Dim Sum Mysteries - 6. Chapter 6 - Ready or Not

Chapter 6 – Ready or Not

Tuesday, the Liu household, 18:01

Michael and I pretty much ripped each our selves away from each other in one rapid motion. I scrambled up, my heart beating fast for entirely different reasons, panicking. Anna was at the doorway, looking uncomfortable, like she wasn’t sure if she was interrupting something. Well, she was, actually.

“Were you two … kissing?” Anna asked slowly, her eyes wide open in shock.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” I began, sounding pathetic.

“Yup, we were kissing,” Michael answered, nodding unhelpfully.

Anna’s jaw dropped. “Oh. Well. Okay. Uh … dinner’s um, dinner’s ready, so if … if you guys are like, done with whatever, just go downstairs, okay? Okay.”

She turned around and quickly slammed the door shut. I could hear her gasp “Oh my God!” outside the room.

I threw myself back onto my bed and then Michael laid his head against my chest, a mischievous smile on his face. “I didn’t picture my coming out to my sister like this.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Michael said, rubbing my stomach. “I’m sure Anna’s cool with it.”

I didn’t know about that. The joints in my body felt all weak and my mind was reeling. Great …

Tuesday, the Liu household, 19:20

Anna hadn’t told mom and dad, thank goodness. But she kept on giving me this knowing look throughout dinner. As for Michael, he didn’t seem to particularly care. I guess I was the only one being uncomfortable at the dinner table. Dad was absent from dinner, like usual. He was still at work and he usually didn’t come back home until eight or nine.

Mom had prepared us a whole roast duck. Michael was ecstatic, of course. He looked like he wanted to just devour the whole thing, but held back because that would just be impolite. Anna kept on giving us funny looks, but she kept quiet.

When we finished our meal, Anna quickly retreated upstairs to her room while my mom headed towards the kitchen. I led Michael towards the front door, feeling a bit glum.

“Thanks for the awesome dinner, buddy,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “I think I’ll have a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“I don’t think I will,” I sighed.

Michael held me by the shoulders and gave me a warm smile. “Hey, everything’s going to work out fine with Anna. She’s your sister – she’ll understand.”

I nodded and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’ll see you in school, Mike.”

Michael let go of me and ruffled my hair fondly. I watched him and made sure he got to his car safely before going back inside the house. I helped my mother wash the dishes for a while, but really it was an excuse so I had time to think about what I would say to Anna. I hoped she would take it well.

“Have you finished your homework?”

“I’ve got that covered, mom.”

My mom set aside a pile of dishes, sighed and turned towards me. “Ryan, I’ve been thinking about that murderer running around town.”

I stopped what I was doing. Where was this conversation going? “Yeah, mom?”

“I might have to set a new curfew for you and Anna,” my mom said, like it was just a normal, casual thing to say.

My jaws dropped open. “Just what kind of new curfews are we talking about here?”

“I think you should be back before eight if you’re going to go out,” my mom explained. “Maybe seven-thirty.”

I don’t usually go out that long, but I knew it was going to keep Michael and I from our … investigations. As much as I wanted to just stay at home and curl up every night, safe and away from the murderer, I knew I’d feel guilty knowing that I had the knowledge to stop them.

I finished up with the dishes, knowing that it was futile to argue with my mom, and went upstairs. My first task was to talk to Anna about Michael and me. I supposed she had the right to know now. I wasted an entire minute just standing at her bedroom door. Admittedly, I was kind of scared, scared of what Anna would say or think of me. She probably won’t be able to look at me the same anymore.

It was now or never. I steeled myself and knocked on her door. Normally, I would have just barged in, but I guess these certain circumstances were far from normal.

Anna was lying on her bed, flicking through a magazine. Her room was a lot neater than my mine and it was more spacious too. But that was probably because my room was littered with stacks of novels that didn’t find a place on my overflowing bookshelf. Her bed was covered with all sorts of dolls, but not the creepy kinds like Cynthia. I took a deep breath and sat down next to her. She was silent and kept on reading.

“So …” I began. “I, uh … I’m sorry you had to see that.”

My sister put her magazine to the side and sat up. She looked at me intensely. “Ryan, why didn’t you just tell me earlier?”

Unconsciously, I looked down and began fiddling with the edge of her blanket. “Well … it wasn’t all that easy, you know? I guess I shouldn’t keep it a secret from you anymore.”

“Do mom and dad know?”

“No. I’m not ready for that just yet,” I confided. “Please don’t tell them … not yet.”

Anna’s expression softened and she latched herself onto me. “I won’t, Ryan. It’s okay with me. But if you need to tell them, I’ll be there for you, okay?”

