abrielle

"kai!!" yn yelled as she giggled, arms open as she sprinted towards her best friend since first grade. kai whipped his head around, immediately mimicking her movements as he ran up to her, scooping the smaller girl up into his broad arms, giving her a few spins. all of yn‘s luggage and the people around them were forgotten in this moment, kai and yn skin to skin, their warmth radiating off each other. it was like this every summer when yn finally got to see her other half who moved away when they were twelve.

"yn, god, it feels like forever when you‘re not around…" kai whispered, slowly putting yn back down in the plush grass surrounding them.

"missed you, kai…" yn smiled softly, gazing into the affection in kai‘s warm, umber eyes.

"oh, yn, you‘ve grown so much in only a year…" spoke kai‘s mom, mrs. huening as she pulled her son‘s favorite friend into an embrace of her own.

"yn, i will be at home when you need me. i‘ll let you hang out here for a bit…" yn‘s grandma, judith, spoke softly as she made her way back inside her little sky blue beatle. yn waved goodbye to her grandmother before turning back to kai. "come on, let’s go up to my room. i‘ve redone it a little bit since i last saw you," kai smiled cheerfully, enthusiastically taking yn‘s delicate hand and bringing her into his lakehouse and up the stairs. practically being dragged by kai like they were both six years old again, yn stumbled along the path through kai‘s lakeside abode that led to his bedroom. it was nearly same as before. the interior walls wore the same wood paneling as always, and the carpet was now a beige colour instead of the dark blue it took on in the 70s, as the huening family liked to keep up with the times. and that‘s why upon entering kai‘s bedroom, below his window peering over the vast lake his home sat on, there was a desk with what looked to be like a computer—but this one was smaller, and more personal looking than any other one yn has laid her eyes on before.

"she‘s called lisa," kai said proudly as he walked over to the machine, patting it like a dog‘s head.

"is this like…a computer?" yn asked, confusion etched on her face.

kai nods. "the newest. came out in january." he wore a pleased smile.

gasping, yn came closer to take in more of the sight. "gag me with a spoon, no way!"

kai shrugs. "my dad says it‘s like one of those library computers and stuff but it can do so much more. but i‘ve been outside a lot so i‘ve only been able to try it out a little."

yn looks up at kai. "god, if i lived here too i‘d be outside all the time. it’s so pretty—i hate arizona."

kai laughs, making his way over to his drawers, pulling out his swimming trunks. "you brought your suit, right?" he smirks.

"oh—fuck! my luggage is still outside, let me go get it…" yn abruptly made her way out of her best friend’s bedroom and down his flight of stairs to find the huening family maid taking the last of yn‘s suitcases inside.

"ohh, i‘m so sorry miss…i got distracted and—"

the maid shakes her head with a small smile. "i understand, dear. this is my job, after all, don’t apologize."

yn lets out an inaudible sigh of relief, kai‘s mother‘s voice following. "gosh, you two are ten all over again when you see each other," mr. and mrs. huening let out a posh sounding giggle.

kai just turns his attention back to the most important girl to him as he grabs two of her neon pink suitcases. "wanna take these up to my room?"

yn nodded, latching her grasp onto the third suitcase.

with a small struggle they hauled the luggage up the stairs and into kai‘s room.

even though the huening family lived in a five bedroom home for no necessary reason, yn always found herself staying in kai‘s bedroom with him. they shared the bed, changed in front of each other with their backs turned; nothing has changed since they were little kids. his parents never seemed to mind. they‘ve always been trusting of the pair.

bringing up the last of the luggage, yn opened one of the suitcases, revealing three bikinis. one was a neon pink suit dipped low at the cleavage and only gave yn a piece of string the size of floss to cover her ass. the second was more of a sailor suit, cute little stripes, high wasted bottoms, like something from a pin up magazine. and the last was a baby blue tankini with little 3d flowers on the straps which matched the colour of the suit. "hmm…which one?" yn asked, looking up from her knees to where kai loomed over her, his black swim trunks already over his boxers. hands on his hips kai pursed his lips in thought, analyzing each swimming suit.

