Who You Say I Am (A Jai Courtney Fanfic)

Chapter 59-Jai

Jai

I go through my baggage and actually unpack everything.  I take the tags off of my new purchases and get settled completely.  I grab my new coat, hat, and gloves before I step out of the door and lock up with the old skeleton-style key.  I chuckle and pocket it.  I head down the staircase and nod to the attendant as I step out the door.  I set Megan's address into my phone map and follow the directions to her house for the first time.  As I drive, I recall using that map Bembe gave me in search of her.  She's given me her address now—her real address to her home.  This is a place I can come to whenever I want to see her, not just for a holiday.  I sigh at how overjoyed I am to be driving to her house and knocking on her door.  I pull up in the long driveway that stretches back to their garden. I park just behind Megan's little red car, then step out and ring the doorbell.  It chimes and Hannah opens the door for me smiling. 
"Welcome back," she says happily.  She invites me in, taking my coat from me.  I thank her.  "Megan's upstairs in her room."
"Thanks," I tell her focusing my gaze on the stairs.  I excuse myself and make the climb to her room.  I get to the door to see her laying in bed.  She's cuddling with a cute brown bear.  As I step closer, I realize she's asleep.  I crouch down beside her bed and I caress her cheek pushing a few strands of hair aside.  She sighs, stretches, and opens her eyes. 
"Oh, I fell asleep," she says surprised.  I see her phone in hand and she must've been doing something. 
"Reading your Divergent fanfics?" I tease. 
She snorts.  "How'd you know?" she laughs. 
"Oh, you're serious.  I was just messing around," I admit. 
She smiles.  "So... did you get checked in?" she asks sitting up on her bed but she still cuddles her bear. 
"Yeah.  My room is pretty amazing," I tell her. 
"I thought the Jamaican one was impressive," she says nuzzling her face into the bear. 
"That one was nice.  This one is... unique," I clarify. 
"I'm kind of sad I didn't get to see it," she admits. 
"There's a seated area with a fireplace.  You could come over sometime," I suggest. 
"Okay," she agrees easily. 
I smile at that and push her hair out of her face again.  She looks to me and I wiggle the bear from her grasp. 
"Where'd you get this bear?" I ask. 
"Japan," she says.  "Everything there is ridiculously adorable."
I laugh lightly at that.  "Do you want to go back someday?" I question. 
"Definitely," she nods.  I return her bear and she hugs it again.  She glances at the clock beside her bed.  "What do you want to do?  I'm sorry I'm not so great at entertaining," she says with a shrug. 
"No worries," I tell her.  I just want to be with her. 
"We could play a game or watch tv or something if you want until dinner.  Unless you want to go out and do something," she suggests.
"Staying in is fine with me," I tell her. 
"Why don't we go hang out in the basement?  My parents are usually in the living room," she says. 
"Either is fine with me," I tell her wanting to touch her face again. 
"Alright," she replies setting her bear aside on her bed and leading me downstairs.  I do, in fact, see her father in the living room and I didn't notice him earlier.  "G'day," I tell him nodding. 
"Hello, Jai," he smiles. 
I follow Megan toward their kitchen.  "Mom are you making bread?"she asks. 
"Challah," Hannah replies. 
Megan looks to me and smiles.  She hugs her mom. 
"Well, I'm glad you're excited but it still needs thirty more minutes to rise," she tells her laughing lightly.  Hannah grins at me and we go downstairs to the basement.  I remember there's a seated area down there.  Mikey is down here playing video games. 
"Mikey, did you want to play a game with us?" Megan asks him.
"I am playing a game," he replies teasingly.
"You know what I mean," she chuckles.
"Yeah, sure. Let me save this," he says.
"What do you want to play?" she inquires.
"Battle of the Bands," he suggests.
"That's Artie's," she replies.
"It's up in my room. He let me borrow it," Mikey tells her.
"Fine," Megan sighs. "I'll go get it while you save." She looks to me. "I'll be right back. I'm going searching through the danger zone," she says jokingly.
I chuckle at that. Mikey actually guffaws, too.
I watch her climb the stairs and her brother sets aside his game.
He bites his cheek in nervousness. "I'm sorry about earlier. My parents just said they broke up and then you showed up here. I drew the wrong conclusion," he apologizes.
