Chapter 286: Before the Storm
The glaring afternoon sun had softened into a dusky gold, cold with the scent of citrus and woodsmoke. A chilly breeze rustled the leaves across the orchard path as the group wandered back toward the condo, baskets full of fruit in their hands and sticky juice still clinging to their fingers.
Micah walked among the group, a mandarin in one hand. He had been quiet the whole time. He helped when someone asked, plucking ripe oranges, reaching higher branches for Soha, but his hands moved on autopilot. His mind was somewhere else. Emile’s words looped in his mind like a broken tape. ’Uncle is currying favour with you... because of your family... he’s not the kind to do things out of kindness...’
Micah frowned and crushed the mandarin in his palm. Juice burst between his fingers, stinging slightly.
He wanted to ask Clyde directly, ’What have you done for Emile to think like that?’
Was it a misunderstanding?
His gaze darted to the group a few meters ahead. Dylon and Georgina were bickering over who had picked the biggest oranges. Lin Heye calmly handed Soha a peeled orange. Mason wandered off with his camera, snapping pictures.
Clyde, as always, stood slightly to the side. He was organising the baskets into neat rows near the deck stairs, sleeves rolled up, hair tousled from the breeze. His shirt clung to his shoulders slightly, the white fabric semi-translucent in the light.
Micah’s gaze lingered for too long.
Clyde, as if sensing it, turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Micah looked away so fast he almost tripped. His neck prickled with heat, ears turning red. He bent his head, pretending to adjust his hoodie, then moved to join the others with stiff steps.
Emile noticed. He chewed the inside of his cheek, uneasy. Maybe it had been a mistake to even hint at Micah anything. But wasn’t it worse to let him stay in the dark? The truth would come out eventually. That Little Uncle liked Asena.
Micah should know who he was up against. Jacklin had insisted Micah wasn’t Asena’s boyfriend, so the only explanation that made sense was something familial. Maybe childhood friends. Maybe distant cousins. Maybe something in between. Otherwise, why would Micah claim to be her boyfriend just to grab a lunchbox from a security guard?
But then why didn’t she come forward when Micah needed her? When rumours flew, when everyone was teasing Micah, hitting on him even, why hadn’t Asena spoken up to defend him?
Emile paused abruptly. No wait. That night, hadn’t Micah said his family had sent food? But that turned out to be from Jacklin? So, Asena told him to pick up and eat it? Huh? Asena was the family Micah was referring to? Or Jacklin? That was totally confusing.
Emile sighed quietly. That girl, Asena, didn’t sit right with him. Micah was his roommate, and he cared about him. But that girl seemed like the kind of person who would step aside from a storm as long as her shoes didn’t get wet.
It was better for Micah to know the true colours of her sooner rather than later.
The girl Micah had helped, the girl who was probably a childhood friend or relative, the one Micah cared about, turned out to be his rival in love. What a tragedy.
Emile thought, casting a glance toward Micah, who now looked ten times more conflicted than usual.
They reached the condo in the soft orange of twilight. Lin Heye stepped beside Clyde and whispered. "Why is Micah avoiding you?"
"He is just embarrassed. Nothing serious." Clyde said, adjusting a basket.
Lin Heye exhaled. "Good. I thought you two had a fight over Georgina’s little prank before lunch."
"No. It was kinda cute seeing him jealous like that..." Clyde mumbled.
Lin Heye rubbed his arms with a shudder. "Oh, man. Goosebumps. Cute? That word came out of your mouth? Uhhh, I think my ears are bleeding ..."
Clyde ignored him. His gaze was fixed on Micah’s back as the boy disappeared into the condo. He exhaled slowly, rubbing his forehead.
Tonight... he would tell him. The truth about Asena. About the crossdressing. About everything before Jacklin slipped up. It was time.
On the other side of the deck, Jacklin came to a sudden stop, a frown tugging at her lips. She pinched the bridge of her nose, realising that she had forgotten the small basket she had left near the quince grove. With a sigh, she turned back, walking through the neat rows of trees.
She bent down near the base of a tree, fingers brushing the handle of the basket, when faint voices drifted toward her.
"Grab that box. It’s the last one," Georgina’s voice carried through the leaves.
"Stop ordering me around," Mason grumbled, reaching for the box, he continued. "Man, I feel sorry for Clyde."
Jacklin’s fingers froze on the handle. She leaned a little closer, keeping her body low behind the tree trunk.
Georgina scoffed, her tone full of sarcasm. "Yeah. Poor him. Must be so hard having some handsome young man crushing on you."
"I’m serious," Mason replied. "This is out of his expertise. He doesn’t know how to handle him."
Jacklin’s brows furrowed. Were they talking about Micah? Or someone else?
"You worry too much," Georgina said with a small huff. "Clyde has probably a plan."
"Yeah, right. Like the birthday banquet? He lost control," Mason replied.
"That was different," Georgine insisted. "He didn’t know then. But now he does. Let’s wait and see. If he can’t manage it, we’ll step in."
Their voices began to fade as they strolled farther down the path, their footsteps crunching softly over fallen leaves.
Jacklin slowly stood. Her expression darkened for a second.
So Micah was pestering Clyde? That’s what they meant, wasn’t it?
What about the birthday banquet? What had happened there? Did Micah... stop Asena from coming?
A flash of anger lit up Jacklin’s face. She clenched the basket handle. If Micah had anything to do with Asena’s absence, if he had interfered, then that was completely unfair. And now he was bothering Clyde, making things harder for him? From the way Mason and Georgina spoke, this had been going on for a while. Clyde was clearly struggling.
Jacklin turned on her heel, storming off. Tonight, she had to follow through with her plan. No matter what.