Chapter 3. First Meeting: Lunch Box

The sun shone so brightly for the winter season. Superstitiously, you could say it bit people's flesh. Most people were even discouraged from going outside to jog, but those who could not afford to miss their daily routine—or we could say, those who were used to it—got out of their homes to jog a little.

Kavinsky jogged for a while before jogging back home since it was too sunny and he couldn’t take it any longer. He was dirty from all his sweat. He met his mom watching TV in the sitting room and went to peck her on the cheek.

"You need a long shower, boy," she said and laughed at him.

"I'm an adult, mom. And also, have you been outside? It's like two thousand degrees out there," he complained.

"You still need one," she said again, teasing him.

"I know," he said in frustration and walked up the stairs.

He took a shower immediately when he got upstairs and changed from his workout top and shorts into a blue V-neck top and black shorts.

"I am going to Harry's," he notified his mom, and she nodded at him.

He walked out the door and saw Stiles across from him about to enter a cab. He ignored him and boarded another cab. The cabs had SIKAMORE ESTATE written on them.

Soon, he arrived at Harry's house, which was outside his estate and in town. He rang the doorbell, and Harry opened it. They greeted each other in a manly way, and Kavinsky walked in.

Harry was wearing a white round-neck top and black pants, holding a cup of coffee in his left hand. His black straight hair fell into bangs in front of his face. His face was oblong, and his eyes were black too.

"What about your dad?" Kavinsky asked, crashing on the brown sofa.

"He's at work," Harry replied, sipping his coffee.

"Aren't you going to offer me one?" Kavinsky asked, referring to the coffee.

"Nah, I'm cool," Harry replied, and they both laughed.

"Let's play video games, then," Kavinsky suggested.

"Even though I'll beat you in the end?" Harry said, feeling proud of himself.

The truth was, whenever they played video games, Kavinsky hardly won. Harry was so good at it that Kavinsky got jealous sometimes.

"You got anything else to do, then?" Kavinsky asked back sternly, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Wait, before we start. Where's your mom?" Kavinsky asked, looking around the room like a detective.

"At the mall," Harry replied, putting his coffee cup down, and Kavinsky heaved a sigh of relief at his answer.

They played until they were tired, and as usual, Harry won again.

"What about your girlfriend?" Harry asked with a chuckle.

"What girlfriend?" Kavinsky asked, feigning ignorance.

"Vanessa," Harry said, playing along with him.

"She's probably somewhere," Kavinsky replied with a shrug.

"So, you guys don't talk, or what?" Harry asked, turning to face him properly.

"I don't even know," Kavinsky replied with a grin.

Harry remained quiet; he knew his friend wasn’t very supportive of him being Vanessa's boyfriend. He knew Kavinsky didn’t love or like Vanessa at all but still dated her for certain reasons.

"Let's play one more," Kavinsky said, breaking the silence between them.

They played, and Harry won again. Kavinsky just never gave up. He went home afterward.

He got home, and his mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Kavinsky, is that you?" his mom asked from the kitchen.

"Uhm, I think so," Kavinsky replied jokingly.

"Can you please get the lunch box from our neighbor?" his mom asked, coming out of the kitchen in her pink apron.

"You gave them food?" Kavinsky asked in surprise.

"Yeah, quick, go and get it for me," his mom said, heading back to the kitchen.

He groaned before going out of the house.

Mr. Blaine ran his hand through his hair in frustration while Laura just watched. If Laura hadn’t fainted that day, she might have been like Kaylee. Mr. Blaine walked into the kitchen and poured himself some water to calm down.

He thought he should go get his car from the shipping company. They had flown but shipped their car.

"I'm going to get the car from the port," Mr. Blaine said to Laura.

"I'll go with you," Laura said, and he nodded. She had been feeling bored, and this was an opportunity to get out of the house, at least.

Mr. Blaine walked up to Kaylee's room and knocked on the door, but she didn’t reply.

"Laura and I are going to get the car," he informed her.

Kaylee heard his footsteps leaving and turned on her bed.

She stood up, walked to the window, and opened the curtains, letting sunlight flood her room. She walked back to her bed, stood up, went to her reading table, then returned to her bed, crashing onto it in frustration.

A few minutes later, she heard the doorbell ring.

"Can't people stay in their houses?" Kaylee muttered in frustration with a groan.

She got up from the bed and walked to the door. She opened her room door, descended the stairs, and opened the front door. Instead of meeting an older woman or a child, she saw a young, handsome guy.

He wore a blue V-neck top and black shorts. His hair was blonde, and he had blue eyes, which someone could get lost in. He looked her age as well.

"Hey," he said, and she stared at him.

"I'm here to get the lunch box," he added when she didn’t reply.

"Wait here, then," she said coldly, though her voice was calm.

She returned with the box and handed it over to him. He was about to say something, but she shut the door in his face.

"What's wrong with that girl?" Kavinsky thought and sighed.

He walked home quickly, as it was next door, and soon he was inside. His mom continued watching television as he walked to the kitchen to drop the lunchbox.

"Did you meet the new neighbor?" his mom asked curiously.

"Yes," he replied simply as he left the kitchen.

"Did you guys talk?" his mom asked anxiously.

"She’s just a teenager like me, mom," he replied, stopping in his tracks and facing her.

"Oh, I know. But you talked to her, right?" his mom asked with curiosity.

"Somehow," he answered with a shrug.

"What did you talk about?" his mom asked, and he sighed.

"Not much before she slammed the door in my face," he replied sternly with a frown before rolling his eyes.

"Oh, my God! Is your nose broken? Why did she do that? She seemed like a nice girl," she said, drifting into her thoughts while slanting her lips.

Kavinsky shook his head in disbelief. Had she forgotten he said she hit the door in his face? That quickly? He walked up the stairs slowly, sighing at every step.

"Is your nose broken!?" she asked as he neared the top of the stairs.

"It's not," he answered from the top, doubting she’d heard him.

He entered his bedroom and lay flat on the bed. He smiled, remembering how she had looked at him coldly.

"She’s cute."