{ Chapter Forty-One: When the Romantic Comedy Finally Meets its Destination }
JAMES IS SO GRATEFUL TO SEE JANICE (who is glittering under the porch light and he has never seen anything so magical) that he can stomach not punching Karlo in the face when the guy snatches the macarons from his hands before he can even say hello.
"Oh, caramel!" Karlo says gleefully, rummaging through the small note on the side with the flavours outlined (his mother insisted just in case there really is something they had an allergy to). "My favourite! You shouldn't have."
"Because he didn't!" Janice gives James a sympathetic look before stepping back. "Sorry about the hyperactive child over here." Her voice is gentle as she leans in. James can smell the vanilla. "I'm excited to eat them. Now, come in and meet the final boss of the family."
Before he steps in, the first words already tumble out of his mouth. "Janice, you look absolutely gorgeous. A-line cut? With the stitched denim. Fabulous. Brielle would be proud."
"Right?" Janice says, twirling a little to give the full look, and his eyes follow her movement so carefully he can tell she's blushing. "I gave her a call after we hung up but I think I look less like a Christmas decoration than I thought." She gestures to her hair and the green, and he doesn't bother to hold back a laugh.
Janice then lifts up to touch his elbow and clears her throat, turning to look behind her. "Uh, James. This is my dad, Marcus Diablo."
It only takes James to give one glance at the Diablo head and realize he is well and truly sure that this man could throw him into an automobile mixer, cover him in cement, throw his body into the Ohio rivers, and he would say thank you for your service.
With the way Marcus is sizing him up, brooding and silent, the blond doesn't believe there's anything else he can even say.
James wipes his sweaty palms on his white button-down before stretching his hand out in front of him. Might as well lay it thick, he thinks. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Diablo. Sorry for intruding so suddenly and spontaneously."
"As long as you know," the man's deep voice reverberates and James fights off a shiver.
"I brought a peace offering," he throws out, trying not to be timid as he points towards the macarons in Janice's hands.
Why didn't I just bring a cake like a normal person? the blond internally curses.
"Dad," Janice hisses at his side, elbowing her dad gently. Louder, she says to Karlo, "Go tell everyone James is here so they can start setting up. Which I know the twins haven't already."
"I'll go do that," Karlo says quickly, just as loud, already making his way to the backyard in record-time.
"Oh, shoot," Janice suddenly blurts out after he leaves. At James' questioning glance, she sends him a sheepish smile. "I have to go get some things from the fridge in the garage I put yesterday for dinner. Why don't you keep my dad company while I go and do that?"
How about the hell not, you conniving woman, James simmers.
Attractive? All he sees is evil. Pure sin. Complete Diablo.
What comes out of his mouth is a choked, "Yes, of course, go do that," before Janice disappears around the corner and down the stairs where the basement connects to the garage (easier access than going outside the front door).
Not being able to bear it if there is a sudden awkward silence, James tries to wrack his brain with anything that comes to mind. Coughing into his fist, his tongue is already running to say, "So, Mr. Diablo, I hear you enjoy cars?" and wants to bite it off after he realizes this is the second dumbest thing that could've come out of his mouth aside from "How's the weather?"
Thankfully, Mr. Diablo shows some mercy. "Wouldn't want to run a whole business on something I hate, would I?"
"Absolutely." He's so screwed. "Uh, I wanted to say thank you. Again. For having me at all."
James' awkward word fumble is so bad that he cuts himself off to exhale before trying again. "What I mean to get at is this must have been very random. For both of us. But I really want to make the best out of this." With an afterthought, he tags at the end, "Sir."
Remarkably, Marcus finally breaks his brooding facade and lets out an indelicate snort that reminds James of Karlo. "Kid, if I wanted to interrogate you, I would've called Uncle Jerry from the boxing arena." He offers the signature Diablo lopsided smirk as a truce. "Don't let your guard down yet, though. I'm going to be letting my sister Maria do all the talking as I watch from the sidelines today. Also, don't call me sir—I'm fine with Mr. Diablo for now."
James pales but decides that he'll rise to the bait. "Anything you'd like to know before the third degree?"
