Documentary

by Sand, A. J.

  His house was easy to spot from the path; it was the one with the crowded deck and security hanging around. The drinks were already flowing, and music was echoing in the air. Girls in bathing suits were dancing lazily near the deck railing. Her nerves went into a tizzy when she veered toward the property. She made a pledge not to contribute to any awkwardness with Kai, and she hoped he was willing to do the same. Dylan snagged all the stares but got a pleasant greeting when she climbed the steps of the deck. The deck was much wider than Jamie’s, with plenty of seating, a grill and a hot tub big enough for six people, apparently. Leko was in it, with his lips firm against those of a black-haired girl. Probably not his girlfriend, Dylan thought, laughing quietly. She didn’t bother to try to wave. Part of her hated that Kai wasn’t out there, and she felt a corkscrew of jealousy twist in her chest. I bet he and Tiffany are still inside in bed or the shower.

  There were people everywhere, and the noise was at party decibels, but the adjacent houses were identical in sound, so Dylan assumed no one really cared. It was Christmas break, and this part of the beach was probably all rented properties occupied by a younger demographic. The guy on the grill waved his tongs and beckoned her. A sloppy ponytail held his dark brown hair up away from his face, except for a few pieces falling down around his ears. He was shirtless but wearing a red apron. She suddenly remembered him from the party.

  “Dylan.” He flipped one of the burgers, and for a few seconds, it sizzled intensely.

  Dylan lifted her hands to her hips, and her eyebrows came together. “How’d you know?”

  “You looked really scared when you came up here,” he said, as laughter floated into his voice. “And Kai told us you were coming.” He dropped the tongs onto the handle bar of the grill before wiping his hand on the tail of the apron. “I’m Seth Ribisi, but everyone calls me Ribsy due to an unfortunate mispronunciation of my name that never went away. Kai’s my roommate.”

  Dylan extended her hand and repeated his name in her head. There were so many people to remember. “Well, you already know who I am, but it’s really nice to meet you, Ribsy.”

  “I’m glad it’s nice ‘cause you’ll be seeing a lot of me. Odette is my girlfriend-slash-warden. She forgot to introduce us last night.” Ribsy shook her hand, squeezing it a little. “Kai’s in his room. It’s the one without the passed out guy. That would be Micah, roommate number three. Just keep looking.” Then he lifted his chin at the grill. “Want one? You’re from California or something, right? You’re not a vegetarian or anything, right? We only cook things that once had a face here.”

  Dylan touched her chest and felt the vibration of her laughter. “I’m definitely okay with that. If Kai wants to hang out here a little while, I’d love one. Plus, I think it would be nice to film some of the people who know him for the web series.” She displayed the camcorder.

  “Cool with me. Come back and get your burger.”

  “Will do.” Dylan nodded and walked into the house through the sliding glass door. The place was tidy and quieter than the deck, which was surprising for a popular party house. It was huge but modestly decorated. Watercolor surf art hung on the walls, there was a surfboard rack near the front door and two framed Evernight album covers above a desk. The desk had a hutch with plenty of photos. Most were of Kai and Ribsy and another guy she assumed rounded out the roommate trio, but many were of Kai and Erica, too.

  Someone in the kitchen poked a head out from around the wall, and tension cinched up Dylan’s shoulders when they locked eyes.

  Friends – Chapter 10

  Dylan rallied a bright smile for Tiffany, but her heart sank into the depths of her gut. She wasn’t in the outfit from last night, just an enormous t-shirt and little else. The only conclusion Dylan could draw was the most obvious, and it made her want to go into full catfight mode. Tiffany had slept there. She had suspected as much last night, but the reality was like stepping barefoot on a pushpin.

  Tiffany was so startled to see her she spat out the water from her glass. “Oh my God, Dylan!” she said. Her purported excitement didn’t match her expression. She was uncomfortable, although Dylan couldn’t determine if it was embarrassment from pretty much being in her skivvies or because Dylan was there. Tiffany flashed a rigid smile, and her grip tightened on the glass. “What are you doing here?”

