two.
o-o-o-o

Namine came back at a quarter to eleven with their black and white shih tzu, Pepper. Kairi sat at the bar in their kitchen, browsing her phone. Pepper jumped happily at her feet.

"Hey, little girl," Kairi murmured, not taking her eyes away from her phone.

"What are you doing? And where is my clothes rack I had out?" she asked, perplexed by Kairi's odd behavior, as well as how much cleaner the apartment was. Pepper sniffed out the foreign shoes at the front door and growled a little. Kairi motioned for her best friend to come closer.

"It's in your room. Don't kill me," she whispered.

"Why are you—"

"I kinda, sorta… let someone stay over." Kairi looked to the hallway. Pepper had already found the source of the new smell, and was sitting in front of the door of the room that Sora slept in.

"Someone? Who?" Then it hit her, and she gasped. "A guy?!"

"Quiet! These are thin walls…"

"Where? In your bed?"

"No!" Kairi's face reddened. Namine stomped her foot with impatience. "In Olette's old room. It was so late last night, so I just let him stay over…"

Namine squealed with delight, but tried her hardest to keep her voice down. "Kairi, that's wonderful! I have to admit, I was starting to worry about you…"

"Thanks…" Kairi mumbled.

"I mean, you haven't been in a relationship in what, four or five years? Even that one was short-lived. And you barely went out. I was seriously about to set you up with one of Roxas' friends. So, who is it? Someone from the reunion?" Namine gasped. "Do I know him?!"

After recovering from her friend's desire to hook her up with some stranger, Kairi replied. "You do know him. It's Sora."

Namine crossed her arms and stepped back. "Okay, nice one. Yup, I'm gonna ask Roxas if he has any single friends."

"Namine! It's true! He's still sleeping! We got back at here at two in the morning."

"Did the reunion go that late?" Namine raised an eyebrow.

"Well, everyone passed out drunk around 11:30 or so, so we left."

Namine did the math. "That's a two-and-a-half-hour window. What did you two do? Love hotel?"

Kairi shook her head in embarrassment. "No! Just went to get something to eat and then he escorted me home. But it was super late, and I was worried."

"I am still very skeptical. You mean, the Sora? The one you were obsessed with all throughout high school?"

"I wasn't obsessed…" Kairi replied, really hoping he couldn't hear.

"Oh, girl, you had it bad." Namine stood for a moment, and then her demeanor drastically changed. She tackled Kairi and hugged her tightly. "I'm so excited for you! We have to do something!" Namine hurried into the kitchen and pulled out a muffin tray and some eggs. "Aren't you going to make him something? You know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Roxas is seriously only with me because I can cook."

"If I were a guy, I'd date you too for that sole reason. You used to be a chef, so…"

"I'm pretty spectacular, aren't I?" Namine basked. "Now, get over here! We're gonna make some bacon cups! Unless he's weird and doesn't like bacon, then, you should kick him out and never speak to him again."

"I really don't know," Kairi said, dragging herself into the kitchen.

Thirty minutes later, Sora emerged from the room. Pepper barked constantly and went in circles around him, fearing the stranger. "Kairi, I didn't know you had a dog."

"Hey," she greeted, a little nervous about his upcoming encounter with her vivacious, carefree roommate. Namine stopped her yoga video and hurried over to him.

"Oh, hello. I'm Sora. Sorry for sleeping in so late."

"It's cool," Namine said, shaking his hand. "Namine. Excuse the sweat. Yoga is harder than it looks."

"Right," Sora said, looking down at Pepper.

"She just has to get used to you. She's really sweet," Kairi told him. She still couldn't believe he was in the house.

"I see. By the way, that's probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in."

"It's one of those memory foam mattresses," Kairi said.

"Name your price," Sora joked. "So, what did you make? You really didn't have to cook anything."

"Bacon cups," Namine replied before Kairi had the chance. "Kairi made them. They're just freshly sliced ham, egg and sharp cheddar cheese wrapped in uncured, applewood smoked bacon. A pinch of salt in each one, of course."

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "They look really good. Is it okay if I take some with me, though? I should be getting home. Bobo is probably hungry."

"Bobo?" Namine asked.

"His pet snake."

"Ah," Namine said, then started rummaging through the cabinets. She pulled out a container, put about six of them into and it sealed it. "Here you go!"

"Thanks," he said, a little thrown off by her upbeat energy. He smiled at Kairi. "I look forward to eating these." Pepper barked at him as he went to the door and put his shoes on. Kairi went to see him off.

"Get home safely," she said.

Sora pat her shoulder. "I really appreciate it. I'll call you later, okay?"

Will he? She thought to herself, but just nodded. After he left, she could feel Namine's eyes burning into her backside.

"That was painful to watch."

o-o-o-o

Kairi was about to start a TV show when she got a phone call from Sora. After the third ring, she answered. "H-hello?"

"Hey, what are you up to?" he asked.

"Me? Nothing. What are you doing?"

He didn't answer her question. "Um, would you like to come over?"

Kairi looked at the clock. He had only left about eight hours before, and now he wanted to see her again?

"Really? Yeah, sure, I guess." Kairi was still trying to get over the initial shock.

