In which Kai gets phone call he doesn't want. |
Bangkok, Thailand. November. Back off, asshole. Kai hits āignoreā on his phone, the device vibrating persistently before he lets it drop onto the table. His forehead thuds against the surface, a habit heās formed after years of stress and unanswered questions. āAre you trying to concuss yourself?ā Zoneās voice is a mixture of amusement and concern. Kai doesnāt lift his head from the table, just turns it enough so he can look up at his best friend. āWhy?ā āBecause you keep slamming your head into the table.ā The sound of Zoneās chair scraping back suggests heās leaning in. āThatās the fourth time youāve done it in the last five minutes. It wonāt get you out of finals.ā āI thought you were finished.ā Iris steals a sip from Zoneās macchiato. Zone steals it back. āHeās got one more,ā Zone explains. āHeās sure heās flunked the rest of them.ā Kai keeps his head on the table for one more second, hoping Iris wonāt ask for further details. Flunking his exams is just one more thing heās done wrong. One more thing he canāt control. One more unresolved issue on top of everything else heās had to deal with lately. āMy brain doesnāt function the same way yours does.ā Kai finally looks up and makes a grab for Zoneās macchiato. Zone holds it out of his reach. āThis will not improve your brain function, and itās mine.ā Kai glares at him. āYou let Iris steal it.ā āIris happens to be my girlfriend.ā Zone smirks. āWhatās your excuse?ā Zone and Iris are two of the people who have never lied to Kai, never manipulated him, so heās kept them around. Somehow over the years, theyāve become friends. Theyāve met up at the same place in the campus quad since the day they started university. Today there is a breeze, which blows across the quad, carrying with it the scent of blooming frangipani and coffee from the campus cafe. For Kai, this place represents connection and understanding, something he hasnāt really had for a very long time. āHere,ā A styrofoam cup appears in front of Kai, and the smell of cinnamon tickles his nose. āCafe con Miel. Youāre welcome.ā Kaiās sister Mali sits down next to him as he takes the cup, the styrofoam rustling softly against the surface of the table. Mali graduated last semester, which means the only reason sheās on campus today is to find Kai and make him talk about Certain Things. Like the reason his damn phone is going off every five minutes. Mali squints at the red mark above his eyebrows. āYour forehead is going to bruise.ā āHeās trying to make a new fashion statement.ā Zoneās response makes Iris smack him. āKaiās worried about his last final.ā If Iris thought she was being helpful, sheās sorely mistaken. Kaiās glare shuts her up. Mali furrows her brow as she looks at her younger brother. āWhat did you do instead of study?ā āWhatās the point of studying if Iām never going to use any of this shit?ā Kaiās retort is to the coffee cup rather than his older sister. His phone buzzes again. He hits āignoreā without even glancing at the screen. He knows whoās calling, but that person doesnāt deserve an answer.āIām going to Nightshade tonight. Anybody want to come with?ā The whisper of styrofoam against the surface of the table is the only sound that greets his announcement. Zone shifts in his chair, exchanging apprehensive glances with Iris. Kai swallows a sigh. He knows what those looks and that silence means. āYou're graduating soon.ā Maliās face hardens slightly. āAnd youāve got your internship to finish. You canāt afford any distractions.ā āItās not a distraction.ā Kai retorts. āSometimes, people need a break. Thatās all Nightshade is.ā Kaiās phone buzzes again. Zone swipes it, reading the caller ID before Kai can stick it back in his pocket. āAsshole?ā Zoneās eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline at the name flashing on the screen. This time both girls smack both boys. Only Kai squalls.āUgh, Mali! The hell was that for?ā His sister doesnāt look the least bit sorry. āIām supposed to ask you why you arenāt picking up his calls.ā āHe knows why.ā Kai snaps. āAnd he should take the hint.ā That same number has been calling him for weeks now. Kai was tempted to block the number, but changed the caller ID instead. It was easier to ignore the pain that flared up inside him by labeling the caller as simply an āasshole.ā Mali narrows her eyes. āKai. You canāt keep pretending this doesnāt matter.ā āIt doesnāt matter.ā Kai retorts. āNot anymore.ā Maliās voice sharpens. āYou think changing his name to āassholeā will make the calls stop hurting?ā āThatās not the point!ā Kai snaps. āShutting Jet out is not going to fix everything.ā Mali crosses her arms. āYou donāt have to forgive him, but ignoring him wonāt help either. Youāre just burying your feelings.ā Kai shoves his phone back into his pocket. āMaybe my feelings like staying buried.