The Faith Of The Dream.

Chapter 6

When the clock ticked at 11, the three of them decided to leave the karaoke. Cole worried that his father would ground him, since it was past his curfew. But he didn't care. He was with Kai—and Jay, too. It was all that mattered.

"Oh, my First spinjitzu! If I hadn't told you two what time it was, we wouldn't have been on our way home now!" Jay commented from the back seat.

"Okay, okay. Thanks for the reminder, Jay," replied Cole.

"As an apology for keeping you caged with us for four hours, I'm taking you home. Isn't that nice?" Kai was driving faster now that the road was less crowded. Only a few cars and buses were filling it. Their headlamps were shining brightly. Skyscrapers were glowing with tiny star-like lights, towering beyond the jet-black sky.

"Well, thank you!" Jay's tone wasn't that one of gratefulness. It was an annoyed tone.

"Forgive him. He's just going through a phase." Cole felt that he needed to apologize.

The car stopped in front of Jay's house. The house was already dark and silent. It was a humble two stories house with a garden full of flowers, and a garage. To think that Jay's family all live in harmony under the same roof was endearing. If only Cole and his father could achieve the same level of trust and care, maybe his home wouldn't feel so tedious.

"Bye, Jay!" Cole poked his head from the open window. "See you tomorrow at the cafe!"

"Stay safe!" Was Jay's response. "Gimme a text or a call when you get home! If you don't, I'm going to find you in your sleep!!"

As his voice was swallowed by the death of night, the car's engine was the only one heard around the empty road. Cole suddenly felt that this silence was choking. His brain raked for any topic to start a small talk with Kai before they reached his home.

"Your friend is interesting." Kai started. "He cares a lot about you."

"Um, yeah. Jay's always been like that. We're like brothers."

"Don't you think that he considers you more than a brother?" The tall man's eyes were focused on the road. Hands around the wheel, relaxed.

"What?" Cole could feel his cheeks grow hot. "That's funny. We're just best friends."

Kai chuckled. "I see."

"Besides," Cole looked down at his knees, "there's someone else...."

"Hm?"

His brain suddenly stopped functioning. "Uh, nevermind."
They fell silent again, and Cole couldn't look at Kai now.
What was he thinking just now? He didn't like Kai that way, did he? They just met for a few days and spent a few hours together, doing nonsense. They hadn't even started on their project yet!

They reached Cole's house soon after. The gate was closed tight, and the shadowy figure of the main building peeked from the tall trees behind high fences.

"Wow! Your home is like a palace!" Kai commented, head turned to the sight of the mansion. His eyes suddenly spotted a golden plate next to the gate. "Brookstone? You are a Brookstone?"

Cole rubbed the back of his neck. "I think so."
He shouldn't ask Kai to drop him right in front of his house. Damn it.

"That's cool!" Kai just smiled. No other comment. No nothing.

"Um, thanks for the ride." The black-haired male was about to exit the car, when he heard Kai's voice again.

"Cole."

"Wha—?" Cole didn't even have time to finish his word when Kai leaned to his face. Too close that he could feel his warm breath. His eyes shut close, and his heart was beating too fast and loud, he could almost hear its beats. Everything was frozen in time.