A Little Brotherly Love
Chapter 40: A Little Brotherly Love
“Thanks, sister.”
Tawan smiled down to her brother, Wei, as she passed him a beer then shuffled past him to her seat on the couch next to him.
She had picked him up from the airport a few hours ago for him to spend some time with family now that he had time to break away for a much needed vacation. The last time they had saw him was in April for the twins birthday party and they could not wait to surprise them with their beloved uncle. Star adored her Uncle Wei because he would play basketball with her and Sammy thought the world of him when he would toss him in the air and catch him.
Wei was catching Tawan up on things back home in Hong Kong from family to work to friends to his dating life. He enjoyed his bachelor life more than he would like to admit because he worked a lot maintaining their family business there. It also freed him up to hit the town for some nightlife adventures with some of his friends who were also still single.
However, the older he got and the times he spent with his beloved niece and nephew made him deeply think about settling down. To also see his sister worship the ground her wife walked on only furthered his reflections.
“What time will they get here?” Wei asked, looking at his wristwatch again.
“They’re in school, bro,” Tawan chuckled before taking a drink of her beer.
“They should’ve skipped today since it’s Friday then we could of all went out to do something,” he thought, resting into the back of the couch and sipping his beer.
“Should’ve talked to Ira,” she said, shifting in her seat to look at him.
“No, I’m saving that for when I ask to take them back to Hong Kong on their next break from school,” he smiled pointedly for support.
“Oh, so you want her to lose her shit at the thought of her babies being so far away for even just a minute?” Tawan said knowingly, amused.
“Hey, it would give you two some alone time for a bit,” he offered, raising his eyebrows.
“True,” Tawan mused to herself, rubbing her chin. “But we always miss them after a few hours.”
“You guys still act like you just brought them home from the hospital,” he laughed, playfully punching her arm.
“Hey, they’ll always be our babies,” Tawan laughed, playfully kicking his leg.
Wei nodded in understanding having witnessed how quickly and adaptable his baby sister became once her children were born.
It was as if an instinct had rested deep inside her laying dormant then stirred awake at their birth. Tawan glowed and her face seemed to always be beaming when her eyes fell on her children, like there was no other purpose for her in the world but to give them everything she could. He even shared this with Ira one night when he was visiting a few weeks after their birth and Tawan immediately took the responsibility of putting them back to bed so she could continue resting when Sammy woke up crying.
As Tawan watched her big brother talk about his plans for the week that mostly included of spoiling Star and Sammy, she thought about their childhood when they were around their age.
He would let her tag along with him to play with his friends or shoot hoops and he would always pick her to be on his team. They grew closer every time they moved across the continent because they felt like they were the only ones who understood each other and the rapid changes they faced. They spoke the same language, ate the same foods, and enjoyed the same activities. All in all, he was her hero and they were each others most trusted confidant the older they got.
It was what made her make a mental note to tell him the full story about her interaction with Lai, except for whatever too personal details Ira was not comfortable with her sharing that pertained to her and Lai, simply to keep being open with him.
“So, how have things really been, baby sister?” Wei asked, focusing on her.
Tawan made a face that resembled a sigh. “Well, where do I fucking begin…,” she mumbled, making them both laugh.
“All things considering, better than you could have expected I’m sure?” He posited, winking at her.
“Oh, absolutely,” she chuckled and took a swig of her drink. “I know it took me a few days to tell you about getting fired, but trust me there was no love lost. I mean, don't get me wrong, it sucked how it all went down and I felt bad for my team, but still. I thought I would’ve been more upset about it, but it actually felt relieving. Almost like a release or something, like a weight off my shoulders.”
“Well, good because what I actually wanted to tell you that day you called was ‘Thank goodness, finally',” he chuckled, taking another sip of his beer. He set it down on the coffee table half finished since he was taking the twins out for the evening.
“You know I always call you for your honesty, right?” Tawan chuckled, patting his knee in jest. “But in all seriousness, I needed my big brother in that moment. Aside from dad, you know how brutal the business world can be. It was still tough to take even if it was best for me. So, thanks, Wei. I truly appreciated it.”