I hugged her back and suddenly I felt like crying. It felt so good to finally let someone close to me know. I should have told her earlier, should have known that she’d be all right with it. I was very lucky to have a sister like Anna.

Wednesday, Mac Worthington High School, 12:30

Nicole was badgering me again at lunch. She wanted to know whether Michael and I had … done the deed already. I decided to amuse her.

“We’re going at it like rabbits,” I told her. “Seriously, if he fucks me anymore, I won’t be able to stand straight for the rest of my life.”

I should have known that that would never have fooled Nicole. “Nice try, Ryan.”

“Well, whaddya want me to say? I’m not going to do it if neither of us is ready.”

“Yeah sure, that’s really noble,” Nicole sighed. “I’m just saying, it’ll definitely improve your relationship if you just try it once. Or twice. Or several times. Every day for the rest of your lives.”

A large shadow passed by behind us. “Hi guys, what are you talking about?”

I spun around on my seat, surprised to see Emma standing there carrying a large pink lunch box. “Oh, nothing much, Emma.”

She sat down next to Nicole and began eagerly opening her lunch box. “I lightly grilled some tenderloin slices that I had marinated with a new sauce I bought the other day. Want some?”

A pleasant smell wafted from her box. My mouth began watering at the sight of the delicious meal. I wish I could cook. The only meal I could make was instant noodles. Apparently, I inherited none of the culinary skills both my parents possessed.

“Anyway,” I said, clearing my throat. “I think I should go find Michael. Gotta talk about that Physics project we’re doing.”

“But you don’t take Physics,” Nicole whined. “And I haven’t gotten to the part where I teach you all the sorts of positions you can take when you eventually do it with Michael.”

Emma gave the both of us a horrified look. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t listen to her, Emma,” I said, pointing an accusing finger at Nicole. “She’s crazy.”

Wednesday, Mac Worthington High School, 12:52

I was looking for Michael everywhere in school. Usually, I would have found him pretty quickly, but he was pretty evasive today. My legs began to feel like they were about to fall off from walking up and down the stairs over and over again, so I sat back down at the cafeteria. Lunch break was almost over so students were beginning to flock back to the classes and their lockers, but there were still a few here.

Maybe I had dozed off a bit, because I jumped when I felt someone touch me lightly on the shoulder. It was Michael. It had to be him. I just knew, even without looking at him, like I could just identify him from touch.

“Hey buddy,” he said quietly and sat down opposite of me. He looked nice that day. But then again, he always looked that way.

“Hello,” I said while rubbing the corners of my eyes. “I was looking for you.”

“Funny, I was looking everywhere for you as well.”

“If you had stopped moving, I would have found you,” I said with a small laugh.

Michael shrugged. “I could say the same thing to you. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?”

“You first.”

“Okay,” he said. He began to look troubled. “I talked with Victoria earlier today about … about that message. We both think that one of the people targeted could be …”

His voice trailed off. He looked even more troubled and he couldn’t look at me straight in the eyes, like he was avoiding me or something. Something was up.

“I’m listening,” I told him, folding my arms.

“Well, we think the ‘pen’ mentioned in the text could be you,” he finished.

I was silent for a moment. My brain took a few seconds to register his words properly. I frowned at him. “Are you sure? Why?”

“I guess when you think about it,” Michael said, biting his lip, “what better to associate the leader of the Writer’s Club than a pen?”

“But I usually type my compositions,” I argued weakly.

“Come on, Ryan.”

I slumped in defeat. He was right, of course. I shuddered involuntarily. This was a bit too much to take – I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I was a possible target. I looked up at Michael and then he was holding me with this protective look.

“So if the coin lands on … tails, was it? If that happens, does that mean I’ll –”

Michael stopped me before I could continue. “Hey. Don’t even think about finishing that sentence.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“So, from now on, I’m not going to let you out of my sight,” Michael said. “Which is why you’re going to stay over at my house for the weekends.”

“Huh?” I said. I must have sounded stupid. “But I haven’t even told my parents yet.”

“Then you’ll ask them, won’t you?” Michael chuckled. He was grinning now. “My dad’s all right with you coming over. So, is that a yes?”

With Michael looking at me with those puppy dog eyes, how could I have resisted?

Friday, the Hill household, 15:35

How I got the courage to go driving by myself, knowing that I could be the Gunner’s next victim, I hadn’t the slightest clue. I should have just stayed at home, where it was safe. But, I figured maybe no one would dare try and bring a gun to my head in broad daylight.

