Somewhere Only We Know

IX - Kairo & Edward

I was sitting in the living room, staring at the digital fireplace flickering softly right under the wall-mounted television, when I heard a knock on the front door. At first, I figured maybe someone else would get it since I probably wouldn't know who it was. Jesse was locked in his room doing whatever he does, and Chase was in the bathroom. The maids had likely been dismissed by now since it was already close to 9 p.m.

I stood up and walked toward the door. "Who's there?" I called out, my voice echoing faintly in the quiet apartment.

"Whoa, a girl in Jesse's apartment? Uh, hey, Miss. I'm Kai. Is, uh, Jesse around? He invited us to drink at a bar tonight, but he didn't show up. So, we figured we'd just come to his place," came the casual but slightly more formal reply.

I cracked open the door to see two guys standing there. One had black hair, probably around six feet tall, while the other was blonde, about the same height as Jesse, so around six-two.

"Come in," I said with a crooked smile, stepping aside. Raising my voice, I called out, "Jesse! Your friends are here."

The blonde guy turned to me and teased, "Hey, what's your name, and how old are you? You look awfully young to be hanging with a fossil like Jesse."

"Excuse me?" I said, raising an eyebrow, trying to keep my tone steady. "I'm Max. Jesse's sister. I'm turning 18 in a few weeks."

Both men stared at me like I'd appeared out of thin air.

"Jesse has a sister? What the hell," the blonde muttered, his British accent thick as he glanced over at Kai.

"I have three sisters, actually," Jesse said as he entered the living room. "What's up, boys? Totally forgot about tonight. My bad."

"Yeah, we figured. So, we decided to swing by. But looks like you already have a visitor, so maybe we should take off," the blonde said, nodding toward me.

Jesse glanced at me. "I'm sure Maxine doesn't mind."

"Oh, no, it's fine. I'll just, uh, head back to my room or something," I said, standing up. But before I could step away, Jesse grabbed my wrist gently and looked me in the eye.

"You can stay," he said. His gaze said he wanted some supervision — like maybe he needed a chaperone around.

I settled back onto the couch and crossed my legs, still feeling a little on edge.

"Anyway," Jesse said, shifting the focus, "What drinks does everyone want for tonight?"

The blonde raised his hand. "Dry martini, as usual."

"Same for me," Kai said, more polished than casual. His voice calm, but with a hint of formality.

They both looked at me expectantly. "I'll just have water," I said softly.

"Come on, Max. Drink with us? Don't just sit there being the sober observer while we get wasted," Jesse teased. "Sorry, Jesse. I'm not drinking. Not even 21 yet. Also, why are you letting this guy—" I nodded toward Kai "—drink? Aren't you like 12 or something?"

Kai gave me a raised brow, his expression mildly offended.

"Whoa, hold up. For starters, I'm turning 19 in a few months, thanks for asking," he said levelly. "And Jesse, if she doesn't want to drink, she doesn't have to. Let's just chill. Let her be the adult supervision we all clearly need."

"Fine, fine," Jesse stood up. "I'll grab the drinks. Meanwhile, you lot get acquainted. Y'know, chit-chat." He headed toward the kitchen across the apartment.

We sat in silence until the blonde finally broke it. "So, Jesse's sister, huh? I'm Edward — probably the most handsome bloke you'll ever meet."

"Oh, please," I replied more gently this time, realizing maybe I'd been a bit sharp.

Kai smiled a little tighter than before. "I'd like to formally introduce ourselves properly since Ed can't quite get the words out at the moment."

I kept my eyes on the small plant on the coffee table. Honestly, I didn't care much who Jesse hung out with. I was only here because I know how dumb he gets after a few drinks.

"I'm Kairo Watanabe, call me Kai," he said calmly. "This is Edward Smith. Call him whatever you like. Like I mentioned, I'll be 19 soon. Edward here is—well, I'd say 40, but that's an exaggeration."

"Enough, Kai," Edward interrupted with a grin. "I'm only 23, love. What makes you think I'm 40? Have I got wrinkles? Told you I should've brought my skincare. Jesse's skin's like a rhino's anyway."

"Dude, I was just kidding. Holy." Kai said smoothly. "I didn't go to college cause college is for, as they say, bellends. However, Mr. Wrinkles here, is a college graduate. I don't know what he studied, though. I don't think he actually studied considering his mental age is 2."

"You know, you really shouldn't say that. Some people actually suffer from conditions causing them to seem like their mental age is below their actual age. Really insensitive, Kairo." Edward states.

I chuckled softly. These two were odd but harmless. I wondered how Jesse even stood them.

"Alright," I said, giving a small smile. "So, Kai's the 19-year-old college skeptic, and Edward's the 23-year-old smart ass."

"That about sums us up," Kai nodded, chuckling in disbelief.

"Quick question, though. Why are you young'uns hanging out with my old ass brother? Isn't he, like, actually 40?"

"Well, we both had a really hard time getting into the modeling industry. And Jesse helped us to the top. And since then, we've been his best mates." Edward responds, smiling like a golden retriever that just got praised for doing the bare minimum.

"Huh, interesting. So what's up with your accent? You a brit or something?" I ask Edward. He had a not so faint British accent that literally anyone can hear.

"Why, yes, Child. I am a 'brit'. Aren't you? I can hear your accent from miles away."

"Yeah, whatever, Squidward," I roll my eyes. "I think I hear a Jesse."

"Hello, my children. Get acquainted yet?" Jesse says, walking toward us with a half empty bottle of liquor and three glasses.

"Your sister is a savage, man. A bully, should I say." Edward states, looking at me with a stupid sad look on his face.

"Well, that's Maxine for you." Jesse says, laughing while handing out the glasses to Kai and Edward.

hello hello. new charactersssss ! ! !

word count is 1040.