Victor: Her Ruthless Crush by Theodora Taylor (beach read book TXT) 📕

it, she screwed up her face and said, “I think it maybe it sort of went something like this…?

Then she approximated a sign that only bore a passing resemblance to the one he'd shown her.

“No,” Victor answered, in American sign language so she wouldn’t mistake his meaning.

But when he gave her the real sign, she signed and said at the same time, “Wait, I was close. I think I should get half point for that.”

Noting the signs for HALF POINT, he answered, “No half point.”

“That's so unfair!” She signed and whined at the same time.

An argument ensued, in which they both learned how to say a few more words in their separate sign languages. Like UNFAIR… RULES… MEAN… and perhaps most importantly, as far as Dawn was concerned, CHEAT.

But then they were interrupted by Donny saying in Cantonese, “Victor, it is time for your next appointment.”

Victor looked up to find Donny standing in the doorway with his favorite escort. Her name was Ayane, and she was wearing a cocktail dress that perfectly highlighted her willowy figure.

Victor blinked at the sight. Was it that late already? It would seem that an hour and a half had passed without him checking the time once.

Both he and Dawn jumped to their feet.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” she said, looking at her watch. “We went way over.”

Her eyes skittered away from him again, and she stared openly at Ayane.

Ayane was one of the most beautiful women available from Red Diamond’s Japanese escort agency. Always in high demand, his father had ordered her to visit Victor every Thursday. Most others would consider him lucky.

But shame washed over him as Dawn stared at the woman who had interrupted their good time. And though he owed his tutor no explanation, he found himself wanting to tell her that this woman was no one special to him. Merely a servant, paid handsomely to please him.

But then, Dawn recovered. She looked back to Victor, signing and talking as she had before. “I'll go now. It was nice meeting you. This one time.”

This one time.

The three words floated out of her mouth but pierced Victor’s chest like a lead bullet. There was a sinking feeling inside of him as he answered with one of the signs she’d taught him in ASL: “Thank you.”

She silently signed back, “You’re welcome,” in half-point CSL and smiled up at him.

But her smile. It didn't reach her eyes. Not like it had when they’d been playing their game.

He raised his hands, struggling to come up with a combination of simple signs to tell her to stay. He wanted to offer to send Ayane away and ask if maybe they could have dinner.

But before he could, she dashed away, pushing past Donny and Ayane without any further goodbyes.

“That fat black girl speaks sign language?” Ayane asked in Japanese, staring after her with a giggle. “Oh, how cute! Is she your new tutor, Victor-san?”

Yes, Victor decided right then and there. She was his new tutor. Despite what he’d written to save face, this wouldn’t be a one-time thing.

3

DAWN

I didn't catch every word the beautiful woman said in Japanese to Victor. But I did manage to pick out "fat," "black," and "sign language." So I assumed she was talking about me.

I could hear her laughing afterward. Maybe Victor was laughing too. I remembered the way his shoulders shook with silent amusement as we argued about half points.

And that memory made me feel even more silly and stupid as I walked away.

Why had I been so shocked when a pretty woman who obviously wasn't any kind of teacher showed up in Victor's suite? Of course, a guy as good-looking as Victor would have a girlfriend who was just as insanely hot as he was.

And, of course, she'd make fun of me, the chubby American. I should be used to it by now after three years in Japan. There was no kind of "beauty at any size" movement here, like back in the States. In Nihon, you were either thin and pretty or fat and funny. Fat people were almost exclusively relegated to the role of the buffoon in J-dramas. So, of course, Victor and his Japanese girlfriend would laugh at me.

Just because Victor and I had a lot of fun during our one-time tutoring session didn't mean that he found me as cute and interesting as I found him. Obviously, he preferred skinny Asian women who looked like they had just walked out of an ad for something crazy expensive.

Could I be any more ridiculous to think I’d felt something sparking between us while we exchanged signs?

My face stayed hot with embarrassment the whole train ride home back to Adachi-ku, where we lived.

When I walked in, I found Dad sitting on the couch, reading the Mainichi Shogakusei Shinbun. Technically, it was a Japanese newspaper meant for kids, but Dad liked to use it for his language study.

I could see Mom moving around our open plan kitchen, making dinner. The whole apartment smelled like kimchi and her extra garlicky version of pork bulgogi. But my heart didn't jump with excitement like it usually did when Mom made my favorite dish.

I was still too ashamed about what had happened with Victor.

“How did it go with the Chinese boy?” Dad asked from the couch, lowering the kanji-covered paper.

My frustration and anger clutching for something to grab onto, I scowled at him. “Why did you call him a boy? He looked like a full-grown man. I literally asked him where his little brother was because I didn’t think that guy could possibly be Victor.”

Dad chuckled. “I suppose to somebody as young as you, he comes off as older. But I’m pretty sure he’s only high school age.”

The same age as me, but nothing like me. Sign language was the only thing we had in common. I’d only imagined feeling a real connection between us as we played the sign game I’d made up. Idiot, idiot, idiot.

“From the look on your face, I’m