𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐄

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

carmen

After being given a very rough tour of the 3 bed apartment, I finished up placing the last of my boxes in my room and headed to the kitchen where Maikel and Nila were. Nila was staring at Maikel speechless whereas Kai was leaning his upper body over the counter looking at her in a different way. His eyes were dark and narrowed at Nila.

I cleared my throat and they both instantly snapped out of their trance and turned to my direction. Nila fixed her posture and sat up straight in the island chair, whilst Kai just became more relaxed but clearly looked a bit annoyed at me.

I think I was a cockblock.

"Um, I finished putting my boxes away, if you wanted to know." I ran my hands down my shorts and headed to the fridge to get a cold bottle of water. As soon as it was in my hands, I relished the coolness. Even though the AC was on, the summer heat was still coming in from outside. I swear I was about to light on fire.

Nila was first to speak up, trying to cover her flustered expression. "Great! I'm going to head to my dorm now since I still need to put my boxes away and meet my roommate, but I'll meet you here tomorrow morning mkay?" Nila starts to get up and grabs her shoulder bag.

"Okay, how are you getting to campus?" There was no way I was letting her go to the dorms by herself.

"I'll most likely call an uber." She starts pulling out her phone but before she can open the Uber app, I stop her.

"Nope, no way. That is not happening. Maikel can drive you! Right, Kai?" My question has Kai's eyes widening, his stance suddenly becoming much more intimidating.

"I really don't think that's the best option Cammy." Kai clears his throat whilst Nila nods her head aggressively.

"Yeah Cammy, I can't believe I'm saying this but for once I agree with your brother." Nila goes to open the Uber app again but I grab her phone out of her hand and switch it off.

"Don't be silly, he'll drive you. Right, Kai?" I give Maikel a please look and at first it seems like he's going to say no at first, but my pleading look turns stern, to which Kai sighs in defeat and slowly nods his head.

"Of course, I'll drop you off." His voice is strained but I'm thankful that he isn't leading her alone in the evening.

"Oh, um, thanks. You didn't have to." Nila looks everywhere but at Maikel's face and all of a sudden, the tension turned awkward. I'm slightly in shock a bit because it's never been awkward between the three of us, usually it's filled with Kai and Nila's pointless bickering. But, for once they weren't bickering, which given the look me and Nila shared, she feels the same way.

They both put their shoes on and I hug them both goodbye and shut the front door behind them, making sure to lock it.

I turn around to stare at the empty apartment, and all of the nerves start rushing in, as if the wall holding them back collapsed, sending a mix of feelings all at once.

I don't have a single clue about living without my parents, let alone having the freedom to go out whenever I want without having to ask a week in advance and not having a curfew. Deciding to push those thoughts away, I take a shower scrubbing all of the sweat off. I hated feeling sweaty, and even though it felt like a billion degrees, I still showered in warm water. No matter how hot it would get, I would never take a cold shower.

Changing into my brother's old highschool football shirt I found a few months ago, it came down to my mid thighs. I put on a pair of shorts and decided to let my hair air dry. I walked out of my bedroom and came to the conclusion that I would force Kai to help me unpack later when he gets back. I really hope he and Nila aren't trying to kill each other right now.