Page 10 of Exile

It’s the end of my shift at Brewed Awakening, and I’m counting out my tips when Kai walks through the door. He looks rumpled and disheveled in a way I rarely ever see him, outside of cramming for finals. There are dark circles under his eyes, deepening the tone of his skin. Stubble coats his chin, making it seem like he hasn’t bothered shaving in a couple of days, which is extremely unusual for Kai. He claims his dimples are his secret weapon to charming the ladies, and he refuses to cover them with a beard, stating it would be a crime to deprive womanhood of them.

I quickly pocket the money I’ve been counting and rush around the counter to pull him into a hug. “Hey, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you!” Kai doesn’t say anything, but he squeezes me tightly, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets me go. “What’s going on, Kai?” I mumble into his chest, unable to loosen myself from his hold. Kai just stands there, holding me for another minute before releasing me and taking a step back.

This close, I can see the shadows under his eyes. The whites of his eyes are red from lack of sleep. His haggard appearance has me on high alert, and I grab his hand and tug him to the love seat at the back of the shop, one of our favorite places to study together. Kai leans back on the plush sofa and covers his face with his hands while he gathers his thoughts. “I just got out of jail last night.” He pulls his hands away from his face and turns to look at me. His eyes shimmer with unshed tears, and my mouth falls open in shock. Whatever I thought he was going to say, that was not it.

“Excuse me? You got out of what?”

“Jail. A couple of dudes got rowdy at the demonstration the other night. Got up in the faces of some pedestrians walking by. I was off to the side shooting with my camera, and I tried to break it up and keep things calm. But when the cops showed up, they grabbed us all and took us in.”

“Jesus, Kai. Seriously? Are you okay? I’m so sorry I didn’t answer last night.” I scoot over and wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest, trying to give my friend any comfort I can. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and drops his head into my hair. His next words are muffled as he speaks into the mass of curls.

“I saw your messages when I got my phone back and was calling to let you know I was home and okay. I got my boy Ryan to pick me up when they finally let me out.” Kai lets out a weary sigh before speaking again. “I think I’m gonna skip class today. I’m tired as fuck. I don’t know if you know this, but city jail isn’t exactly the Hilton. Plus, those drunk assholes kept bitching all night about their rights, like the fucking bastards that put us in there gave any shits.”

“Sure, yeah, that makes sense. I’ll take notes and drop them by for you after class.” I pull away and give Kai another thorough once-over. He looks defeated, his natural charisma and energy nowhere to be found. “You want me to bring some lunch too? I can hang for a bit before I have to go to work tonight.”

On Friday and Saturday nights, I waitress at Mavericks, a college dive bar known for their cheap beer and unlimited wing nights. The tips aren’t great there, but the owner lets me keep them all and doesn’t hassle me about not being twenty-one. He’s not exactly known for caring about the rules on underage drinking or serving, hence Mav’s popularity with the college crowd. Freshmen and sophomore students in particular.

Kai flashes me a tired smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, his dimples nowhere to be seen. “Sure, ReRe. That’d be great.” With that, Kai stands from the couch and pulls me up with him to give me one last hug before he leaves. As I watch him go, my mind starts spinning about what happened to Kai, and I wonder if Dominick was the one that put him in jail. Is the man I’m currently falling for responsible for the defeated and broken heaviness emanating from my best friend?

After class, I stop by our favorite local sandwich shop and pick up a couple of our favorite subs. It’s not exactly in my budget for the week, but Kai spends so much time taking care of me, it’s only fair I return the favor. Especially after he’s had one of the worst experiences of his life. On my way to Kai’s with our lunch and psychology notes, my phone rings. I glance down at the screen and see Tall, Dark and Pumpkin Spiced with the selfie Dom and I took on our date lighting up the display. I hit the speaker button and return my attention to the road.

“Hey there, Pumpkin. I was just thinking about you.” I try to infuse lightness into my voice when I answer the call. My words aren’t a lie. I have been thinking about Dom. Agonizing over the possibility that he could’ve been the one that locked up Kai for no reason at all and what I’ll do if he is. Dominick is the best thing that has happened to me in years, and the idea of him hurting the second most important person in the world to me causes my heart to seize up.

Dominick’s laughter comes through the speaker in a low rumble. “I’m never going to live that nickname down, am I?”

“Nope,” I respond, popping the p. “You’re stuck with it now.”

“I suppose it is a cross I must bear if it means being with you, Kitten. I was calling to see if you wanted to grab some lunch. You’re done with class for the day, right? There’s that burger place close to campus; I can swing by and pick you up. I’ve got an hour before I’m back on shift.”

I bite my lower lip, debating my response, wondering how to bring up the protest from the other night. “Um, actually, I already have lunch plans today.” There is hesitation in my voice. I don’t want to accuse Dominick of something he didn’t do and ruin our fledgling romance, but I need to know if he was the one that arrested Kai.

“You do?” Dominick’s tone turns from cheerful to serious in a heartbeat.

“Yeah, um, I’m taking some class notes and lunch over to my friend Kai. He’s had a rough week and missed class today.” I pause briefly, working up the courage to say the next part. “He was arrested at the demonstration Tuesday night…d-did you…arrest anyone that night?”

In the ensuing pause, I find myself holding my breath, waiting for Dominick’s response, silently praying he won’t have any idea what I’m talking about.

“No, Kitten, I didn’t arrest anyone. There were a few aggressive protestors and a few fights, but I wasn’t involved in any of them. Dane or Eric might have, or it might’ve been one of the other guys from the county office. I’m sorry about your friend, but that’s a risk he takes when running with a crowd like that.”

The breath I was holding whooshes out, and the relief I feel at Dominick not being involved in Kai’s arrest is palpable. “Right…um…okay. That’s good. I think it was just the wrong place, wrong time. Kai said he was trying to get some dudes who were fired up to calm down, and I guess he got caught up in the crossfire.”

“That’s probably what happened, Serena. Hopefully your friend learned his lesson. Do you want to get dinner tonight instead? I’m off shift at six.” Dominick’s sudden change of subject sends me into a tailspin. I’m so relieved by his answer and desperate to be near him again I almost tell him yes, momentarily forgetting I have to work tonight.

“I’d love to but I’m working tonight at Maverick’s.” I let out an exhausted sigh at the thought of the long night of waitressing while dodging drunk college bros and their attempts to flirt with me while leaving shitty tips.

“You’re working tonight? How late?”

“Until the kitchen closes. I’ll probably be there ‘til midnight.”

“Damn, Kitten, when do you get a day off?” Dominick’s voice is laced with concern and I close my eyes, relaxing into my seat, letting the smooth baritone of his voice settle into my bones. “You work more than I do, baby. I’m worried you’re going to burn yourself out.”

A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I revel in his concern. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing to be done for it. Mom can’t work, so I have to. The settlement from the accident paid off the mortgage on the house, but there’s still bills to pay and food to buy. It’s okay though. Once I get through school and graduate with my degree, I’ll be able to get a better job with saner hours. I’m not the only girl that’s had to work her way through school, and I haven’t had to resort to stripping yet, so I’ve got that going for me.” I let out a small laugh that has no actual amusement behind it.

“Kitten, I’ll make sure you never have to resort to that.” The tone Dominick uses is firm and commanding, brooking no argument from me.

“I’ll hold you to that, Pumpkin,” I say with a much bigger smile blooming across my face. “Hey, I gotta go, but do you want to go out Sunday? It’s my only actual day off.”

“Absolutely. I need to see you again. I can’t stop thinking about that fucking delicious mouth of yours. How about I pick you up for brunch, then we can find a more comfortable place than my car to get to know one another?”

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