have a candid conversation. It was long overdue.
Cellina scoots along the blanket, creating an empty space next to Haruka as Nino approaches. When his mate is there, Haruka lifts his chin. Nino drops to his knees, his smile broadening. “Buongiorno, tesoro.” He presses a soft kiss to Haruka’s mouth, then another before sitting down and folding his legs.
“Ciao, angelo,” Haruka says. “Is everything well?”
“Everything is fantastic.”
The tense ball officially melts, shifting to something light and assured inside of him. “I’m glad.”
Simone claps his hands and sits straighter, drawing attention to himself. “Alright, now that we’re all here, I thought it might be fun for us to play a game. Let’s pick numbers and answer questions so I can get to know you all a little better.”
“Oh boy,” Asao says, sitting at a small bistro table on the patio just off the grass, with Sydney across from him. “This has interloper written all over it.”
“What?” Simone swings his head around to Asao, his nose upturned. “Why? I’m friends with Cellina and Junii. I think it’ll be fun to learn more about this beautiful vampire family we have here. Iwasinvited, after all.”
Giovanni huffs in a laugh beside Cellina. “Yeah, but you don’t really need to know us better. We hardly ever see you. You’re like a side character—Ah—” Cellina’s hand whips up and smacks Giovanni’s shoulder.
She scowls at her mate. “So fucking rude.”
“Where are Sergio and Cosimo?” Nino asks, leaning over and filling his small plate with fruit. An assortment of berries, breads, cheeses and biscuits have been set out for them in the center of the large blanket.
Giovanni smirks, leaning away from Cellina. “In their rooms—off camera, where the side characters belong.”
Cellina’s eyes widen. “Oh my God, this is Sergio’s estate, and he’s like your only friend! How is he a side character?”
Junichi lifts his chin from across the blanket. “Simone, just do the thing. How do we play, exactly?”
Simone winks. “Will you start us off? Are you volunteering as tribute?”
“Ha.” Asao slaps his knee. “I’ve read those books.” He looks at Haruka with his eyebrow raised. “You don’t get that reference, do you?”
Haruka smiles mockingly in response, but Nino eyes him, too. “Of course not,” his mate says. “Haruka doesn’t read anything written after the twentieth century. I don’t know why, but that’s a hard stop for him. If you’ve got an Alice Walker, Oscar Wilde or Ernest Hemingway reference, though, he’ll be all over it.”
“Alright then,” Jae chirps, tilting his head. “What do you get when you mix liquor with twentieth-century literature?”
Haruka glances around and everyone is silent. He shakes his head. “I don’t know…”
Jae smiles. “Tequila Mockingbird.”
Running his fingers against the back of his head, Haruka laughs. Nino’s palm is plastered against his forehead. “Jesus.”
“Simone?” Junichi commands. “Save us?”
“Okay, okay.” Shifting, he pulls out a smartphone from his back pocket. Haruka marvels at how this occurrence is logistically possible given the tightness of his jeans. He opens the screen and stares for a moment. “Pick a number.”
“Twelve.”
“Hm… what is your ideal vacation destination?”
“Easy,” Junichi says. “The South of France. I love the beaches and the culture there.” He turns to Jae, his eyes affectionate. “We should go together.”
“I am very much disinclined to being half or even partially naked in public, but, sure?”
“Jae, you’re next,” Simone announces.
The doctor blinks his blueish-brown eyes. “Er, am I? Have I formally agreed to participate in this?”
“Yup. Pick a number.”