Wei set his hand on top of hers. “Oh, stop it. You know I love you, Tawan. I always got your back no matter what. Your boss is just lucky you stopped me from getting on a plane to let him know just exactly how I felt,” he half joked as he patted her hand.
Tawan playfully swatted at his hand and he chuckled at her, both of them taking a time machine back to their younger days of the way they would tease each other.
Despite the jovial atmosphere, both of them knew how serious he was about what he said. When Tawan called to tell him the bad news, not leaving any details out about her conversation with Mr. Tek, Wei was furious and told her he was on his way. Though he wanted to give her boss a piece of his mind, his main priority was to console, comfort, and support his sister her time of need.
He just wanted to be there to offer her and her family - his family - whatever support he could during such a life changing event under such unforgiving circumstances. Tawan assured him that things would be okay, even if she was still walking through so much thick fog between her losing her job and keeping her’s and Ira’s personal issues between them only. She knew without a doubt that he would show up for her without any hesitation, but she knew she needed to figure all this out with Ira first.
That was both a personal test and one for herself and Ira only.
In that moment, Tawan and Wei both realized that the only thing that separated them over time was distance. They would always show up for each other in their hour of need no matter what. It was how Tawan wanted to raise her children so that at the end of the day they always knew they had each other if she or Ira were not around.
“FleurDe’s launch went better than I’m sure you gave yourself the initial confidence for, too, I bet,” he stated knowingly, eyeing her expectantly.
Tawan playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Okay, okay. You don’t always have to be right,” she joked.
Wei let out a hearty laugh, similar to hers but a deeper sound. “Do you know anyone else who launches a business that practically turns them into an overnight celebrity?” He stated.
“Alright, now you’re crazy,” she laughed, waving him off.
“You know I’m right deep down,” he countered, reaching over to tickle her side.
Tawan laughed and squirmed from him, just like she always did when he tried to tickle her ever since she was a toddler and he heard her hearty laugh for the first time.
Her phone buzzed and she swatted at his hand one more time before reaching into her back pocket to fish it out. It was Ira letting her know that they were getting close so they could hide Wei in the twins bedroom to surprise them. He had brought them presents from home and told Tawan and Ira that he wanted to take them out. They did not need much convincing when he also added that they could have some alone time.
Neither woman could remember the last time they had time alone with all the craziness of the last few weeks.
Ira had a few advertisements to shoot for Rolex and Cartier who reached out last minute when their model got sick and had to cancel. She was already on their radar for consideration for future projects thanks to Tawan at the Versace after party. It felt like a whirlwind of opportunities since the show, but she jumped on every single one and it only catapulted her further into becoming an eventual household name.
For Tawan, Wei was mostly correct about her practically becoming a household name herself due to the first issue launch for FleurDe being a massive success all across the country. Meena was mostly to thank because she used her networking and market analysis skills and connections to guide her and her team towards the best outcome for the magazine. This was on top of aiming towards specific audiences like women, LGBTQ+, and younger demographics.
There was also the combination of Ira’s promotion on her rapidly growing and popular social medias after she made her other ones public. Both women were in sharp focus for a growing fanbase these days. People marveled by Ira’s fierce struts and delicate poses while also mesmerized by her mysterious, striking wife that was seemingly always hiding in the shadows in attendance to support her. Their relationship, though mostly private from the public eye, continued to have people curious and intrigued but now had spread further than anticipated.
Coincidentally, there were conversations about the both of them modeling together for a photoshoot because people thought Tawan should quit her day job and capitalize on her mesmerizing beauty.
Ira would hype it up every single time and Tawan would blush as she profusely shook her head at her like she was crazy. The last thing she ever wanted to do was take up space and attention away from her wife that was specifically for her in her world despite Ira’s insistence that she was okay with it. There was also the fact that Tawan would blanche at the thought of so many people’s eyes on her at once same as her apprehension for most large social gatherings.