"as much as i‘d love to see you in this one…" kai smirked, gesturing to the neon pink bikini, "i don’t want my parents making any weird ass comments—so you should wear the blue one. it‘s most like you, anyway."

yn laughed, slapping his knee. "you perv…it’s cuz it has a thong, huh?" yn threw the bottom at kai, earning a girly squeal from the brown eyed boy. "what would your parents even say?"

kai shrugged. "the comments about how you‘ve grown up so much and how we better not get up to anything." he rolls his eyes. "they mean well, but…it’s still just weird. you get enough of that bullshit from your mom when you wanna wear shorts."

yn grinned at kai’s considerate gesture, quickly tossing her remaining two swimsuits into the open luggage. "i‘ll wait outside the door." kai gave yn a small kiss on the cheek, something of common nature between them. yn slowly started to remove her white tank top and shorts once kai gently shut his bedroom door, the cool air from the ac hitting yn‘s skin causing goosebumps. quickly sliding on the tankini once she was fully bare, yn gazed at herself in kai‘s full length mirror in the corner of his bedroom, little polaroids and small printed photos of yn and kai adorning the wooden frame.

she tied her hair back into a low ponytail, letting her smaller strands frame her face before quickly making her way to open kai‘s door, meeting the tall boy‘s eyes with a look of anticipation. kai without hesitation stole yn‘s hand in his firm grasp and led her down his tall flight of stairs, skipping a step every so often until they met an empty living room.

"sweet…" kai started with a smile, peering out of the large window facing their front yard, "the car is gone. i think they went out. they took our maid, too." he turned to face yn with that same mischievous look. "we have the whole house to ourselves."

yn smirked. "wanna raid the pantry?"

"you know me so well."

the pair made their way to kai‘s large kitchen, opening up his large walk-in pantry filled to the brim with a variety of snacks as well as ingredients. with a large smile, yn traced her finger along the wooden edge, taking slow steps inside the pantry bigger than her closet back home.

"ugh, i love this pantry every time i see it.." yn took a few steps inside, the pantry was shallow, though there was enough room for the two of them to fit no problem, albeit a tad cramped.

"i‘m taking the whole box of twinkies…" kai started, looking around the space for anything else good.

yn grabbed a whole can of cheez balls while kai dug around in the freezer and pulled out two pudding pops from the box.

shutting the pantry, yn smiled seeing kai with the box of twinkies in his arms and two pudding pops clutched in his grasp.

"come on, i wanna swim!" yn giggled, lightly running over to the large, glass patio door, sliding it open and rushing out into the grassy, swampy fields surrounding the large lake house. with increasing strides, yn tossed the jar of cheez balls aside on the grass as she approached the rustic dock facing the vast lake reflecting the pink-orange sunset. with a loud scream, yn jumped off the edge of the dock into the wide lake below, a large splash signaling she‘s gone under. kai follows suit, jumping in after yn, immediately coming up and shaking his head like a wet dog.

"kai!" yn shield herself from the small trickles of water repeatedly hitting her already wet face.

"oh, come on," kai teased, sending yn a small wave of water.

raising a single brow, yn pushed the blueish-green water harshly, creating a larger wave that smacked all of kai‘s upper body. "yn!" he shouted, hiding his face.

too busy tossing your head back to laugh, kai took advantage of yn‘s vulnerable position to grab yn and lift her up, his muscles tensing as he lifted yn out of the water almost completely, his face wearing an expression of amusement in contrast to her surprised one.

kai then let yn go, dropping her into the water to completely submerge the girl, her little yelp muffled by the echo of kai‘s guffawing.

seconds later yn came up with a gasp, arms flailing as she splashed kai, panting heavily.

"oh, my yn, are you—" kai cut himself off with a laugh. "are you okay?" he allowed himself to pull yn close against him, his large hands splaying across her tinier waist, gently caressing her wet sides.

"fuck, you‘re lucky i learned how to swim a couple years ago…" yn spoke, slicking her hair that was stuck to her forehead back on her head.

kai grinned, slowly spinning yn around in his embrace, the splashes of the water dancing alongside them. "you had the best swim teacher." kai teased, gesturing to himself.

yn laid her chin on kai‘s muscular shoulder, wrapping her arms around the wide blades.

