I was having my second Breezer, a strawberry one, when Kairn asked me, "you like it a lot, huh?"
"I didn't wanna have beer, so this is the best choice." I said, shaking my half full bottle.
I lay down on the grass and took another swig.
"Pfft you really are a weirdo. Who drinks while lying down? What if you choke or all of it just falls on your face." He looked down at me and snickered.
I looked up at him and scoffed, "and you're a dork."
I mean yeah; I do some weird stuff like putting on a T-shirt inside out by using its arm holes, so it's the right way when you put it on through the head hole. Now you know how to put on a shirt inside out. I was too lazy to flip it around first so I just started putting them on that way.
"Mango or strawberry?"
"What?" I asked him with confusion visible in it.
"Which one do you like more?"
"Mango. Always mango."
"Hey guys, we're going for a walk, you wanna join?" David called out to us.
"Nah I'm fine here."
"Yeah, same."
David just shrugged. Duke, Liam and Ryan joined him for a walk around the park. Kairn brought a mango Breezer and sat beside me again. Felix, Ezra, Marvin and Lance were still on the grass, a little farther away.
"I can't drink while lying down."
"It's easier when the bottle's half empty." He just smiled and shook his head.
"It's nice. Too sweet, though." Kairn said raising his bottle.
He enjoyed his drink and I, the moving clouds for a while.
Looking at Kairn, I thought of how close we've got. It took him a few days to even start talking to me at first. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Felix the first week I became friends with the guys.
______________________
"Hey Felix, thanks for the organic chemistry notes. Can you help me with a few reactions later? "
"You're welcome and sure. So... how're you liking this school so far?"
"I settled in pretty easily, thanks to you guys. I love talking to you guys. Well... except Kairn. He... he still doesn't really talk to me. Does he not like me?"
"Give him some time. You must've noticed he doesn't talk much by himself. And I think he likes you a lot, more than even the guys in the group. He's with us more often now. You must be in top five or three." Felix chuckled lightly.
“What- Pfft. Okay, thanks. Phew, I thought he didn't like me. He's pretty famous with girls, huh? I see them trying to talk to him. Well, he is kinda cool."
"Yeah, he is kinda famous. He joined this school in 9th grade, so people don't really know much about him. Girls think he's like those mysterious bad boys, all cynical and closed off, because he doesn't talk a lot or joke around. Or smile or laugh a lot. But he's really just a sweet guy. Even though he talks to people if they talk to him, a few are actually close to him. He isn't really an open book."
"Huh, I never really thought about it. People just judge him, I guess. They expect him to be mysterious and cynical because he just looks the part."
And that's when I decided to get closer to him. I won't give up so easily, even though he doesn't really talk to me now.
________________________
After a while, Kairn lay down beside me and gazed at the sky too.
"They misunderstand you, don't they? They just judge you because of how you seem." I spoke my mind while gazing at the clouds. "I'm sorry. I did too. But not in a bad way." I was gonna ramble.
"Huh?" He turned to me. I was still looking at the clouds.
"You aren't that mysterious bad boy, who's all closed off and has secrets or something."
He snorted. "I'm not."
"I mean you do have that eboy appearance going on." I snickered.
"You did not just...", he said, trying to look offended. But his smile gave it away.
"How do you classify a bad boy though? I've never seen one in real life. Do they have a lot of tattoos? Are they emotionally stunted? Or in a gang? Beat people up, no wait are they bullies? Or... they smoke weed. They would stink a lot. Who would be attracted to them? Ew."
Kairn was looking at me all this while. He just laughed. I joined him soon, and we got back to looking at the clouds.
"Yeah, they're a different species, aren't that easy to spot."
A cloud floating away distracted me.
"That looks like a unicorn on a dolphin."
"How? It looks like a carrot and a turnip to me."
"What? Pfft-"
"That looks like a heart to me." He pointed at one.
"Yeah it does."
There was a rich silence between us.
"I don't know how I got that reputation. It's just... I can't talk to people freely, especially when we've just met. I guess, I appear closed off and rude. I don't have secrets. To be honest, there isn't much to me."
