By Any Other Name - Chapter 7
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Considering how deep a daze she was in, Stelle probably shouldn’t have been driving, but how else was she supposed to get home? (The logical answer was to call Moze, but she hadn’t thought about that until much later when he’d called her to check in.) Regardless, she made it home safe.
After pulling into the driveway, she flicked off the engine. And then she just sat there, still in her daze. She’d found Dan Heng. Her heart could scream with joy.
Unbidden, a chuckle escaped her. “Holy crap,” she breathed, roughly running her hands through her hair. No longer was he the awkward teenager she still found attractive, but he’d grown into a devastatingly handsome man. When he’d embraced her, she noted the muscles in his arms and the breadth of his chest. And his voice! He’d been on the edge of puberty when they’d parted, the tone somewhere between a child’s and a man’s. Now, it had mellowed into a calm, soothing timbre. What she wouldn’t give to listen to him speak for hours on end.
Her heart raced at the thought.
Pull it together!
Where the rational thought came from, she didn’t know, but she clung to it for dear life. Taking a few steadying breaths, she finally stepped out of the car. It was late, and after visiting “The Pit”, she wanted a hot shower to wash away the sweat and grime.
She fumbled with her keys for a bit before finally managing to unlock the front door.
“Hey, get anything?”
Stelle startled at Silverwolf’s voice. Only then did she realize the girl was lounging on the couch in plain view. How did Stelle miss the blinding computer light, the sounds of a game echoing through the room, or the stench of cheap instant noodles?
Aeons, she was completely out of it.
At Stelle’s silence, Silverwolf paused her game, causing the music to dampen. “Something happen?”
Something? Her whole world had shifted, and Silverwolf called it something? At least for once, it had shifted back into place. “I found him.”
“You found who?”
“Dan Heng.” She thought she’d sobbed it out already, but the tears welling in her eyes proved otherwise. “My cousin. I found him.”
“Wait, what?” Throwing her computer to one side and her neon blanket to the other, Silverwolf sprang off the couch. “For real?”
Stelle nodded.
“How do you know it was him?”
“I just… do.”
“Geez,” Silverwolf grunted. “Sit down and start explaining.”
Hence, Stelle collapsed into the nearest chair, words pouring out of her in a jumble. More than once did Silverwolf have to throw tissues at her.
By the end, Silverwolf set the box of tissues aside. “I mean… it sounds legit, but you can’t be sure, can you?”
Every fiber of Stelle’s being protested the absurd challenge, her face turning hot as her heart raced anxiously.
But before she could retort, Silverwolf quickly backtracked. “I’m just trying to look out for you, okay? How do you know he’s not playing you?”
“I just know, Sil,” she defended, crumpling the damp tissues in her fists. “Can’t you trust me on this?”
Silverwolf’s lips twisted in a grimace. “Look, I know how much this guy means to you, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Like, how much do you know about this guy? And I don’t mean from before. I mean who he is now.”
“I know he looks like Uncle Dan Feng. I know he happened to have information a normal person shouldn’t have.”
“No, no,” Silverwolf cut in, pulling her computer back into her lap. “I mean, if I’m gonna run a background check on this dude, what do you know about him? And don’t even try to talk me out of it. You’re going on a date with him, right? This is just standard procedure.”
As much as Stelle wished to argue, she couldn’t here. This was their pre-date ritual: sharing a snack as they rated the quality of the material they found before assigning an overall score to the man. There were times Stelle enjoyed this moment more than the date itself. “He’s been going under the alias Daniel Yang,” Stelle answered, bitterness eating at her gut. “Um… he was taken in by Himeko and Welt Yang. And he’s Robin Oak’s bodyguard. I have his number too.”
“A solid place to start.” The clacking of computer keys echoed through the room. “I’ll have a full background done on him by morning. Now get some sleep. You look like crap.”
“Gee, thanks,” Stelle muttered, chucking the tissue wad at Silverwolf. She grinned at the disgusted yelp it earned her.
After a long, hot shower, Stelle collapsed into bed. Any worries she’d had about not being able to sleep were disproven as she promptly crashed out. That night, she dreamed of blue eyes, short yet ruffled black hair, and a smile she’d last seen years ago.
She was pissed when she woke from it.
Dragging her butt out of bed, she stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, where a pile of papers sat on the kitchen table along with a sticky note.
Be sure to read it over before you go on a date. And don’t forget to tell Mom and Dad. – SW
Right, she had to tell them. But that could wait until after they returned home. Some things were better in person.
Oh, she had to tell Caelus, too. He’d be over the moon.
She took a steadying breath, the overwhelm causing her hands to shake. One thing at a time.
