They lay together for a while, enjoying the afterglow of their reunion. “I was a bit selfish there,” Jirhu admitted sheepishly but without apology.
“I like it when you’re insistent,” Anden assured him. Perhaps it was because Jirhu had been with more partners, or perhaps, being Abukei, he did not share the same cultural inhibitions, but Jirhu seemed to know what he wanted. He was driven, comfortable in his own skin, and not just in bed—in his work and artistic vision, his opinions.
Anden got up and took a leisurely shower, enjoying the hot water on his back. By the time he got out and dressed, Jirhu had called an order down to the Taste of Tun and takeout containers of lamb and lentil stew, fried potatoes with herbs, and vegetable dumplings arrived a few minutes later. They ate at Anden’s kitchen table, knees touching, spooning food from the paper cartons onto each other’s plates.
“It’ll be nice to have more space soon,” Anden said. He’d found a larger apartment three blocks away, in the same Old Town neighborhood, and they were moving in together next month. He and Jirhu had been seeing each other for a year and a half. Jirhu had a key to Anden’s place and since it was closer to where he worked, he was at Anden’s apartment as often as his own. Still, there had been some disagreement. Anden made a good income as a doctor and was a naturally frugal person, so even with Janloon’s steep housing prices, he could’ve afforded a small house, but Jirhu wouldn’t hear of buying a home until he could contribute half of the down payment. His savings as an artist were paltry, but with all the work he was now doing on Cinema Shore’s growing slate of movies, it might not be long before they moved again.
“Personally, I’m going to miss this place,” Jirhu said with a teasing smile. “It’s so much like you.” He gestured at the tidy, simply decorated space, the bookcases and shelves Anden had made from plain lumber and painted himself, the heavy punching bag hanging in the living room, small objects and children’s artwork from when his nieces and nephews had been much younger. In their new apartment, Anden expected Jirhu and Wen would sweep in and improve everything, bring in more attractive furniture, make the drapes and cushions complement each other.
Anden said, “The clan New Year’s party is coming up. It’ll be at the General Star Hotel this year, and everyone important in No Peak will be there. Would you like to come? I asked the Pillar if I could bring you and it’s fine.”
He said this casually, not wanting to make it sound like a big deal. The truth was that he’d asked Hilo some time ago and had been waiting until after his trip to Espenia for the right moment to tell Jirhu. It was one thing for Anden to be sleeping with someone, or even moving in with him. It was quite another to bring him to the biggest No Peak gathering of the year, one hosted by the Pillar himself.
After weeks of delay, Anden had mustered the courage to walk into the Pillar’s study. “Hilojen,” he said, trying not to sound as awkward as he felt, “I’ve been seeing someone for more than a year now. He’s not a Green Bone or a member of the clan, but we get along well and we’re planning to move in together. I’d like to bring him to the New Year’s party.”
“The Abukei fellow,” Hilo said. “Bring him if you like.”
Anden blinked. He’d expected more questions. “You . . . you’re fine with it, then.”
Hilo looked up from the towering stack of cards that Wen had left on the coffee table for him to sign. He picked up the remote control and muted the television that had been playing quietly in the background. “Wouldn’t I have mentioned it already if I wasn’t? Wen told me about him ages ago and asked permission on your behalf. She knew you would take forever to do it yourself.” He scrawled his name, stamped a card with the clan’s insignia in red ink, and moved on to the next one. “Your personal life’s your own business, Andy, unless it affects the clan.”
In retrospect, Anden wasn’t sure why he was so surprised by his cousin’s nonchalance. Societal prejudice against the Abukei had made him anticipate the Pillar’s disapproval. But no children would be born into the Kaul family out of the relationship, and an Abukei could never hold any rank or position in a Green Bone clan. They were suspected by everyone, which made them nearly useless as White Rats, or else they were helpless and protected by aisho. No enemy would find it worthwhile to try to turn or harm them. Jirhuya was a safe partner for Anden. The thought was a relief but also made Anden faintly resentful.