Somewhere Else [Damien Haas]

6. Music

-/-/-

What usually calms me down has a formula of its own: a good cup of jasmine tea, a weighted blanket draped on my shoulders, rain dripping down the windowpane, and classical music playing in the background. Undeniably, it still is a beautiful scene, especially because the Japan night cityscape appears in front of me in my hotel room. But I am not calm. I am definitely losing my cool.

"I'm being stupid, aren't I?" I mumble before taking a sip of my tea. "We're just working on this issue together. There's nothing bad that's going to happen, and it's so high school of me to think that we could get back together."

"Honey, you're panicking," Kendra replies as I put her on speakerphone and look at her face from my screen. "It's just Damien, alright? You'll know whether he's interested in being in a relationship with you or not. But then again, thirteen years ago, you were the only one who had no idea he liked you that way."

"It's embarrassing to think of how aloof I was back then," I tell her, laughing. "Completely clueless."

"Yeah, I was embarrassed for the two of you," she says before I hear a baby's cry in the background. "Oh, hold on, Jade. Ryan's in the back, so he can't hear the baby crying."

"Okay, sure."

Admittedly, I didn't want to run to my high school best friend for help, but I did it anyway. Kendra was still as happy as usual, and even though Ryan was a little, er, slow, he made her happier than I thought she could be. They were good parents who were still starting out, because baby Mandy was born just a few months ago. Since the pandemic eventually cleared up, the baby shower adjusted a year later to become Mandy's first birthday party, and I was excited to attend it. Unfortunately, I'm still stuck in Japan, and if immigration issues keep up, I might not be able to make it back by the end of April.

The point is, my best friend was already living the life she always wanted to have, while I was sort of stuck in living in a fantasy. I thought I was the only one who stepped out of my comfort zone to reach all the heights I've dreamed to see. But now, I'm 29 years old, alone, and struggling to get to the one piece of home I actually have after my parents divorced.

"Hey, I'm back!" Kendra exclaims as she picks her phone up from wherever she left it. "What were we talking about? Damien. Right. Okay. What are you guys gonna do anyway? I understand how you got in trouble, but how exactly are you gonna solve it?"

"It's kinda hard to explain, but there is a bit of lying involved."

"Really? You're gonna lie to people who have lie detectors?"

"I told you it's hard to explain. And it's only a bit of lying. We're just gonna act as if we were a couple, but all the details remain the same."

"Ho ho ho ho ho!" she exclaims, laughing. "I've read one too many fanfictions in college to see where this is going. I know I told you that Damien's not gonna pursue having a relationship with you unless he wants to, but this... girl! With all the sexual tension going between the two of you, it's inevitable."

"No, no, no, no, no," I reply, frowning. "Not gonna happen. We just added the couple thing for effect, because what if my exit is approved but his isn't or vice-versa? It's just for safety purposes."

"You don't have to lie if you guys legit started dating again."

"It's been 13 years, you just love the word legit."

"And as much as I do, hon, I love my husband as well," she tells me, winking as Ryan comes over on camera. "Baby, say hi to Jade!"

"Well, if it isn't Jade Greene!" Ryan says, smiling at me. "I haven't seen you in such a long time. How are things with Brandon?"