Marcus's smirk turns into a full-blown grin. It speaks of danger that flashes in the man's chocolate brown eyes. "All I need to know is how serious you are about Janice." He lifts a hand up to stop any love confession already at the tip of James' lip (which is always there if anyone bothers to ask). "Don't tell me it. I'm more a show-don't-tell sort of guy. Just know your body language can't hide the true feelings you have and I'm going to be watching." His razor-sharp gaze cuts so deep into James he can feel his insides twist. "I believe my family when they say you're a good kid. You seem like one. Just be yourself and I'll try not to hate you too much at surface level. Got it?"
James manages to nod before mercifully being saved by Karlo popping back in to gather the two, the twins already on his heels behind him. "You guys can come now, everything's set up! Where's Janice?"
"Coming!" All five hear the girl's voice echo from the staircase, and following the sound is the redhead in full glory, with two huge boxes of pasta and garlic bread stacked atop each other already in her hands. "Give me a second, these are heavy because of the milk."
James doesn't need any prompt before he's already taking both boxes from her hands.
Janice widens her eyes before trying to reach for the top. "I can carry them, it's alright."
He shakes his head. He knows Janice is self-reliant, but he figures that since she's already made the actual dinner and carried it up the stairs, he may as well help her take it from here to the backyard. "I'll carry these but you can get the macarons. I have no faith that your brothers won't sneak a bite before dinner."
"I take offence to that," Alejandro sniffs, crossing his arms. "Dessert before a meal is so a brunch thing. Get with the times, James."
Marcus silently takes the drinks from the pantry as they bicker, and motions for them to start walking. "Let's hurry and get on our way before Maria gives us all the charred BBQ meat."
As if on cue, Maria's crackle of, "Everyone hurry up before Shawn burns your serving and my $200 worth of chicken breast!" that they finally make their way to the back.
"Don't worry too much about my dad," Janice says to James as they linger behind, letting the other Diablo men take the lead. "He's harmless and he knows how much you mean to me."
Smiling, James gives the redhead a small hip bump. "I'm worried more about your aunt making me confess to my elementary school secrets in the middle of a conversation about I don't know, what I wanted to be as a kid."
Janice giggles. "If you feel any better, I wanted to be a botanist."
That makes James almost stop in his tracks. "You? Ms. Killer-Of-Anything-I-Touch?"
Snorting, Janice explains, "I thought that people who could garden and do plants were using secret powers or something. Like, my uncle, Rodrick used to speak to his plants and I genuinely used to think he was doing some sort of spell to make them grow because he always had the nicest tomatoes."
"Wow, so what do you tell plants to do? Bully them?" he jibes, laughing to show that her distraction tactic has worked.
Sitting down, next to each other, James quickly faces Aunt Maria and who he assumes is her husband, Uncle Shawn, with a quick greeting. "James, James!" Maria coos and the man in question only manage an awkward smile in return.
"Ah, Ms. Maria," he continues nervously. He takes his place next to Janice at the end of the patio table, with Aáron at his left and Mr. Diablo in front. "The nails go really well with that dress."
"Ah, a flatterer," she says happily, eating up his sweetness. "Love a sweet talker."
"Isn't she diabetic?" Aàron mumbles beside James, and the blond coughs in his hand to cover his laugh.
Maria continues on. "So, James. I hear you're a supervising manager for your store?"
"What store?" Marcus asks, taking a gulp of the diet cola in front.
"Women's apparel," Alejandro chimes in, reaching out to take another chicken onto his plate, with his twin mirroring his action by taking four scoops of lasagna on the side. "Super chic. Gets discounts and everything."
"Didn't Janice use to work—Ow!" Aaron cuts himself off, rubbing his knee. He glares back at Janice, who furrows her eyebrows in a warning. "Uh, um, hey, Aunt Maria, the, uh, chicken is too salty...?"
"Didn't you just say it was too sweet?" she replies dryly.
"... Anyways, James," Aaron backtracks. Everyone man for themselves. "How do you feel about Janice..." Feeling his sister's death glare burn into him, he finishes with, "...'s pasta?"
Awkwardly laughing, James cuts in, trying to salvage the situation. "I really like it." He turns his head to catch Janice's eyes and flashes her a crooked smile. "A lot."
Janice tries to hold a poker face, but her red cheeks give her away. "So," she says, desperate to get the attention off them so she could breathe. "James is probably famished. I know I am! Hahaha... so Uncle Shawn, I hear you got a new contract job..."
