Timing Is Everything

~Tyler~

“Hi, where can I find North Halls dorms?” I asked a few students that I passed. They pointed to a building on my left and I thanked them then began to walk towards the dorm building. Looking around, I saw an older version of Audrey talking on the phone while standing by a large truck. I made my way over to the woman as she hung up her phone and smiled at her. “Hi, do you know where can I find Audrey Kalani?”

“Audrey? Oh she’s inside moving her things, I’m her mother, Jocelyn. Are you a friend of her’s?”

“Yeah, I don’t actually go here but I wanted to visit her before she left to go home.”

The older woman smiled at me, the skin around her eyes wrinkling slightly, “Mak, is Audrey in her room?” She asked the man that approached her. Looking at the man, I immediately felt dwarfed by his size. He looked as solid as mountain and had a stoic expression on his face. He nodded his head in response as he stared me down. The look in his eyes resembled that of death, well at least in my mind it did. He was probably wondering why a punk like me wanted to know where his one and only daughter was.

“This is my husband, Audrey’s father.”

“Jack Makoa Kalani.” The man stuck his hand out for me to shake, his hand engulfing mine.

After shaking his hand, I stuffed my hands in my pockets. I watched as the broad man disappeared into the dorm building. I was about to follow him when someone else caught my attention.

“You’re looking for Audrey?” I turned around to see 3 large guys behind me. They looked similar to the man and woman I just met. “Can I ask who you are?” The tallest one asked.

“Oh,” I paused to swallow, “I’m Tyler, a friend of Audrey’s.”

“Nice to meet you, Tyler. We’re Audrey’s brothers.” I felt my breath leave my body for a minute. These guys are her brothers? I feel like I’m about to be forced to fight to the death to gain acceptance by them. I’m not going to win if I have to face any of them. “Jack. Chris. Mason.”

“You got to Penn State?” One of them asked, Jack, he looked to be the oldest and the most intimidating. The scar over his eyebrow made him appear as if he could snap me with a twitch of his wrist. And I’m pretty confident that he could.

“Um, no. I don’t go to Penn State. I’m actually not in college.” The three of them shared a glance. “I play professional hockey for the Boston Bruins.”

Jack sneered slightly and mumbled something about the Bruins while the other two, Chris and Mason, nodded in recognition. “What brings you all the way from Boston?” Chris asked, crossing his arms.

“I wanted to visit Audrey before she left to go back home. I head back home to Ontario soon and I wanted to see her before then.”

“You her boyfriend?” Mason questioned with a raised eyebrow. I shook my head mumbled, ‘Just a friend.’ “How do you know Aud? If you live in Boston, how’d the two of you meet?”

Shit. Do I tell them how we met honestly? I doubt they really want to hear about how we grinded away on the dance floor. Or how at one point I tried searching for her esophagus with my tongue. Or how I invited her back to my place after a game. Yeah, a little lie wouldn’t hurt. But what if they know that I’m lying? Can they smell my fear? Its definitely radiating off of me. Damnit, I should’ve applied more deodorant this morning.

I fumble with a response as their mom calls their names. I breath a sigh of relief as they leave and I see Audrey heading over to me.

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"Mele," My dad said, calling me by my middle name. 'Mele' was Hawaiian for 'rebellious woman' and as his only daughter, I certainly lived up to that title in his loving eyes. “There's a boy outside who says he knows you. Your brothers are talking with him now.”

I walk out of my dorm room to see Tyler being 'subtly' interrogated by my brothers. I laughed and felt my mom tap my arm.

"Who's the boy? He's cute, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend." My mom commented while giving me a look.

"He's just a friend mom, I don't have a boyfriend."

"Good, you should be focusing on your studies anyway."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Can you call off the dogs mom?"

"Jack Kahua, Christopher Hani, and Mason Akamu! You come help me move these things into the car!"

My brothers turned and left to help my mom. When mom calls you by your first and middle name, you stop what you're doing and do as she says.

"I see you met my family." I chuckled at Tyler.

"Family? More like the wolf pack that you grew up with. I didn't know you were related to Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones." He joked.

I smiled at him and laughed. My older brothers looked like your typical Hawaiian/Polynesian surfer guys. Jack Kahua (KAH-wa - “Base or Foundation”) was my oldest brother at age 27 and named after our dad. He was the one everyone said looked like Jason Momoa because, well, he does. He followed in our dad's footsteps and is now a doctor in Pittsburgh. He's living there with his high school sweetheart and fiancée, Camille. If it wasn't for me they would've never dated and I fully stand behind that statement even when Jack says otherwise.

Christopher Hani (HAH-nee - “Happy”) was the second oldest at 24. He was the lawyer of the family, attending George Washington University for his law degree. He taught me how to argue with finesse and a hint of manipulation. He was also the most athletic of the family, playing every sport imaginable at school, and then some outside of school. My mom and I will forever be his biggest fans.

And the youngest of my brothers was Mason Akamu (ah-KAH-moo - “Formed by God”) at 21. Being the closest to my age, I spent most of my childhood growing up with him. He's really into technology and engineering. Growing up, he picked all our electronics apart and would give me a lesson on how it worked before putting it back together. Over time he got so good at it, my parents don't have a clue as to how many electronics in the house he actually opened up and rebuilt. Next year will be his last at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

"I'm their baby sister and you're a guy, what did you expect?" He shrugged his shoulders. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be...well not here?"

"Well you said meeting your parents may help my case for you to hang out with me over the summer, so here I am."

I stared at him. "You think bonding with my dad about moving all my clothes is gonna help your case?"