Settling Down [KJ Apa]

Chapter Ten

"Lucy?" I shout out from my office as I stop typing, "Can you get the last edited script from the set designers?"

"Sure thing." She sticks her head on the office, "Anything else while I'm en route?"

"Get us some coffees maybe?"

"On the list."

She leaves, leaving the door ajar. I turn my focus back to the email I was typing as a soft knock comes to the door.

"Come in."

Keneti steps in my office and acts a little timidly, "Can we talk for a second?"

I close my laptop that's standing in front of me, "Yeah, sure."

He sits down in front of me, his fingers laced, his hair just a mess. He's clearly been struggling with something. I frown as he looks down before looking straight at me.

"Are you happy?"

I'm taken aback by his question. Am I? Yes. Right? Why would he even ask that?

He notices my hesitation and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His faint smile holds hope, although he tries to mask it.

"I-"

"Please tell me the truth." He persists and I sigh.

"I am, Keneti. I just- he spends a lot of time away from home." I confess to him, "I mean LA. I just miss him."

"Yeah..." He sighs before looking straight at me, "Look, George. I've known Boston for a long time, right? And-"

"KJ..." I sigh, "I don't want to hear it, to be honest."

"But George--"

"I get that you two are best friends and basically know everything about each other, but we," I point between us, "also have history. Big history. And I don't want you to influence my future in any way."

"Alright, whatever." He rolls his eyes, "Can we at least have lunch together?"

I smile sighing, "Sure. Just give me ten minutes, okay?"

He nods as he leaves the room quietly. I open my laptop again and look at the replies on the e-mail. I sigh.

Of course my family doesn't want to come out to celebrate my engagement...

I type up an answer to them before I sigh aggravatingly, closing my laptop once again to just be away from the toxicity. I get up from my very comfortable desk chair and walk around the desk. I quickly grab my jacket of the rack and open the door of my office.

"Who pissed you off?" Keneti jumps up the moment he sees me.

"Y'know. My family." I roll my eyes, "Distract me with some lunch, please?"

"Well, that's going to be easy." He laughs as he guides me out the building, "What are you craving? Pizza or noodles?"

"Both, kind of." I shrug, "Can we get both?"

"Anything for you, George."

"I'm not really comfortable with the whole 'anything' part. You see, I would let you run my errands and get my coffee every morning--"

"If that is what it takes for you to completely trust me again, then I'll literally do whatever."

"But that means Lucy won't have a job anymore."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that." He laughs as he grabs my pinky to pull me towards an Italian place down the street.

It feels normal to hold pinkies with Keneti. It shouldn't since we're not together, or even at that stage in our new friendship yet, but it truly does.

He pushes the door open to Adriano's and lets me go in first. His hand rests on the small of my back for a quick second, but he quickly realises we shouldn't do the small touches. At all.

"KJ Apa." An older man comes around the counter and smiles, "Now this is a sight for sore eyes."

Keneti fully smiles back as he opens his arms and embraces the old man.

"Hello, Adriano." Keneti greets the man, "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has." The man switches his focus to me, "And you brought a woman... Wow, this is big!"

"She's a friend, Adriano." Keneti quickly stops him from going too far, "And my boss, so please."

"Hi..." I finally find a moment to interrupt the two men, "I'm Georgia."

The man eagerly shakes my hand before leading us to a table in the back. Keneti pulls the chair for me and I smile at his little gesture. Adriano gives us both a menu, my eyes scanning the lunch specials.

"She's prettier than you led on, KJ." I hear from Adriano, barely a whisper.

I feel the heat creeping up my cheeks while I bury myself in the menu.

Does he really always have to embarrass me?

•••

"So was that the best Italian you've ever had or what?" Keneti laughs as we leave the restaurant.

"I hate to admit, but yes. That was pretty amazing." I smile up at him.

We walk down the street in the direction of the studios. It's tranquil and it's exactly what I needed to take my mind off my family.

"Thank you for today, Keneti." I sigh satisfied, "I didn't think I needed it."

"I'm glad you're calling me Keneti again. I never thought I would miss my name that much." He swings his arm around my shoulder.

"Well, you should've started using it more. Everyone knows you as KJ now." I laugh.

"Yeah, but Keneti Apa doesn't really sound like a celebrity, now does it?"

I bellow a laugh before my phone buzzes non-stop in my pocket. It's been doing that all afternoon, but I haven't even got the opportunity to check it since Keneti and I never use our phones during quality time.

So I take my phone out and am about light up my screen when Keneti just pulls it out of my hands.

"Hey!" I exclaim, reaching for the device, "What if it is important? Like Lucy calling because of producers, or schedule changes?"

"You make the schedules and I'm pretty sure producers can wait." Keneti says matter of fact, but I can see he's holding something back.

"Keneti." I say sternly, "What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Keneti, come on. I know every little detail of your facial expressions. So, I know when you're holding back."

He closes his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek. He only does that when he's got that one huge secret he doesn't want to tell.

"I just want you to remember how you're feeling now, okay? Happy and bubbly." He begins, "Please just remember that before you read the article."

My breathing increases as I frown, "What article?"

•••

I'M BACK!