“You ready?” Tawan asked, taking a gulp of her beer and standing.
“Yeah!” Wei said excitedly, standing and rubbing his hands on his pants.
Tawan’s belly laugh rumbled up to her chest and he grinned at it as she took their bottles and headed to the kitchen. Wei made his way down the hall to the twins bedroom and she heard the door close just as she heard the keys jingle in the front door. She walked back around to stand in the space between the kitchen and living room to welcome her family home, her smile growing into a grin.
The sounds of their little voices talking at the same time and so animatedly about something to Ira made her so thankful and grateful for the life and beautiful, warm home they had created.
“Momma!”
Star and Sammy threw their backpacks down before they both launched themselves at her full speed as if they had not seen her in days even though she and Ira both took them to school that morning.
Ira shook her head in amusement at them as she bent over to pick up their backpacks from the floor. With Tawan now the CEO/Editor-in-Chief at work - titles that would be merged for now until they could afford more people to absorb other roles - she was able to promote her philosophy of work/life balance. She gave everyone a half day today mostly because of Wei visiting but also because of the success of the launch of their first issue.
This was another reminder that this was meant to be, inevitable to say the least.
“My babies,” Tawan cooed, hoisting them up on her hips. She grunted and realized, sadly, that this was not something she was going to be able to do soon no matter how much time she put in the gym.
“Did you have a good day, Momma?” Sammy asked, playing with the collar of her shirt.
“I did. How about you two?” She asked, kissing their heads.
“Exhausted,” Star said dramatically, making her mothers burst into laughter.
“Where did you learn that word?” Ira quizzed, amused as she walked up to them. She grabbed Star’s nose and playfully wiggled it making her giggle.
“Yaya,” she answered, dodging her tickles on her belly now.
“OMG, of course,” Ira tutted teasingly in thought of her mother.
“What about you, my favorite boy?” Tawan asked, looking to him.
Sammy looked up in thought before beaming suddenly. “Um, well, we found a lizard outside and took it back to class,” he informed excitedly.
“Ewww,” Star gagged, hiding behind her mother’s head.
“Hmm, I wonder where you got that from,” Tawan muttered out loud to herself as she studied him.
Ira smacked the back of her hand to her stomach. “Hey! I don’t say anything when this one karate chops by plants,” she defended, pointing her eyes to their daughter.
Tawan laughed and turned to Star who was giggling behind her hand remembering when she walked by one of Ira’s plants and karate chopped at one of the hanging leaves. Her intrusive thoughts got the best of her and she thought no one was around when she did it. So when Ira yelled at her from the kitchen, she knew she got caught and took off running to Tawan in her office to hide. Sammy, the gentle soul that he is just like Ira, went up to the potted plant to pat the leaf his sister hit as both an apology and appeasement to Ira.
“Go put your stuff up in your bedroom,” Tawan instructed as she set them down.
“Momma, can we go get pizza?” Star asked, stepping to her to hold her leg. Like always, she used her best innocent and puppy dog eyes to get what she wanted.
“And cake!” Sammy added, hugging her other leg.
“We’ll see,” Tawan chuckled, untangling them and gently pushing them to go.
Star and Sammy cheered as they quickly collected their backpacks from Ira then took off down the hallway to their room to put their things away.
Tawan watched them go until they disappeared out of sight just as Ira sidled up beside her and linked her arms with hers. She rested her head on her strong shoulder and sighed, the end of the day catching up with her. Tawan turned her head and pressed a kiss to her hair before resting her nose there to inhale her.
“How long do you think it will take them to find him this time?” Ira asked amused, reminiscing to their birthday.
“Hmm,” Tawan hummed into her hair. “Hopefully not longer than two minutes because I bet him 700 baht.”
Just as they started to laugh, the unmistakeable sound of the twins screaming their heads off in excitement and Wei yelping like he was being pounced on shot down the hallway. Tawan jerked her unoccupied arm in victory, letting out a celebratory sound, and Ira giggled as she picked her head up to give her a kiss in congratulations.