"i‘m so happy i‘m here with you…" her voice was soft and gentle like a mother, a heavy contrast to the playful screams only minutes ago.

"me too," spoke kai, his tone calming down to match yn‘s. their beating hearts touched, almost in sync as the pair held onto each other as if the other would slip away if they loosened their grasp even in the slightest. a comfortable silence overtook them. there was an occasional whistle from the small breeze masking the heat of the sun and chirps from the birds who always sounded happy. kai‘s hand moved from yn‘s back to her soaking hair, running his fingers through the waterfall splayed down her back.

"you know…" kai started tentatively, "i…think of you, yn."

yn smiled against kai‘s shoulder. "i hope you do. you‘re my best friend."

"no…" kai sighed, his tone growing more serious. yn pulled her head back, looking into kai‘s concerned brown eyes.

"i think of you differently. i think of you in ways that i probably shouldn’t. in ways that would get me in trouble if anyone knew."

"kai, do you have feelings for me?" yn questioned.

"yeah…fuck." kai snickered, breaking eye contact with the girl in front of him by looking down towards their connected chests. "i always have. i never wanted to ruin anything but—"

"kiss me."

kai immediately looked back into yn‘s eyes with a surprised expression.

"kiss me," yn repeated.

kai stammered, a faint blush creeping up on his neck and cheeks. "i..if you…um—"

with a roll of her eyes, yn took the initiative and pressed her soft lips against kai‘s, her hand roaming from his back to his chest, up his neck and eventually his cheek. kai‘s eyes fluttered shut as his and yn‘s lips danced in sync, a choreograph to a ballad yet to be written. kai‘s muscular arms squeezed yn‘s body tight, her gasp only an invitation for kai‘s tongue to enter her mouth, finding that rhythm being desperately craved.

and as the pair pulled away, it was a silent agreement that this newfound romance was going to be summer‘s main event.

——

"shit…" kai groaned, peering out of his bedroom window to see his parents pull into the driveway. the 1985 rolls royce spur was hard to miss being the nicest car in town.

"are your parents home?" yn asked as if she could read kai‘s mind. she slid off of the boy‘s lap as he nodded in disappointment.

"they can’t know…you know that, right, yn?" kai‘s tone was concerned.

yn slowly nodded, diverting eye contact. her arm slid from kai‘s shoulder to his plaid bedding. "i know."

"no…don’t take it personally, baby," kai immediately placed his forefinger under yn‘s chin, making her look at him. kai sprinkled a few kisses along yn‘s cheeks before he spoke up.

"you‘ve known me forever. my parents love you. i just have no say in anything until i can inherit my dad‘s business. i can‘t afford to screw up in their eyes."

"…i understand." yn whispered, kissing his lips quickly before she got up, exiting kai‘s room. "hi guys!" she yelled cheerfully, greeting mr. and mrs. huening. kai could only shake his head slowly and sigh, hoping his yn didn‘t think she was some sort of mistake.

coming downstairs, kai was greeted with the sight of his parents and yn conversing in the brightly lit kitchen as she helped them and their maid put their groceries away. "oh, kai! there you are, son!" kai‘s father spoke, his near transatlantic accent as prominent as a lighthouse on a dark coast. mr huening placed his son in a playful headlock, his fist coming to rub kai‘s messy brown locks as the two laughed, playfully roughhousing.

kai‘s mother cleared her throat, signaling for the boys to calm down. "boys? we‘re still not done unpacking."

mr. huening pulled back, brushing out the wrinkles on his polo with his hands. "sorry, my love. i‘ll get the rest. you just go upstairs and relax…" mr. huening came over to his wife, kissing the side of her cheek before she made her way upstairs with a grin yn has only ever seen on mrs. huening when she was with her husband. "you too, sandra." mr. huening spoke to the family maid. "take the rest of the day off. we‘ll pay you still. you have most of the week off anyway."

"oh, mr. huening…you‘re too kind…" sandra mumbled before she gathered her things near the front door.

