Pride

“Isn’t this like betraying Kai?” Mindy giggles, elbowing me in the side.

I growl. “Where the hell did you get an idea like that?”

The two of us are currently sitting in the theatre with a large bowl of popcorn in my lap, smothered with butter. The commercials aren’t even on yet but like always, Mindy wanted to be early so we could get good seats. Women are so pushy.

“You two were supposed to go on a movie date!” Mindy laughs at the angry glare I send her way.

“Don’t call it a date. We aren’t a couple.”

“Might as well be, as much as you two hang out.” Mindy throws a piece of popcorn into the air, easily catching it in her mouth. With a toothy grin she says, “I was just joking, Shiloh. No need to get so touchy.”

I roll my eyes and lean over to get a drink of my coke. The theatre begins to darken when I lean back and the commercials slowly come on. There’s a few people coming in now and taking their seats. The movie comes on so Mindy and I fall back into silence until it’s over.

Mindy stretches once we exit the theatre, the sun hitting our eyes. Both of us wince from not being used to the bright light since we were in the dark for over two hours. Grumbling, I rub at my eyes and say, “Damn it, I hate the sun.”

“You hate everything.” Mindy hops into the passenger seat of my jeep, which I am very proud of. Ever since I was little I wanted one. I love taking the doors and the top off. It just feels great to drive with the wind hitting my skin. I don’t know why I like it so much, I just do.

“No, I don’t. I love Chinese.”

Mindy rolls her eyes at me. “I wasn’t being serious, and you call Kai stupid.”

For the rest of the afternoon Mindy and I hang out together at the mall. By 8 I’m home and already in my boxers watching The Boondock Saints because it’s a fucking amazing movie. Suddenly there’s a knocking sound coming from my balcony door and I know immediately who it is. The door slides open and as expected, Kai appears in a pair of plaid PJ pants and a white t-shirt.

“I swear if you came over because you had a nightmare, I will decapitate you.” My threat doesn’t seem to get to him because he walks over to me and takes a seat on the edge of my bed so his back is brushing against my stomach. I look away from the TV to see a slight scowl on his face. “The fuck is with that look?”

“You went to the movies with Mindy.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

“Yeah. You were busy so I improvised.” I shrug my shoulders and pause what I have been watching. “Don’t worry…I didn’t go see what we were going to see.”

Kai seemed surprised at what I said. He looks at me with that puppy dog look, like he had just been kicked or something. With a quivering lower lip, he asks, “Y-You didn’t?”

“No.” I scoff. “Why would I do that if we made a deal to see it some other time? Unlike you I’m not an idiot.”

Kai squirms in place and before I have time to say anything, he pounces on me. “What the hell,” is all I manage to shout out because Kai snuggles his face into the crock of my neck. His body is lying on top of mine and his legs are tangling themselves with my own…this is so gay. What the hell is he doing?

I feel a small drop of water on my shoulder and its then I realize he’s crying…the fucker is crying. I groan and listen to him whine, “S-Sorry…I t-thought you h-had went o-out w-w-with her a-and I just…w-was angry and-” his words are cut off by hiccups.

I sigh and rub his back until the tears stop. Once they do, I shove him so hard he flies across the room and hits his head against the floor with a loud crack. I jump out of bed and slam a foot into his stomach, grinding it down while I scream, “The hell do you take me for, you big jerk! You are such a damn cry baby, why do I put up with you? I can’t believe you honestly thought I’d do that! Fucker, I should kick your ass.”

Kai grabs my ankle and whimpers, “S-Shiloh! I’m s-sorry, don’t kick my ass.”

“Then I suggest you put that brain of yours to use and stop assuming such stupid things. Really, I leave you alone for one day and you come up with such idiotic ideas.” I pull my foot from his gut and impatiently tap my foot against the floor. Kai sits up and crosses his legs. With one hand on each of his ankles he rocks back and forth and pouts like a little kid.

“Did you two…k-kiss or anything?”

“Why would we do that?” I ask and take my place back on my bed. I press play and begin watching my movie once more while still listening to Kai’s annoying voice.

“You always say you w-want a cute girlfriend but that I always get in the way…Mindy is cute.” Kai stares at me and waits for a reply. I don’t think he realizes how stupid he is.

“Mindy may be cute but she’s a vicious, evil woman that I would never touch in a sexual way because I rather like having my dick. Women like her are bad, Kai. Terrible and horrendous! Stay away from them, got it?” I wave my finger before his eyes.

“But we’re friends with her.”

“Just friends and make sure it always stays that way.”

Kai nods and the two of us fall into silence. Instead of speaking, Kai gets up from the floor to climb over top of me and take a seat behind me. His knees barely brushing my back but I can still feel his body heat radiating off him. It doesn’t really bother me considering how touchy Kai is.

Once Kai gets to know someone and feels secure around them he latches himself onto them. Like a leech, he wraps himself around them and holds on tight. Kai is a cuddler when he sleeps…actually let me rephrase that. Kai is a cuddler, period.

So it isn’t that big of a surprise to me when I wake up sometime that night—when did I even fall asleep?—to find Kai fast asleep behind me with his hands pressing themselves against my back. Every time he breathes, I feel his stomach grazing my back and I groan before grabbing a pillow and shoving it between us. Immediately, Kai cuddles with it and I sigh in relief because I’m no longer the teddy bear.