  Dylan tucked her hair behind her ear, smiled kindly, and approached her. “Kai and I are working on a film project for his website. I was supposed to meet him here this morning.” As soon as she said it, she regretted it, fearing Tiffany would motion at the bedroom door and, in an alluring drawl, state that they had just finished up in there. But before Tiffany could speak, Leko stepped inside, trailed by an intoxicated man. The guy stumbled over the slight change in height between the deck and the inside of the house.

  “Get the fuck out, dude,” Leko growled over his shoulder, and droplets of water sprinkled the floor from his body. “Every time you’re over here, somebody complains about you. I heard Shay ask you to leave her alone.” Leko was seething and his forearms pulsed when he squeezed his fists.

  “Lek…” the man slurred. He tried to catch his balance on the back of a dining chair, but it couldn’t hold his weight and both smashed to the ground. A door swung open and Kai stepped out. He walked down the hall, brushing his teeth. He was shirtless, just in board shorts, his hair was wet, and he made it impossible for Dylan to focus on anything else. No Internet photo had truly captured the glory of his body. It had been laboriously chiseled to perfection from working out, and his shorts were hanging so low, she could see the beginnings of the V-shaped muscles that continued below the waist. The most revered sculptor would’ve resented not creating that muscle definition. Suddenly, she imagined her tongue gliding over the crests of his abdominals and working her way down. Dylan was biting her lip before she realized it.

  But Kai had.

  Shit. He hung the toothbrush from his lips and smiled halfway. She turned away from him, sucking in a short breath when her face warmed from the blood rush.

  Leko wrenched the guy up to his feet and shoved him out to the deck. “You got two choices: you can take the stairs now or go over the railing in a few seconds,” he shouted out the door, and the muscles in his back tensed. “Either way, security is going to know not to let you on the deck anymore.” When the sound of pounding footsteps drifted farther and farther way, Leko turned back to the house. The flash of anger was gone, and he walked over to kiss Dylan on the cheek.

  “I hate that you had to see that, baby girl,” he said, looping his arm around her neck. “Can’t stand that asshole.”

  “I told him he can’t come here anymore,” Kai explained before walking away to spit out the toothpaste in his mouth. He wiped the back of his hand across his lips when he walked back out.

  “You probably didn’t say it like I did. Dude, if you actually acted like the asshole everyone thinks you are…” Leko’s voice trailed off when he began to laugh.

  Dylan hugged him tightly and held on. He probably thought it was a delayed greeting, but it was really gratitude for dealing with her blubbering at the deejay charity battle. She understood why Kai had him around. He seemed to be good at handling everything.

  “You okay?” Leko whispered.

  “Now I am,” she whispered back, hoping he understood.

  Kai cleared his throat behind her. “We should probably get started and, by the way, it’s your day off, Lek.” Dylan smiled into Leko’s damp shoulder. A wave of happiness crested inside her, but she reminded herself that their time together was going to be simply as friends. Colleagues, actually. But she hated him so it didn’t matter.

  After taming her smile, she spun around and nodded, still hanging on to Leko. “Can we stay and eat first? I want to film and I want to talk to your friends—”

  “They aren’t all my friends.” When Kai interjected, his brow furrowed. He might’ve meant for it to be purely informative, but Dylan detected a touch of sadness. She turned
her head toward the sliding glass door; there had to be at least twenty or so people out there. She thought back to his story about his mom’s family, and what Leko had told her when they dropped Kai off the day before. She imagined how easy it probably was to have so much and so little at the same time in his world.

  “I’m going to start with Leko, and Seth—Ribsy—promised me one of those burgers, so I’d still like to hang out,” she explained. A wicked grin sneaked onto Leko’s face, and he trained it right at Kai before he did a ridiculous dance with just his shoulders.

  “You’re talking to Lek? Are you sure this is to help me?” Kai raked his hair forward and gave her an exaggeratedly dubious look. “You’re supposed to be making me look good.”