Setting aside the sticky note, she glanced at the top page, her eyes immediately locking on the profile picture. The standard issue ID photo was immensely unflattering, but Stelle still found it beautiful.
Because he was alive.
The words blurred on the page; whether from excitement or another round of tears, she didn’t know. Too anxious to read, Stelle simply flipped through the papers, hoping there might be another photo—
She froze. Another identification photo, but not of Dan Heng. Of a woman. Long purple hair, and blue-green eyes.
Was that Bailu?
Stelle’s mouth hung open. What had happened to the tiny cousin in her memories that always followed them around, wanting to ‘play with the big kids’? When had she been replaced by this lovely lady?
Before she cried all over the papers, Stelle tossed them aside. Breakfast first. Er… brunch? Whatever. She just needed to eat before she went back to the pages she knew would wreck her.
As she scavaged the kitchen for food, she recalled she still had to figure out where they were going to meet in the first place. Had his taste changed? Did he have new allergies or aversions like she did? She also needed a place casual enough to not feel like a date but not so commonplace that it completely took away from the significance of the moment.
And what was she to wear? She needed to dress up for this event but not overly so. Should she raid Mom’s closet or pick something from her own?
With a groan, she ran her hands down her face. This was going to be a tumultuous morning.
~~
Seafood. They’d agreed on seafood. While a little more on the expensive side, Stelle couldn’t help but think of the place she’d taken a couple dates to. Even when the dates themselves were lackluster, the food had always been delicious.
The haze of elation had settled over her all day long, making her lose track of time. Which was why she’d arrived maybe a bit too early. Now would have been a great time to read the background check… if she’d remembered to bring it. After she’d set it down that morning, she hadn’t found the time to pick it back up again. Silverwolf was going to be mad if she ever found out she’d put in all that work for nothing.
Then again, maybe that was for the best. It meant Stelle could hear everything straight from Dan Heng’s mouth first. She could crosscheck it against what Silverwolf had found after the night was over.
Before she got out of her car, she fluffed her hair one last time, then checked her makeup in the visor mirror. She’d kept her look simple for tonight. She wasn’t one for flashy makeup anyway, work being the only exception. Deciding she was presentable, she stepped out of the car, only to be greeted by the evening chill of late spring. While her long-sleeved blouse and knee-length dark skirt sufficed, she decided to grab her coat in case the night got any cooler.
From her new vantage point standing before the restaurant, she watched every car that came in and out of the parking lot. While she barely recalled anything from skimming the papers this morning, she did remember seeing something about a motorcycle being registered to him. She hadn’t pegged him as a bike guy, but the mental image that conjured was rather hot.
Okay, really hot.
Her heart thumped in her chest, cheeks warming against the cool air. For the umpteenth time today, she reminded herself to calm down. This wasn’t the Dan Heng from her memories. He wasn’t the teenager she’d given her first kiss to, the one she’d once called her boyfriend. They were adults with two separate lives now. So this wasn’t a date. It was… it was two cousins meeting again.
A little piece of her heart that died every time she reminded herself of that. Shameful on her part. Their meeting was plenty exciting as is. She shouldn’t get down in the dumps because her love life had been a roaring dumpster fire.
The rev of a motorbike echoed in the night air, causing Stelle to lift her gaze off her ankle boots. A black bike rolled into the parking lot, and as it wove closer to the building, her heart started to soar. Was that…?
It found a parking spot, one that had conveniently opened up near the front. And when the cyclist took off his full helmet—
Oh, aeons, this was way hotter than her mental images.
As Dan Heng approached, Stelle appraised his figure. He wore a plain white shirt under his leather jacket, one striped with red, as well as dark jeans. A simple combination, yet it did him a world of favors. And when he ran his hand through his hair, trying to fluff it out again after being stuck under the helmet?
Stelle came to terms with the fact that her heart simply was not going to behave tonight. She’d have to brace for the heartache later.
When he spotted her, his expression illuminated like a moon on a full night. “I’m sorry. Work went longer than anticipated. Hopefully I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
“It’s fine,” she lied, a little breathless. “You made it in time for the reservation.”
He reached for the door first, pulling it open. “After you.”
Her grin widened, cheeks warming as her heart screamed It’s a date! She clutched the purse she stole from Mom’s closet, hoping that would hide the fact her hands were still shaking. “Thank you.”
Soon enough, they were guided to a table and given menus. They bantered a bit about what to order, if they should get an appetizer, or of they should split a larger platter.
When the waiter appeared, they ordered their drinks. When he returned with them in hand, the duo then placed their order: two platters and an appetizer to share. After confirming their order, the waiter took their menus. Nothing stood between them now.
“So,” Stelle started. “I have a proposition.”
He quirked a brow. “A proposition?”
