Somewhere Only We Know

XIV - Boy Talk

"I swear on my grandma, I don't have a fucking crush on Max," I stated.

"Yeah, and I don't have a massive crush on Leah," Jesse responds while putting his clothes into the cabinets.

"Who the fuck is Leah?" Edward asks.

"Woah, that's the flight attendant you were eyeing, right? I spoke to her. She's nice. You should hit that." Chase says while lying on Jesse's bed.

"Would you three get up and put your shit in your rooms. Oh, and by the way, you guys have your rooms so do me a favor and get the fuck out of mine." Jesse says, avoiding the questions Chase and Edward asked.

Edward got up and grabbed his suitcase, practically sprinting to the bedroom across from Jesse's.

"Kai, call dibs on the room next to mine, please." He says before closing his door.

"Oh, man. The room at the end of the hallway is much larger compared to the one Edward wants you to stay in." Chase says.

"Oh, nice. Thanks, Chase." I respond, pushing my suitcase into that room. Chase was right behind me, putting his bag into his room.

An hour later

"Alright, I'm done with my stuff. Don't bother me for a while, guys. I have to call my family to update them." I shout from my room.

I sat on my bed and opened my laptop. My father immediately called me. I accepted the call and sat properly.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you? Your grandma has been pretty much ambushing me on every social media platform asking if you were with me. Are you not in New York?"

"Hi, Dad. I'm okay. I'm currently in Columbus for a friend's graduation and also just a break from work and all." I say as I adjust my laptop.

"Well, that's nice. Who's graduating?"

"Jesse's little sister, Max. We just met last night, but we hit it off pretty quickly."

"Jesse has a little sister? I thought he was an only child. Well, anyway. Have fun there kid. North Carolina is a nice place. Nice trees."

"Yep. I noticed the trees a lot."

"You got a new tattoo?"

"Yeah, it's Moms and your name in Kanji."

"Yeah, I know, kid. I've lived all over Japan for over 20 years."

"Oh, don't start, Dad."

"Fine, fine. I have to go. Your mother and I are about to go to bed."

"Oh, right. It's like 2 am there. Why are you guys up so late?"

"You don't wanna know, kiddo. Goodnight!"

"Ew. I'm gonna hang up now."

"Don't ew us, kid. You'll understand someday."

"Bye, Dad," I say as I hang up. I was about to close my laptop when suddenly, my grandma started calling.

"Oh, fuck." I say as I quickly answer the call and turn my camera off.

"Hello? Kairo? Oh, shucks. Linda, my laptop isn't working again."

"Hi, Granny," I say.

"Oh, Hello Kairo. Gosh, your voice startled me. Did you hit puberty again? Anyway, why can't I see you? Turn on your camera for me, please. I wanna see my baby."

"One second," I say as I try to find a sweater to wear. My grandma hates tattoos. And not only am I a part-time tattoo artist, but I am also covered in them.

"Kairo, I have no seconds left. I could drop dead any minute!"

"Alright jeez," I respond in defeat as I turn my camera off. Readying myself for a lecture.

"Oh look at you, you handsome boy. Lower your camera for me."

"That's the lowest it can go, Granny."

"Oh, don't lie to me. I know all about these gadgets."

"Fine," I say as I lower my camera.

"Kairo Watanabe, what on Earth are those on your arms?"

"These are my custom-designed sleeves from Louis Vuitton, Granny. You know I'm a model, right?"

"I will slap the devil off your face, young man. Don't you lie to me. Why do you have tattoos? Don't you know that altering your appearance is a sin?"

"Yeah, I guess. But you didn't care when I got my ears pierced at 13. Isn't piercing altering my appearance?"

"You got your ears pierced? That's three sins already, Kairo. Go to church right now and confess all of this to a pastor. I know a good one in Tokyo."

"Granny, I'm not even in Tokyo. I'm in Columbus, North Carolina."

"Oh, I know much more there. That's where I met your Grampa."

"So do I. But I have to go now. I'm gonna go out with a friend."

"Is it Jesse? Tell him to keep you company at church."

"Granny, no. Jesse isn't even religious."

"Oh, my. Well, bring him with you anyway."

"Granny, Jesse is half Chinese. Oh, my connection is getting bad. I have to go. Bye, Granny. I love you. I'm sorry for altering my appearance!"

I immediately hang up and close my laptop. I let out a very loud sigh, then I opened my door to three idiots tiptoeing away from my door.

"What in the hell are you guys doing?" I ask.

"We were just exploring the um," Chase says as he looks at the other two.

"We were exploring the hallway, Kai. Did you know that these walls were painted with shit?" That's where the color is from." Edward states while wiping the walls.

I looked at the walls, "Um, okay. I guess."

"Don't you have a coffee date with my 17-year-old sister?" Jesse asks.

"It's not a date you lunatic," I respond. "So would you stop calling it one?"

"Whatever, man. You guys are not gonna go out anyway. She doesn't want to talk to anyone right now."

"You know, Max loves chocolate ice cream. Mica told me she had so many tubs of it in her refrigerator. Maybe that could cheer her up." Chase states.

"Do I look like I shit ice cream to you, Chase?" I ask.

"No. You don't look like you shit ice cream. Though, you look like a squid threw up all over your body with those horrid tattoos on your body." Chase responded.

"Fuck you, Chase," I say. "If I got a pile of shit tattooed right on my asshole, it'd look a million times better than you. So pipe down, redneck."

"Can you guys stop fucking mentioning shit? I'm gonna throw up everywhere." Edward says while gagging.

"Ed, the place doesn't smell like shit, the walls aren't painted with shit. No one shits ice cream. Nothing here is shit. So stop being such a fucking drama queen." Jesse says.

Edward did in fact throw up all over the place because Jesse said 'shit' four times.

word count is 1049.