Chapter 20

20

Isaac

I squeeze my girlfriend closer. Goddamn, but I've missed her. There was a time when we were so close to each other—both of us away from our families. Along with Ben. The three of us were inseparable. We shared a flat and went to university together. Ben was studying to be a doctor, I was pursuing a degree in fine arts, and Lena was focused on getting her MBA. The three of us were so different, and yet we fit somehow. There was never a dull moment when we were together. We didn't have much money, but we made up for it by having parties at our tiny apartment. It was pretty much an open house most days. Or at least, as much as Ben could push us to open it up to the other students. I didn't mind. I was happy to go along with his plans. Left to myself, I'd have spent most of my time painting or taking photographs for inspiration, instead of hanging out with people. With the exception of Ben and Lena, that is. Lena had been different in those days. Much more sociable. Oh, she was as focused on starting a career and talked about the security it would give her, even then. But she took time out to enjoy life. Thanks to Ben's influence. I weave my fingers through hers. "Missed you, Dinky."

She frowns. "I never should have introduced you to my family."

"You've met her family?" my father growls from across the table.

What's crawled up his ass now? For a few seconds there, I thought we were getting along. Almost. I should have known it was too good to be true. I never should have allowed him to lure me into playing chess with him. But, it's one of the few happy memories I have from my childhood—playing chess with my father. It was the one time he seemed to forget about his job and his company, when he focused his entire attention on the chessboard. The one time he was completely present… while playing chess with me.

It's why I agreed to the game. Why I agreed to smoke a cigar with him. Not that it was a hardship, of course. The bastard has good taste when it comes to his whiskey... and cigars... and clothes... and choice of home, I suppose. I fucking loved this house. He may have been gone a lot, but he made sure my sister Tally and I lacked for nothing. Sure, we could have done with his being around more often, but we had enough friends at school and could invite them around any time.

Our mother wasn't very present in our lives, either. She might have been physically in the house but she was too busy with her social life, not to mention her discreet affairs on the side. The only time she brought home a lover, Tally walked in on them. She told our father about it, and JJ was enraged. He told our mother in no uncertain terms that if she brought another one of her boy-toys around, he'd ensure she lost her monthly allowance. That shut things down pretty quickly, I can tell you. Our mom knew exactly how to play the game.

The deal, as we found out later—Mother made sure she told us before she departed—was that she stay home and keep up the pretense of marriage with JJ until we came of legal age, at which time, she could leave with a massive fortune. If she left before that, she forfeited all the money. So she stayed, and she wasn't a bad mother—when she remembered to be one, that is. Part of the deal was that she not flaunt her lovers in our face. Just like he kept his private life discreet. Sometimes I wonder what brought the two of them together. I assume they were in love once. Whatever it was seemed to have faded away very quickly, though, for I have almost no memories of the two of them being together.

After watching the two of them, I swore that when I did marry, it would be to someone I loved more than anything else in life. Someone I couldn't live a minute without. Someone I wanted as much as I needed to breathe air.

While our parents weren't always around, my sister and I always backed each other up. We were each other's best friends, until she finally went off to university. I missed her a lot, and to some extent, the friendship I had with Ben and Lena helped bridge that gap. Those university years were probably the happiest of my life. Maybe that's why I was clinging onto those memories and didn't want to let go.

Maybe that's why I feel this need to be with Lena. Maybe that's why I'm going to try to be a better boyfriend. I weave my fingers through her slimmer ones.

"Yes, I've met her family." I bring her fingertips up to my mouth and kiss them. "Do you know they call her Dinky because she used to be tiny?"

"I grew up." She scowls

"You're still tiny. A perfectly formed body." I smirk.

"I'm more than my body." She shoots me a sideways glance.

"You're also the most hardworking person I know."

She winces. "Now you're making me sound so boring."

"You're anything but. You and your family are a lot of fun, Dinky."

She smiles. "I think so, too. They can be a little extra, though. Comes from the East Indian heritage on my mother's side, but they are a lot of fun."

"Your mother is from the subcontinent?" JJ asks.

"She moved to the US when she was five. My grandparents came to LA with very little. They started a restaurant and brought up my mother and her sister without wanting for anything. My mother met my father when she was very young. He didn't want anything to do with the running of my grandparents' restaurant."

"You're not close to your father, I take it?"

"He left and married someone else. He has his own family now. It's my mother who brought us up, while running my grandparents' restaurant."

And I don't need a psychologist to tell me my Daddy issues arise from having been abandoned by father.

"How many siblings do you have?" JJ asks

"Three. Seema, my oldest sister, is studying to be a doctor. Then Mira, who's training to be a chef, then me and finally, Josh who's eleven months younger than me. He leaves for his first tour this summer."

"Ah, a soldier." JJ stares at the chess pieces, but I'm sure he's tracking Lena's reaction. The asshole has the senses of a snake, or a spider. He knows everything happening in his vicinity. He's so damn switched on, nothing ever gets past him.

"Is your mum worried about him leaving?" JJ taps his fingers on the table.

Lena knits her eyebrows. "She is, of course, but she's also proud of him. She always told us to follow our instincts. As long as we're happy with our chosen professions, she wouldn't dream of interfering. She's always been very supportive of our choices."

"And does she approve of Isaac?"

I scoff. "JJ, really?"

She hesitates. I turn to find Lena scrutinizing my features. She leans in close enough so her lips are just a hair's breadth from mine. "She thinks I could do worse."

"Oh yeah?" I tug her forward. She yelps and loses her balance and crashes into my chest. I rise to my feet with her in my arms. "Gotta go, old man, I need to show my girlfriend just how good a choice I am for her."

"Isaac, what are you doing?" Lena hisses.

I glance down to find her cheeks are red. How cute. The fact that she still blushes is such a fucking turn-on.

I turn and head for the doorway.

"Isaac," JJ calls out.

I pause and swing around to glance at him.

"Good night."

He sits there in his armchair, cigar clamped between his lips. His jaw is rigid. A nerve throbs at his temple, like he's pissed off about something. His features, though, wear the same emotionless mask I've seen so many times growing up.

"Night." I turn and walk out.

I've only reached the stairs when the sound of something crashing to the floor reaches me.

I pause.

"Should we go and check if something's wrong?" Lena asks.

I glance down at her. "Do you want to go and check if something's wrong?"

"Nope."

"Me neither." I lower my head and brush my lips over hers. "I'd rather spend the time showing my girlfriend how much I've missed her."