Soulmates: Writing on Skin [Seaycee AU]

Four

"You always know just when I need to talk, Sean" Kaycee said, opening the front door to her house after her date with Jack.

"One of the many things I'm good at," Sean quips, placing his phone on his dresser and pressing the speaker button, "what happened, Kayc?"

Kaycee shut the front door behind her and hand motioned to her family that she's heading upstairs, knowing that as soon as she was done with her phone call she'd have to come back downstairs and talk about what happened that night. She sighed as she trudged up the stairs towards her room, "Jack happened."

In the living room, Brad raised a questioning brow at Laura, who shook her head, "Partially my fault, I told Jack he couldn't have Kaycee all to himself on her birthday because we'd be with the Lew's for most of the day. Judging by his reaction, Kaycee hadn't told him."

"I don't see how that's your fault. It was a miscommunication on their end." Brad replied, eyes refocusing on the television in front of him.

Laura sat down beside her husband on the sofa, eyes focusing straight forward as well, "I invited him to spend the day with us, but as soon as I did, Kaycee tensed up. It almost seems like she doesn't want him here."

"Quite frankly, I don't blame her," Brad responded, turning to face his wife, "Jack hasn't been the most receptive to Sean and Kaycee's friendship, why do you think Sean's rarely ever around anymore?"

"Kaycee said Jack and Sean like each other." Laura stated, shaking her head, "I don't think he's the reason they aren't together as much."

"Maybe not directly, but she never has them over at the same time, there's clearly some reason as to why," Brad started, "if there weren't some issue, she'd have them together all of the time. Jack is her boyfriend and Sean is her best friend-"

"Soulmate." Kylie sang, sauntering in from the kitchen, "Sean's her soulmate."

"As I was saying," Brad continued, ignoring Kylie, "Jack's a good kid, like you said, Laura. But I don't think he likes how often Sean used to be over here. As soon as Jack and Kaycee got together, we've only seen Sean once in a great while."

"I agree with dad," Kylie said, sitting on a chair opposite from Brad and Laura, coffee mug in hand, "Jack hasn't hid his jealousy very well. Whenever someone brings up Sean and Kaycee, he tries to change the subject. But if you bring up Sean on his own, he's fine."

Laura and Brad stared at Kylie, waiting for her to continue until she finally obliged, "So when Kaycee says that Jack and Sean get along, I don't think she's lying. Jack just doesn't like when other people fawn all over 'Sean and Kaycee' as a duo."

"I just don't see them together for the long run, Laura," Brad said bluntly, "If he's jealous of their dance partnership, that's a recipe for disaster to begin with. Great kid, but after six months of being together, you'd think there'd be more of a spark, not to mention writing on skin."

Upstairs, Kaycee paced her bedroom floor, the phone in her hand on speaker. Sean listened to Kaycee reciting the entire story, start to finish, her adding in details here and there if she forgot something. Once Kaycee was finished, flustered and out of breath, she waited for Sean to say something, to say anything.

"It kind of sounds like I'm the problem." Sean's voice weakly mumbled at the end of the line.

Kaycee paused and sat down on her bed, realizing that she had never told Sean about the awkward tension that overcame Jack whenever someone mentioned Sean in reference to Kaycee, "In a way, kind of."

She heard Sean take in a sharp breath, "I mean, I don't want to be the reason you're having relationship problems-"

"Sean Lew, stop that," Kaycee scolded, "your name might be the problem, but you aren't the problem. Don't you ever think that."