  “Oh…I don’t think I’ll have to do much,” Dylan teased, but from the looks of those around her, it had hit everyone’s ears—including her own—as flirtation. She was really speaking about his singing talent, but he was shirtless, and her tone had gotten confused on the way out of her mouth.

  This time, Tiffany cleared her throat, and she padded across the floor right into Kai’s arms. She hugged him and only pulled away enough so that her hands were linked behind Kai’s neck. Jealousy rushed into Dylan’s blood, freezing her in place like some paralytic poison. She couldn’t tear her eyes away, or will her legs to move to trail Leko when he walked out to the deck.

  “It doesn’t sound like I’m invited to all of this, so I’m gonna go,” Tiffany said.

  Really? ‘Cause I thought that was me, Dylan thought as she watched them.

  “You still up for dinner later this week?”

  Kai grunted and looked uncomfortable when he glanced at Dylan. “Yeah. I’ll give you a call.” Tiffany turned his face just slightly toward hers and puckered her lips, but his gaze was still holding Dylan. Dylan stared back at him, and with every ounce of her being, pleaded with him in silence not to do it. Her heart raged and her muscles tensed. She relinquished a lot of her pride to look so desperate; to beg him quietly to wait to see where things went after the project was over. But she dropped her eyes as reality set in. It was illogical to expect him to not live his life for weeks, and for what? Dating anyone just wasn’t something that was on her agenda when she had to make sure she became the stellar Carroll child now that the real one was lost. Anyway, today was supposed to be different. Dylan finally stepped out onto the deck just as Kai leaned in.

  “Is Kai the same person now that you met as a kid?” Dylan asked, keeping the camera steady on Ribsy.

  He made an expression like the answer should have been obvious. “Definitely the same guy he was at fourteen when he moved next door to me on Akuna Boulevard.” He nodded. “He has a lot more money now, but deep down he’s the same kid...and sometimes that kid from Akuna still comes out.” Ribsy laughed. “From the outside, I’m sure this just looks like non-stop partying, but for those of us who know him, this is Kai being generous.” Ribsy motioned at the house, which was in the background of the frame. “He wasn’t popular in school in the way the football players and cheerleaders were, but he was very inclusive. People hung out with him because he always asked them to join. He wants people around him and they come—I have my ideas on why they come, but everyone knows where to go when you’re looking for place to chill and eat, even if you need a place to crash.” Ribsy lowered his stare away from her. “I think he should be more discriminating, but Kai never wants anyone to be alone and feel left out. He knows that life.”

  Her heart squeezed as she ended filming. She had talked to Ribsy for nearly half an hour—fifteen on camera, fifteen off—and he had probably given her the most insight into Kai, even more so than Leko. After Butch’s boxing career and his singing stint both ended, the family moved to Oahu when Kai was eight. His dad died a year later, and when his mom died, he moved in with one of her friends on another part of the island, right next door to the Ribisis. He described Kai as a quiet kid who could beat any guy in a fight and who seemed happiest when he was writing or singing.

  When they walked back up from the beach, Kai was out on the deck. He mingled with a few of his guests before he picked a burger off the grill. One of the girls in the hot tub splashed him as he walked by before he went to sit on the far end on a bench. He was alone so Dylan figured that Tiffany had left through the front door, which was good because she wasn’t interested in playing friendly again.

  “Was that good? The stuff I said?” Ribsy asked her when they sat on an empty wooden bench on the deck, and she finally got a chance to try one of his burgers. It was better than any she’d had. He had explained that he was a desk clerk at the Four Seasons in Wailea, but he was interested in pursuing a culinary career.

  “It was perfect,” Dylan said gratefully as she ate. While waiting for Kai, Dylan had spent the time pestering a few of the guests about Kai after screening them through Leko. She was unsure of how much of it she would use for the final product, especially because most of it had been superficial commentary about Kai, but she figured all of it was worth having.