She nodded. “Let’s play twenty questions. You get to ask me any twenty tonight, and I get to ask you any twenty, alternating between who’s asking. We can catch up that way.” Maybe this was unnecessary, but she’d overthought this evening the entire day. What if they got stuck? What if things turned awkward in the middle? What if Dan Heng was the same quiet Dan Heng he’d been in middle school and wouldn’t willingly open up, even to her? She didn’t want to come off too pushy or overshare while he stayed silent. Henceforth, in hopes to equalize the conversation, this was the conclusion she came to.
Dan Heng quickly mulled her words over. “Alright. You start with the first question, then.”
She was going to give him the chance, but she’d take the lead if he wanted her to. It felt a lot like the old them. But when their eyes met, her misbehaving heart thumped. Okay, fine, it’s a date. Calm down! Taking a breath, she fought past the knot in her gut as she asked the question that had been burning in her mind since yesterday. “What happened that night?”
Pain pinched both the corners of his lips and between his brows.
“I know,” she said, guilt tainting the elation in her heart. “Debbie Downer over here starting off the night with a bang, but… I have to know.”
“I know,” he calmly assured. “Especially since my first question will be the same.”
Dan Heng then launched into the story, one involving a car wreck, gunshots, an exploding building, and a bastard named Taoran (Stelle knew she never liked him). He’d described how Himeko and Welt had appeared at the opportune time, having had dinner near the hotel before heading home. They’d seen the car crash and gotten involved against their better judgment.
“I’ll forever be thankful for them taking Autumn… er, Bailu and me in,” he finished. “Or, we really would have died that night.”
Unable to keep her distance, Stelle reached across the table, laying a hand over his arm. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I heard from Dad what had become of Uncle Dan Feng, but I didn’t know how it happened. And no one could figure out what had happened to you two. I’m just…” she swallowed, trying to tamp down her emotions before they welled up into tears. “I’m so glad you made it out alright.”
He put a hand over hers. His touch was so warm, so calming. It grounded her, even while her heart registered how large and sturdy his hands had grown.
“I suppose it’s my turn?” Dan Heng spoke. “To ask you…”
“Oh.” Stelle forced herself to pull back. “Yeah, of course.”
“I looked for you for years, but I couldn’t find any traces of you… or anyone, really. What happened to cause you to go into hiding?”
Gunshots rang in her ears. The weight of a gun suddenly appeared in her empty hands, the cold handle gradually warming under her touch as the long minutes ticked by.
She blinked, trying to reground herself to reality. While the words did not come easily, she forced them out bit by bit. As she pieced the story together, she watched his expression twist, pain etching deeper lines into his brow, his lips, the corners of his eyes.
“Thank you,” he eventually said. “For sharing that.”
“You deserved to know. Obviously, we had to get the heavy questions out of the way first so we could ask the better ones.” She forced a smile, but he didn’t mirror it. The best she got was some of his visible discomfort alleviating. “Like, how is Bailu? What’s she up to?”
“She’s in pre-med. She’ll graduate this semester.”
“That’s all?” Stelle challenged. “I haven’t seen her in thirteen years, and that’s all I get? Not even a picture?”
Finally, a small smile touched his lips. He pulled out his phone. “I don’t know what else to tell.”
“No boyfriends or anything?”
“No, she’s very focused on school. And snacks, I guess. She runs a little hobby blog critiquing every snack place in the city. It does well enough that she earns a bit of spending money from it.”
“See? That’s impressive. And very her.”
He turned his phone around, showing a photo of a beautiful young woman standing beside Dan Heng himself. “This was on the last vacation we took. We went to Scalegorge Waterscape to celebrate her graduating high school,” he explained.
With an excited gasp, Stelle took the phone from him. “She’s so pretty, look at her! When did she grow up so much?”
“I find myself wondering the same thing,” he spoke fondly. “That was right before she started college. She took a lot of advanced classes in high school that gave her college credits, so she managed to skip a year. It’s why she’s graduating pre-med a year early. As for which sector she wants to go into, she isn’t sure yet. She says she’ll decide once she experiments in med school.”
Stelle stared at the photo a moment longer before handing it back to him. “Good on her for getting so far already,” she said. “I’m proud of her.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her.”
“Have you told her yet? That you found me?”
Dan Heng shook his head. “I haven’t had the time to tell anyone.”
“Fair enough. I haven’t either. Mom and Dad are out of the city, and Aaron… er, Caelus is swamped.”
“Aaron?” he asked. “That’s what he goes by now?”
“Yeah. As for how he’s doing… well, the big news is he got hitched.”
Shock flashed across his expression. “I… I guess we’re at that age.”