"Does that mean you guys are going to finally move out?" Aaron asks, tearing through his drumstick with as much as grace as a starving lion.
Only after swallowing does he realize that everyone's staring at him. "Okay, fine, I'll stuff my face and shut up."
In response, Janice just takes a large bite of her pasta and prays that things only go uphill from here.
•∞•
THANKFULLY, HER PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED AS the dinnertime conversation mercifully flows without any other overbearing calls (though not for the lack of Maria's trying) until they are slowly finishing up their last few bites.
"I can clean up. You all can start to go back inside," Janice tells her family, pointedly looking at the door and tilting her head. She wants to get some actual conversation done with James (her ears are still red whenever she thinks of what she hopes for).
"I'll go prepare something for you to take home," Aunt Maria says to the guest of honour as they rise from the table. She gestures for Marcus and her husband to pick up some of the bowls (she did just do her nails). "You know what they say. Tupperware is just an adult's goodie bag, and I'm sure you'll remember this dinner. Come on, kids, let's leave the two to speak for a bit."
With an indiscrete wink, Maria carries her children and motions for everyone to go back into the house.
"Good luck," Karlo whispers in James' ears before walking out. Aaron just gives two thumbs-ups, his mouth still stuffed with the last piece of garlic bread.
Before James can process, Alejandro also passes by to tell him, "Aunt Maria and I placed a bet of $50 you confess tonight. Don't disappoint me."
"Perfect," the blonde mumbles irritably, rubbing his neck. "No pressure or anything."
Thankfully, Janice's dad spares James any more of the break-your-leg-if-I-catch-my-daughter-having-red-eyes talk but instead holds his stare at him for a lengthy, ten seconds that truly does all the talking.
It isn't until everyone has left that the stress catches up to him. His legs wobble and he stretches out to snatch the empty plates from Janice's hands as a means of distraction. There was a weird energy in the air, culminated from questions of what isn't being said and of who would stop being the coward to ask them.
The uneasy silence between the two only serves to make it more difficult for either of them to take that risk. It leaves a stone in James' stomach, stilling so deep in his gut that the discomfort finally pushes him to make the first move.
Messily stacking the dishes atop one another, James holds his breath before turning to the person he can't get out of his head.
"So," James says, coughing.
He keeps his gaze at the styrofoam plates in front of him ("Since Janice cooked, we'd have been on dishwashing duty. So we decided to just chuck the one-time plates out instead," Karlo had told him), before biting the bullet to cut down the tension in the air. "That was delicious."
While not exactly what he wanted to say, he doesn't mind when he notices Janice light up beside him. "Really?" she says brightly, stacking the leftovers from the plates back into one of the empty boxes she had brought the food in. "I was thinking of doing a Mexican taco night but then realized you can handle only one condiment in your life, and that would've been salt."
"It's the only stereotype I can conform to," James rebuts snidely. "It's not my fault I haven't burned off all the taste buds in my tongue yet."
"One glass ceiling you'll never have to get over," Janice agrees, laughing.
And just like that, the easy chemistry between the two breaks the uncomfortable feeling inside both of them. James finds a staggering relief—while confident in what he feels, he had been worried that the dynamic between the two wouldn't have been enough. That this day would've been a "right person, wrong time" sorta scenario, and he knows he would never have been able to get over that sort of screw up.
But this right here; the fluid banter, in their ability to be so true to themselves with one another, no pretenses or masks in place but just their raw selves; this is what he wants.
He only prays she wants it, too.
"You know," he begins, but stops to take out a chair from the table and gestures for Janice to sit in, who giddily accepts the offer. Once he leans back on the table and faces her, he continues. "When I met you, I knew you were someone who had no experience in sales."
"Is that so?" Janice says slowly. "Not sure how to take that."
He grins. "Sales is all about the face. You have to have a stiff 'I'm-so-happy-to-be-here' smile and a plastic gaze because you don't want the customers to know what you're really thinking. You know, when Brielle faced that one lady who was convinced lingerie was going to be the saving grace for her failed marriage?"
He watches Janice shudder at the memory. "See, that right there. You wear your heart on your sleeve. In fact, I wasn't even planning on giving you the position. You were completely out of your element and I didn't know what to expect if I left you unintended with a nasty woman with a Narcissist complex."
