Page 92 of Wicked Surrender

JASON

Five months later…

I would never forget the look on Dean Chen’s face that day when I apologized to Laura and laid my heart on the line for her.

He was shocked and so damn mad, proving what she hadn’t told me. I couldn’t believe how her family had ever convinced her that she was second-best. That was their loss.

Seeing his mouth hang open as she insisted on what she wanted, I saw that he’d never experienced her like this, bold and standing up for what she thought was right.

I’d seen it before, and I trusted in it.

That day marked the start of so many bright changes inourlives, though.

Just like she had always secretly wanted to, she switched her major to bioengineering. I walked toward her building now to pick her up after class. Even though it could sometimes be a hindrance to switch majors this late in one’s education, she had no such worries. With the research program, she’d have it all covered. With her excellent grades, she fit in seamlessly. And with her heart in the material, no longer just going through with her coursework because it was expected of her to be just like her sister and try to measure up to her, she was more at ease and free to broaden her horizons.

I agreed with Kristin, whom I’d gotten to know more over the past months as Laura and I developed and strengthened our relationship. Laura was destined for great things and I couldn’t wait to celebrate each and every win of her bioengineering career.

Just like she’d celebrate mine.

No longer in the same academic recovery program because I had shown my good faith in restoring my grades, I was now poking along and enduring a probationary punishment to stay in college. The goal had always been to graduate and go into medical school. As a kid, that was what I wanted to do. Then after William was kicked out, I saw it as a ticket to financial support for him one day.

I was closer to that goal now, though, almost done with pre-med. It was a much faster process without living with my frat brothers and presiding over the drinking and famous parties that pulled me from being the student I could be.

No more tutors. Not for me. Laura was the only one I’d want, but without the bad influences of my frat brothers and my all-consuming anger, I didn’t need one anyway. Responsible and motivated to be my best version of myself to please Laura, I was well on my way to establishing a solid future for myself—and her.

My phone buzzed with another notification of someone at the front door. The doorbell camera to the apartment Mai had given me and Laura went off to show that another delivery of textbooks had come.

She’ll be so excited to open them up.Every time a book delivery came, she’d take off the tape in a careful removal of that layer to get to what she wanted inside.

I smiled as I walked, imagining what else we could peel off at the apartment we were calling home now.

Mai transferred her old apartment to Laura after one lunch when the two Chen sisters had a long, hard talk. I sat through some of it, at Laura’s insistence, but even I could see when I was overstepping. I left after a couple of hours so Laura and Mai could further discuss how their family had mistreated Laura all these years, really putting down the basis for her to ever be dubbed Second-Best.

I was skeptical. I would always be that possessive and defensive over the woman I loved. I didn’t want to trust that Mai could change that quickly, that easily, and suddenly accept her sister and express sorrow.

But as someone who’d been blinded by anger and strong emotions for a family member for so long, I could sympathize and understand how she could be duped and misguided.

I didn’t feel ready to accept that Mai could’ve been oblivious all this time. Her actions went a long way, though. Telling their parents that she wouldn’t rethink giving Laura her old apartment was a good step, in my opinion. Offering to help Laura pay for expenses was an even bigger one. Between my part-time student work, her program’s stipend, and being frugal, we were managing on our own.

Mai could pretend to give a damn about her sister, but I always would. The day that I crashed that party to apologize to Laura, I mentally vowed to provide for her and see to her happiness forever.

She’d never have to feel trapped or indebted to her family or anyone else again. With long talks, she’d told me all and painted a picture of how she was obligated and never measured up through no fault of her own. Parental favoritism was a disease, if anyone were to ask me. Then again, I didn’t have a rosy background to feel any more stable and grounded.

My parents never contacted me again. Not a single word. William hadn’t either, other than a random voicemail to say he was in Pittsburg and trying to get clean, something he had to do on his own. It hadn’t been easy to hear him say that I almost enabled him by acting like the overprotective big brother, but with Laura’s kind and wise words, I had to come to the final admission that it was true. And that I could let him live his life and make his own mistakes.

I stopped at the row of benches outside the bioengineering building where she took most of her classes. It was obvious how much happier and more content she was here, studying something that interested her and excited her. But as I stalled at our meeting point, I wondered when she’d admit that she wanted to move on to even bigger and better things.

As she showed up, walking straight toward me, I relished the simple smile on her beautiful face. While she was clearly in a good mood, I knew her well enough now to detect when she was tired.

She spent so much time studying and perfecting her academic success that I almost felt guilty when she wanted to devote just as much time toward exploring our love together, in bed and out of it.

“Hi, beautiful,” I greeted before kissing her deeply.

She sagged against me, sighing at my lips.

“Long day?” I guessed.

I’d only had half a day to deal with.

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