"I think there's plenty to you. Just not in the way people think." I said, shaking my head while still looking at the clouds. I turned my head towards him, he was looking at me. I smiled.
"How you just spoke your mind that day without thinking, I think it's very brave." He said with a serious look.
"I think you mean weird and stupid. It was so awkward for a few seconds. And thank God for clarifying, I really thought you didn't like me and that's why you were cold to me."
"What no. I was just scared to talk to you. You're just so... "
"Awkward?"
He gave me an 'are you serious' look.
"No. I mean sometimes." He snickered. I tried to give him an angry look, but that just made him laugh. Okay, you didn't have to say it out loud. He continued.
"But how do I explain? You're so open and easy to talk to. All the guys love your company. Us being close friends, it's all you. It's like I'm the bland, clear vegetable soup and you're chicken tikka masala or tteok... tteokbokki. I was and still am scared you will see me for what I am, a bland, clear vegetable soup."
Both of us were silent for a few seconds.
"So I'm awkward in a cool way?"
He scoffed, "that's what you got?" It was my turn to laugh.
"Pfft. That comparison is so stupid. You're seriously one of the coolest guys I've ever met. No one can compete with your coolness here or at my old place."
"Pfft you sound like a child talking about his favourite cartoon character or something." He scoffed again. I chuckled. Then we both started laughing.
"You aren't bland. You're just... Kairn. And I very much like hanging out with Kairn, I don't see getting bored with him in the near future." I said seriously amidst the laughter. "And, I can be spicy enough for both of us," I gave him a smirk, but it turned into a cheeky grin.
He laughed harder. "Did you just use... never mind." He just shook his head. But he had a smile that said 'thank you'.
"I really wanna try those again." I spoke up suddenly.
"Yeah, me too."
We gazed at the floating clouds again.
("I like that you're broken, broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely, lonely like me. I could be lonely with you...")
The music wasn't loud; it was a relaxed atmosphere.
"If you think it's your fault with people, it's not. They like to keep up appearances, they judge you for it. You trusted people with the real you, and they judged you for it. So it's not you, it's them. Never think you're a weirdo."
He stopped for a second and smirked lightly, "You're weird... in a good way."
I gave him a 'really?' look, and he just grinned at that.
"And you're a dork... in a good way."
"I think we've already established that." Oh, so he's getting cocky now.
I could only smile with gratitude, but I think he got what I wanted to convey. We pointed out cloud shapes for a while.
"I'll go get some water. I’m really thirsty.”
"Yeah one for me too. Thanks."
I got up with a smile that seemed to be permanently resting on my face today. I got two bottles of water for us.
Felix was awake now and was talking to Ezra about some movie. By talking, I mean narrating the story of the whole movie animately. He loves doing that. Marvin and Lance were lying down looking at the sky in silence, both looking content. It was weird to see them not bickering. Lance pointed at a cloud, making Marvin chuckle. Their seemingly never-ending feud all but forgotten..
I sat down again and passed a bottle to Kairn. He sat up and had some water. We then lay down again.
"Marc..." It was a serious tone, one he's never used before.
I turned towards him and sat up, leaning on my elbow. Facing him, I smiled, "yeah...?" I was so close to him now, I could see his face up close, his sharp nose and even the small mole below his right eye's corner. I could clearly see his honey brown eyes looking up at me. They're different. Not his nonchalant gaze, but a mix of emotions.
("There's something tragic, there's something pure. Think I could love you. But I'm not sure... There's something wholesome, there's something sweet, tucked in your eyes that I'd love to meet...")
"I... "
"Hey guys its late, let's call it a night and help me wrap all this up." David and the other guys were back.
I focused on Kairn again. "Yeah Kairn, you what?"
"Call me Kai."
"Huh?" That was sudden.
"Well, you always call me Kairn. I call you Marc. So... you can call me Kai as well."
I punched his chest lightly with my other arm. "You could've easily told me this before. So dramatic."
I smiled at him and extended my arm.
"Well, nice to meet you Kai."
("I like that you're broken, broken like me. Maybe that makes me a fool. I like that you're lonely, lonely like me ... I could be lonely with you...")
Song used :
- Broken by lovelytheband
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