Page 85 of Caper Crush
“No, he’s not my usual type. I try to stick to other artists,” I say. “I’m a little hurt that you’re not worried for me.”
“We’re worried for both of you. You’re going to see each other at family functions for years.”
“I understand. I don’t want my heart broken either.”
“Still, your relationship with Rex was very volatile, and William is very even-keeled,” Uncle Tony says.
“It was too volatile.” It had been exhausting. There’d be these highs when we couldn’t get enough of each other and then these lows where I couldn’t stand him.
“Rex and William are very different,” Uncle Tony says. “Be careful with William. Are you sure you and Rex are over?”
“Yes. We have so much history together—both good and bad,” I say. “Sometimes when I see him, I feel engulfed in the good feelings and wish we’d worked out. But we definitely tried. I don’t have any regrets that we didn’t try enough to make it work.”
“That’s important,” Uncle Tony says.
“I didn’t expect you to be warning me off William.” I thought it might be messy, but I didn’t expect them to vocalize that. I expected them to think we were adults. “Who is Kiyoko? Is she the woman his grandmother wants him to marry?”
“Yes, she is.” Tony shakes his head. “She’s lovely, but when we met her, she definitely didn’t seem interested in William.”
I can’t help but feel a tinge of relief. Even though I’ve just been told to stay away from William. Like I’m the female equivalent of some nineteenth-century rake. I snort.
“He did pursue her though,” Uncle Tony says.
“How did he pursue her?” I ask.
Uncle Tony gives me a “you’re not listening to me” look. He pats my shoulder. “I’m not warning you off. I’m just saying that a relationship with William won’t be simple, and unless it’s the real thing, it’s best staying friends.”
“We are just friends. We’re too opposite anyway.”
“Opposites can work in complementary ways. Like jigsaw puzzle pieces. Like me and Takashi. I usually think opposites are the best matches, despite your parents.” Tony’s phone beeps.
“You and Takashi seem similar to me, except maybe in your design taste,” I say, “but you both seem comfortable in either decor.”
“We’ve smoothed out over the years.” He looks at his phone. “But be careful with William.”
“Did Takashi just text you that?”
“Yes,” Uncle Tony says. “But it’s not because he doesn’t love you.”
“You can allay his fears. I promise nothing will happen tonight.” My foot throbs. “You can reassure him that seduction is the last thing on my mind with a swollen foot.”
Chapter nineteen
IleanonWilliamand hop my way into his apartment with my new set of crutches. Pochi and Sora immediately sniff me to check out this new person who walks with extra wooden legs. William sets me up on the couch with a sketchpad, my foot elevated on a cushion, then Pochi stays by me while Sora follows him into the kitchen.
“Are you going to keep me company?” I pet Pochi. “Or are you guarding me?”
I cancel my waitress gigs for the week and reschedule with Miju, explaining that I twisted my ankle from a hole in the sidewalk. We reschedule for next Thursday. William sticks his head out from the kitchen doorway.
“Are you okay with Moroccan fish stew?” he asks.
“Definitely. I’m grateful for any home-cooked meal.”
He brings me an ice pack.
“So Advik and Saanvi are friends from college?” I ask. “I learned some very interesting things about you today.”
He glances at me. “Like what?”
