Was he making a mistake by letting the man stay over for one more night? His friends would probably be annoyed by that.
'You gotta stop trusting people so easily, Ender. It's a dog-eat-dog world and all that kindness will only get you in trouble, That's what his Uncle Alvaro would have said right now he chuckled at the memory; the man was mistrustful and overprotective through and through.
But how was he supposed to say no when a strong-looking man like Kai had begun crying? Kai might be a complete stranger to him but he didn't have to be familiar with the guy to know how vulnerable he must be feeling right now. The slight tremble in his voice when he had asked if he was allowed to stay was enough to convince Ender. Numerous questions ran in his mind but he bit his tongue to stop himself, Kai seemed like he was battling his own thoughts; he had closed up, refusing to engage in any more conversation. Understanding his need to be alone for a while, Ender left the room to go get some breakfast and discuss with the others.
The moment he skipped the last few steps to the living room, he was bombarded with questions.
"Who is he?"
"Where is he from"
"Jake was pissed. Did you guys have a fight?"
"Did you talk to him?"
"How long will he stay"
"Stop acting like the nosy media, will you?" Ender groaned, "At least let me get some coffee into my system" he began walking towards the kitchen but spun around and his suspicion was proven right. A few of his friends were on their way to the upstairs room and he dashed ahead before they could even get to the staircase. "I don't think this is the right time to talk to him, let him be for a while"
"Are you gatekeeping him because he's handsome?" One of the girls taunted
Disappointed, they headed back to the couch and Ender breathed a sigh of relief. The guy, Kai seemed to have a reserved personality. He looked irritated when Jake had barged in so it was probably best to keep the crew away from him while he stayed here. He turned around to go to the kitchen, only to collide with Max out of all people.
"Hey, watch out," he said, shielding a cup of warm coffee in his hand
"What are you doing here? This is our place" Despite getting rejected multiple times, Max had taken up following him around all the time, it had started to get on his nerves now.
"Just hanging out" He gave a nonchalant shrug, "Here's your coffee by the way" he grinned and gave a wink
'Creep' Ender thought, irritated; but took the cup anyway, he needed the caffeine to think clearly. He walked back to the living room to plop down on the couch while clingy Max came to sit beside him. Ignoring him, Ender took a few sips, letting the caffeine clear his head a bit, and then clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"The guy, his name is Kai, he is stuck in a situation and I've allowed him to stay for a day or two. I hope you guys are okay with that. He seems quiet so I don't think he'll be much of a nuisance" Ender said, sending a pointed glare in Max's direction.
"Quiet? You have to be kidding me," His best friend Jake barged in, hands full of takeout bags "He was about to hit me, Endy, you can't be serious. Kick him out this instant"
"Weren't you the one who started it? I told you it was a misunderstanding" Ender retorts
"Fine, but you can't allow an unknown person in our place. He looks sus" Jake snapped and a few of their friends nodded in agreement.
"3 years ago, a runaway teen asked me for help and I let him stay in my house. I put blind trust on you Jake, and you didn't disappoint." Ender said in a low voice. He had hit a nerve, he rarely brought this up, it was a low blow but it was needed. Jake was being unnecessarily hateful and Ender was not going to oust someone in their vulnerable state.
Fuming, Jake almost threw the bags on the table and stomped off into his room. Shaking his head in exasperation, Ender sat facing the others, "Look, I know y'all aren't happy with him being here but I can't ask him to leave when he's clearly not in the right state of mind."
"What happened to him though?"
"He said he ran away from home, he lives in the hollers in the Appalachian." Ender sighed
"Bring him down for breakfast, we can get to know him, figure out if there's something we can help him with," a girl from his crew said.
"I don't mean to interrupt in your crew's business but Jake is right, the man has this brute look that you just can't trust." Max leaned forward, resting his hand on Ender's thigh, "Give him some supplies and let him figure it out on his own. He ain't your responsibility."
Ender felt disgusted by the touch and shifted to get up; before anyone could agree with Max, he spoke up, "Okay, fine. We'll drop him off later." moving to pick up the breakfast Jake bought and heading to the kitchen. He quickly filled up two plates and took them upstairs to his room.