"No worries," I reply. "I am older than her anyway."
"Yeah," he laughs. "So are my parents, though."
"Really?" I ask surprised. I hadn't really noticed.
"My dad is sixty," he says.
"No way," I reply disbelievingly.
"It's true my mom is much younger. I guess I was out of line and being stupid," he shrugs.
"No problem. I can understand how losing a mate like that must feel," I tell him sympathetically. "You probably feel betrayed."
He nods. "I do. That's exactly how I feel."
"So... mates?" I ask reaching my hand out to shake his.
"Friends," he laughs meeting my hand with his. "You know, mate has a different connotation here in the states."
"What's that?" I ask intrigued.
"Like in Megan's fantasy novels, it's like... the most powerful romantic relationship—like animals, you know," he explains wincing.
I snort in response. "Like rooting?" I laugh.
"What?" he chuckles confused.
"It's what Aussies call having sex," I explain and he's almost on the floor laughing. It takes him a minute to calm down and I'm laughing, too—from his reaction alone.
"So... rooting is not like... cheering for a sports team?" he inquires trying to keep a straight face.
"No," I chuckle. "That's barrack."
"Have you ever heard the baseball song Take Me Out to the Ballgame?" he asks me trying to keep a straight face.
I shake my head.
He pulls it up on his phone and plays it for me. I listen in thinking it's probably a fun song at a match until it gets to one part and now I'm having a fit of giggles on the sofa.
Megan comes down the stairs smiling. "Well, you're getting along, I see," she says holding a couple packs of cards. "What's so funny?"
Mikey explains everything and she smacks him in the back of the head. "Stop being a pervert," she tells him. He's laughing, though.
"Have you put on weight?" he asks her.
"Are you calling me fat?" she questions disbelievingly as she separates some cards and shuffles them.
"No, just... you know, certain parts," he shrugs.
She laughs uncomfortably and slaps him again. "I think that's enough of that," she tells him and mumbles something in Japanese... I think.
"What's that Megan?" Mikey asks putting a hand to his ear.
"I called you a pervert in Japanese," she clarifies.
"How do you even know that word?" he asks completely befuddled.
"Because I've had to use it there," she says simply. "So... let's play."
Megan and Mikey attempt to explain the rules of the game. She sits beside me on the sofa while her brother remains in his nearby chair. There's a small coffee table between us where we're spreading out the cards. It's a pretty interesting game. The whole point is that you build up a band with silly members and ridiculous instruments. You try to get the most points and stars to win—by getting record contracts and whatnot. Some of the characters are hilarious like Mr Cuddles—a kitten—and The King who's a knockoff of Elvis Presley.
We're all laughing and having a great time. I don't think I've ever had so much fun with a simple card game. We play a second round and then decide to watch tv. They choose to watch YouTube instead of pay tv which I find surprising. They pick a variety of things from video game larrikins to engineering pranks to Asian food and historic reenactment type builds.
On the last, Megan tells her brother where I'm staying.
"That's awesome. I've never seen inside. I wish they'd put pictures up on their website," he says.
"Maybe you should take some pictures for them," I tease nudging Megan.
She chuckles and I put my arm around her.
"So... are you singing tomorrow?" Mikey asks his sister.
"No. I think they gave me the day off," she says.
"It's about time. You're always doing something there," he mentions.
"I don't mind," she shrugs. She jostles my arm and appears to not have realized I was there. I keep my arm as it is.
"I hear you helped out with the mission trip," Mikey says to me.
"Yeah, it was defo the most moving experience of my life," I tell him.
"Are you coming to church tomorrow?" he asks.
"Sure," I agree.
He looks to his sister with a meaningful expression.  She throws the pillow she was holding at him.  He laughs deflecting it from hitting him but grasps it holding onto it like she did. "Give me that back," she requests.
"It's mine now," he teases. I hand her the one beside me and she takes it, holding it similarly to the bear upstairs. I realize they're both just like me and my little sister—always playing and joking.