Breaking up roots (One Night Stand, Book 3)

Chapter 4: Time for all hell to break loose

The melody flowing out of the radio hissed with interference and made both of the boys scrunch up their faces as the static noise disturbed the ambiance inside the car. Kai reached for the buttons and readjusted the frequency once again, although a fraction of the buzzing remained.

"It refuses to go away this time," Zane observed lightly.

"Yeah, it looks like the coverage here is as shitty as ever." Kai turned off the radio and slung back onto the passenger seat with a sigh. He was so tired already, and the nightmare had yet to begin.

A week after Nya dropped the dicey request on her brother, Kai and Zane were finally making the small road trip that would take them to Ignacia; Kai's hometown.

They had been driving for almost three hours, and while Kai wasn't the one behind the wheel, he felt as exhausted or even more than his boyfriend. It most likely had to do with the little sleep he'd had the night before, as well as the tension that had been building inside of him for days. Now, as they neared their destination, his anxiety did nothing but grow stronger and push up against his stomach.

"Do you want me to pull aside for a bit?" Zane asked.

"No, it's fine. The more we stop, the longer this will take, and I just want for it to be over as soon as possible."

Zane nodded, his eyes fixed on the rustic road ahead. "So... they don't know that I'm coming with you?"

Kai shook his head. "After I left, the only person I kept in touch with was my sister. I asked her to never tell my parents a thing about me besides the fact that I was still alive. And I specifically told her to not let them know about my ex kicking me out like a mangy dog."

"They don't know that you and he are no longer together, either."

Kai confirmed Zane's suppositions. "I didn't want to give my dad another reason to laugh at me and scold me about my 'immoral life choices'." Kai rolled his eyes. He would be lying if he said he didn't remember almost every single speech that had come out of that man's foul mouth.

"I still think you should have given them some sort of notice that you're bringing more company."

"And have Nya explaining the whole thing to them? No, I can't put her through that. It wouldn't be fair. Whatever my dad has to say, I don't want her to get caught in the crossfire. She's already done a lot covering me all this time."

Zane's head bobbed in understanding, although the boy wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with Kai's decision.

After another long stretch of repetitive hills, the number of trees and bushlands decreased and opened the view towards a small village. Kai's heart jumped in his chest upon recognizing the familiar groups of houses and farms.

"Quite picturesque," Zane whispered. The compliment meant very little to Kai, however.

As they made it past the limits, Kai guided Zane through the rural roads and rough paths. His eyes couldn't help but skim over every field, park, and building they passed by. With the exception of a few new businesses, everything looked the same as the day he left two years ago. The vast rice paddies, the crimson-colored trees that looked so beautiful during that time of the year, even the old utility poles that always seemed like they were about to give up at any moment.

"These pagoda roofs are lovely. It's rare to see this sort of traditional architecture in the capital," Zane praised the views yet again.

As a matter of fact, Kai wasn't quite sure how to feel about this place. Ignacia held so many memories for him, both tender and dark. Kai had grown up here, learned many things about himself while running down those damp fields and playing with the other idiotic children. But in that discovery, he'd found great pain too when he realized his way of 'loving' was frowned upon by most people around.