“Oh, this was five years ago. He was still in college when he and one of my friends tied the knot. So, I may be biased, but as far as sister-in-laws go, she’s amazing.”
“Congratulations to him.”
“As for what he does… you’ll never believe what that lucky duck scored for his career.”
That earned her a quirked brow; a silent “continue” hanging in the air.
“He plays for the Titans. The baseball team.”
Dan Heng blinked, his eyes blowing wide. “The Titans?”
Proudly, Stelle nodded. “We couldn’t believe it when he’d first been scouted. I mean, what are the odds, he’d play for our favorite team?”
“Aaron Hunter,” Dan Heng realized, “Are you saying Caelus is Aaron Hunter?”
Surprise smacked her in the chest like a baseball, rendering her speechless. “You… keep up with baseball?”
He gave a sheepish half-shrug. “The Titans is my niece’s favorite team.”
And the hits just kept coming. “I’m sorry, your niece? As in Bailu’s daughter? Was that not relevant info—”
“No!” Dan Heng was quick to clarify. “No, not Bailu. Um… the man who came to pick me up last night, Boothill; he’s become a really close friend of mine. His adopted daughter, Clementine, thinks of me as her uncle.”
After that mini heart attack, Stelle heaved out a sigh. That didn’t stop the new info from flying around her mind, and causing damage like a feral raccoon in a china shop. Dan Heng had new friends he was so close with he could consider them family. You’ve been replaced, her heart cried.
Yeah, there was the heartbreak, a lot sooner than expected, too.
Thankfully, the waiter reappeared then with their appetizer: a plate of oysters. It was just the distraction she needed. “You still like these, right?” Stelle asked.
“Of course,” Dan Heng said, reaching for one. Then he chuckled. “I remember the last time you had one. I thought you swore them off since then.”
“Would you believe I forced myself to like them?”
His brow furrowed. “Why?”
She took one, staring at the meat in the shell. “Because every time I saw them, I went back to that day at Scalegorge Waterscape. After losing you… I didn’t want to forget, so I taught myself to acquire the taste.”
That earned her a scrutinizing stare from Dan Heng.
Desperate to escape that intense gaze, she knocked back the oyster. “So, uncle Dan Heng, huh?”
“Well… Uncle Daniel,” he corrected, eating his own oyster. “But… yes.”
Again, her heart cracked. That’s right: they weren’t Dan Heng and Stelle anymore. They were Daniel and Gray. This wasn’t just two old companions meeting again, all grown up. Two completely different people sat at this table. She best remember that. “How old is she?”
“She’s eight. She takes after Boothill a shocking amount, given they aren’t related.”
“So, he and his wife decided to adopt or something?”
With a shake of his head, Dan Heng leaned forward. “He’s not married. Years ago, Boothill found a pregnant woman in need of help stranded on the side of the road. She…” Dan Heng glanced around, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. “She was a Sanctus Medicus victim. While transporting subjects between locations, one of the vehicles crashed. She’d managed to survive, but not without severe injuries. Boothill immediately took her to the hospital, but she didn’t make it. Clementine was born via cesarean after she’d passed. When the hospital staff came for answers, Boothill lied and said he was the father because he’d promised the woman he’d make sure her child didn’t fall into Sanctus Medicus hands.”
Stelle’s gut sank. How many lives did this damn cult have to ruin? “That’s horrible.”
“That’s why he agreed to come with me last night, even though he shouldn’t have. He wants answers on Sanctus Medicus as much as we do.”
“Your friend sounds like a pretty stand-up guy.”
“He is,” Dan Heng said, his firm assertion just as telling as the confirmation. “And since I rent a room from him, we’ve gotten close. In a way, it makes sense for me to be Clementine’s uncle, especially since she was unfortunate enough to get side effects from whatever testing her mother was subjected to. I’m one of her emergency contacts.”
“Well… I’m glad you have a friend like that.” Only a partial lie. “But I gotta admit, I’m kinda jealous you got to be an uncle before I’m an aunt.”
“Caelus and his wife don’t have kids?”
“Not for lack of trying,” Stelle said. “Firefly has chronic illnesses, and one of the wonderful side effects is unexplained infertility. They really want kids, and I’m rooting for them so hard, but no luck for them yet.” She shrugged, trying to brush off the heavy topic. “I guess we’re both doomed to watch our family suffer health crap.”
Dan Heng’s frown was pitying. “It makes me realize how lucky Yanqing and Moze were to escape such fates.” He then eyed her. “At least, in childhood.”
She grinned. “They’re both healthy as horses. Yanqing’s got a fiancée, and their wedding is coming up in the fall. Yunli is so sassy; I love her. She’s good for Yanqing. Moze is still single, but he does have a little sister now.”
“Adopted?”
