“I feel like death,” she announces when she comes into the room.
I pour them each a cup of coffee and wait. Neither mentions anything about the screaming or moans of pleasure and so I finally let myself relax.
“You guys need to get some food in your bellies,” I tell them.
I make them each a plate of food with two ibuprofens on the side and a bottle of water.
“I’ll eat,” Lillian says, “but don’t be offended if I puke it up later.”
“Same,” Deb agrees.
“No offense taken.”
Kain walks into the room, freshly showered and looking incredible in a black hoodie and faded jeans. Everything in me wants to jump into his arms and pick up where we left off last night. I’m ready for round two, three, four, five …
I look away from him, feeling embarrassed. This guy has seen me naked in all different kinds of positions, and the way he’s looking at me right now with his little smirk and raised eyebrows makes me wonder if he’s thinking about it.
“Smells delicious,” he says. He walks past me and slyly leans in and says, “The food does too.”
I feel my cheeks heat up. I’m always flushed when he’s around. “Grab a plate.”
We sit down and eat. The girls complain about their hangovers and not being able to remember a thing that happened last night. Thank God!
“Do you guys want to go shopping with me today? Doesn’t look like the airport is going to find my luggage anytime soon, and I can’t keep wearing Lillian’s yoga pants.”
“That’s too bad,” Kain says.
Luckily my friends are too busy wallowing in their own misery to have heard him.
“I’m not leaving my bed today,” Lillian says. “It’s a good thing this place has cable.”
“Sorry, Chan. Just the thought of being awake today makes me want to cry,” Deb says.
I’m disappointed, but I understand. Still, the thought of wandering around alone, trying to find the best shops in a foreign city, is stressful.
“I’ll go with you,” Kain says casually as he stuffs his mouth with a bite of pancake and smiles. He chews and swallows while I have a mini panic attack inside. Me, going shopping with Kain? I’m thrilled, of course, but also scared. It’s not like we’ve ever really talked. What if we have nothing to say to each other?
“I know this city like the back of my hand,” he adds when I hesitate.
Lillian points at me with her fork. “That’s a good idea. I will feel so much better if you’re with someone. The thought of you out there trying to navigate a city alone is kind of scary.”
“I agree,” Deb says. “You could barely find your way around the campus freshman year.”
I glare at her. She shrugs. “It’s true.”
She’s not wrong. I’m slightly directionally challenged.
“Yeah, okay.” My hands start to sweat. I can’t believe I’m going to be spending an entire day alone with Kain.
We decide to take the Tube instead of a taxi. It’s a mile walk to the station, but the day is beautiful, albeit chilly as most days seem to be here. There’s a slightly awkward silence at first until Kain starts to speak.
“I heard you and your friends talking about London being your dream vacation. Why London of all the places in the world?” he asks.
“My mom used to read books to me when I was young and most of them were set in London, so to me it became this magical, mythical place with such amazing history. I had to see it for myself. My mom lived here for a time and she always wanted me to experience it for myself. She was excited for me to come. And when I told my friends I was coming, they wanted to come too, but their desire was mostly for the parties and the shopping.”
“What about you?” I ask. “London seems like a far place to travel for work with heavy equipment. I’m sure there are jobs like that in the States.”
He shrugs. “There are, but the States isn’t my home.”
“You live in London?” I ask, confused considering he’s renting a place the same as us.
“I don’t really live anywhere. I don’t call any single place my home.” I stare at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He gives me a half smile as if he’s unsure whether or not to get into it, but then he seems to make a decision and speaks. “I grew up in foster care. I guess you could say I didn’t have the easiest life. Things were hard. I went from one abusive family to the next. I started doing drugs and getting into a lot of trouble. I’d been arrested six times by the time I was fourteen. Then I met a man who turned things around for me. He pulled me out of my downward spiral. He took me in, had me help out on his farm, and taught me how to work hard and be a good man. His name’s Johnathan. He’s the closest thing to a father I ever had.