"Why did you give me the job?" Janice wonders aloud. "I didn't even bring a resume to give you, even if I emailed it after. You hired me right away. In fact," she thinks about it, horrified, "I think I was even sarcastic."
James snorts. "I love how you're horrified now. Actually, we were really understaffed and no one had applied so I kind of needed anyone, even if it meant you had a smart mouth on you."
"There goes my dream of assuming I got the job because I was awe-inspiring," Janice says drily. "Is this where you open up about everything? What else do you have in your pandora box?"
Smiling, James loosely clasps his hands in front of him over his thighs (or else he'd give in to the temptation of running his fingers through Janice's hair). "I expected you to only stay for a couple weeks before you quit. I didn't plan on meeting you outside of work or warming up to you this closely. I didn't think you and I would ever get to the point where I'd freak out about what sorta dessert to bring to your house for an impromptu house visit." His eyes glitter with all the unspoken words. "Especially when I haven't even asked you out yet."
Janice's sharp intake of breath is the only sound she can process over the erratic beating of her heart. She tries to speak, but her mouth feels drier than sandpaper. Still, she had already let the guy do most of the work. Licking her lips, she manages a small, "So, are you going to?"
"I don't know," he drawls, amusement dripping from his words. "Are you going to say yes?"
Janice wants to say the yes that's threatening to rip from out of her chest, but she knows that's not what James wants.
So she gives him her honesty.
"I have never been as happy, and confident as when I'm with you," she says slowly. She doesn't want to craft sentences that go around the issue, but her transparency on this step would change their relationship forever, and she can't bear ruining it before anything has already begun. "You make me laugh. You give me back as much as I give you and more. You're kind and willing and I feel like a better person when I'm with you. But I'm scared. I'm scared I'm going to lose that sort of friendship if we take this step, because I've had so many relationships in my life be severed and abandoned, and I don't know if I could handle it if we fell apart."
And it's a testament to how well James knows Janice, this bright, adventurous woman in front of him, that he remains quiet. He offers no empty promises to dissuade her fears but lets her confront them herself. On his part, he allows her to be vulnerable with him, raw and real, and lets his hands rest over hers to do the reassuring.
She is her own fighter for these self-torn battles, of course.
"However," Janice says after collecting herself, because she is a risk-taker above all else. "However, I can't deny that we have something special. It sounds sappy and like a lot of fluff, but I like the version of myself I am when I have you by my side. That confidence? The self-assuredness? You bring out parts of me I could never recognize."
Fiddling with his fingers, Janice decides she's stalled enough. "So this is me playing the Uno reverse card and asking if you're sure you want to go out with me?"
It must be the right words to say, she muses faintly as she takes in how this guy (boyfriend? how sappy) grins as if she had offered him the world. "Hm. I'll say yes if you break the news to your family first. Tomorrow, so Alejandro loses fifty bucks instead."
"Striking a hard bargain. Making my brother lose money?" Janice smirks, saluting. "Yes, sir."
The rattling of the door drives them out of their moment. Karlo pops his head out from the opened door, lips pinched as if he is trying not to smile. "You kids ready or do you need some more time?" He wags his eyebrows up and down.
Janice can't find it in herself to retort. She rolls her eyes instead and stands up from her chair. She's pulling James behind her (who still has the dopiest expression she's only ever seen on him when they walk past the pet shop in the mall during break) to the door. "I'll walk James out to the front since it's getting late. You all can clean up."
Karlo clucks his tongue. He waits until the two are near him before shoving two boxes of food that Aunt Maria had readied into James' hand. "No funny business. Dad's waiting by the front porch like a hawk."
"We won't do anything!" Janice elbows her brother, ear tips burning.
Unfortunately, Janice finds no reprieve from the embarrassment when she makes the walk to the front door. A chorus of "Love you, James!" and "I better not have lost $50!" are echoed by the twins, and Aunt Maria is conveniently standing next to her brother near the front door.
"Come again, any time," her aunt coos.
"With such a warm welcome, how could I ever refuse?" James agrees. The arm at his side casually slides against Janice's, the distance reminiscent of almost-there and not-quite-yet.
He decides not to do anything more than a slight brush in front of Janice's dad, unless he wants his arm detached from his body.