“No, actually. She was a…” Stelle suddenly slapped her hands on the table in horror. “Oh my aeons, I didn’t tell you what happened to them!”
Dan Heng quirked a brow. That was more than enough for her to continue.
“Jiaoqiu was kidnapped that night.”
Dan Heng nearly dropped the oyster shell in his hands. “What?”
Stelle nodded. “So, apparently, that night was a whole premeditated attack on the High Cloud Quintet. They were planning to kill everyone, except Uncle Jing Yuan and Aunt Jingliu escaped. Feixiao hadn’t been there at the time because she’d offered to pick up food while she took some business calls, so Jiaoqiu and Moze were really the only ones unlucky enough to be trapped by borison members. Jiaoqiu forced Moze to climb out a window, but Jiaoqiu was kidnapped before he could follow. They held him for six months or so while they negotiated a hostage exchange: Jiaoqiu in exchange for a gang leader. And yeah,” Stelle said, amused at how the bewildered look on Dan Heng’s face grew more extreme as the story went on. “I know they were insane.
“Anyway, they didn’t end up getting any exchange because Feixiao’s team finally found where they were keeping Jiaoqiu. Apparently, it was a huge gunfight. Feixiao took out the leader of the Borisons—I think his name was Hoolay? So that was something. But when they rescued Jiaoqiu, he was in bad shape. Like, bad. Took him a year to recover, but he never recovered his sight. He’s fully blind.
“Because of the extent of Jiaoqiu’s injuries, Feixiao was taken off the Borison hunt permanently because her agency insisted this made things too personal and they didn’t need her acting recklessly out of revenge. Basically a forced retirement. She took a few years off to tend to Jiaoqiu while she searched for another job… and they had a baby in the middle of that.”
Stelle didn’t need to go into the details she overheard Feixiao explain to her mom. Of how Feixiao was terrified of the way her husband had withdrawn from the world and become borderline suicidal due to his perceived uselessness. Add in Feixiao’s own restlessness courtesy of her lack of work, and of course someone was going to make a poor decision; such as a reckless Feixiao purposefully sabotaging her birth control and getting pregnant to fill the purposeless void both her and her husband had in their life. As Feixiao told Mom, she had not thought that through, especially considering the stress a baby put on everyone. At least it had all worked out in the end, bringing the family back together stronger than ever.
Speaking of which, Stelle was going to have to go shopping for a birthday present for the almost-ten-year-old later.
For a while, Dan Heng was speechless. “Mr. Jiaoqiu… blind?”
Stelle gave a sad nod. “It was an adjustment. Moze said it took a toll on him even though he was trying to hold it together. You can’t tell it affects him much now. He’s got a pretty dark sense of humor about it. And scarily, he can still move around in a kitchen like he’s perfectly able-bodied.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Stelle just nodded, letting the conversation lapse for a moment. “Whose turn is it to ask a question now?”
“I… don’t know. And… what constitutes as a question? That would determine what number we’re on.”
Stelle chuckled awkwardly. Here she’d been worried about keeping the conversation going, but her ‘twenty questions’ plan was already showing its flaws. She started counting off her fingers. “Um… we had what happened. We had siblings. Then I asked about your niece… and I volunteered the rest of the family.”
“I’ll take that as a question,” Dan Heng said. “I wanted to ask about them anyway.”
“Then, I guess it’s my turn.”
They exchanged a couple more questions, like how they ended up in their career, before their food appeared.
“Okay,” Stelle said, picking up her fork. “Next question has to be something stupid.”
His brow furrowed, his eye twitching just like it used to whenever she would take a wild left turn he didn’t quite understand yet was going to follow anyway. “Why?”
“Because we should liven things up for a moment.”
Dan Heng sighed, a hint of a smile ghosting his lips as he reached for his food. “I should have expected something like this from you.”
Her own smile brightened for a reason she couldn’t quite articulate. “Why the motorbike? I didn’t peg you as a motorbike kind of guy, but maybe I just wasn’t seeing the vision.”
His smile fell, as did his gaze. “That’s… actually not an amusing answer.”
Guilt opened a hole in her gut.
“I learned how to ride a bike because of… that car wreck. While bikes have the danger of being less visible to other drivers, they are also more maneuverable than cars. For example, if there was ever a time a car was trying to trap me in a parking lot again, I would have an easier chance of escape on a bike. I weighed the pros and cons before going that direction, though.”
Stelle felt sick to her stomach. Suddenly, the plate of food didn’t seem quite as appetizing as before. Here she was, trying to lighten the mood, only to destroy it instead. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I… I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay,” Dan Heng said. “I’m not offended.”
But she was. At herself, for him.
