Whiskey pong? That sounded fun.
“Pity. Another time. You know, there is a comic convention on O'ahu in the summer, there’s some anime stuff, too. We could play whiskey pong then,” I teased as we drove off.
“That does sound fun. I would absolutely like to see you again. It doesn’t look like there are any Renn Faires where I am this summer,” she replied.
“Pirate costumes are already ordered. We should bring you out to visit us in Washington over this summer and you can come with us to our Renn Faire. What are you doing? Adventuring? Working?” I asked. Those seemed like the logical things to do between graduation and a PhD program.
“The original plan had been to simply stay in the student housing and work a couple of jobs, save up some money, and do some surfing, and all that. But now, I’m not sure. My brother really wants me to come out to Los Angeles to visit him even if it’s for just a couple of days. But I don’t know.” Kai sighed.
“You haven’t been back since the funeral?” Ashton asked.
“Nope. He was in college in LA when they passed and stayed after he graduated, because that’s where his job offers were. My parents weren’t rich and didn’t leave us much except for their house, which we paid off with the insurance. For now, he’s living there, which makes sense for him. But for me, the idea of going back and staying in my room and going out to the kitchen, and no one being there… I don’t know if I can do it…” Her voice broke.
“That sounds hard. It’s okay if you don’t want to go back. It’s also okay to give it a try. If it gets to be too much, maybe you could shorten your visit and stay in a hotel. Or you could just come up and visit us. I’m sure the flight from LA to Seattle isn’t that long,” I offered.
“I’d absolutely like to visit you all in Washington if that’s a sincere offer,” Kai replied.
“Oh, it is,” Ashton confirmed.
I’d like that a lot. After just a few days Kai had changed our world, and I wasn’t sure what it would look like after spring break was over.
“I love to travel,” Kai said. “That’s why we were going to Bali. I often travel with my cousins and brother. The aunties like to spoil us. Though sometimes I went on trips with my ex bestie.” Her expression went wistful and I was reminded that Kai had not just broken up with her boyfriend of several years but had broken up with an entire friend group. That sounded hard.
“Have you been to a lot of really interesting places?” I asked.
“A few. The first Christmas after my parents died, my brother was still in college. We had Christmas inHawai’i with the aunties, and then we went to Japan with some of the cousins. The family put it together for us. It was great. My brother and I will take trips together in the summer too, but it’s usually just someplace on the mainland. While he saves a lot being rent free, he has only been working for a couple of years. Still, he does what he can to help me, and well, the aunties help us as much as we’ll let them. But we try to do as much as we can ourselves,” Kai explained.
“I’m glad you have such a good relationship with your brother. It’s great that he’s really supportive of the fact that you don’t want to go back to Los Angeles, and he finds other ways to see you,” I said.
“I’m very grateful for my brother. He sort of wants to beat my ex up though.” Kai laughed.
“I want to punch your ex in the face,” I replied.
“I think outside the hockey rink that might be assault,” Kai said. “But I want to punch him, too.”
“As you should. Will you go on a trip with him over the summer?” Ashton asked.
“Originally, I turned it down. But now I think I will. He and the aunties wanted to plan a big trip to Europe for us.” Kai nodded.
“You should,” I encouraged.
We pulled into our parking space and we took Kai inside. Like yesterday, she immediately removed her shoes. We took off ours as well. My dress shoes were pinchy.
“Do you want anything to eat, to drink? Should I open that bottle of champagne?” Ashton asked, a little anxious.
I was a little anxious, too. Kai wasn’t some random hook up. She might be temporary, but she still meant something to us and trusted us with her fantasy.
Two alphas at once was common for an omega–especially during a heat–and I was a little surprised she hadn't. Maybe she was on suppressants because of college.
Or maybe her ex was really shitty and selfish.
Never mind, we already knew he was shitty and selfish.
She kissed me, pulling me down to her. “Thank you for dinner. That was an excellent recommendation, and I can understand why you’re obsessed with their barbecue.”
“So glad you liked it and we should get that wine again. It was amazing. Though it was Ashton who paid.”
Kai turned and pulled Ashton down to her and kissed him. “Thank you, Ashton.”
