True To You (Taking Chances #2) (3 page)

Melvin pushed his silver framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and frowned. “You agreed to marry me. Our mothers are planning the wedding as we speak. Is this some kind of joke?”

“I’m sorry. I thought I could go through with a wedding and eventually grow to have feelings for you, but I’m not so sure anymore. We’ve known each other for almost five years and I still feel the same way about you now as the first day we met. It wouldn’t be fair to you.” Or frankly, to herself either.

Melvin’s face became flushed. “Is my commitment to you not enough? This is much better than what our ancestors used to go through with their arranged marriages. We already know each other, and I believe we are quite compatible. We speak the same dialect, we both practice medicine, we like the same foods and go to the same church. What more do you need?”

Melanie blinked. Was Melvin serious? Sadly enough, she recognized the look on his face as one he had often worn during their late night study sessions. Determination. No matter what exam they had taken, he had always scored the highest. And now he was as determined to succeed in love. Too bad he didn’t have a clue how to do so. “Sure, we have things in common, but our shared love of won ton soup won’t make a marriage work. Melvin, you need and deserve someone who loves you for who you are. I’m just not that person.”

“But you said yes already.” He ran his hand through his jet black hair and shook his head in disbelief. “What about our parents? You do realize how much this means to our mothers, don’t you? This is a decision that also involves our families.”

“I’m aware of that. I know I should have spoken up earlier. I’ll talk to my parents soon. And I’ll make it clear that I’m the one calling off the wedding,” she concluded with a sigh. She was not looking forward to her mother’s reaction when she broke the news. Was there any chance she could enroll in the federal witness protection program, just in case?

“Have you thought about this? To go against our parents’ wishes and to call off the wedding would bring great dishonor to them. You wouldn’t want to do that, would you?”

Melanie raised her eyebrows at his tone of voice. She couldn’t believe he was trying to guilt her into marrying him. If she hadn’t experienced this kind of intimidation before, she might have succumbed to the pressure. But guilt trips were part and parcel of her family life; she could spot one coming a mile away, especially when it came from her mother. With Melvin it was no different, except that she felt confident enough to stand her ground. “I hope you’ll understand and accept my decision.” She gathered her things and stood up to leave. “I need to get ready to start my rounds. We can talk more later, okay?” She gave herself a virtual pat on the back as she walked out of the cafeteria.

---

“I can’t believe you did it!” Sam squealed as she looked over at Melanie sitting in the passenger seat.

“I can’t believe it either.
Aiya
²
, what have I done? I am in so much trouble.”

“For once, you’re doing something
you
want instead of just blindly obeying Ma. Now I’m not the only daughter on her blacklist.”

Melanie frowned. “But she expects that kind of rebellious behavior from you.” She reached over to pull at a lock of bright blue hair sticking out from under Sam’s newsboy cap. “If I did something like this, I’d get disowned. How in the world did you get away with it?”

“I may have told Ma that dyeing my hair is a requirement of my program.”

“So, you mean you lied?”

Sam shrugged casually. “It’s not a total lie. As a graphic design major, I have to look the part of an
arrteest
. Hey, it was either this or shave half of my head.”

“Are you still trying to learn French,
Yee Ga Je
³
?” Billie addressed her second eldest sister from the backseat. “Your accent needs a lot of work. It’s
très mal
.”

“Ha ha, very funny. You better be
tray
nice to me. After all, you’re the reason I’m missing the premiere of that new cop show.” Sam lowered the rear view mirror to make eye contact with Billie. “I wish I had my own car, so I could’ve gone straight home from class instead of getting dragged along to your Back to School Night. Why does it have to be tonight of all nights?”

“Hey, it’s not my fault Ma and Ba can’t go. They never like coming to my school events anyway.”

“All right, that’s enough, you two,” Melanie interrupted in her best
Ga Je
voice. She directed her attention to Sam first. “Stop whining. You know you can watch the episode online tomorrow. And be happy I’m letting you drive my car.” Turning to Billie, she continued, “And you know Ma and Ba don’t feel comfortable speaking English, especially with your teachers. They still care very much though about your schoolwork and grades.”

