Not My Problem || Kai Anderson

Player 1

      "My eyes feel like plastic," I announced half an hour later; Kai burst out laughing.

   "I can't believe you actually went through with it," he giggled.

   "Meee eithheerrrr," I said slowly in disbelief.

We were sitting on his couch, which was actually a loveseat considering it only had 2 cushions, with only our knees touching. I was sitting criss cross and he was "man-spreading", but I didn't mind. I liked the contact.

   "How come you don't look all crazy like me?" I asked him, referring to my heavy eyelids.

   "High tolerance," he replied with a lazy grin. "How do you feel?"

   "Like... life's webpage is refreshing every second. Like.." I looked at my hands. "Oh I'm here, and then a second later, oh yeah.... I'm here."

Kai covered his face and turned away, I assumed he was laughing at me, but I didn't know why.

   "Can I hold your hand?" I asked him, and he looked like I just offered him a thousand bucks. A second later he was intertwining our fingers, and my heart skipped a beat.

   "Soo soft," I happily rubbed our joined hands on my face. "And cuuuute."

   "Jesus how gone are you?"

   "Nahhh it's not that," I assured him, one finger in the air. "I know what I'm saying, I just wouldn't have the confidence to say it, if I weren't in this... condition."

   "I feel like I've known you for so long," Kai told me, looking at me with complete adoration. "I could just look at you for hours."

I felt sobered up for a brief moment from how sincere he sounded.

   "How do you feel about some Mario Kart?" he suggested, getting up to grab tiny red and blue controllers of his Switch. "I'll even let you be Player 1."

I decided I really liked this hanging-out-with-no-labels thing. It'd give me time to move past the whole Justin disaster, and I could really get to know Kai before committing to anything; I'm sure he felt the same.

We played racing and minigames, shouting at the TV and slapping each other's shoulder in hysterical laughter. After a few Grand Prixes, we were mostly down from the high.

   "Sorry you have to spend the night with a guy," Kai suddenly said. "I know it's like, against your morals."

   "Not 'against my morals'," I repeated in a voice mocking his. "I just didn't want to spend the night with him. I feel safe with you."

   "That means a lot," he told me. "Have you talked to your parents?"

   "No," I confessed. "I moved here to show them how responsible and independent I can be. Kinda ruined it when I set my living room on fire. They're gonna be so disappointed."

   "Don't tell them," he shrugged, as if it were that easy.

   "And what? Live in my car for a month?"

   "Well.. what if you didn't live in your car?"

   "I'd be homeless? I can't really stay at my place.." I said, oblivious to what he was alluding to.

   "What if you weren't?"

   "I would be? There's no where--"

   "Okay," he cut me off. "What if I let you stay with me and you understood what I was saying?"

   "W-With you?!" My eyes were the size of saucers I just knew it. "But Alora.."

   "What she doesn't know won't hurt her," he said innocently. "Come on it's not like we're just shacking up, it's a legitimate reason. Your job is here, you don't want to upset your parents, aaand I like hanging out with you."

I considered it, since he had multiple points, but didn't say it out loud.

   "Plus we broke up," he added. "She doesn't own me."

   "I guess you're right," I gave in. "It's innocent. We'll figure it out if she ever finds out."

   "There you go girl scout," he smiled endearingly and leaned over to lay his head in my lap; I had to have a heartbeat of 115 bpm.

I took the risk and dared to start running my fingers through his hair; it was as soft as I'd always imagined. He let out a short, happy hum.

   "I'm really sorry about your place," he said genuinely. "Luckily you don't have to pay to fix it though. And now you get a hot roommate for 3 weeks."

   "And what a long 3 weeks it will be with that ego of yours," I teased.

   "I would've found a way to get you over here either way though," he said matter-of-factly.

   "Keep telling yourself that."

He snuggled his head into my lap some more, smiling in between gentle kisses to my finger tips. I never thought something so innocent could be so intimate, he was right earlier, it really did feel like we'd known each other way longer. After a while of running my fingers through his hair, the kisses gradually stopped, and I could tell from the difference in his breathing that he'd fallen asleep. I was so glad he felt so comfortable and safe with me; I felt the same way.

My mind wandered to Alora-- I figured if she found out, we just may be able to talk things through, and she'd be okay with it.

Well, with me anyway. Him however... she may just wanna kill him for this.

Ha-- sooo not my problem.