"what have you done all day, kids?" inquired mr huening as he unloaded the last of the groceries, placing fruits and vegetables (obviously the most organic in town) in the refrigerator.

kai and yn shot each other a look before yn took the initiative to speak up. "kai taught me the drums…" she smirked. mr huening turned around just after yn dropped her mischievous expression.

"oh really?" mr. huening smiled. "kai‘s had a musical passion since he was a little lad. i‘m sure he makes a wonderful teacher."

"i am." kai piped up. "taught her a few metallica songs."

mr. huening playfully rolled his eyes. "oh, that metallica bull. why can’t you teach her some normal artists like phil collins or spandau ballet?"

"alright, dad, we‘re going back to my room. i have some mötley crüe songs to teach her next," kai teased, signaling yn to follow his lead back up to his room.

"haha! very funny," kai‘s father called out.

——

"they‘re sleeping now…" kai whispered to yn as he slipped back into his bedroom after checking his parents‘ room.

"come here…" yn teased, patting the spot on kai‘s bed next to her. with a sly grin, kai swiftly kneeled next to yn‘s laying body, climbing down to place his hands on either side of yn‘s face, hovering over the girl. he leaned down to kiss her, yn‘s hand gripping the back of kai‘s hair in an instant. kai‘s knee made his way between yn‘s legs, subtly rubbing her pussy over her dolphin shorts, causing her to let out a small moan.

kai pulled away, placing his large, calloused hand over yn‘s mouth. "shh, baby…i don‘t want to wake up my parents."

"sorry…" yn muttered after kai slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth.

"it‘s okay, my love." kai whispered back. "i don’t want to rush anything anyway." kai kissed yn‘s forehead before climbing off of her and next to her. "let’s watch a movie and sleep, yeah?"

yn smiled. "yeah."

——

the days so far at kai‘s lakehouse around mrs. and mr. huening were the definition of normal; as if no such kiss had happened in the body of water outside of kai‘s home. and as if no such skin to skin contact was happening in kai’s bed. as soon as the adults left, however, gave yn and kai all the room and all the freedom in the world to explore this romance. it started with small kisses to long makeout sessions with amateur fondling and ended in kai‘s room with clothes finally coming off.

"kai…mmm…" yn shakily moaned, gripping onto kai‘s hair with the sheer force of all her might, muscles tensing as kai‘s tongue danced along her pussy, sucking on yn‘s clit with pure fervor.

kai‘s left hand gripped the muscle of yn‘s hip as his right hand slipped his middle and ring fingers into her tight hole, pumping in and out as if it‘d save her life.

"you close baby?" kai asked, his motions never slowing down. the palm of his hand ground against yn‘s clit during the absence of his mouth.

"mhm.." yn whined, shaking feverishly as her climax approached.

"use your words." kai demanded, his voice reaching a new low as he stopped all movements, teasing the girl beneath him.

"f-fuck..! yes! i‘m going to cum, kai…" yn started, "don’t stop…" the girl pouted, her flushed body still quivering. those quivers turned into quaking and her whines turned into screams as kai resumed his movements, his mouth replacing his palm, devouring yn‘s pussy with the intensity of a starved man eating his first meal of the week. his fingers sped up, the sounds of yn‘s wetness growing louder before kai curled his fingers a last time, hitting that special spot in yn‘s body sending her on the high of her life.

with a string of moans falling out of yn‘s mouth, she came around kai‘s tongue and hand, the boy licking up every single drop like it was the sweetest nectar from a flower.

"mmm…you taste so good, baby…" kai groaned, leaning in to kiss yn. his hard on rubbed against yn‘s pussy through his boxers, causing the girl to shake even more.

"m..t‘much…" yn cried between kisses, causing kai’s movements to stop.

"i‘m sorry, my love." kai kissed yn one last time. "you okay?"

yn nodded. "better than ever."

kai kissed yn‘s forehead, pulling his covers on his bed over the pair‘s bodies as he laid next to his lover.

"i love you." kai spoke, wrapping his arm on the underside of yn‘s body.

"you…love me?" yn‘s breath hitched, her face colored with disbelief.

"i do." kai took yn‘s hand in his own, kissing her fingers so gently.

but that gentle tone shifted once kai‘s parents walked in his bedroom, their faces once smiling turning into pure shock in a nano second.

