Kindred Souls

It was a week after the guys left that I knew they did just that. It had dawned on me, the day before Alivia's 22nd birthday that I hadn't seen Kennedy around the house or heard about what they had been up to. Or what they were doing for her birthday. I knew they hadn't broken up because Alivia would have been a devastated mess, crying in bed night and day. So where was he?

Curiosity got the best of me one night while we were eating dinner at a burger joint we enjoyed regularly. “Where's Kennedy been at this week?” I asked nonchalantly then bit into my cheeseburger.

A sad look suddenly took over Alivia's features and she threw a half eaten french fry back into her basket, “He's in El Paso, Texas, recording with his band.” Her brow furrowed then as she seemed to realize something, “You talk to Garrett, how did you not know that?”

I rolled my eyes, “I haven't talked to Garrett since I dropped him off at his house the morning after he did my hair.”

“Why not?!”

I shot her a look, “Uh, because I stupidly decided to run my mouth and tell him a whole bunch of personal shit.” Didn't she remember?

Alivia rolled her eyes this time, “God, Leland, is it so bad to let someone in every once in a while? God forbid you show a little emotion.”

I was taken aback by her outburst. She had never gotten that angry about my trust issues before. She knew I didn't like people to see my weak side. Ever. Not even her. I was the only one that could see my weak moments.

Alivia relaxed almost immediately, “I'm sorry. I'm just upset that my birthday is tomorrow and Kennedy won't be here.” I decided to let the outburst go and continued to eat my dinner. “My parents are taking me out to dinner tomorrow night to that Italian place, if you want to go.”

I nodded while chewing and put my hand in front of my mouth to be polite, “Yeah, I'll go. It's been a while since I've seen those two.”

The van Vliet family had become my family as soon as mine disowned me. They were all always there for me when I was growing up, but I just didn't know how much until I had no where to go.

I easily got along with Alivia's parents, Owen and Veronica, as if they were my own. They were both extremely laid back and a bit ridiculous, if I'm being honest. Alivia didn't see them that much because she would rather be doing other things. She loved her parents, but there was a reason she agreed to move out of state with me with little hesitance.

We were at the Italian restaurant, just the four of us. It wasn't anything fancy, but I wouldn't expect anything more from my best friend. Less was definitely more for her.

We'd just ordered and were settling into a conversation. Mostly about what everyone had been up to. “You're almost done with school?” Alivia's mother questioned her curiously.

“Yeah, kind of. I'll be done in October.”

Both of her parents nodded, “At least you're actually doing something with your life. You could be like your siblings.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alivia laugh awkwardly at her father's words.

Alivia was the youngest of five. All of her brothers and sisters were much older, having come from both her parents' previous marriages. They all didn't end up doing anything spectacular with their lives. Funny how it was reversed in my life.

“Did Alivia tell you what Brandon did?” Owen directed toward me.

I glanced at Alivia with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged, “He got a DUI outside of his house on Christmas when he was on a scooter.” Owen laughed a big hearty laugh, “How much more pathetic can you get?”

I chuckled, “Yeah, Alivia told me about that. I couldn't believe it happened outside of his house, though.”

“We're just all so unlucky with cops.” Alivia said to which her father agreed quickly.

“Did I ever tell you about that time I got pulled over when I was eighteen?” He then launched into a story Alivia and I had heard more times than I could remember.

By the time he was done, our waiter had come around with our dinners. I silently dug into my spaghetti while everyone at the table conversed. I wanted Alivia to have a nice birthday with all of the focus on her, so I tried to stay out of her time with her parents.

“How's your job going, Leland?” Veronica questioned with interest.

“It's going well.” I answered with a tight smile.

“Any bridezillas you've been dealing with lately?”

I pursed my lips in thought, “No, not really. I'm barely beginning the work on two separate ones, though. I'm sure the bitches will come out when the day starts nearing.” On the wooden table, next to my plate, Alivia's phone vibrated with an incoming text. My eyes caught “Ken<3” at the top of the message before a giddy Alivia snatched up the phone and read what he had to say.

With a sideways glance, I gauged her parents' reaction to her obvious lifted spirit. They were both sat with raised eyebrows, “Who's the boy?” Her mom asked nonchalantly then dipped her cheese bread in the marinara sauce pooling at the bottom of her plate.

Had Alivia not told them about Kennedy? That was odd. She had already met his mother countless times and was pretty much her second daughter. Why hadn't she told her parents about the boy she was occupying most of her time with?

At her mother's question, Alivia's face grew serious and she cleared her throat, “No one.” This spiked my interest further, my eyebrows shooting up my forehead in shock.

“You expect me to believe that?” Veronica turned to me, “Who is it, Leland?”

My eyes widened as I was put on the spot. Almost desperately, I turned to Alivia, who let out an exasperated sigh, “Fine. His name is Kennedy. We've been together for a month.” My brow furrowed. Had it only been a month? It felt like so much longer. Much, much longer.

“Oh, really? Where is this boyfriend of yours on your birthday?” Her mom had began the interrogation. Her dad usually stayed out of things like that. He was sitting relatively quietly, shoveling pasta into his mouth.

“He's in Texas, recording music with his band.”

This caught the attention of Owen, “Band?”

“Yeah. It's not one of those garage bands, either. They're signed to Warner Brothers and tour around the world.” Alivia gushed, clearly proud of her boyfriend and his band.

“They're not, like, U2 status, for lack of a better band.” I jumped in to clarify.

“U2 sucks, but they're widely popular. The Maine is not.” Alivia added with a nod

Her parents both nodded, seemingly satisfied, “Do you have a secret boyfriend, Leland?” Veronica asked me and I immediately started laughing.

“Oh good lord, the day I get a boyfriend will be the day I actually grow a heart.”

Alivia shot me a disapproving look that I ignored, “You better watch out before you die alone.”

My smile faltered the tiniest bit, but I shrugged indifferently anyways, “Who cares?” For some reason the idea of me dying alone struck a nerve with me.