“I guess it’s up to you to lighten the mood with your, then,” she said. “After I go and shove my foot in my mouth.”
“You did no such thing,” he assured with a smile. One he meant because she saw the way it reached his eyes.
That put her at ease. A little. Enough to take a bite of food, at least.
“Then… your tattoo,” he started.
And her gut plummeted.
“What made you want to get it?”
She had to set her fork down. If she took another bite, she just might throw it up, and that would be frowned upon. Rubbing at her partly covered tattoo, she took a deep breath. “I got it to cover my port scar.”
“Your… port scar?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “From when I had cancer.”
~~
Dan Heng’s world disappeared. He knew he’d heard her correctly, but his heart doubted he did. Words failed him, no matter how many times he opened his mouth. Finally, the only one that he managed to get out was weak, quiet, and begging for denial. “Cancer?”
The bitterness in her smile was confirmation enough. “Yeah.”
Dinner no longer held any appeal. He set down his fork. “When?”
“Senior year,” she answered. “I barely finished high school before I got too sick to even leave the house. Almost flunked out of the mandatory classes. Didn’t get to walk graduation. Then it goes without saying: no senior prom with my friends, no attending Caelus’ baseball games. Hell, I was a scout prospect for softball and that went flying down the drain.” Her lips wavered, and the corners of her eyes turned red.
How was it possible for his heart to race so fast when it was this broken? “Stelle…” he finally breathed out. “I… I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged. “What are you gonna do? At least I made it out. I should be thankful.”
But she wasn’t. He may not know this new Stelle—no, this Gray who sat before him, but he could see the anger and resentment written all over her face. Reaching over their food, he laid a hand over her hand, just as she had done to him earlier. “I wish I could have been there for you.”
For a long moment, she looked down at their stacked hands. When her gaze lifted to his again, the bitterness had drained out, leaving only pain. “I wasn’t exactly a pretty sight. Pale, gaunt, no hair. Radioactive. You know, the works.”
“What does that matter?” He tightened his grip on her as her words sank in. At least I made it out. He could have lost her and not even known. That realization made him want to throw up. “I would have been there for you if I could have. Not that I could have done anything… but I would have been there.”
“I know you would have,” she quietly admitted. “That’s why… I got the Draco tattoo. Because you promised me Draco would have saved Andromeda if she was going to get eaten by the sea monster…” She scoffed. “Sorry, that sounds so pathetic—”
“It’s not.”
She startled.
“It’s not,” he repeated, his voice taking on a gentler tone.
Gradually, she relaxed, her expression softening and rigid posture easing. “Um… I guess it’s my turn?” Stelle asked, forcibly changing the subject.
Dan Heng pulled his hand back, even though he didn’t really want to. “R-right. Ask away.”
It took about four questions for the stuffy awkwardness to pass, but that bitter undercurrent lingered for the remainder of the evening. I could have lost her forever and not even known. What he wouldn’t have given to be at her side through all that, lost hair and radioactive and everything.
Eventually, the plates before them were empty, yet they still had five questions each. The waiter came to take away their plates and offer dessert. While Dan Heng was not always a fan, he wondered if Stelle still was. It was a tempting prospect to at least peruse the menu, as it would give them reason to linger. He wasn’t ready for the night to end.
He might not even be ready after those five questions.
Meanwhile, Stelle hesitated over whether to take the menu, glancing at Dan Heng for direction.
“We could split one?” Dan Heng offered, noting her questioning glances. “Or… is that too much?”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
At which point, the waiter left them the menu.
While Dan Heng had warned himself all day against thinking of today as a date, it certainly felt like it. The restaurant had a cozy ambiance, further lending itself to the intimate atmosphere between them. It didn’t help that Boothill had outed him at work today, leading to a barrage of questions from Robin in particular. Not a soul had believed this wasn’t a date. Robin might have been the worst, the way she insisted on helping him pick an outfit for the evening. In the end, she insisted that “biker chic was in”, hence his current appearance.
But he never could have counted on Stelle’s appearance taking his breath away when he’d first laid eyes on her. Since then, there was a part of him hoping this could be a date. Not the little outings they used to take when they were first dating. A real one.
Though the questions thus far had proven time had done a number on both of them, there were still so many little moments he saw his Stelle shine through. Each time, it drew him in deeper. He’d be trapped if he wasn’t careful.
But then again… was that a bad thing?
“Did… you have something in mind?” She asked him. “I know you used to not be the biggest dessert fan.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m against them.”
“But still not one for sweets.”
“Not usually.”
She pushed the menu toward him. “How about this: you decide what sounds good to you, and I’ll make the final choice?”
A fair proposition. He took the menu, glancing it over. “The lemon cheesecake?”
