Page 64 of Some Things Never Change

Andy and I exchanged a quick look, silently keeping our little secret between the two of us. We arrived even later than expected because we pulled over to the parking lot of a rest stop. It was for what was supposed to be a quick make-out session that drew on longer than we both planned. I blushed at the memory of Andy’s hot breath across my neck and hoped my brother wouldn't notice.

"Traffic was horrible," I lied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Uh-huh," Jonathan said skeptically.

I rolled my eyes at him as he let out a chuckle. He continued to look between Andy and me as if our intense kisses were evident on one another’s faces. Jonathan narrowed his eyes at us.

“Something changed between the two of you,” he casually commented. But before I could get defensive, he motioned to leave and headed toward our house to drop off my things. “I can’t believe it still took you both five hours to get here!”

With Jonathan gone, I glanced at Andy with a small smile. He smiled back, broad and unfazed. “Good thing I didn’t leave a mark on that pretty neck of yours,” he whispered.

Andy gave the base of my neck a quick glance before his dark gaze settled on my lips, as if he wasn’t lapping at or sucking on either of those spots just thirty minutes ago. I reached over and lightly hit his chest.

“Stop staring like that,” I said. “You’re making it obvious.”

After our make-out session, we both agreed it was best not to tell our families we were planning to date. Andy and me wanted to enjoy this newfound side of our relationship without any outside interference or pressure for the time being. Everything with this was so fresh and new and we wanted it to be only between the two of us, at least for a little while. We would tell our families when we felt the time was right.

He chuckled with a devious grin. “Fine.”

As Andy closed the garage door, I headed inside first. Immediately, the chattering of our two families welcomed me. Uncle Gary was watching a show in the living room, with my mom and Auntie Gao gossiping from the kitchen, and Anthony and Shoua chatting in the dining room. My mom and Auntie Gao made khao poon, which is a Lao red curry noodle soup, to welcome Andy and me home. The smell was wafting through the air. It had been a short while since I had been home and I missed this.

I took a moment to brace myself for the questions. Like Jonathan, there was no way they weren’t going to ask what took us so long as well. It was unusual for Andy to be this… distracted.

“Hey,” I said, stepping into the dining room from the garage.

“Was traffic that bad?” were both Anthony and Shoua’s immediate responses.

Meanwhile, my mom and Auntie Gao came in from the kitchen. It elated them to see me.

“Julie, noj mov!” said Auntie Gao. Julie, come eat! She quickly ushered me toward the kitchen to go grab some food.

“You two took so long! Come, eat before the soup gets cold,” said my mom, meeting us in the dining room.

Uncle Gary came into the dining room as well. His tall, broad frame, similar to both the twins’, took up most of the space. “Traffic must’ve been bad, huh?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” I laughed. Thankfully, I sounded genuine.

“Glad you two took your time. No need to rush when it’s only family. Go get some food. You must be hungry,” nodded Uncle Gary, with a gentle smile.

As I quickly maneuvered into the kitchen to fix myself a bowl of curry noodle soup, I heard Andy finally coming in. We doubted our families would question anything if we became excessively joined at the hip. But we figured it might be best to put a little distance between the two of us while we were home with them for now.

“Took you long enough to arrive, bro,” said Anthony from his spot at the large dining table.

I could practically hear Andy roll his eyes. “What do you expect? It’s a Friday night so there was bound to be traffic. Calm your tits down,” he said.

“Son, was there an accident on I-98?” asked Uncle Gary.

“No, just a ton of people,” answered Andy, sounding perfectly earnest.

I couldn't help but smile at how genuine he sounded. It made me feel giddy and excited that we shared something that was only between us. As I sat down at the dining table and started to enjoy my noodle soup, Andy eventually took his seat next to me with his own bowl. I stole a glance at him as he sat down and, as if on instinct, he caught my gaze.

He looked as calm and collected as ever, as if nothing had happened between us in the car. For a brief second, I wondered if he was feeling the same rushing emotions as I was. Then, his lips curled into a tiny sly smirk, and I knew he was definitely feeling the same.

As we ate, the conversation around the table continued to flow. Our moms were now sitting at the table and even Uncle Gary took a seat as well, giving us an opportunity to catch up on their lives. Anthony talked about his latest furniture flipping and restoring project while Shoua shared stories of her most recent half a million dollar house sale. Jonathan had little to complain about, except for the Hmong moms, aunties, and grandmas that kept coming into the pharmacy he worked at and trying to set him up with their daughters, nieces, and granddaughters.

My mom and Auntie Gao were in their own corner, still updating each other on the latest family gossip, and Uncle Gary talked about the latest popular dystopian series that was all the rage. The guys became thrilled at the mention of it and soon Jonathan was at the helm of a passionate monologue on his theories on where the plot was heading next. Meanwhile, Anthony and Andy haughtily countered with their own.

Shoua and I were in our own corner. My cousin is blessed with a beautiful, mid-sized body and great skin and loves raving about the latest fashion, skincare, and beauty products trends. I could always count on her to keep me updated with what was the hottest product on the market.

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