"kai huening!" gasped kai‘s mother, her manicured hands falling onto her mouth, her breathing growing rapidly.

"honey, calm down…" spoke mr. huening, pulling in his wife to shield her from this disgraceful view.

"m-mom, dad—i c-can explain!" stuttered kai, defensively gripping the blankets around him and yn to protect their vulnerable position.

"son…" mr. huening sighed. "yn, please…go back to your grandma’s. and kai…come to our room. soon, please.“

"when can yn come back?" kai piped up, panicking.

mr. huening shook his head. "i don’t think that‘s a good idea for the rest of summer."

with that, a disappointed and oddly calm mr. huening led a sobbing mrs. huening out of the room, leaving yn and kai on his bed wishing they could turn back time.

"kai…" whispered yn, zoned out. "they hate me…"

"no, no, my love—let me talk to them an—"

"no…i‘m a mistake." yn‘s lip trembled, her knees coming up to her chest. "they don’t want you with some poor girl from tuscon." yn‘s voice refused to be louder than a whisper, her frame trembling now not from pleasure, but the wave of anxiety she was surfing.

kai pulled yn closer, protectively holding her against his broad frame. kai shushed yn soothingly as she began to cry, kissing his lover‘s forehead.

"we will get through this. i swear to you." kai spoke.

yn sniffled, pulling away. "i should go…talk to your parents, okay?" her teary eyes locked with kai‘s. he nodded, kidding her one last time. "i will make this work, my love."

and yn left; wearing melancholy like a cloak.

——

summer of 1987

"yn—there‘s a letter here for you!“ called out yn‘s mother from the kitchen. "it‘s from kai!"

april 15. yn‘s bags were packed for maine as usual. only this year was different. she had received no letters from kai, no calls, nothing. until now. her excitement dwindled day by day as she replayed everything she had said to kai that day in june of 1986.

what could have kai wanted after all this time?

with shaky hands and rapid breath, yn said nothing as she took the letter straight from her mother’s hands, her grasp tight as she tore open the envelope containing something—anything, from the man she considered the love of her life.

opening the envelope, yn‘s eyes scanned the paper inside. it was a letter as her mom stated; a long letter.

for my dearest yn,

i am sorry for everything i am about to write you, my beautiful girl. my parents were livid to see us together. they are nothing but snobs who don’t see past social classes and wealth. needless to say, i have been gravely punished. our home is now empty because i have been sent to münich early, where i‘m going to be living from now on. i wasn’t supposed to leave for another few years, and i planned on even taking you with me. but now that i am 19, i‘m getting an early head start on taking over my father’s business…and even worse, making connections. my parents are setting up an arranged marriage with the daughter of a wealthy business partner of my dad in germany. i don’t think there are enough words in the entire universe to describe my dread that the woman who‘s hand i will take in mine will not be yours. my yn, please forgive me. i can only pray while i wake and dream while i sleep that i will be able to make my way back to you. i haven’t said this enough to you while we‘ve been together, but i love you. i‘d give you the sun and the moon and every layer of heaven and earth if you asked me to. and i am so sorry our plans didn’t succeed. and as i count down my days to freedom and when i can see you, i will think of your smile when i close my eyes, and imagine it‘s you laying next to me while i drift asleep. i have an abundance of loving memories i made with you that i‘ll cling to like a lifeline. i will try to not be bitter nor sad, because i know what we shared is the realest thing i have felt in my life. It‘ll be hard to sleep for a while. i hope you stay stronger than i can. i love you, my beautiful girl. and until we can make our way back to each other, please be happy. think of the love we shared and spread it to those around you. and know that you will always be my number one girl. you‘re the only person i want to love until the very end.

love you always, kai

by the last word, a tear trickled down yn‘s cheek onto the corner of the letter. just her luck. kai would be married off to a woman in germany.

yn could only wonder through all of the possibilities of that day. what she could have done differently. things she should have said and if the only boy she ever loved would have stayed if she said "i love you too."

now this would be another summer in maine, her first summer without him, and her introduction to a life without him.