Her lips pursed. “I’ll have to confirm what’s in the crust, but that does sound good.”
“It says it’s a graham cracker crust.”
“No, I know,” Stelle said. “But… after treatment, I kinda developed some weird sensitivities.”
At the mention of her cancer treatment, his gut sank again. “Like?”
“Soy became a huge no-no,” she said. “And pork now tastes like metal. There are a few other things that, like, still upset my stomach or whatnot, or things I couldn’t eat during cancer treatment and now my body flat out rejects it. But other than that, I’m semi-back to normal. Firefly has it way worse than me with her laundry list of no-touchie foods, ranging from an unpleasant bathroom visit to hospital stays. Again, I should be thankful.”
But that doesn’t mean you are, he mentally finished, picking up the sorrow in her tone. And he didn’t blame her one bit for it.
When the waiter returned, Stelle asked him about the contents of the cheesecake, and when he confirmed she could eat it, they ordered a slice with two plates. That distraction allowed them just enough time to finish this game.
“Last question,” Stelle said, setting aside her empty plate.
Stacking his empty plate on top hers at the edge of the table, he tried to temper his disappointment that the end of their night was near. “Alright.”
When he turned back to face her, she fidgeted in her seat before asking. “Are you… seeing anyone?”
Surprised, he shook his head. “No.”
“O-oh.” More fidgeting, but… was it just him, or did her smile brighten? “That’s… that’s good. Because that means I don’t have a jealous girlfriend who would think this was a date.”
“No,” he confirmed, more firmly this time. His face grew hot, and he cleared his throat. “There hasn’t been a girlfriend since… since you.”
The tension that sprang between them was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Or a waiter bringing the cheque.
“Oh,” Stelle said. “I’m so sorry, but could we have separate—”
“It’s fine.” Dan Heng handed the waiter his card. He didn’t even look at the total. Didn’t need to. Whatever the amount was, he’d bite the bullet. It was worth every penny if he got to spend it with Stelle.
She reached for her purse. “Let me at least pay for half.”
“No need.” Dan Heng insisted. “My treat tonight.”
She didn’t let go of her purse, but she did pause. “Are you sure?”
He nodded.
Shyly glancing away, Stelle set her purse down. “Thank you. You really know how to make a girl feel special. I’m shocked no one else has gotten the pleasure.”
Because there was no one who caught his eye after everything that had happened. And the one who had caught his attention again… was Stelle. Some things didn’t need to be said. Some things also did not need to be examined any deeper than surface level. He’d best remind himself of that. It might save him some heartache.
It was his turn to ask the final question. While he’d had one in mind, it went out the window. “I remember there was that one patron, the one Madam Pearl met with, who made a remark about you being an ex?”
“Oh. Him. Yeah, he is. Technically.”
“So… does that mean you’re single now, or did you move on from him with someone new?” He should not be so anxious over her answer. As she’d said, it wasn’t like this was a date, even though it felt very much like one.
Even though he really wouldn’t mind if it became one.
“I feel like that’s two questions cleverly disguised as one.”
“Then you can ask one more.”
Her smile widened, a teasing glimmer in her eye. He’d played into her hand, yet he didn’t mind in the slightest. “Yes. Actually, yes to both. I dated other people after Kakavasha, but no one really made it out of the talking stage. There’s really no one at the moment.”
The breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding eased out of his burning lungs, and the knot in his stomach relaxed. He wasn’t going to question why that answer brought him such relief.
When the waiter returned, Dan Heng realized it really was time to leave. Their twenty questions were up, he had his card back in hand, and they, quite frankly, had taken up this table for too long.
After signing the receipt and taking his copy, he realized Stelle was on her phone. Not wishing to interrupt, he allowed her to finish the text.
“So I have my twenty-first question,” she said. “Would you… want to see Mom and Dad again?”
~~
While Stelle had offered to drive Dan Heng to her house, he’d chosen to follow her on his bike instead. It was already late, so he didn’t want her to have to drive him back to the restaurant. Besides, being out of Stelle’s immediate presence gave him time to get his head on straight.
Uncle Yingxing and Aunt Kafka… finally, he’d meet them again after thirteen years. What would they say? What would they think? Had they changed, too? Stelle had said that Uncle Yingxing now went by Blade while Aunt Kafka had so many names no one could keep track. Everyone important still called her Kafka. Apparently, they’d come home early after a long trip away and were asking about a background check they saw on the table. That’s when she’d confessed that her adopted sister, Silverwolf, had run a background check on him. She’d then profusely apologized for some reason. Dan Heng wasn’t offended, especially when it sounded like her sister did it out of concern.
