Page 56 of Didn't See That Coming

I startle, and Cassie very nearly pokes my eye out with eyeliner.

“Damn it,” Cassie groans. “Look what you did.”

I glance at the mirror and find a stray black line going up across my right eyelid. I rub at it, but instead of erasing the line, it merely smudges it. I quickly grab a tissue and wipe itoff.

“KRISTABELLAAA!”

What is going on? Then cold realization seeps down my spine. Mami’s got that tone of voice, the one she puts on when we have guests at the house. It’s high and smooth, with an extra generous helping of British accent.

“Oh god,” I murmur. “I think he’s here already. And Mami must’ve let him in.”

Cassie stares at me in horror. “But. So fast?!”

I stand, brushing lint off my pants, my mind a scrambled mess. In a doomed daze, I walk to the door and down the stairs.

“You’ve got this!” Cassie hisses from my room.

I walk down the curving staircase and find the worst sight awaiting me down in the living room. Jonas Arifin is sitting onmy sofa, holding a saucer with a cup of tea, looking downright at home. He beams up at me.

I blink. I blink again. The apparition remains there, on my sofa, smiling politely. Well, it looks like a polite smile, but I’ve known Jonas long enough now to know when he’s really smirking. But—how did he get here so fast? My mind is short-circuiting. I can’t even form complete thoughts. How did I miss the doorbell? How did—

“Hi, Kiki,” he says in a genial tone, putting the saucer down gently.

“It’s Jonas Arifin,” Mami hisses, as though I didn’t already recognize the snake sitting there. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re friends with an Arifin?” Her eyes are glowing with the fierce fire of Asian ambition. Great. As much as I love my mom, she’s also a shameless social climber. She’s going to crow for ages about having an Arifin in our house.

“How’d you get here so fast? Speed all the way here in one of your fancy cars, did you?” The words blurt out of me without warning, as ugly as a burp.

Mami’s mouth drops open in shock. “Kiki! Is this how you greet your friend who’s been so nice and so polite? He even brought us gifts!” She gestures to an obnoxiously huge hamper that’s taller than she is. It’s filled with artisanal cakes and cookies and exotic orchids. The sight of it only makes me even more suspicious, because if Jonas is coming to my house bearing gifts, then he must have an ulterior motive. It’s like Satan offering up something: you just know he’s going to want your soul in return.

“Truly, Jonas, you shouldn’t have,” Mami is saying.

“Yes, you shouldn’t have,” I say flatly.

“Kiki!” Mami snaps. “What has gotten into you?”

“No worries, Tante.” Jonas gives an easy laugh that’s so fake my insides seize. “Kiki and I are always messing around with each other like this. We like to give each other a hard time, but it’s all in good fun. For example, she likes to kill me over and over again in the game that we play online.” He turns his full attention to me then, and his smile grows wider, showing more teeth. “Don’t you, Kiki? Or should I say, Dudebro10?”

The floor gives way under me. I would’ve fallen if I hadn’t caught hold of the back of a nearby chair to keep me standing. This can’t be real. No, he didn’t just call me—

“Dude…what?” Mami says, laughing uncertainly.

“Dudebro10.” Jonas’s eyes are still on mine. “It’s her gamer tag—the nickname she uses in-game.”

Mami waves her hand and laughs. “Oh, you kids and your ever-evolving lingo. I can’t keep up with you.”

Jonas opens his mouth, but I quickly bite out, “Mami, can I speak with Jonas alone? Please,” I add.

Mami dithers, hesitating. She looks wholly torn. On one hand, she disapproves of me dating anyone while I’m still in high school. On the other hand, this is an Arifin, and if there’s anything that can break her no-dating rule, it’s the likes of Jonas. After all, it’s one of the real reasons she moved me to Xingfa in the first place. She only did so after finding out that George Clooney goes there, and she’s hoping that I’ll make friends like George, and now here is Jonas Arifin. After a few long, torturous seconds, she nods. “Okay, you may go into the study. But leave the door cracked open.”

“You can trust me, Tante,” Jonas says. “I won’t disrespect your daughter.”

What little bit of tension there was on Mami’s face melts away at this. Gag. I can’t believe how easily she fell for that.

I lead Jonas from the living room to the study. After my bedroom, the study is my favorite room in the house. It’s far enough away from the living room to be quiet, and there’s a large picture window that looks out into a corner of the backyard, washing the whole room with gentle sunlight. The walls are covered with warm wood panels, and it feels so safe and cozy in here.

Well, usually it feels safe and cozy, but for the first time, with Jonas in it, I feel the furthest thing away from safe or cozy. As soon as we’re inside, I push the door so it’s only a crack open, then I take a deep breath and turn to face him.

“How did—”

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