Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
SERENA
I t’s the end of my shift at Brewed Awakening, and I’m counting out my tips when Kai walks through the door. He looks rumpled and disheveled in a way I rarely ever see him, outside of cramming for finals. There are dark circles under his eyes, deepening the tone of his skin. Stubble coats his chin, making it seem like he hasn’t bothered shaving in a couple of days, which is extremely unusual for Kai. He claims his dimples are his secret weapon to charming the ladies, and he refuses to cover them with a beard, stating it would be a crime to deprive womanhood of them.
I quickly pocket the money I’ve been counting and rush around the counter to pull him into a hug. “Hey, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you!” Kai doesn’t say anything, but he squeezes me tightly, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets me go. “What’s going on, Kai?” I mumble into his chest, unable to loosen myself from his hold. Kai just stands there, holding me for another minute before releasing me and taking a step back.
This close, I can see the shadows under his eyes. The whites of his eyes are red from lack of sleep. His haggard appearance has me on high alert, and I grab his hand and tug him to the love seat at the back of the shop, one of our favorite places to study together. Kai leans back on the plush sofa and covers his face with his hands while he gathers his thoughts. “I just got out of jail last night.” He pulls his hands away from his face and turns to look at me. His eyes shimmer with unshed tears, and my mouth falls open in shock. Whatever I thought he was going to say, that was not it.
“Excuse me? You got out of what?”
“Jail. A couple of dudes got rowdy at the demonstration the other night. Got up in the faces of some pedestrians walking by. I was off to the side shooting with my camera, and I tried to break it up and keep things calm. But when the cops showed up, they grabbed us all and took us in.”
“Jesus, Kai. Seriously? Are you okay? I’m so sorry I didn’t answer last night.” I scoot over and wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest, trying to give my friend any comfort I can. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and drops his head into my hair. His next words are muffled as he speaks into the mass of curls.
“I saw your messages when I got my phone back and was calling to let you know I was home and okay. I got my boy Ryan to pick me up when they finally let me out.” Kai lets out a weary sigh before speaking again. “I think I’m gonna skip class today. I’m tired as fuck. I don’t know if you know this, but city jail isn’t exactly the Hilton. Plus, those drunk assholes kept bitching all night about their rights, like the fucking bastards that put us in there gave any shits.”
“Sure, yeah, that makes sense. I’ll take notes and drop them by for you after class.” I pull away and give Kai another thorough once-over. He looks defeated, his natural charisma and energy nowhere to be found. “You want me to bring some lunch too? I can hang for a bit before I have to go to work tonight.”
On Friday and Saturday nights, I waitress at Mavericks, a college dive bar known for their cheap beer and unlimited wing nights. The tips aren’t great there, but the owner lets me keep them all and doesn’t hassle me about not being twenty-one. He’s not exactly known for caring about the rules on underage drinking or serving, hence Mav’s popularity with the college crowd. Freshmen and sophomore students in particular.
Kai flashes me a tired smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, his dimples nowhere to be seen. “Sure, ReRe. That’d be great.” With that, Kai stands from the couch and pulls me up with him to give me one last hug before he leaves. As I watch him go, my mind starts spinning about what happened to Kai, and I wonder if Dominick was the one that put him in jail. Is the man I’m currently falling for responsible for the defeated and broken heaviness emanating from my best friend?
After class, I stop by our favorite local sandwich shop and pick up a couple of our favorite subs. It’s not exactly in my budget for the week, but Kai spends so much time taking care of me, it’s only fair I return the favor. Especially after he’s had one of the worst experiences of his life. On my way to Kai’s with our lunch and psychology notes, my phone rings. I glance down at the screen and see Tall, Dark and Pumpkin Spiced with the selfie Dom and I took on our date lighting up the display. I hit the speaker button and return my attention to the road.
“Hey there, Pumpkin. I was just thinking about you.” I try to infuse lightness into my voice when I answer the call. My words aren’t a lie. I have been thinking about Dom. Agonizing over the possibility that he could’ve been the one that locked up Kai for no reason at all and what I’ll do if he is. Dominick is the best thing that has happened to me in years, and the idea of him hurting the second most important person in the world to me causes my heart to seize up.
Dominick’s laughter comes through the speaker in a low rumble. “I’m never going to live that nickname down, am I?”
“Nope,” I respond, popping the p. “You’re stuck with it now.”