Either way, since Stelle hadn’t wanted to break the news over a text, she’d simply said she was out on a date, and they’d talk about it when she returned home. She’d failed to mention to them just who her date was, or that she’d be bringing him along.
All the time he’d spent trying to calm himself was for naught. The moment they pulled up to her house, a nice house in the suburbs, his gut tied itself into an impossible knot. He parked his bike in the driveway next to Stelle’s car.
“Ready?” she asked once he killed the motor.
He slipped out of his helmet. Hopefully, he still looked presentable. “Yeah. Let’s hope they take this well.”
“I think they’ll be as excited as I was.”
“I hope so.”
“And we can clarify to them it wasn’t a date if it makes you feel any better,” she continued. “I just… wanted to surprise them.”
That was not the least bit of his concern. And it definitely was not concerning how his heart deflated at the second denial of their time together being a date. “Whatever makes you feel most comfortable.”
They walked toward the front door, Stelle nervously playing with her car keys. Once she unlocked it, she turned back to him. With only some hesitation, she took hold of his hand.
Her golden eyes flicked upwards to meet his own, a quiet question lingering in them. Is this okay?
It was more than okay. He said as much by giving her hand a squeeze.
A shaky smile wavered on her lips. Tossing open the door, Stelle pulled him inside. After kicking off their shoes, Stelle led him deeper into the house. “Mom?” she called out. “Dad?”
“We’re here.” A woman’s voice. Aunt Kafka. Dan Heng’s chest tightened in anticipation. “How was your date?”
“Um… about that…”
“You brought him home?” The warning voice of Uncle Yingxing—er, Uncle Blade?—resounded. “Dare I ask—”
Uncle Yingxing didn’t finish, because that was when Dan Heng and Stelle rounded the corner.
Dan Heng felt rooted to the floor. Before him stood his aunt and uncle. A little older, a little more haggard, a little more gray in Uncle’s hair, but still perfectly recognizable.
And considering their wide eyes, he must be recognizable, too.
“Mom, Dad…” Stelle took a shaky breath. “I found him.”
“Uncle Yingxing,” he greeted, his own voice warbling with a swell of emotion. “Aunt Kafka… H-hello.”
It might be late spring, but with the way time froze like ice, one might have thought winter still lingered. The only thing that moved was Uncle Yingxing’s expression, dark clouds rolling over the surprise that had been there. Suddenly, he rounded the table as he stormed closer. “What the hell,” he growled, each step thundering through the house. “Just where in the hell have you been?!”
“Dad!”
“Sweetheart.”
Both Stelle and Aunt Kafka moved, but neither were fast enough to stop Uncle Yingxing from grabbing Dan Heng by the shirt collar and shoving him back two steps. “Do you have any idea how long we’ve spent searching for you?” he shouted.
“Dad!” Stelle cried again, trying to force her way between her dad and Dan Heng. “Knock it off!”
“Bladie.” Even Kafka had a hand on his arm, trying to get him to let go the same way an owner tries to get their dog to drop a toy.
Even though his heart pounded, his body intuitively preparing to take a punch, Dan Heng didn’t look away. “I’m sorry,” he simply returned.
Several rapid heartbeats pounded by before Uncle Yingxing finally released Dan Heng’s shirt
And yanked him into a crushing hug.
Dan Heng had no choice but to return it.
“I’m so glad to see you in one piece,” Uncle Yingxing calmly said.
“Yeah,” Dan Heng said, “It’s… it’s really good to see you, too.”
Pulling away, Uncle Yingxing held Dan Heng out at arm’s length. “You look… just like your father.”
There were numerous moments that had made him emotional this evening, but now… with one comment, Uncle Yingxing had taken a blade straight to the deepest crack in his heart. Dan Heng bit his lip before it wavered.
“You do,” Aunt Kafka said, stroking his hair in a way she hadn’t done since he was a little child. “No wonder Stelle knew right away.”
His eyes burned. He didn’t want to cry, but he feared he just might.
Beside him, Stelle slipped her hand into his again, then snuggled closer until their shoulders pressed together. Tears did slip out at that point. He clung to her hand, stealing any strength from her she could spare. He’d found his family again. Maybe it was okay to be more than a little emotional for now.
After tears were shed—and he was not the only one—he’d agreed to stay a little while and answer all their questions of what had happened during that night and a few more about how he’d been. It was midnight by the time Aunt Kafka suggested they let him go home. Part of him didn’t want to leave, but he knew he had to.
“When are you free next?” Aunt Kafka asked. “Caelus would love to see you.”
“I’m off Tuesday,” he answered.
“Tuesday?” Stelle repeated.
“Yeah. Is that not a good time?”
“No, no, it’s fine. It’s more…” A conspiratorial sparkle lit her eye. “How much do you like baseball?”
