| Fan Fiction |
by kglove
“Don’t start with me RJ. My head is throbbing like crazy!” Kenneth glowered.
Gerald laughed “Who told you to party all night? Huh?”
“Like you haven’t done this before.” Kenneth accused.
“Hey, I'm not saying I didn’t. But I do it responsibly. I don’t do it when I know I have to work the following day. Plus, it has been a while since the last time I went to a party and got drunk.” Gerald countered. He still had the smug look on his face as he handed Ken a cup of coffee. “Here, drink this. I'm going to cook us breakfast.”
“Don’t you have work?” Kenneth asked as Gerald started beating eggs.
“As a matter of fact I do. But it’s still early anyway so I'm cool babysitting my hung-over brother in the meantime.” Gerald grinned at Ken.
“Whatever, Gerald!” Ken said as Gerald continued to prepare breakfast, his haughty expression remained.
“Oh, by the way, I finally found an apartment.”
Kenneth almost choked on his coffee. “Huh? I thought you’re not looking?” Gerald gave his brother a confused look. “I mean, it has been too long since you moved in here and you never mentioned it since then. I thought you’re staying.”
“But bro, I told you I really like to have my own place. So will you be kind enough to help me?”
Kenneth groaned. “Yeah, maybe I will.” He took one last gulp from his cup. “It kinda sucks though. You leaving, I mean.” Gerald raised an eyebrow at him. “It was really nice living with you. Made me feel like we are a family again.”
“We’re family, Ken. We always will be. I know it was hard for you when mom and dad divorced. It was for me. It still is. But you know with what happened to me and Kim… it made me understood what our parents did. At least now, they’re friends. It would’ve sucked even more if they stayed together and be at each other’s throat all the time.”
Kenneth eyed his brother intently who was busy cooking. “Dude, what really happened between you and Kim? I’ve been giving you your space because I know you need it. But man, you can’t keep it all in, know what I mean?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because I don’t want to. Here, eat your breakfast.” Gerald handed Kenneth a plate. “I have to get ready for work.”
***
For the next couple of weeks, Kim and Gerald worked together cordially. There was some stiffness between them and some of their co-workers noticed but brushed it aside. However, Jane, who is still under Kim’s supervision, knew something deeper exists between Kim and Gerald. One Friday afternoon, as their training was about to end, Kim was surprised when Jane asked her if she has plans for the night.
“No, no plans for tonight. Why, what’s on your mind, Jane?” Kim asked as her class walked out of the room.
“Well, I was thinking maybe we can spend some girl time together. I can’t help but notice, you seemed so stressed out lately. So I thought maybe we can sit back and relax over the weekend. Maybe get to know each other on a personal level.”
Kim thought about her intern’s proposition. Cathy is out of town for a conference, so she’ll just be spending the entire weekend at the apartment alone. “Are you sure this is not a scheme just so you can get back at me for being a grouchy boss sometimes?”
“Oh, no, no, no! Of course not! How could you think that?” Jane’s face was flustered.
“Hey, don’t be so defensive. I was just kidding.” Kim laughed. “Anyway, what time are you coming over?” Kim asked.
“Like, now?” She grinned. “I have been meaning to ask you the whole week. But you’ve been a little, uh, grouchy these past few days.”
Kim blushed when Jane mentioned her being ill-tempered lately. “I'm so sorry, Jane. I…”
“It’s fine, really. No harm done” Jane squeezed Kim’s hand in assurance. “Although I have to admit that I'm now scarred for life.” Both of them laughed. “Anyhow, what’s the plan, boss?”
“Well, we can go pick up some groceries before going home. Let’s cook dinner. Then we can figure out what to do next when we get there.” Kim proposed to which Jane agreed.
“Sounds good.”
***
Halfway through dinner, Kim heard a knock at the door. “Did you invite someone else?” She looked curiously at Jane who was sitting across her.
“No.” Jane replied.
Kim paced towards the door and was stunned when she saw their unexpected visitor. Gerald was smiling, holding a bouquet of pink roses. “Hi Kim! These are for you.”