Billie rolled her eyes. “Argh. You don’t have to remind me.” She lowered her purple framed glasses onto the tip of her nose and spoke with a heavy Chinese accent. “Why you not like
Ga Je
. She get all A in school. She never waste the time play basketball.”

Melanie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at her youngest sister’s perfect imitation of their mother. “
Mui mui
⁴
, it’s not respectful to talk about Ma like that.”

“Why did you have to set the bar so high?” Billie sighed. “It’s, like, impossible for us to do all the perfect stuff you do.”

“Oh, but she’s not Miss Goody-Two-Shoes anymore,” Sam exclaimed.

Melanie grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”

“She told Melvin today that she’s not marrying him.”

“What?” Billie sat up straight in her seat. “Does Ma know?”

“Not yet, so please don’t say anything.” Melanie turned to her sisters. “I need to find the right time to break the news to her, preferably when she’s in a good mood.”

“Good luck. I think this past week is the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. She was so excited about showing me her pick for our bridesmaid dress.” Billie stuck her tongue out in disgust. “I’m definitely glad I don’t have to wear that lacy mauve colored sack any time soon.”

“Mauve? Seriously?” Sam wrinkled her nose. “That would not go well with the blue in my hair.”

“Hello, I’m in the middle of a personal crisis here, and all you can think about is your hair?” Melanie covered her eyes and groaned. “I need to find a way to break the news to Ma and Ba and still keep my head.”

“I say talk to Ba first,” Sam suggested. “He’s a softie. I think he’ll understand why you don’t want to marry Melvin.”

“I agree with
Yee Ga Je
. Ba’s easy to talk to. He, for one, doesn’t freak out when I come home with a B minus on a math test.”

“That’s because I paved the way for you with my C minuses. I am so glad I don’t have to take math anymore,” Sam declared. “Anything numbers related is a waste of time in my opinion.”

“And that’s why your bank account is always in the red.” Melanie shook her head in disapproval. “You really should’ve paid more attention in your math classes.”

“Too bad you didn’t have a pre-cal teacher like Mr. Peters. It’s amazing how well he explains stuff. We’ve only been in school for a couple of weeks, but I feel like I’m actually getting the concepts.”

“That’s good news for you
and
for me.” Melanie gave Billie a thumbs-up. “If you get an A on your next test, Ma will be so shocked, she might not even care that I called off the wedding.”

“Yeah, right,” Sam said as she turned the car into the high school parking lot and pulled into a space. “I think it’s going to take something a lot bigger than that to distract Ma.”

Melanie muttered under her breath, “Like the rapture…”

They exited the car and made their way across campus to Billie’s homeroom.

“Come on, guys, we’re late,” Billie called over her shoulder to her sisters.

“Haven’t you heard of Chinese time?” Sam replied. “Being ten minutes late actually means we’re early.”

Melanie pulled at Sam’s arm to speed up their pace. “Let’s go. Just pretend we’re at the mall and there’s a big sale at H&M that you need to get to.”

Sam’s eyes brightened. “Now you’re talking.” Pausing to give Melanie a once-over, she nodded in approval. “You look really nice tonight, for once.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a smirk. “I was trying to look more… parental.”

“In that case, you could have just worn mom jeans and a floral print blouse.”

“So true. I’ll keep that in mind for next time. Or at least pick more comfortable shoes to wear.”

“I can’t believe you’re able to walk in those. When was the last time you put on heels?”

Melanie looked down at the nude pumps pinching her toes and grimaced. “When I interviewed for residency. I’m so glad I picked a profession where I can wear flats all day. These should come with a warning label that says hazardous to your health.”

“That’s what you get for buying cheap shoes.”

“And that’s why I have money left in my bank account.”

“Very funny.” Sam stuck her tongue out in protest. “You sure have no problems acting parental.”

Before Melanie could respond, they arrived at Billie’s homeroom. They followed their youngest sister inside and found some space to stand in the back. The place was already packed with over two dozen parents and their teenagers in tow. A man wearing a navy striped dress shirt and tan slacks addressed the crowd from the front of the room.

