It's All Relative

by S. C. Stephens

  He sighed, walking over to his dresser. Normally, he’d enjoy getting checked out by a girl. Who didn’t like the feeling of being admired? But right now it only complicated things. Especially when he couldn’t stop staring at the tight button up shirt that she’d put on today. It was fitted in all the right areas and a dark chocolate color that perfectly matched her eyes. It was amazing on her, especially paired with the long gray skirt and what he had to imagine were thigh high boots. Well, that’s what he preferred to imagine anyway.

  Rummaging through his drawers, he sighed again. She looked too amazing. Maybe he should tell her to ugly up, if that was even possible. He laughed to himself at that thought, grabbing a deep blue sweater that his mom had ordered online and insisted that he took with him. She’d been positive that the temperature here would be twenty below, every day. But Kai did find himself almost always a little cold, so he slipped it on.

  From the kitchen he heard Jessie say, “What’s so funny?”

  He glanced back at her watching him smooth the sweater over his chest. It was tightly knit and soft. It pretty much looked like a long sleeve t-shirt more than a sweater, but it was keeping him warm enough that he didn’t have to double up today. Remembering his earlier thought about Jessie somehow making herself uglier, just to make hanging around her easier, he smiled and shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Still eyeing his chest, Jessie grinned slyly. “We’re going to have to buy you long johns, when it actually does get cold around here.”

  Kai frowned at that, he already thought it was cold. Shaking his head at her still teasing him, he walked into the room. “Well, the next time I go visit my parents, you should come with, then we’ll see who’s more uncomfortable.” He grinned crookedly at her and for a second, she looked like she’d stopped breathing. Kai turned away, not wanting to read into her body language. It was best if he just didn’t think about it.

  Grabbing the pineapple she’d brought over, he thought maybe he’d share it with her. Pineapples were a traditional welcoming gift, meant to impact well wishes on the new arrival. He wasn’t sure if Jessie knew that when she bought it, but he was touched nonetheless. Plus, it did remind him of home.

  Leaning back on the counter, Jessie smirked at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s no challenge. I kick ass in a bikini.”

  Kai stopped his hand that had been reaching for a cutting board and stared back at her. She was grinning almost seductively at him and he couldn’t stop the wave of desire that sprang up. He suddenly wanted to cut open the fruit on the counter, run a piece along her lip, and suck the juice off. He wanted that more than anything. He closed his eyes, reason returning as he did.

  He heard Jessie gasp softly. “Oh, um…damn it,” she muttered.

  He cracked a peek at her. She looked mortified and he couldn’t help but grin. Did she really not see the sexiness in both her statement and her face, until just then? God help him if she was clueless about her effect on men. Or maybe just him. He shook his head at her. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that, cousin.” He said the word teasingly, wanting to dissipate the tension that always seemed to build up between them, and she raised an eyebrow at hearing it.

  Her cheeks flushing wonderfully, she gave him a small smile. “Right…cousin.”

  Her body was blocking the set of knives that he needed, but instead of just reaching around her, like he’d do with any other beautiful girl, he pointed at them. “May I?”

  She looked behind herself and moved out of the way. “What are you doing?”

  Grabbing a knife, he held it up to her. “I’m hungry, and I owe you big, again, so I thought I’d prove a point.” She scrunched her face adorably and he laughed, opening his cupboard to grab the can of Spam. She immediately frowned and he laughed harder. “Deals a deal…cousin.”

  He found that the more he called her that, the more distance he could put between them. Like a verbal reminder. She smiled at hearing him say it again, and then shook her head. Maybe she needed a reminder too. A part of him wanted her to, and that made him feel horribly conflicted as he started slicing open the pineapple. A part of him actually wanted his cousin to want him as badly as he wanted her. Jessie had nailed it yesterday, when she’d said that their situation was messed up. It definitely was.

  Instructing her on how to slice and fry up the Spam, he called her cousin about five more times. She laughed and followed his instructions, mocking his deli choice the whole while. He grinned as the smell of spiced, processed, ham-like meat filled his small home. Grabbing some bread that she’d bought for him, he toasted some slices and prepared the mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. She’d brought him everything he could have asked for. Laying their finished sandwiches next to a pile of fresh pineapple, he handed her a plate and they went over to sit on the edge of his bed to eat their lunch.

  Kai smiled as he watched her take her first bite. She‘d been grimacing as she did it, until the taste hit her. Then she smiled and she made a too-pleasing noise in her throat. He tried to ignore the sound, and chuckled at her reaction. He knew she’d like it. Everyone did, once they gave it a chance.

  Jessie was looking around his walls oddly as she ate her meal. He thought to ask her why, but then didn’t; he was enjoying the silence of her company. Once they finished up, he grabbed her plate and took it the few steps to his kitchen. He started setting the plates in the sink, vowing to clean up later, and looked back at her. She was still sitting on his bed, looking around his room, but she’d leaned back on her elbows. The move emphasized her chest. Her body strained against the shirt, one button just about to pop open if she moved back any farther. Kai thought he could see her snow white skin behind the seams of the dark fabric. He suddenly remembered that creamy skin in all its full naked glory.

