Mai Legacy
1.19 - The Dishmans
“Alright, so this is how it’s going down. My parents want to meet your parents, so they’ll have over them, your sister, and like some of your parent’s friends,” Jocelyn said into the phone.
“And why are they doing this again?” Seth responded.
“Long story short, they think we’re secretly dating and nothing I say will convince them otherwise,” Jocelyn sighed.
Seth didn’t really know how to respond. Sure, he liked Jocelyn as a friend, but romantically? He hadn’t thought about that. He’d been too preoccupied questioning his own sexuality and potential feelings for Maverick to even consider the idea of actually dating anyone. And, judging by the way things had been looking over the past few weeks, Leah was definitely going to nail Maverick.
“Seth?” Jocelyn asked. “Cat got your tongue?”
“I-I’m fine,” Seth stuttered. “I’m just surprised to hear that.”
“If you’re that concerned about them thinking that, just talk to them. I’m sure my parents would believe you. They’re so excited about the idea of little me marrying into a Legacy family that nothing I say sways their opinion.”
“O-okay, I’ll do that.”
“Alright-y. See you later, Seth,” Jocelyn said.
She hung up, and Seth shook his head. He really needed to figure things out. He had a feeling Leah was further ahead of him on the path to being the heir, and he couldn’t catch up because he spent too much time mulling over his own feelings. At this rate, Leah would marry Maverick on a whim, like Susan and James did, and with a spouse, she’d have nothing else to worry about but completing her goals to become heir.
Didn’t help that Seth spent some nights unable to sleep, his mind replaying the moment he’d kissed Maverick. Susan and James had warned him. Being petty never lead to anything good, and well, he’d been petty, and now here he was, stuck in a rut. Maybe at this point it’d be better if he just let Leah get to Maverick and married Jocelyn because it was convenient.
Seth sighed, and walked to Leah’s room. He opened the door, and walked in on her taking selfies.
“How do I look Seth?” Leah asked. “Think this is a good enough look for Maverick?”
“Just don’t, Leah,” Seth sighed.
“What? Mad I’m taking the man you tried to steal from me from you? I’m not going to pity you, you know. Taking Maverick’s first kiss? What were you thinking?”
“I… I wasn’t…”
“Exactly. Just because of that one stupid thing, poor little Maverick is questioning everything. And we can’t have that. I have to send selfies, nudes, something, all the time to remind him that I’m here. His girlfriend is here for him in this difficult time.”
“Girlfriend? Since when you have two been dating?” Seth exclaimed.
“Since last Tuesday,” Leah shrugged. “You mad?”
“…I just came in here to say Jocelyn invited you and some others over for dinner later today.”
“Ah! There you go, Seth! Maybe if you start seeing Jocelyn, you’ll actually catch up to me! Cause we both know that right now, I’m set up to be the next heir,” Leah grinned.
Seth didn’t even respond. He gave Leah a forced smile, and drifted out of her room.
Before all of this, Leah and Seth were best friends. Susan and James hadn’t really explained what heir meant before the two of them became teenagers. Sure, they’d always known they had some grand future ahead of them- the fact that they’d missed all their toddler years a clear example of that. Maybe, in the end, all this conflict existed purely because James and Susan and set this huge burden on their shoulders right after they became teenagers. Being a teenager was hard enough as it was, and maybe, just maybe, if they could have avoided that sudden burden Leah and Seth could have maintained that blissful friendship from their childhood.
“Hello, hello! Welcome!” Jocelyn’s mom, Sara, said when she greeted James and Susan at her front door. “I’ve heard so much about your family from my Jocelyn!”
“It’s good to meet you,” James nodded.
“Jocelyn’s been great,” Susan added. “Seth was never the best at making friends, and I’m glad he finally has a good one.”
Jocelyn’s dad came to the door, and Sara gestured towards him. “This is my husband, Rene.”
Susan and James said their hellos, and Sara and Rene led them inside, where Ulrike, Seth, Leah, Aarohi, and Aarohi’s now-husband, Joe, were already hanging out.
A ginger haired boy they’d never seen before sulked in the corner.
“That’s Ivan,” Sara whispered to Susan. “He’s pretty bitter that Jocelyn’s managed to get close to someone from a legacy family.”
“That’s a shame,” Susan sighed. “We’re honestly no different from a regular family. Two siblings fighting in any way is tragic, we’ve always taught Leah and Seth to talk out their differences instead of having pointless arguments. Can't say the lesson always sticks, but hey, as a mother, you've got to try, right?"
“Yeah, I guess so. Jocelyn and Ivan have never really gotten along. Even right after we adopted the two of them, they never seemed to click. Raised them as siblings from around five, and nothing worked. At a certain point, just... what can a mother do?”
“Jocelyn?” Rene hollered up the stairs. “Everyone’s here, you can stop trying to make yourself look pretty.”
“Coming!” Jocelyn shouted back.
“What a drama queen,” Ivan snorted.
“Ivan,” Sara warned.
Jocelyn came hurrying down the stairs, and nearly ran into Seth.
“So sorry,” she laughed.
Ivan rolled his eyes, and Ulrike walked over to him.
“She is rather dramatic, isn’t she?” she muttered.
“Finally someone gets it,” Ivan responded.
With Jocelyn’s arrival, the party started.
“I don’t think you’ve met Joe yet,” Aarohi said, walking over to James and Susan.
Joe waved, and James and Susan nodded their hellos.
“Last I heard, you two were thinking about kids,” Susan said.
Aarohi smiled. “Two weeks pregnant.”
“Congratulations!” Susan exclaimed.
Seth and Jocelyn sat at the dining room table with Sara and Rene.
“Jocelyn keeps telling us that you two aren’t dating, but there’s no need to keep secrets from us,” Rene said. “You can tell us the truth, we won’t tell your parents.”
“Mom,” Jocelyn groaned.
Seth’s mind whirled, and making a split second decision, he put a comforting hand on Jocelyn’s leg.
“Yeah, we are. Since last Tuesday.”
Seth wasn’t going to get Maverick. Leah made that clear. If she’d been dating him since last Tuesday, well, he’d been dating Jocelyn since last Tuesday. With that, he’d finally leveled the playing field.
“And you can tell my parents if you want. I don’t believe in keeping relationships a secret.”
Leah, who was listening in, frowned. She knew he was doing this to make jabs at her. She hadn’t told Susan and James about Maverick because they didn’t like him. Not because of him, but because of the drama he caused in the household. Leah and Seth weren’t supposed to get involved with him romantically any longer. And that was exactly what she’d done.
Outside, a figure cursed.
“So Seth isn’t gay?” Hajar groaned. “I shouldn’t have listened to Joaquin. Don’t leak it to the press, he said! Leave the poor kid alone, he said! I could have damaged that kid beyond repair.”
She pulled out her phone. “Way to go, genius. You’ve fucked everything up,” she barked into it.
Joaquin muttered something in reply, but Hajar ignored it. She would find some way to get back at the Mai family for destroying her legacy. Joaquin may have given up, but she wouldn’t. Not ever.