"Cool, I'll text you my address. See you soon."

"See ya…" Kairi hung up the phone. Namine just stared from the opposite couch. "He wants me to come over."

"I'm pretty sure that's a booty call," Namine said.

"I doubt it, but if it is…" Kairi shook the thoughts from her mind. "I won't do anything, and if he tries something I don't like, you know I can handle it."

"Yeah, yeah. Just be careful."

"I will!" Kairi got dressed and made sure to spray a little perfume. She smiled at herself in the mirror. It felt so good, even if she didn't know what his true intentions were. She said goodbye to Namine and left.

Kairi got off the bus at the end of Paradise Springs Road. Like he said, his apartment building was right on the beach. Sora waved to her from the distance.

"Hey, thanks for coming on such short notice. I hope it's not weird."

"I wasn't doing anything, so it's fine." They walked back toward the apartment. "I've never been over here."

"It's really nice." He pointed to the water. "See? The island is right there. I had to be near it. It's like my second home."

"Oh, cool."

They entered the apartment and went over to the elevator. "I live on the fifth floor," Sora mentioned.

Here she was, not even twenty-four hours from seeing him for the first time in so long, at his apartment. He must enjoy her company if he invited her out here; that, Kairi was certain. They got to the fifth floor and she followed Sora to the last door on the right, number 515.

"Don't worry, I put Bobo back into his cage."

"Well, I'm glad for that," Kairi said as they went inside. Natural light irradiated from the large windows in the living room. Kairi stood in awe at the beauty of the oceanside view. There was no clutter whatsoever, from what she could see, and the pearl white walls and light brown tiled floors were immaculately clean. He had a black, leather sectional that matched the black and white theme in his kitchen. Overall, Kairi was surprisingly impressed by how simple the décor was.

"I'm not home much, and when I am, I spend most of my time on the balcony or at the shore." Sora went into the kitchen and pulled a cup from the cabinet. "Thirsty?"

"Oh, sure. Water, please."

"Ice?"

"Yes, thanks." Kairi left her shoes by the door and walked over to the tall, glass windows. "This view is breathtaking. This apartment must cost a fortune."

"Sixty-hour work weeks make it worth it," Sora said, handing her the glass of water. "Let's go onto the balcony." He unlocked the door and they went outside. The red-orange sky blended over the impeccable, sapphire waters. They sat at the small, round table and took in some fresh air. Kairi couldn't imagine living in such an extravagant place.

"How long have you been here?"

"In this apartment? About two years. Before this, I lived closer to the hospital downtown and I hated it. It's just so much more peaceful here, obviously. I didn't like all the constant sirens. The apartment you live in is pretty nice, too."

Kairi shrugged. "It's alright. We've been there for the last four years and haven't had any problems. It's my first apartment. My mom didn't like me moving out, but I felt like I had to be on my own."

"I hear ya. I couldn't wait to get out of my parent's house. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Nope, it's just me. Probably the reason my mom was so clingy. You?"

"I have a sister, and then there's my mom and dad. As you know, my dad owns the law firm, and it's allowed my mom to stay home. My sister lives with her boyfriend somewhere."

"Somewhere? You don't know where?"

"I just know it's on the islands."

Kairi thought that was a little strange, but she didn't want to pry. "I see. Namine is like a sister to me. We've been best friends since I moved here."

"She's quite a character. You're from Radiant Garden, right?"

"Yeah, that's where I was born. My mom and I lived with my grandma. They really struggled to take care of me and make sure that I had good opportunities. My mom wanted a change, so she got a job here working with Child Services and has been ever since. I really look up to her."

"That's really awesome. Your mom sounds like a strong person," Sora said.

"She is."

"May I ask, what about your dad?"

Kairi broke eye contact and stared at the ocean. "He chose not to be a part of my life. In fact, I just assume I don't have a father. He made that decision before I was even born, so I try not to be bitter about it. I've never even met him."

"That's hard. I'm sorry."

Kairi forced herself to smile. "It's alright. Like I said, it was out of my control."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, sometimes I wish I didn't have a father. He can be such an ass."

"I noticed yesterday that you didn't seem too happy about working with him."

"More like, for him. I'm just an employee."

It made Kairi sad to hear that. "But does he treat you that way to be fair to others? I've heard of family businesses giving special treatment."

"I guess in that aspect, it's fair. But he's obviously harder on me than everyone else, and everyone else knows it. If one of my partners fails a case, it's a slap on the wrist, but if I fail, there's a long lecture about how I just lost a lot of money and a bunch of other bull." Sora slumped in his seat a little more and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Why? I don't mind listening, if you feel like talking about it."

"Thanks. Anyway," Sora said, smirking. "I tried those bacon things, and they were delicious. I ate all of them."

"Thank you, but I have to be honest, Namine did most of the work," Kairi admitted.

"I figured as much."

"Hey, what does that mean?" Kairi pouted.

"I could hear some of what you were saying."

Kairi stiffened. "Y-you could?"

Sora stayed quiet watched the ocean for a little bit. Sweat dripped down Kairi's face. What all did he hear and why wasn't he telling her?