“I suppose it is a cross I must bear if it means being with you, Kitten. I was calling to see if you wanted to grab some lunch. You’re done with class for the day, right? There’s that burger place close to campus; I can swing by and pick you up. I’ve got an hour before I’m back on shift.”
I bite my lower lip, debating my response, wondering how to bring up the protest from the other night. “Um, actually, I already have lunch plans today.” There is hesitation in my voice. I don’t want to accuse Dominick of something he didn’t do and ruin our fledgling romance, but I need to know if he was the one that arrested Kai.
“You do?” Dominick’s tone turns from cheerful to serious in a heartbeat.
“Yeah, um, I’m taking some class notes and lunch over to my friend Kai. He’s had a rough week and missed class today.” I pause briefly, working up the courage to say the next part. “He was arrested at the demonstration Tuesday night…d-did you…arrest anyone that night?”
In the ensuing pause, I find myself holding my breath, waiting for Dominick’s response, silently praying he won’t have any idea what I’m talking about.
“No, Kitten, I didn’t arrest anyone. There were a few aggressive protestors and a few fights, but I wasn’t involved in any of them. Dane or Eric might have, or it might’ve been one of the other guys from the county office. I’m sorry about your friend, but that’s a risk he takes when running with a crowd like that.”
The breath I was holding whooshes out, and the relief I feel at Dominick not being involved in Kai’s arrest is palpable. “Right…um…okay. That’s good. I think it was just the wrong place, wrong time. Kai said he was trying to get some dudes who were fired up to calm down, and I guess he got caught up in the crossfire.”
“That’s probably what happened, Serena. Hopefully your friend learned his lesson. Do you want to get dinner tonight instead? I’m off shift at six.” Dominick’s sudden change of subject sends me into a tailspin. I’m so relieved by his answer and desperate to be near him again I almost tell him yes, momentarily forgetting I have to work tonight.
“I’d love to but I’m working tonight at Maverick’s.” I let out an exhausted sigh at the thought of the long night of waitressing while dodging drunk college bros and their attempts to flirt with me while leaving shitty tips.
“You’re working tonight? How late?”
“Until the kitchen closes. I’ll probably be there ‘til midnight.”
“Damn, Kitten, when do you get a day off?” Dominick’s voice is laced with concern and I close my eyes, relaxing into my seat, letting the smooth baritone of his voice settle into my bones. “You work more than I do, baby. I’m worried you’re going to burn yourself out.”
A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I revel in his concern. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing to be done for it. Mom can’t work, so I have to. The settlement from the accident paid off the mortgage on the house, but there’s still bills to pay and food to buy. It’s okay though. Once I get through school and graduate with my degree, I’ll be able to get a better job with saner hours. I’m not the only girl that’s had to work her way through school, and I haven’t had to resort to stripping yet, so I’ve got that going for me.” I let out a small laugh that has no actual amusement behind it.
“Kitten, I’ll make sure you never have to resort to that.” The tone Dominick uses is firm and commanding, brooking no argument from me.
“I’ll hold you to that, Pumpkin,” I say with a much bigger smile blooming across my face. “Hey, I gotta go, but do you want to go out Sunday? It’s my only actual day off.”
“Absolutely. I need to see you again. I can’t stop thinking about that fucking delicious mouth of yours. How about I pick you up for brunch, then we can find a more comfortable place than my car to get to know one another?”
A warmth seeps into my core as I think about our make out session in his car and how fogged up the windows had gotten. I’m pretty sure we could have fucked right there on the street, and no one walking by would’ve been able to see what we were up to. The idea of ”getting to know” Dominick more personally lights up every nerve ending in my body, and a flush creeps across my cheeks.
“It’s a date, sir.”
After hanging up with Dominick, I grab my backpack and the bag of sandwiches before making my way across my yard to Kai’s house next door. Technically it’s his parents’ house, but they spend six months of every year traveling the country in their RV, enjoying their early retirement. Kai’s dad made some smart investment decisions in his thirties, and now they get to live their best lives. Currently they’re somewhere in the southwest United States exploring the national parks.
When I knock on the door, it takes a few minutes for a bleary-eyed Kai to open it. He’s shirtless, wearing just a pair of gray joggers, and stifling a yawn behind a fist. My eyes snag on the way his abs flex as he stretches, temporarily short-circuiting my brain. I shake my head and mentally chide myself for ogling my best friend.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?” I take a step back, ready to retreat and let him get his rest.
