We Lucky Few

Kai

*Picture of Kai up top.*

The boy's sobs subsided until he was completely limp in Calliope's arms. She strode over to me and gently nudged the boy to turn his head.

"Hey, nugget. Meet my friend, James. James, this is Kai."

The boy looked at me with tired but alert eyes. 

"Hi Kai. Well, aren't you just a heartbreaker, little man! You sure know how to charm the ladies."

I grinned and winked at Kai, who lifted his head off of Calliope's shoulder and gave me a small smile. The boy's dark blonde hair stuck up in every direction after Calliope's ministrations. His eyes had a stunning hazel color. I leaned close to Kai and whispered in his ear:

"You need to tell me your tricks so I can score some points with Cal, here." Kai chuckled and pressed a hand over his mouth.

"What are you two whispering about behind my back?" Calliope asked.

I shot her an innocent look. "Nothing. Right, Kai? Just man-talk."

"You wouldn't understand, Callie, 'cause you're a girl," Kai said with a grin.

"Oh, I see, well if that's the case..." Calliope smiled at me with her tongue between her teeth. After a few moments, she asked Kai:

"Hey nugget, are you ready to go back to sleep now?"

Kai's grip on her tightened and there was a flicker of fear in his eyes. "Nooooo, Callie, I want to stay with you and James, pleaaase!" Calliope turned around to cast a questioning glance at the man and woman still standing by the dresser, whom I supposed were Kai's parents. The woman looked at Callie with bloodshot, tired eyes, then nodded.

"But I don't know if James can stay, nugget. He might have other plans, you know?"

Kai gazed at me and the vulnerable look on his face just melted my insides to mush.

"Sure, buddy, I'm all yours! What do you want to do?"

I didn't miss Calliope's grateful look. Kai suddenly sat up straight in her arms and his eyes lit up.

"I want hot chocolate." Then he screwed up his little nose. "I really want coffee, but mom and dad always tell me I'm too young..." His face fell in disappointment as he craned his head around with a rueful look and met his mother's smiling expression. I felt for the little guy. Life without coffee was just... a dull and grey experience. 

"Awwww, too bad kid, 'cause you'll have to watch me drink the biggest pot of coffee there is."

Kai glared at me. I whispered in his ear again, directing a mischievous glance at Calliope:

"But being a kid has its own perks. Look how smitten the ladies around you are. I could never compete with that."

When I pulled back, Kai looked smug, and crossed his arms over his chest. We settled down in the pub which was empty at that time of the day. Kai's mother had come down with us and watched us from behind the counter.

"So, Kai, you wanna be a fireman when you're big?" I asked over my huge cup of coffee.

Kai shook his head. "No. I think the firetrucks are pretty awesome, but when I'm big, I'm going to work in a movie theatre. You can watch all the movies for free and have popcorn whenever you want to."

I looked at him, astounded. "Really? Well, that's an unusual plan."

"Kai is addicted to movies. He could watch them day in, day out, no matter which one. He reads books about cinema and film making. It's really no fun to watch a movie with him because he even keeps commenting on the angle of the camera, the colors of the image, the audio quality, and whatnot."