  He dropped one of the plates into the sink.

  Jessie’s head swung around at hearing the loud clatter. She sat up on his bed, her brows furrowing, right as Kai turned back to the sink, cursing as he inspected the now split-in-half plate. Not knowing how to talk his way out of that one, he turned the faucet on to give himself something to do. He was pretty sure his face was flushed as he suddenly felt quite warm, on fire really.

  Sometimes it was easy and causal to be around her. Other times…not so much. He hung his head as the situation overwhelmed him. Why her? Of all of the girls that he’d ever slept with, which really wasn’t all that many, why did it have to be the one that he was related to, that he was starting to like the most?

  He leaned against the counter, his head still down as he watched the water swish some of the broken fragments down the drain. A hand came up to rest on his back and he sighed, closing his eyes. Why her?

  He heard her shut the water off, felt her other hand come to his face, turning him around. Kai opened his eyes as he twisted to face her, her brows knotted in concern as she looked over his features. Kai felt wiped. He’d had to adjust to so much coming here – the different times, the different climate, the different altitude, leaving all of his friends and what family he’d known – but adjusting to her, that was harder than all of it.

  The hand on his shoulder rubbed small circles into his back as she stepped closer to him. The thumb on his cheek, swept back and forth across his skin. “Kai,” she whispered. Her voice sent a painful ache through him - horrible, yet wonderful. Shaking her head, her loose curls brushing over her collar bones, she looked him squarely in the eye. “It will get easier…cousin.”

  He closed his eyes at that, and melted into her embrace.

  Chapter 6

  Pinned in Place

  Monday morning, Kai woke up before the alarm he’d set on his cell phone. It was a little surprising to him, since his body still hadn’t really adjusted and seven in the morning still felt more like three. But he’d had trouble sleeping. He’d had trouble falling asleep and he’d had trouble staying asleep. His dreams, when he’d slipped into slumber long enough to have them, had all centered around a dark-haired, dar
k-eyed girl with amazing curves and an unbelievable smile. A girl he dreamed of kissing, but shouldn’t dream of kissing. He’d give anything to stop thinking about her that way. How did one woman completely turn his world upside down?

  Standing and raking his fingers back through his hair, he decided to take a nice, long, hot shower. He would not think about her body while he was in that shower, either. That would be wrong.

  When he was done, he considered dressing in every warm piece of clothing he had. He’d be up in the mountains today and it was bound to be even colder than the city. Smiling as he rummaged through his grandmother’s dresser drawers, he thought about Jessie’s comment about long johns yesterday. That was actually a pretty good idea. Maybe he’d pick some up later.

  Kai made a quick bowl of cereal after slipping on his multiple layers of clothes. When his stomach was full of the sugary substance that he’d lived on before Jessie’s generous shopping trip, he took a moment to savor feeling nice and toasty warm in his apartment. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t feel that way for the rest of the day. Inhaling deep, he grabbed his jacket and prepared for his first day as a research assistant at Kriley Research Center. Their base was located near Golden Gate Canyon State Park, about thirty miles outside the city.

  Sliding on his bike, Kai shifted his thoughts to what was important right now. His new job. He wanted to make a good impression on the friend of his father, and wanted to be invaluable to his team. Maybe if Kai played his cards right, he could take over there when the man retired. From what his father had told him, Mason Thomas specialized in entomology, and was making huge strides in discovering why certain honey bees were dying off for no apparent reason. While that seemed small to some people, Kai understood that we were all connected on this earth, and what affected one, eventually affected all. What happened to the lowliest creatures could happen to anything.

  Kai kick-started his bike and began his journey out of town. Thinking about his father and his new job brought Kai’s mind around to his mother. She had called him against last night, thankfully not as late, or early, as the last time. She’d again asked about his job and he’d again reminded her that he hadn’t started it yet. There had been a really long pause after he’d said that, and then she’d apologized for not remembering. Kai wasn’t sure why she was bringing up his job so much; she did practically the same thing in Hawaii, just with a different sort of habitat than what he’d be studying. Maybe she was just hoping that he would hate the work here and come home.

  As Kai approached the majestic mountains, the cool wind whipping his jeans as he sped along, he thought that once he got used to the colder temperature, he’d learn to love it here. The snowcapped monoliths were a thing of beauty, and even though it was approaching winter, there was a colorful flora dotting the lower portions of the mountains. The Aspens, ranging from bright yellow to deep red, washed the hills in a sea of color. Kai couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen something so beautiful. Well, maybe last night, when Jessie had smiled while saying goodnight.