Speaking of the devil (with the flames in his eyes, how else can he be described?), Janice's dad reaches out for a handshake.
Gulping, James accepts. When Marcus leans forward and whispers, "I know how to make anything look like a car accident if needed," James meekly nods, too focused on the intense grip on his right hand.
"Now, now," Aunt Maria chimes in, breaking the two apart. She latches onto her brother's arm and starts tugging him to the kitchen. "You two can head straight to the car. Janice, won't you see him off? I'll take your dad with me to, uh, clean out the dishwasher."
"We don't use the dishwasher. It's for the lunch boxes," Marcus replies, confused, but lets himself be dragged to the kitchen. His parting glance (flames were shooting out now, he's sure) makes James stupidly nod, not even sure what he's agreeing to.
When they make their way to the car, James waits. Fiddling with the door handle, he turns back to Janice.
She plays with a strand of her hair, looping it with her index. "Make sure you text me when you get home."
He tucks in the strand she's playing with behind her ear, smiling softly. His hand cups her cheek, and something in his chest blooms when she leans into it. "Really? I thought you were going to be on call with Brielle and my sister instead."
He moves his head down until his lips brush her forehead. "Eat the macarons before your brothers demolish them, okay?"
The playful giggle makes his smile widen. "You say that as if they likely haven't already just to be petty."
Tugging (his girl) Janice closer, he wraps his arms around her petite frame, just relishing in her warmth. "Thank you for coming into my life, Janice."
He can feel her smile, as if she wishes to imprint it on his body. "Only took a car breaking down and driving in a few circles before we got here, huh?"
He tightens his hold until all Janice can think about is his body heat and the chuckle reverberating from him. They stay like that for a few more seconds before he lets go, giving her one more lingering kiss on the forehead before clambering into his seat in the car.
Janice steps back to give him space to leave, faintly touching the spot his lips had touched. It tickles, just like her fingertips, and she doesn't stop smiling even after James's car disappear around the turn.
She stays outside for a couple of minutes, just relishing in the brilliance of existing. She closes her eyes and appreciates the stale breeze and silence of the approaching night. Her heart is full, her body is relaxed, and her mind is calm.
She stores this feeling of tranquillity into a memory she will remember when the chaos of daily life gets too loud. Of contentment, of peaceful existence, and happiness in its most tangible form.
For now, nothing about this day could go wrong.
•∞•
10:30PM, PRINCIPAL REBECCA PARKER HAS SENT AN EMAIL.
"Dear Janice Diablo and Mackenzie Montgomery,
After careful deliberation, I have made the executive decision to not penalize anyone about the incident that has occurred as of last week. With limited evidence and the unsuccessful mediation between the two of your families, I have decided to have this matter dropped.
This was not a decision made lightly. Unfortunately, this incident has been flagged in the system as you each prove to hold an intense track history, especially with one another. The faculty has encouraged me to have you two involved in a more personable training, as the next time either of you is in trouble, you will not only be suspended but may have your graduation status postponed.
That being said, Ms. Diablo and Ms. Montgomery, report to my office one hour before class starts. Each of you will be working together on completing 30 volunteer hours on school property, effective Monday. I hope to see both of you in high spirits. I have already obtained permission from your guardians and will not find this matter negotiable.
I will see you two Monday. Enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Parker.
P. S. Please be prepared for some heavy-duty work. It is advised you bring your school clothes separately to change into as you may sweat through them."
•∞•
A/N: Will update once a month (or may twice this month since things are really hard and hopefully my terrible writing can make some people feel better).
Wow, they're finally dating. Only took me almost 70K words but who's complaining????
.... all of you I'm so sorry
ALSO: In honour of BLM, this random plot bunny of Mackenzie and Janice is meant to tie down some of Janice's character development as a person (from easily angry to someone who can communicate) and try to break down her take on white privilege. It's clear in this story that she has been ridiculed as an adopted person because it IS difficult accepting differences for people who are stuck in conservative ways, but she has never had that influence her as a person when encountering others and I think that's really my favourite part about her character profile. Having a loving, educative family environment is so, so key. And so is educating others.
I don't believe in two-dimensional characters, and I want it to be challenged. Hopefully, it goes the way I want it.
There are only a few more chapters before the end now. Thank you for sticking this long to have it happen :)
Yours truly,
Sarena