The last time I was heading to Michael’s house, it was on that dark night, the night that was the beginning of it all. I tried hard not to think of the image of Fred’s body lying on the ground, drenched in blood. I swear, some of that blood had still been pouring out when we found him …

I swerved suddenly, nearly hitting an old lady who was crossing the street. She reached the other side of the road safely, seeming as if she hadn’t even noticed.

No more thinking about blood, Ryan. Focus on the road. Of course, I avoided taking the road that we found Fred on.

I stopped the car in front of a large fence and wondered whether I had the right address. The text Michael had sent me read: “6 James Street, look 4 house w/ grey roof”.

Well, it definitely had a grey roof. But the house was big. Really big. The fence obscured most of the view, but I could see that they had a huge front yard, Michael’s fancy BMW parked outside the garage and – wait, why was it parked outside of the garage? Did he have more cars inside? Why hadn’t anyone told me Michael’s parents were totally raking in the dough?

I saw him walking up towards the fence, which opened automatically. Of course. He was dressed in black gym shorts, a loose white T-shirt and sandals. It was just a casual outfit, but it looked really good on him. He stepped aside while I tried to park my humble Ford on his driveway as carefully as possible. I saw him from the side-mirror walking up towards me. He opened the door for me and bowed gracefully.

“Welcome to my humble abode, sir,” he said, his head still bowed.

I turned off the engines, got out of the car and punched him playfully on the shoulder. “What the fuck do you mean by humble?”

He laughed, closing the door. “I don’t like showing off, Ryan.”

After I got my bag from the backseat, Michael looked like he was really eager to show me around the house. He made sure I took off my shoes at the front door. Looking at those polished marble floors, I think I would flinch at every step I’d make wearing my old Nike shoes. I met his dad for the first time, sitting at the living room.

For a probably forty plus year old man, Mr. Damon Hill looked a lot younger than other men his age. Michael was nearly identical to him, just a bit taller and younger, of course. The only other thing differentiating the two of them was the color of their eyes – Mr. Hill’s was an intelligent blue, while Michael’s was bright, almost pale green.

Mr. Hill had a firm handshake. Maybe he was a businessman. “Pleased to meet you, Ryan.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Hill,” I said, giving him my best smile.

“Just call me Damon, Ryan,” he said with a laugh. When his left released mine, the tingling heat remained. I couldn’t explain why it wouldn’t go away, or why it felt so familiar. “Michael’s told me a lot about you. A writer, eh? Will the next best-seller be penned by Ryan Liu?”

I laughed along with him and I immediately took a liking to him. There was something about Mr. Hill that made you comfortable with him, a kind of friendliness few people possessed. Michael clearly appeared to be very happy that his dad and sort-of-boyfriend were getting along so well.

After we parted, Michael began the grand tour of his house. He had a small gym that he and his dad used often, a large dining room that could fit about a dozen or more people eating there, modern-styled bathrooms and – you guessed it – they had a pool. It wasn’t Olympic-sized or anything, but it was enough for Michael to do laps every day.

We ended up sitting down by the edge of the pool, with our feet dipped in the water. We made small talk for a while, guzzling down on cans of soft drinks.

“I still can’t believe you live here,” I said absently. The pool was outdoors and there was just the right amount of sunlight to keep us warm while the water and the soft drinks cooled us down.

“It’s a big house I know,” Michael said, laughing. “But it gets kind of lonely sometimes with just my dad and I. Not only that, but he has long work hours sometimes, since he’s a doctor and you know doctors and their emergencies …”

I put my can of cola beside me. “Michael … what about your mom?”

He gave me a small smile. “I … I don’t have a mother, Ryan.”

“You – really?”

“Yes really,” he said, turning away. “I wouldn’t be lying about something like this.”

“No, no, that’s not – I’m sorry, I guess that kind of came out wrong,” I said, starting to panic. “Don’t hate me, please.”

“Nonsense; I wouldn’t hate you, Ryan,” Michael said, giving me a happier smile. He reached out and grabbed my right hand with his left. “Don’t worry about it.”

“So … does your dad know about you?” I paused. “About us?”

“Oh, you mean the sexuality thing,” Michael clarified.

“And us sort of dating now.”

Michael shrugged and sighed. There was a distant look in his eyes. “My dad’s fine with it. I just haven’t told anybody else except for him. And you. And Yuki.”

“Don’t forget Nicole, she already knows about us,” I reminded him.

He let go of my hand, leaving me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Now I know why Mr. Hill’s handshake seemed to be so familiar. Michael had inherited that warmth, the way he made people so comfortable with him.

He reached up with his hand, touched the side of my face and looked at me with a kind of gaze that I had never seen before from him. I couldn’t really tell what it was. It was just a slight touch, but it made me feel all tingly, and not just in those parts hidden in my underwear.

