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“I’m sorry,” she said. Her lungs pulled in a string of short, quick breaths. “I didn’t know what to do and I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I whispered as a thump of pressure behind me let me know that Oli and June had wrapped themselves around us. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
It honestly couldn’t have been more perfect. I needed her here with me. It seemed she needed us too, or she wouldn’t have shown up in such a way. I was determined to figure out what was going on with her, but first, we had to get upstairs.
Signaling with my chin, I asked Oli to grab the suitcase so I could carry Kai up. I didn’t want to let her go for even a moment. I sat her on my hip, and she bunched my T-shirt into little fists as she clawed into me.
She remained hidden in my shoulder until we stepped into the apartment, at which point she lifted her head. I pressed my fingers to her temple and wiped my thumb across her teary cheek to dry her off. In return, she leaned back down to wipe her runny nose on my shoulder, using my T-shirt sleeve as a tissue.
“Cool. Thanks, Kai.”
She let out a goofy hum and wriggled herself down from me. Upon planting her feet, she looked out across our living room in absolute awe. I wasn’t sure why. It was nothing more than an open area with a kitchen and an island of black stone to the left and some gray couches and a TV in front of it, constituting a living room area to the right. The walls were white and chalky like zolpidem and the curtains around the window of the living room area were but wisps of a similar color. It was nice, sure, but nothing to gawk at.
“This place is amazing,” she said. “Two couches and a loveseat? There aren’t even enough butts living in this house to fill all that furniture. My place is only 30 meters squared.” Whatever that meant.
I looked at the three pieces of furniture that crowded the coffee table in front of the TV, separating the living room side from the kitchen side. I then looked back down at her. The poor thing was so easy to please. Not that I judged her for it. I loved her for it, but others seemed to take advantage.
The attention I maintained on Kai was broken when I noticed June clinking around in the white cabinets to the left. She pulled out a bottle of wine and flashed it at Kai, who immediately placed her pointer finger on her puffy nose and then directed it back to June. Some secret girl code that meant they were on the same page about getting drunk.
I stood behind Kai and clasped my fingers around her wrist. I finally got my best friend back and June was already stealing her away.
“Let’s get you a shower first,” I said.
“¿Por qué no los dos?” June asked, imitating the Old El Paso Taco Girl. Why not both?
It seemed Oli was in on the fun as well because upon returning from leaving Kai’s suitcase in my room, he grabbed four glasses from the cupboard. “Woohoo! Bathroom meeting!”
I sighed. Fine.
“Wait, but hold on,” Kai said urgently, placing her hand in the air and stopping everyone in their tracks. “I need to say something first.” My heart rate shot up. Not that it had been even remotely steady in the last ten minutes. Or the last ten years, for that matter. I inspected her over her shoulder as she paused and sucked up a large sniffle. “Uhm…” Then, she pointed her thumb backward at me. “When did Skrillex move in?”
Oli and June practically fell to the floor with laughter as I chewed back my smile. Kai’s swollen face turned to me with a new grin.
My hair. My fucking hair. It was a bet, okay? And I hated myself enough to let it happen. Long story short, my black hair was shaved on one side as of last night. Apparently, Kai hadn’t seen the group chat filled with pictures of Oli dragging his beard trimmer over my scalp. Though, come to think of it, she’d probably been on a plane. Suddenly, I felt like an asshole for being upset that she hadn’t texted me back.
“He lost three straight games of Scrabble!” Oli stuck a teasing finger out at me. “It was best three out of five. We bet either his hair or my beard.”
“Ew!” Kai’s face twisted. “I much prefer this version of Jonah than that version of Oli.”
“Right?” June asked. “That’s what I said!”
Oli flicked June’s shoulder, and she giggled.
Kai crossed her arms and looked at all of us with a wrinkled brow. “What I’d really like to know is what the fuck you losers are doing playing Scrabble for fun.”
“All right,” I said, scooping her up in my arms and ending the conversation right there. “That’s enough outta you.”
A yelp escaped her as I lifted her like a true damsel in distress, slo-mo lifeguard style. Right on cue, sarcastic, minxy Kai emerged through her snotty sniffles, weaving her fingers through my hair. “Oh, but it’s not. It’s so sexy, so edgy! Jonah, it’s like you actually have a personality now!” She turned herself in my grasp, hanging on me like a monkey and making it difficult for me to keep hold, but I did. We wrestled with each other as I carried her down the hall.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get you cleaned up. You smell like airplane.”
We entered my room, and I moved straight to the bed to toss her on it. I was on my way to lean over and mess up her ponytail, but she must’ve caught on because her knees bumped me as she kicked off her shoes. She planted her feet on my chest, and I grabbed her ankles, gaining the upper hand and pushing her legs to one side. She’d nearly always won our wrestling matches as kids, but I was older and taller now, and I wanted to beat her.
Before I could, she called a truce. “I do like it though!”
I accepted her declaration, deciding I’d win another time, releasing her, and falling on the bed to her right. “Yeah?”
“Mhm.” She nodded happily. “You know, it’s not easy to pull off, but you do.”
