Raine (Gods of the Fifth Floor #2) - M.V. Ellis Page 0,60
she spoke to us kids mostly in Mandarin. Hence, the chat before.”
“Yeah, he speaks better Mandarin than some actual Zhōngguó rén, because in addition to what he learned from Mom, they taught him Chinese for business at that ridiculously expensive school he went to.”
* * *
“The whole thing was a waste of money, especially the Mandarin classes. By that point, I already knew how to call you a cocksucker. What else did I need?” I turned back to Noa. “This was Tom’s dad’s restaurant, but Mr. Woo retired years ago and left the monkey running the zoo.”
“Eat a dick, sha bi.”
“Right back at ya, Hun Dan. Are you going to make us stand here all night? In case you haven’t noticed, I didn’t come here to shoot the shit with your stupid ass.”
“Oh, I noticed alright. How could I not?” He smiled his ridiculously smooth smile at Noa again, as he led us to my usual table. It was a good thing his family recipe for noodle soup was the best in the city. It was about to be the only thing he could eat after I knocked all of his teeth down his throat. “So, this is new.” He motioned between Noa and me. “Since when so you date? This one must be special.”
“Motherfucker, shut up and feed us before I snap your neck in half.”
“Okay, okay, okay.” He laughed good naturedly, raising his hands in mock surrender. “The usual?”
I turned to Noa. “You okay for me to order for both of us? I promise no offal—it’s just that none of the dishes are the usual things you get in restaurants catering to non-Chinese palates, so it can be kind of hard to explain what it all is.
She nodded distractedly. I guessed the whole thing was a lot for her to take in, and I got that. It wasn’t the typical fine dining at a Michelin star restaurant she probably expected from a guy like me, or the kind of date she probably assumed I’d be. The fact was, that shit really wasn’t me, it was way more my parents’ deal, and I pretty much hated everything they stood for and did.
I preferred places like Wong and Sons. Even if it was pretty low-fi, it was real, and that was worth way more to me than any awards or accolades.
Once we settled with some drinks, I turned to Noa. “So, what do you think?”
“I think you’re full of surprises, Raine Davies, not the least of which being that you actually called me by my name without having to be corrected.”
“Yeah, I kind of ran out of dude names beginning with N. There are surprisingly few, it turns out.”
“So, you knew it all along, and were just being a jackass about it?”
“Well, when you put it like that, it makes me sound not only like a jerk, but also extremely puerile, but basically— yes.”
“So, I want to add another condition to my employment terms.”
“Really? Isn’t that a little underhanded, sharking me after the deal is already sealed? You don’t even understand how hard it was for me to agree not to drag you into my office and fuck you whenever I get the urge, let alone adding more terms. You’ve had your pound of flesh. What do you want now?”
“I want you to call me Noa. Please.”
“Killjoy.”
“That’s me. Big Old Boring Betty.”
“Okay, but can I still call you random names when we’re alone together?”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just like it.” I actually didn’t know why.
“I thought you said you’d run out.”
“I have exhausted all the new ones, and I wasn’t quick enough to make something up when I introduced you to Tom, but I can always just start at the beginning again.”
“I mean, it’s not a deal breaker, but I would much prefer just to be called my actual given name.”
“What’s with that, anyway?”
“With what?”
“You having a dude’s name. Did they want a boy and end up with you, then give you the boy’s name anyway?”
“No. As a matter of fact, they already had a boy. Two, actually.”
“And what are they called, Sarah and Emma?”
Apart from the movement of her throat as she swallowed hard, and the rapid flutter of her eyelids as her eyes filled with tears, she was deadly still, and quiet.
“No. Lono and Kai.” Her voice was a little above a whisper. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I’d fucked up. Big time.
“I’m actually named after my father, Kanoa.” She blinked again.