Page 100 of Unfix Me

“Of course it is. You wouldn’t get it.”

I grunted and made my way toward the kitchen. West and Willow were the worst kind of twins. Half the time, they hated each other and the other half, they plotted together. She was held back her senior year, so she was still in high school, but once she graduated, the plan was for her to move to Seattle. School was iffy but getting her out of her dad’s house was non-negotiable. Plus, West had been grumpier than usual without her. In the rare case that I couldn’t get him to calm down, she could.

When I reached the kitchen, I saw Dad sitting at the bar. I went over to the other side so that I wouldn’t crowd him. Setting my elbows on the counter, I smiled at him.

“Hey, Dad.”

He licked his lips, then glanced at Mom. She came over and leaned her head on my shoulder.

“It’s Kai,” she said. “He’s here for Christmas.”

“It’s Christmas?” he asked.

“Almost,” I replied. “It’s winter break. No school for me.”

Nodding slowly, he processed it. His hair was a little longer than when I left, coming just past his ears in silver and brown tendrils. There was a small amount of stubble on his jaw that made him look older. Overall, he appeared okay, which was all we could really ask for at this point.

Alzheimer’s was degenerative and at a certain point, it would kill him. The effects on his body were getting worse, but it was possible he could live five more years. Maybe a little longer if he was lucky, if you considered it that. At that point, it became a conversation about quality of life.

He put his desires in writing a long time ago, so we all knew what to expect someday. It helped, in a way, that my parents had been open with me about his condition since he was diagnosed when I was two. I always knew and while I hated every second of it, I was more prepared than many.

“Are you hungry?” I asked. I unzipped my backpack and pulled out a Toblerone. It had always been his favorite.

His eyes lit up. “Sure, sure. You…” His eyes glazed a bit before he refocused on me. “You can share with me.”

I smiled and used my hands to pull myself onto the counter, swinging my legs idly. “Sharing a Toblerone? You must have lost your damn mind, Dad.”

“I always blame you for my gray hairs, kid. Remember when I had to pick you up from that party last week? You’re still grounded for that.”

“That’s what you think. I know how to sneak out of my window.”

He feigned shock. “I had no idea.”

“He’s known since you were thirteen,” Mom whispered loudly with a conspiratorial wink.

I broke off a piece of chocolate and handed it to him. “Damn. I thought I was better than that.”

“You always sneak in that boyfriend of yours. What’s his name?” Dad snapped his fingers a few times. “Mark. Where’s Mark? Is he coming for Christmas?”

“No, I have a new boyfriend now.”

“No, I liked Mark.”

“I know. We broke up a while ago.”

“Oh.” He looked disappointed, but lightened up when I handed him more of the chocolate. “But there’s something… I see love in your eyes, Kai. What have I missed?”

As I chewed on my piece, I smiled. I needed to call Sen to see how he was doing, but it had been a whirlwind after getting off the flight, then me and Mom talked the whole way back. I hoped his parents weren’t being complete ass wipes.

“His name is Sen. I met him at school.”

“Tell me about him.”

“Well, he’s gorgeous. He has dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He used to be a quarterback in high school.”

“Oh, I like him.”

I laughed. “He’s perfect. His parents, though, aren’t supportive. He’s not open about his sexuality yet, but he’s accepted himself.”

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