ā His footsteps echo as he walks away from the table, each step a small escape from the pressure that seems to close in on him. The noise of the campus quad fades into a dull hum. Kai clutches the Cafe con Miel, hoping the warmth would somehow numb the ache inside him. Knowing, at the same time, that it wonāt. He knows theyāre still talking about him. Heād seen Zone and Irisā concerned glances and Maliās sympathetic one as he walked away. The phone calls, the unanswered questions, and the unresolved paināeverything is catching up with him. Each buzz of his phone is a relentless reminder. The name on the screen is more than just a label. Itās a gaping wound he wonāt let heal. ā¼ļøā¼ļøā¼ļøā¼ļø Jet watches his phone screen dim as another call goes unanswered. Heās half tempted to throw the thing against the wall, but one, heās not a toddler and two, Kit would kill him if Jet left so much as a scratch on his newly painted walls. Instead, Jet stares out of the floor-to-ceiling window. The city skyline glitters with light. The hum of traffic is a distant murmur of sound this high up, so it does nothing to distract him from the whirl of his thoughts. Bangkok should not feel this unfamiliar to Jet. He was born and raised here, hell, his day job had its headquarters here. At the same time, heād spent years trying to escape it. Heās not even sure he would have come back at all if he hadnāt needed to. If Kit hadnāt called and said heād needed Jetās support on their latest business endeavor. And if Interpol hadnāt offered him this assignment. An assignment that was personal as well as professional. Jetās fingers tighten around his phone. He hasnāt seen Kai in ten yearsāitās hardly surprising his little brother wonāt pick up. That thought would hurt less if he didnāt have a sneaking suspicion that Kai knew exactly who was calling and refused to answer. Which meant Kai hadnāt forgiven him. Not that Jet blamed him. Jet had left without a word, believing he didnāt have any choice. Heād expected to just slip away, avoid the potentially awkward goodbyes and hope heād be forgiven or forgotten or both. The last thing heād expected was to see Kai standing across the street as Jet had been driven away, looking for all the world like an abandoned puppy. Jet could have waved, or asked the driver to stop so he could explain, but it had been easier to turn away from the car window and stare at his hands, pretending heād seen nothing. Remembering the confused, haunted look on Kaiās face always made Jetās chest seize up. Why had he thought this would be so easy? Just because Jet had decided to try and make it up to Kai after all these years didnāt mean his younger brother was interested in anything Jet had to say. His phone buzzes, jolting him back to the present. Half of him hopes the text will be from Kai. The other half knows better. MALI: Kaiās going to Nightshade tonight. Maybe you can catch him there. Jetās jaw clenches. Heās heard Kit mention the name "Nightshade" once or twice, but canāt remember in what context. It conjures images of dim lights and shadowy cornersāthe last place his little brother should be. Itās also the kind of place Kai would be drawn to, if he was still as reckless and impulsive as Jet remembers. He paces the floor, his thoughts a tangled mess. Kitās request had been clear: come support him as he tried to expand ManiratInfiniteDriftās clientele, the details of which Kit hadnāt elaborated on yet. The mission from Interpol had been clearer: gather intel on OmniVentures and take down Chalam Tian Samongkonchai. But the lines between professional duty and personal vendetta blur with every unanswered call to Kai. Jet pauses at the window, looking down into the neon tangle of the city. A tangle that matches the mess inside him. How the hell did everything go so wrong? His phone buzzes a second time. MALI: Heāll be there around midnight. Thatās his usual routine. Midnight. Jet glances at the clock on the wall. He has a few hours. He could head to Nightshade now, wait for Kai, confront him. But something holds him back. The thought of seeing his brother, of facing the anger and defiance in his eyes, makes his heart pound. Jet moves to the sleek, modern kitchen, his thoughts still racing. Kitās at work so the condo is currently empty. He pours himself a glass of water, takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The cool liquid offers a brief respite, but not much. He leans against the bar, staring at the patterns in the marble. The weight of his assignment, the personal stakes, press down on him. He needs to see Kai, to talk to him, to make him understand. Even if Kai wants nothing to do with him afterwards, Jet has to try. The memory of Kaiās face from across the street flickers again across his mind. That look of abandonment, confusion, and fear. His phone buzzes a third time. MALI: Please be careful. Jet pockets his phone and steps out onto the balcony. The night air is heavy with humidity and the smell of the city. The thought of confronting Kai, of seeing him for the first time in years, is both exhilarating and terrifying. He grips the balcony railing, the metal cool under his palms. As the minutes tick by, Jetās resolve hardens. Jet failed Kai once. He wonāt do it again. |