The room was empty when he walked in, placing the plates on the desk, he went to check the bathroom only to find it empty. He was about to check the other rooms when he spotted the silhouette on the balcony. Ender padded to the balcony, raising his brows when he found a shirtless Kai leaning over the railing. Broad, muscled back and tan skin in all its glory but his shoulders were slumped, eyes staring fixedly at some spot on the ground below that made Ender's worry spike up.
"Hey! What are you thinking? Step back from there" Ender pulled his arm with a force that threw Kai off balance, his legs slipped and they were falling to the floor. Ender closed his eyes, bracing himself for an impact that never came. Strong arms came around him as his body was twisted to the side. On opening his eyes, he found himself lying on top of Kai who was now wincing in pain, he must have hit his head on the door behind them.
"Are you alright?" Ender tried to sit up but Kai's arms that snaked around him held him in a tight grip, making it unable for him to move. A faint blush crept up Ender's face when he realized his palms were laid flat on the latter's broad chest and Kai looked equally baffled. He slowly wiggled away to sit beside the man, helping him to sit up. Peeking up at him, Ender didn't fail to miss the slight flush on the latter's face.
"No suicidal stuff in my house okay? I don't wanna be chased by the cops" Ender pointed a finger at him in warning
"Cops?" Kai asked, confusion written all over his face
"The police?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Kai got up, shaking his head "And I ain't the type to give up easily. Besides," He scoffed and leaned over the railing to look down again, making Ender panic. "This won't even give me a scratch"
It's a fucking three-storey drop for crying out loud! Forget about scratches, it would break bones, Ender thought, now truly questioning Kai's common sense. He moved to stand beside the latter, making sure to keep a little distance between them. Their proximity earlier had given him butterflies and the fact that Kai was shirtless made him even more flustered.
"What were you doing here anyway?" He asked, watching the man's long, silvery hair blow in the cool breeze, looking like a character straight out of some fantasy book.
"Trying to figure out where the way to the forest is," Kai says, eyes searching for the familiar greenery.
"You've never been to the city?"
Kai looked at him for a moment before answering "Once or twice maybe" he shrugged, "But I was too small to remember much"
"You mean to say that you've spent your entire life up in the mountains?" Ender now turned to face him, wondering how someone could live in the forest sans the facilities that the city gave. Because as much as he loved camping and exploring, it was temporary, a few moments of calm from the fast-paced life.
"21 years to be precise, yes" Kai nods, unfazed as if living in the woods was completely normal "And-" he stopped mid-sentence as he sniffed in the air, turning back into the room to follow the smell. His stomach growled at the same moment when Ender came to stand beside him, making him giggle.
"I'm sorry I forgot why I came up" Ender padded over the desk, gesturing Kai to follow him "Got you some breakfast, you must be very hungry"
"What's this" Kai picks up a round piece between his fingers, eyeing it as if it's some unearthly thing and Ender resists the urge to laugh as Kai brings it close, sniffing it.
"It's called pancakes" Ender explains, pursing his lips to stop himself from giggling, watching Kai tentatively take a bite. His childlike behavior was amusing, to be honest, but then his face scrunched in distaste as he put the piece of pancake down to grab the glass of water.
"Didn't like it?" Ender asks around a mouthful
"It's too sweet and I hate sweets"
"Oh" Ender gulped, he should've asked what he wanted before. "What would you like to eat? We can order it" he offered
"Some real food will be good, meat maybe?" Kai looks up at him apologetically, scratching the back of his head.
They could order takeout but Ender has a better idea, maybe he could show him around the city a little. Strolling to the closet, he got the biggest t-shirt he could find, throwing it at Kai who merely stares at him, his eyes a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"Put that on, we'll go grab something outside"
Kai looked so hesitant at first that Ender had to rethink about getting the takeout but he smiled when he saw the other man standing up to put on the t-shirt. Ender gave him a once over, though he was dressed in a simple black tee and sweatpants, he looked dashing, a little grooming and he could work as one of those fitness models.
"I won't get hurt right?" Kai asks genuine worry visible on his face puzzling Ender as to why would such a thought cross his mind. Did he have any bad experiences in the city in the past?
"There are more chances of you getting hurt in the forest than in the city"
Kai shook his head, "You have no idea" he whispered, Ender would've missed it if he wasn't attentive enough but he chose to let it go, pointing to the door, urging Kai to follow him.