Having Cousin Jackson over for dinner is like trying to sign a peace treaty with Hitler. You have to be civil (or at the very least pretend) and smile your way through, hoping he won’t be upset or spoil things up but inside your head you can picture yourself throwing him off a cliff and stabbing him a million times before lighting him on fire.

                Okay, so maybe it’s not as bad as it sounds. Tao says I exaggerate too much but I swear for most of the time it is true. Jackson is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and not any sheep too. A fine, beautiful well-bred sheep with the softest wool nature has ever seen. He was a Harvard graduate, a vice president of the firm he HELPED to find and had the eloquence and grace of a perfectly preened and pruned peacock. The aunties love him, including my mother. The other cousins, including his own sister have nothing much to say about him, but Luhan and I have hated him to a T (Tao says I exaggerate again. Fine, disliked him).

                “Well cousin Kris, it’s very nice seeing you again.” Jackson smiled as he shook my hand.

                “Jackson, I take it all is well with you.”

                “Oh fabulous. Have you heard that I managed to be on the cover of Forbes’ 10 Most Eligible Bachelors this year?”

                “Oh I’m sorry, was too busy working.” I laughed. “You know how it is, we have so many new projects coming up. It’s very difficult to socialize when you’re so busy making money.”

                “Well that explains the grey ends of your hair. Aging a little early eh?” he slapped me on the shoulder and laughed. “I do apologize on behalf of my workaholic cousin. You must have felt neglected all this time.” He shook Tao’s hand warmly, standing a little too close to my boyfriend.

                “Actually no he’s doing the best he can.” Tao smiled graciously, retracting his hand back. That’s Tao for you. Polite but firm. Also he’s got a black belt in mixed martial arts and he could probably break your neck. Firm legs and a firm , but you don’t need to know that.

                “Why don’t you go say hi to the rest of the family Jackson?”

                “Good idea, we will have plenty of time to catch up later.”

                “Over my dead body.” I muttered under my breath when he was out of earshot. Tao just smiled and rubbed the back of my palm. He doesn’t say much about my relationship with Jackson, but that’s the best part. The fact that he keeps his nose to himself is one of the things I love about him.

                Dinner was a fairly pleasant affair. Somewhat boring, with all the old relatives around, asking you how’s your job, the weather, when are you going to get married and so on. Tao has been around long enough he knows who to socialise with, how to answer annoying questions and lie through his teeth. I never worry about him, he’s always capable of handling himself.

                Mom got my Dad a firework’s show as a surprise to celebrate his retirement. She told Luhan and I beforehand and made us keep quiet about it. After dessert, she suggested we all go out to enjoy the summer night air. She looked pretty funny with her hands held high, fingers adorned with jewels as she tried to usher people out, kinda like a floppy paper doll in the wind.

                “Look at mom trying to get everyone out. I feel bad for her.” I shook my head.

                “You wanna go and help?”

                “Hey I don’t feel that bad.” I laughed and he laughed with me.

                “Come on now let’s not be mean. We should help mom.”

                “Hey Luhan,” I pulled him back before he could leave my side. “You know what this means right?”

                “What?”

                “It’s our last day as young men. Tomorrow, we become adults. When Dad announces our taking over, that’s when we step into the office.”

                “Oh yeah, I’m aware.” Luhan chuckled.

                “Listen I get dibs on the office with the lake view.”

                “Not fair! Why do you always call dibs on the good stuff?”

                “Because I’m the eldest.”

                “So what? Don’t make you boss of everything.” Luhan huffed, punching me in the shoulder. I laughed at him and we went to help our mother. Just in time too, because she gave a wave and the fireworks came on.

                Bursts of colour and fire spread across the sky like blooming flowers. Everyone was in awe of the beauty, and Tao had found himself in my arms again. I held him close and smelled the lavender detergent in his clothes and the slightly funky aftershave he had on. I looked over to Luhan, who was smiling and beaming at the bright lights.

                This was it. I could feel it then. The beginning of a brand new future. It was exciting, and I couldn’t wait for it to start. Something went wrong then, because the fireworks just stopped.

                 Kind of ironic for a guy who felt like his future was just beginning.

                “What’s going on? I ordered more than just that.” Mom went frantic, moving out of the balcony.

                “Stop mom. I’ll go fix it.”

                “You will?”

                “Sure mom. I’ll fix the fireworks.” Luhan smiled and ran out of the door. My mother came back in and a few minutes later, the fireworks continued. Endless showers of lights and colour spread across our eyes and infiltrated our ears. The party became even more glorious when it ended, like the fireworks gave everyone the spark they needed to liven up a little.

                The last words my brother said before he disappeared was “I’ll fix the fireworks.” He didn’t have to go and become one too.

A/N: It's kind of ironic how this chapter is named after fireworks and it's New Years Day here in Malaysia (or maybe eve depending on where you are). I swear I didn't plan this on purpose hahahahahaha

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