Catboy

12: kyala

Two weeks later

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"Holy shit, this place is nice," Julian commented as he ducked through the doorway. Kyala smiled at him, gesturing to a coat stand beside him. "You live here?"

"Yeah," she laughed, watching as he shrugged off his hoodie and hung it up. "It's expensive, but I've got a housemate, so it's not super bad."

"Housemate?" Julian looked around. "Are they home?"

"Nah," Ky told him. "He's probably out shopping or something- we've got a few guests over tonight, so we need to get food."

"Oh, okay." Julian was still standing awkwardly by the door, and Ky laughed, grabbed his shoulder. She steered him into the living room, ignoring his bewildered looks at the size and the decoration of the house. 

"Wait, you own all these paintings?"

"Yeah." The paintings in question were large canvases, decorated with splatters and bright splashes of colour. Some were people, some were animals, some were things like potted plants and motorbikes. They were hung up in a sort of arrangement or collage, covering one of the walls all the way up to the high ceilings. Light from a full-wall window across the room was illuminating them, giving them a soft light.

"They're huge. And- and pretty. They must have cost a ton."

"We get them for free, actually," she said, and Julian raised an eyebrow. "My housemate's best friend is a painter, and he's always willing to get rid of some of his old pieces. But come on, we're not exactly here to look at nice paintings."

"I mean, I wouldn't mind it," Julian told her, then gave a short laugh when she shot him a glare. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm only here for a minute, anyway. We're leaving in half an hour."

"You're all packed? Wow, you're organised."

"I woke up at 6:30 this morning. I'm beyond being organised right now." Ky laughed at that. "What time is it now?"

"9:30."

"Cool. Exactly half an hour, then. I just need to borrow some jackets and some cold medicine- you know, just in case," he added hastily. Ky nodded.

"Yeah, no problem. You can get it around the back- I'll find some old coats. There's a bathroom down the corridor and to the right. You can probably find something there- take some aspirin too, you know," she said. "You never know when someone's gonna get a headache." Julian smiled at her, then made his way down the corridor. She watched him disappear into the bathroom, then walked to the front room. 

The house wasn't usually this quiet- Ky was almost unsure whether she liked the silence at all. It had been a long time since she had been alone. Even if they were just going out for groceries together, her roommate was almost always there. When he wasn't around, she'd had Julian to hang out with for the past few weeks.

As if on cue, Julian reappeared, brandishing two bottles of cold medicine and one packet of headache tablets. "Hey, thanks for letting me use this stuff." Ky shrugged.

"It's all good," she told him. "So long as you hold up your end of the deal." She winked, then laughed as Julian's face slowly turned bright red. "I'm assuming you haven't forgotten what your half is."

"What if... what if he rejects me?" Julian asked, shrinking into himself. "I mean, I don't want to make things awkward for the rest of the trip, and if I do it too soon, then it makes it more likely. Plus, if he doesn't reject me, I don't want Lawrence to have to spend a really lonely weekend with us. Maybe, like, ya know, I shouldn't do it."

"Julian," Ky said, "as much as I like you and respect your opinion, shut the fuck up." Julian blinked slowly, and she took the opportunity to keep talking. "I mean, he kissed you, dude. That's pretty much a surefire sign he likes you."

"He pushed me away afterwards, and then he slept with my brother for three months."

Ky shrugged. "Whatever, dude. Ain't my problem. Find a way around it."

"Yeah," Julian sighed. "Sorry." Ky wordlessly dug around in the closet, then passed him two winter coats. "Thank you. For... for everything."

"Jesus, dude. It's not like you're gonna die on holiday. Ya don't need to give me your tragic goodbyes," she said, then smiled at his blank expression. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you when you get back, yeah?"

"Mhm," he replied, then gave her a smile. He set the coats down on the ground, then, ever so gently, leant down and pulled her into a hug. She smiled against his chest- he was much, much taller than she was- and gently rubbed his back.

He leant away, his arms still wrapped around her shoulders, and she grinned up at him and pulled back. "I'll be seeing you soon, okay? Make sure to call me if you need anything, and I'll see if I can drive up."

"Aren't you working this weekend?"

"Of course I am," she winked. "Of course I am."

He laughed ever so slightly, then leant down and grabbed the coats off of the floor. "Alright. I'll send you a text if I need anything. Got it."

"I'll see you," she smiled, and he grinned back as he opened the door. "Make sure to kiss him!" she called after his retreating back. He turned around and gave her the finger, and she laughed. "Bye."

"Bye!" he called back, and then he was gone.

She watched his car- or, rather, his older brother's car- drive up the hill of her street. She waited for it to disappear, then turned back into the house and shut the door. The house was empty and cold, and she was completely alone.

She reached into her pocket, dug around and searched for her phone. Her fingers closed around its familiar weight and she pulled it out, the lockscreen displaying no new messages. She unlocked it, then clicked on her messenger app and found the contact she was looking for.

hey, i'm home now

She deleted the message as soon as she'd typed it, then tried again.

hey, come over?

Before she could second-guess it, she pressed send. She flopped down on the couch, her phone at her side, and waited for a response.