  Frowning under his helmet, Kai recommitted himself to not think about her like that. Unfortunately, he had had a feeling he’d be reminding himself to not think that way about his cousin for a very long time. He purposefully thought about anything other than the way Jessie had laughed last night, or run a hand back through her curls, or showed her never-ending concern for him, when she’d asked if he needed anything else before she’d left. Failing miserably at pushing her out of his head, Kai eventually made it to the outskirts of the State park.

  Winding his bike up a steep hill, the ground at the base of the mountain still thankfully clear of snow, Kai came upon a series of plain gray buildings. The researchers inside more concerned with the wildlife around them than the aesthetics, the buildings were low, squat rectangles that stood out in harsh contrast to the nature bursting around them. Kai smiled as he turned his bike off and popped his helmet off. A thick green forest backed right up to the buildings and he could easily imagine spending countless hours in them, tracking migration patterns, studying the local plant life, and maybe even helping to capture and tag some of the animals.

  Just as he was swinging his leg over the Honda, he heard a voice calling. “Hey, you the new guy?”

  Kai propped his helmet on his bike and turned to see a guy around his age approaching. The man had a shaggy head of medium brown hair and the beginnings of a very nice Grizzly Adams type beard. He also looked like he hadn’t showered in about two weeks. At first glance, it almost seemed like the man cared more for taking care of the life around him, than taking care of himself. But with the wide smile on his face as he stepped up to him, Kai thought the man couldn’t have cared less either. He was obviously happy with what he did, happy with his life. And apparently, happy to see Kai.

  As Kai smiled and nodded that he was indeed the new person, the man smiled even wider and extended his hand. “Oh, good. Fresh meat. We’ve been running a little lean. Everyone will be excited that you’re finally here.” He eyed Kai up and down after they finished with the handshake. “Especially Missy.” He laughed, his eyes mischievous. “She’ll be ecstatic that you’re here.”

  Kai tried not to read too much into that and only smiled politely. “My name’s Kai Harper.”

  The man nodded, like he knew that. “Right, yeah, I’m Louis. That’s Louis with an ‘s’. I don’t do that weird, my name ends in an ‘s’, so change it to an ‘e’ and call me Louie, thing.”

  Kai bit his cheek. The smart-aleck in him wanted to immediately call the man Louie, but he didn’t know the guy well enough to immediately mock him. Kai had the distinct feeling that Jessie would have mocked him anyway. The thought made him smile softly to himself.

  Louis extended a hand out to the largest of the gray buildings. “Your new habitat will be here.” Giving Kai a wry look over his shoulder as Kai followed him, he added, “We’ll get you a team shirt, so you match the herd, and a GPS unit, so we can track your movements in the wild.”

  The man smirked at his own joke and Kai smiled and lightly shook his head. Researcher humor. His dad used to do that when he was younger. Chronicling the life of a five year old human child like he was Dian Fossey and Kai was a gorilla in the mist.

  Looking down at Louis, Kai noted the teal polo he wore with the name of the center in the upper left corner. He paired it with khaki slacks, slightly muddy around the knee area, and a black belt that looked like some type of superheroes utility belt. Gadgets and gizmos hung off in various places: a cell phone, a satellite phone, the aforementioned GPS unit, hopefully containing a detailed map of the mountains on it, and off one hip, what appeared to be a tranquilizer gun. Kai didn’t think it was probably necessary to carry a tranq gun around with you, attached to your hip like you were Han Solo or something, but figured that this guy liked to feel like some Indiana Jones type explorer.

  They walked through the double doors of the building and the smell of purified, recycled air hit Kai. It reminded him of a lab and he smiled, instantly feeling at home. Growing up with parents that were big on environmental science, Kai had had a healthy respect for running tests in labs. While most kids only got to make baking soda volcanoes, and that was pretty much the extent of their science experience, Kai had been able to assist his mom and dad in an actual lab. When he was ten, he’d even gotten to help his dad carbon date some fossilized palm fronds with a friend of his. It kind of made baking soda volcanoes seem a little…mild.

  As Kai’s eyes swept over what looked like an informal gathering area, where a couple of men were sipping some coffee and a blonde woman was eating a bagel, his eyes spotted a bespectacled woman with a face full of freckles and the frizziest hair he’d ever seen. She was studying Kai as intently as she might study a newfound species. Her mouth was even dropped open in surprise. Confused, Kai looked around himself, but she was definitely staring at him.

  As Louis proceeded to explain to him what and where the rooms were – dining hall, bathrooms, spare bedroom
s, labs, library, offices, etc – the woman hopped up from her chair and walked over to the pair of them. Her amazed look not leaving her, she shook her head as she walked up to Louis.

  “What did you find, Louis?”

  Louis paused mid-sentence and looked over at her and then Kai, that mischievous gleam in his eye again. “New guy.”

  Her mouth dropped even wider as her eyes dragged over Kai’s body. Kai started feeling a little violated by her intense inspection. Being admired was one thing, having all of your manhood analyzed and broken down into specific attributes, quite another. Hoping to break the ogling, he stuck his hand out. “Kai Harper,” he said politely.