"So, what else are you into? I did watch some of your videos earlier. I'd like to see those places for myself sometime. What's this about you boxing? Did you used to do that?" Sora asked, astonished.

"Yeah, I did it for about five years. There was a boxing club next to the university, and I thought it looked fun. Once I moved out of my mom's house, though, I couldn't afford it anymore."

"That is amazing. So, you could probably whoop me, I bet."

"It definitely puts your endurance to the test. I wish I could go back. I loved that place. It also helped a lot with my confidence. I used to be really quiet and afraid of what others thought of me, but then I realized I could beat them up if they said anything mean," Kairi said, and laughed.

"Ain't that the truth! Yeah, if I remember correctly, you barely spoke when we were in school. Meanwhile, I was always giving the teachers a hard time. I should probably go back for a visit, if any of our teachers are even still there. I'm sure they'd cringe just from seeing me."

Kairi shrugged. "I haven't been back. Yeah, I had my group of friends and I was content with that. But I still worried a lot." She sipped on her water.

Sora contemplated his next words. "But you liked me, huh?"

Kairi nearly spit it out. She cleared her throat and straightened up. "I mean, a lot of girls did." So, he did hear them earlier.

Sora sighed. "I did like the attention, but no one ever really stuck with me, which was reasonable considering we were all teenagers."

"Stuck with you?"

"I just mean, I didn't really like anyone."

"I can understand that." Kairi felt a little disappointed, but the past was the past. It wasn't like she made any effort to tell him anyway. "I guess I didn't either, well, other than you. But I didn't know you."

"No sense in dwelling. I'm just happy you're here now." Kairi blushed profusely. "Oh, you wanna meet Bobo?" Sora asked, knocking her out of her trance.

"Yeah, sure…"

They went back inside, and he led her down the hallway. They passed a bathroom and came to a spare bedroom. "I keep him in here," Sora said, opening the door. A large cage encompassed the back corner, and Kairi got chills just from looking at it. She saw the white and tan colored snake moving about in the cage.

"So, he can't get out of there, right?" Kairi asked, slowly stepping forward.

"Don't be scared. I also made sure to feed him earlier, because I figured you didn't want to see that."

Kairi spotted a mini-fridge near the cage. "Is that where you keep his food?"

"What? You think I'd keep it in my own fridge?" He teased.

Kairi could see the entire snake and was surprised at how small it was. It could not have been more than three feet long.

"He's an albino ball python," Sora said.

"That's cool…" Kairi was still a little creeped out.

"You'll get used to him. He's the nicest snake ever," Sora said, heading for the door. To Kairi, that meant he would be inviting her over more after this, and that eased her mind a little. They went back into the living room.

"Sorry if I'm a little weirded out by a snake. I just never considered one as a pet. I mean, I knew people had them, but…"

"It's cool. I didn't expect you to be too thrilled about it, but since we were already here, and all."

"Thank you for not keeping dead mice in your fridge, though."

Sora's face scrunched. "I wouldn't be able to eat my own food, knowing that. Speaking of food, did you eat dinner yet?"

"I don't have much of an appetite at the moment," Kairi said.

Sora laughed. "I'm sorry." He reached in for a hug, and Kairi allowed it. "Does this make you feel better?"

"Maybe," she peeped, her entire body going warm. She waited several moments for him to let go, but he didn't. "Did you fall asleep again?"

Sora chuckled, but still held on. "No, this time it just felt nice. I probably could fall asleep like this, though. But for the sake of not being weird…" Sora stepped back, keeping an ample distance from her; his words trailing off as he studied her eyes. Kairi had no idea what to think or do, so she just stood there and waited for his next move. He put one arm around her back and pulled her closer. "Are you okay?"

Kairi gulped. "I think so." She felt like she should be closing her eyes right about now, but she couldn't. He smirked at her, and then leaned in and kissed her forehead. Kairi shut her eyes right then. Sora let go, and chuckled.

"You're cute."

Assuming it was over, Kairi slowly opened her eyes. Sora was already searching his fridge. Her brain had turned to mush, and she couldn't think straight.

"I don't have anything to eat. I'll just order something," Sora said. Kairi was still recovering from what just happened. The problem was, it wasn't even anything major. All he did was kiss her forehead and she was acting like he just confessed his love to her.

"Kairi?"

"Huh? Yes? What?"

"I'm starting to think that I probably should not have done that. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"M-me? I'm fine! It just surprised me, that's all. I liked it, actually." She turned her head, trying not to make eye contact. "You really like hugs, don't you?"

He chuckled. "I guess so, but not with just anyone. If I'm being too forward, though, please tell me."

Kairi took in a deep breath and then grinned. The fact was, she was no longer a giddy high-school girl. She was an adult, close to thirty, and so was he. She no longer wanted to be that shy, weird person that she used to be.

"Don't worry, I'm okay with it," she told him.

Sora just smiled. "Okay." Kairi joined him at the counter. He had his phone in his hand. "I was thinking of getting chicken wings, and then we could eat and watch the sunset together."

Kairi brushed shoulders with him as she pretended to look at his phone, and he didn't move. "That sounds good to me."

o-o-o-o