“Nah, I just got up a few minutes ago… Oh shit, is that what I think it is?” Kai’s eyes light up with excitement when he spies the bag of food in my hand. Kai grabs the sandwiches before I have a chance to answer and takes off to the living room, leaving me completely forgotten as the aroma of tandoori chicken and crispy homemade French fries wafts from the open bag.
“You’re welcome,” I mutter as I close the door and slip my shoes off by the welcome mat before following Kai into the living room.
“You’rethabest,” is the muffled response I get from my friend as he shoves a handful of fries into his mouth.
We spend the next hour going over the notes I took during class while finishing our lunch. I can tell Kai is antsy and not completely focused on the work we are doing. His mind is clearly still on his night in lockup, so I grab his computer from his lap and close it before setting it off to the side. “Let’s take a break. You’re on edge, and I’m too tired to focus. I just want to chill before I go to work.” The smile Kai gives me doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but he nods in agreement all the same.
“Good call. My head isn’t in the right space to retain this shit anyway.” With that, he wraps his arm around me, tugging me into his side, making us comfortable on his parents’ plush oversized couch while he pulls up our favorite season of Supernatural to watch. I grab the throw blanket from the back of the couch and drape it over us, snuggling into Kai’s muscular frame. The scent of his citrus and sage body wash envelops me, and the comfort of our old familiar routine soon has my eyelids heavy with sleep. I drift off not long after the monster of the week is introduced in the episode he chose.
“Hey, ReRe, wake up.” A gentle shake on my shoulder slowly rouses me from the dream I’m lost in. It’s a good dream about Dominick and his hot, possessive kisses.
“Mmm…no…leavemelone…” I grumble as I tug the blanket over my head and nuzzle deeper into Kai’s side.
“You gotta get up, ReRe. It’s time for you to go to work.” Kai stands up suddenly, jerking the blanket off me, letting me collapse into the couch cushions completely. “And you’ve drooled all over me. You’re worse than Archer.” At the mention of his name, the giant Great Dane bounds into the room, jumps on top of me and starts licking my face.
“Gah! Noooooooo! Archie! Bad dog!” I let out a shrill scream as I throw up my arms trying to fend off the slobbering animal. “Get ooooff meee!” I wail as Kai laughs at my predicament. Archer is undeterred by my flailing and continues to slobber on my face.
“MALAKAI DEMETRIOUS ROBERTS! GET YOUR BEAST OFF OF ME!” Archer’s tongue licks up my face and sneaks into my mouth as I yell at Kai. “ACK! NO! GROSS!”
“Aw, ReRe, Archie is just trying to looooove you.” Kai is still laughing as he finally, mercifully, pulls the giant dog off me. I sit up in a huff and shoot him a glare that I only hope conveys exactly how much trouble he is in.
“Archer, spot!” With one firm command Archer immediately bounds over to the dog bed by the fireplace and plops down with a thud that shakes the floor.
“What time is it?” I ask, wiping the dog drool from my face with one of Kai’s hoodies that is draped on the back of the couch.
“Hey! I just washed that!” He jerks the shirt from my grasp with a frown and points to the clock. “It’s four-thirty, and as much as I enjoyed listening to your symphony of snores, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be at work in half an hour.”
“Shit, why’d you let me sleep so long? I’m gonna be late.” I hurriedly pack up my notes and computer, shoving everything into my backpack haphazardly.
“Seemed like you needed the rest. You were out like a light. You didn’t move through three whole episodes of Supernatural . My left arm was starting to raisin from all the drool.” Kai shoots me a playful wink as he walks with me to the front door.
“Ha-fucking-ha.” I mutter, rolling my eyes at him. He reaches out, grabbing my arm, stopping me before I open the door.
“Seriously, ReRe. You look wrecked. Have you thought about cutting back your hours at work?”
I look up to see my best friend looking down at me with so much concern in his eyes. The bridge of my nose begins to sting, and I look down, blinking back the tears threatening to form. He’s not wrong. I am exhausted. I’m worn down. I’m so tired of working constantly and not having any time for fun. I’m so damn tired of taking care of everything and worrying about Mom and bills and my grades and if I’m taking advantage of Mrs. G’s kindness too much. I’m just…so. Damn. Exhausted. Instead of confessing this to him, I deflect.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just had a late night, that’s all. Maybe after the holidays I’ll cut back on my hours some. I gotta go. See you later.”
I jerk open the door and head out before Kai gets the chance to probe some more. After a quick pit stop at my house to change and say hi to Mom and Mrs. G, I head to my second job, ready for a long night of waitressing and come-ons from douchey frat bros.