  “You definitely got that part where I said he’d never make it as a singer? And how he sucked at surfing? And how he was lucky to have a cool friend like Seth Ribisi?”

  “Haha, asshole,” Kai said from directly over her. He dropped a hand on her shoulder and smiled down when she looked up. Anger over Tiffany, as irrational as it was, made her heart race, but she smiled back to be polite. She had no claim to him, but she wouldn’t have done that with another guy right in front of him. Well, maybe to make him a little jealous.

  “You ready?” Kai asked.

  “Yup.” Ribsy was kind enough to take her plate away, and she waved to everyone before they walked back through the house to the garage.

  “What do you think of the house?” he asked. “Jamie’s dad’s real estate agent found it for me.”

  “This one? Amazing,” Dylan said with a smile.

  “Seth and Micah had a place, but I asked them to move in when I moved to Maui. They really like it here, and Lek’s been living here for a few years now. I don’t know how long I plan to be here, but probably until the media dies down a little more. I miss Oahu. Better surf. Oh and Nina sent out a press release finally, so no one will think you’re my girlfriend when they see us together.”

  No one will think you’re my girlfriend. An ache twisted in her heart, but she knew she needed to hear that to solidify the truth about things being absolutely finished between them. This was the sacrifice to be made for what she wanted. As she got into the passenger seat of his Escalade, she said, “I was starting to think you couldn’t drive.”

  Kai smirked once he was in the driver’s seat and cranked on the engine. “I’m full of surprises, Dylan Kimberly Carroll.” Rap music tore out of the speakers, and when Dylan reached over to turn down the volume, he took hold of her hand and held it. “You don’t get to do that.”

  “I was turning it down!” She yanked her hand back and he pushed the volume’s down button. He squinted at her like he was seriously upset, and it was adorable enough to force out some of her irritation about Tiffany and everything else.

  Kai checked his phone, scoffed and leaned over to show her the screen before he opened the garage door behind them. “Nina made me set up Google Alerts for myself. I don’t really check them often. Look at the headlines.” When she took the phone, their hands grazed, and bolts of heat rushed over her skin. Kamikaze Kai Out of Control Again and Who is Karing for Kai, they read. She passed the phone back. To her knowledge, Kai hadn’t done anything wild enough for any of those stories to be true. He had partied like the rest of them. Dancing on a bar hardly seemed like news. She pulled out her own phone and thought to set up Google Alerts for her name, just in case she started turning up on websites as well, but got distracted. There was an email from Nina, wanting to know if she was with Kai yet. She typed out a quick response that they were together.

  “You were probably going to change the station to something cheesy, like something that pla
ys Taylor Swift,” Kai said, resisting against the corners of his mouth turning up. Dylan got indignant and smacked him on the shoulder.

  “Taylor is not cheesy.” She sat back hard against the leather seat and crossed her arms over her chest, feigning anger like he had earlier. “For your information, I like all kinds of music, especially rap.” Dylan leaned over the center console and said with confidence, “I sort of have this little trick that I do. If you name a mainstream rap album, I can tell you what year it came out. At the most, I may need you to name a single or two from the album, but I can do it.”

  Kai smirked doubtfully and looked ready to take up the challenge. “Any mainstream rap album? You want to set it that broad?”

  Dylan nodded. “Any popular group or solo artist. Go for it.” Kai sighed and looked down at his phone. After a few seconds of quiet, he looked up again with a roguish smile.

  “Dr. Dre’s The Chronic.”

  After a scoff and a roll of her eyes, Dylan said, “Too easy. 1992.”

  Kai blinked quickly, gawking with his mouth open just slightly. After he shook his head to recover, he went back to his phone to look up some more trivia. Dylan giggled as he kept throwing suspicious glances her way.

  “You were lucky that time. Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt.” Kai poked her side with his elbow.

  “Reasonable Doubt.” Dylan breathed onto her nails and buffed them on her shoulder. “1996.” She jabbed him back in the ribs with her finger.