Melanie heard the teacher’s voice before she saw his face. The rich baritone sound caught her attention, and she inched over to her left to get a better view of its source. Peering past the heads in front of her, she inhaled sharply at the sight.
What were the chances?
Before she could gather her thoughts, she felt a tug on her arm.

“Wow, I would have definitely aced my classes if this guy was my teacher. He makes geeky look like the new
hot
!” Sam gushed in a low voice.

“Shh, quiet,” Melanie urged, her eyes fixed on the familiar face of Billie’s teacher.

Sandy brown hair. Hazel eyes. And those dimples.

There he stood, her cure for hives, and he was as handsome as she remembered.

THREE

Am I hallucinating?!

Ben had spotted Melanie as soon as she had entered the classroom. At first he thought his mind had conjured up a vision of the woman who had been occupying his recent dreams. It wouldn’t have been completely improbable, considering he had been under a good amount of stress preparing for this Back to School night. But his racing heart couldn’t deny the fact that the source of his goofy morning smiles had shown up in real life. There she stood, looking gorgeous in a black sleeveless dress which accentuated her slender curves.

When he had finished speaking to the group, he made his way over to the opposite side of the room. “Melanie, what a pleasant surprise running into you here.”

“Ben, hi.” Melanie shook his outstretched hand, smiling self-consciously when he maintained contact a little longer than necessary. “It is a surprise, but it all makes sense now. You’re a math teacher. That’s why you prefer the language of numbers.”

“Yep, it looks like you’ve got me figured out. I’m a nerd at heart.” Ben glanced at Sam and Billie who were staring back with wide eyes and gaping mouths. He took note of their heart-shaped faces and the light sprinkling of freckles across their cheeks, traits which matched Melanie’s. “Now, let me see if I can do a little figuring out myself. I assume these are the two younger sisters you mentioned?”

“Yes, well, you know Billie. This is our middle sister, Sammie.”

Sam crossed her arms. “Okay, sorry to interrupt, but how do you two know each other?” She muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Melanie, “And why did you not tell me about him?”

“Yeah,
Ga Je
, how do you know Mr. Peters?” Billie chimed in.

“We met at the grocery store last weekend,” Melanie replied, trying to keep her tone light and casual. She could tell by the sharp curve of Sam’s eyebrow that the wheels were turning in her head. “We talked briefly.”

“Your sister came to my rescue and assisted me in making a purchase.”

“She did, did she?” Sam’s deep brown eyes sparkled as realization dawned on her. “That’s why you took so long that day.”

“It was just a few extra minutes.” Melanie shot Sam a look of irritation, trying to use her own arched eyebrows to stop her from probing further. Then, turning to Ben, she asked, “Was your sister okay with the items I picked?”

“You were right on the money.” His face broke into a wide grin that showcased his dimples. “She couldn’t have been more pleased.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad those worked out for her.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as three pairs of eyes gazed at her. With the fluorescent lighting overhead, Melanie suddenly felt like she was being interrogated. Sam may have been missing her police show, but there was no way she was going to turn their evening into a real life investigation. It was time to switch the focus away from herself. “Well, it’s good to know Billie’s in your class. She says you’re a great teacher.”

Ben smiled graciously. “It’s a pleasure having her as my student. I can tell she’s invested in learning, which makes a huge difference in how much she absorbs from the lessons.”

Melanie nodded towards Sam with an impish smile. “I agree. I was just telling Sam earlier that paying attention in class really helps.”

Sam glared at Melanie, her bright red lips parted slightly to show her gritted teeth. “I heard you the first time,
Ga Je
.” She suddenly turned to Billie with a pained look on her face. “Hey, can you show me where the ladies’ room is?”

“You don’t remember? You only graduated, like, two years ago. Wow, you’re aging fast.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on campus. Come on.”

“Okay, okay, stop pulling on my arm.” Billie rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you go at home? Man, old age must be affecting your bladder, too.”

“Don’t mind us. Keep chatting,” Sam called out as she grabbed Billie’s arm and ushered her out of the classroom.

Melanie shook her head. “Little sisters. I don’t know what I did to deserve them.”