Of course, he kissed me. Why do people close their eyes when they kiss? Maybe a kiss was supposed to be all about the touch, the feelings and thoughts shared between two people. It was a gesture that transcended what could be seen on the outside.

When our lips parted after what seemed like a moment of eternity, we pressed our foreheads together and just stayed like that for a while.

Friday, the Hill household, 19:45

Dinner with Mr. Hill was a pleasant affair. He had a lot of things to talk about and they were mostly about very intellectual issues. He was a fun, easy-going sort of person, but it was clear that he had quite the brain. I was impressed.

When we were finished eating, Michael went upstairs to do something while I helped Mr. Hill with the dishes.

“Michael doesn’t like to do the dishes?” I asked as I rinsed a plate.

“We take turns alternating every day,” Mr. Hill replied. He took a rinsed plate and placed it inside the dishwasher. “So … you and Michael are together, I presume?”

“Er, yes,” I said. Awkward. “Uh, is that all right with you, Mr. Hill?”

“Just call me Damon. Or Doctor, if you want,” he laughed. “It’s all right with me, Ryan. I just want to make sure you’re serious about the relationship.”

“But I am serious,” I stated. I hadn’t meant to sound so indignant. “I really like Michael.”

“I know you do, I can tell,” Mr. Hill said with a wide smile. He took the plate I had been nursing for a while now gently. “You need to know something about Michael. He’s very protective of his loved ones. So don’t let him down, okay? He’s told me that he’ll be very committed with you.”

“O-of course.”

Mr. Hill was silent for a while, then he let out a loud, hearty guffaw. “Lighten up, son. Go on upstairs, I’ll finish these off.”

Michael was in his bedroom, sitting and staring blankly into nothingness on the bed. I sat down next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder.

“Hi buddy,” he said. “I got some video games. Wanna try them out?”

“I don’t play a lot of video games,” I told him.

“Really?” He sounded surprised. He stood up and took a stack of video game CD cases from the corner of his room. “Well, you don’t know what you’re missing, Ryan. Come on, I’ll teach you how to kill other people with all sorts of guns.”

“I-I don’t think that’s, uh, a very good idea,” I said.

“Right. Sorry. I forgot about your phobia. I have other games, though. What about … what’s this? I have a Hello Kitty game? Where the hell did I get this?”

“Yuki?” I suggested, grinning.

“Oh.”

Friday, the Hill household, 22:13

We played video games for an hour or two, and then we both got bored and we somehow ended up on top of his bed, cuddling and snuggling up to each other. It felt good to be held by him. Then I yawned.

“You sleepy, buddy?” Michael asked me.

“Yeah, just a bit, I guess.”

“Okay, I guess we’ll call it a night then.”

I sat up and looked around. “Where should I sleep?”

“On my bed, where else?” Michael said, shrugging.

Well, there was enough space on his bed for the two of us. “Is your dad okay with me sleeping in the same bed as you?”

“I guess he’ll be fine with it. We’d be fully clothed, so …”

At that moment, I was too sleepy to even complain. I got up and dragged myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I returned back to his room, Michael was busy texting someone on his phone.

“I’m really tired,” I stated, kind of uselessly. I threw myself on the bed beside him and curled up into a ball.

“Uh, Ryan,” Michael said. “I got some bad new and some good news.”

“Bad news first, please.”

“Yuki got another message from the murderer.”

My eyes practically flew open. Suddenly, I didn’t feel very sleepy anymore. “Shit. She told you?”

Michael set his phone aside on his desk. “Yeah, she actually texted me first. She didn’t know who it was from or what it meant … anyway, bad news first. Want me to read it out?”

“Sure.”

“It says: ‘The coin has landed. Heads up.’”

“And the good news is?”

“Well, it didn’t land on tails, so we know you’re safe,” Michael mumbled, though he sounded just a little happy. “But that means the other person is in danger …”

“So all we need to do is find out who’s wielding the sword, then?”

“Yeah.”

Michael got up and left the room and then he returned a few minutes later. Sleep was winning its battle against me and the thought of the Gunner back again wasn’t enough to keep me awake. I was back at the edge of falling asleep, underneath the warm blanket with Michael’s pillow pressed up to my face. It smelled just like him. He turned off the lights and silently climbed in next to me.

“Goodnight, Ryan,” he said quietly.

“Goodnight, Michael,” I mumbled back.

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night. Michael had shifted slightly so that he was facing my way. Instinctively, unconsciously, I reached out with my hand and found his. I grasped his hand, feeling his fingers lock together with mine. Was it an automatic reaction? Or was he aware of it? I couldn’t know, and in a few minutes, I had already fallen asleep again.