The Mad Egg

Kayden was not late. Not even by a second. Maybe he was always true to his word, or maybe promises made over lizards and cotton candy were important to him, but he really was here.

I had to wave him over to me the moment he got into the gallery. Killian stood right next to me, looking menacingly at anyone who came close to me. It did not help that he was dressed in his black suit and black sunglasses looking all business-y. Gary stood just a few feet away from us, but it was easy to tell that he was alert about my surroundings. He wouldn't miss a thing if I was subjected to threat, although Killian would deal with it first.

This could go horribly. Kayden could find out that Killian was my bodyguard and want nothing to do with me because it was a lot to handle. Or he could be different. Please be different.

I glanced at Killian as Kayden approached me. He stared straight ahead with no such thing as a glance in my direction, then slowly turned his gaze to Kayden. Just as he took a step to bar me from Kayden. I put a hand out to stop him. "He's a friend," I said to him. Killian paused before he nodded and stood back, going back to his original stance.

I instantly smiled when Kayden was finally right in front of me. "Fancy place," he said as he glanced around and slowly eased his hands inside the pockets of his dark blue jeans.

The Emerald Season was once known as a hotel. It has exactly seven rooms for guests excluding other quarters. One of my dad's friends bought it and now it always changed. Sometimes it was a getaway, sometimes a club headquarters for whatever old men needed to talk about and sometimes a venue for private parties. It changed with different circumstances. Today it was an art gallery, and the some of the art on display was almost more expensive than some of the cars I owned.

"Julian?" Kayden turned a quizzical look to me. My eyes moved from where his arms filled out his black T-shirt to his eyes. I swallowed.

"Hi," I replied, trying to sweep my distractedness under the rug. "You look good." I swear on my life, I did not plan to say that.

Kayden smirked at me. "I always look good JuJu," he replied. "Even in a onesie."

Was it weird that I liked hearing him call me that, even if it was him making fun of my baby photo? "I'll have to judge for myself."

"Oh you do not want to dare me, Julian," he said.

"I think I do."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

He hadn't yet noticed Killian or Gary, and I wasn't sure if I should tell him or wait for him to notice. "Wait," he suddenly said. Oh God here it comes, here it comes. "This' your bodyguard or something?"

I bit my lip and tried to avoid his eyes. "Both of them," I pointed a thumb towards Gary's direction. This was my deciding moment. "I should have told you you'd be under scrutiny, but I was afraid you wouldn't want to meet anymore. I'm sorry."

"Bro, it's cool. You some type of celebrity or you just that rich?" Kayden asked.

I didn't answer him. I was half distracted by the fact that he'd called me 'bro'. Bro? Did I look like his bro to him? When did we establish that? He just went ahead and created a title all by himself and now he was referring me to it? Why did I hate it so much?

I was also half distracted by the attention everyone was suddenly giving the both of us. There were several glances our way and hushed tones. By this time Kayden and I had looked at all the art in the first room and moved to the next one. The judgmental stares persisted and they were really starting to piss me off.

It was in the second room when I heard my name being called out. "Julian dear!" It was Katey's mom. "If I knew you were coming for this art show then I'd have brought Katey along."

If I knew Katey was coming then I wouldn't have come.

"I'm sure there will be other times," I replied.

"She'd be over the moon if you took her on a date," she beamed at me, then whispered, "Don't tell her I told you."

"I'll think it over," I replied mostly to get her off my back. I hated faking smiles for people, but I always did it with adults, even when I wasn't aware of it.

When I had finally succeeded in losing her, I realized that she hadn't paid the slightest attention to Kayden. But when I turned to him, I noticed he hadn't paid any attention to her either because he was fully engrossed in an art piece.

It portrayed a woman blowing air onto what looked like planet earth, and wherever her breath touched, lost the colour it once had.

Before I could interrupt his moment, I heard a few snarky comments. "Who even let him in?" the minute I heard it, I turned to Kayden, and one look at his face was enough to know that he'd heard it too. And he knew that he was the topic of discussion.

I quickly turned to two women who looked older than everyone else in the room. "And who helped you up the stairs here?" I asked them.

"Julian," Kayden said. "Relax, it doesn't bother me."

"Let's go," I told him.

"Go where?" A confused Kayden asked.

"There's a restaurant in this same building. It's being saved for an after party but I can arrange for us..." I stopped and turned to Killian. He nodded before getting a phone out.

"Ju, we don't have to, it's okay."

"No it's not!" I said a bit too sharply. "Sorry, I just..."

Kayden nodded and we followed Killian out of the room, stares and whispers following us until we were out of sight.

The bar and restaurant on the top floor was completely empty, save for the staff. I sat across from Julian. "I know...I've destroyed the art show for you..."

"I wouldn't say that," he replied. "Is Katey your girlfriend?" I suddenly heard Kayden ask. He was looking right at me with a serious expression on his face.

I didn't think he'd heard any of that conversation considering he was absorbed in that art piece at the time.

"No," I answered quickly. I immediately needed a change of topic. "Why did it not bother you? Everyone was obviously whispering about the fact that you were in there."

"I know they were," Kayden shrugged. "But if I had a dollar for every time someone had a problem with the way I looked, I'd be richer than all of them in that room."

"I don't have a problem with the way you look," I blurted out. My face grew hot. Kayden smiled and it grew hotter.

"There it is again," he said and suddenly his hands were moving towards me. I remained rooted in place, so still it felt like the air would cut me if I made the slightest movement.

I knew I was already trembling before his thumb touched my cheek. The contact alone sent shivers down to the tips of my toes. "Your ears do turn pink," Kayden confirmed.

The food served as the distraction I needed. I didn't know what to say to him so I focused on the food.

"How does this taste?" Kayden asked me carefully.

I didn't like it, but it was my fault he had to be here. "It's alright," I lied. It wasn't bad either but it wasn't good enough.

"No, it's not," he said like he could see right through my lie. "Damn, are you sure you like it?"

"No, actually," I finally admitted because there was no use in hiding it.

Kayden stopped eating and put his fork down. "I know a fantastic place, do you want to go? I'll pay."

I was already nodding. "Do you hate this place that much?"

"Yes," he replied. "Compared to where I'm taking you. You'll see."

I couldn't remember the last time anything had every ounce of my attention like Kayden did. Every nerve fiber was conscious of his presence, his movements and his voice. I barely missed a thing, and he wasn't even trying. "Let's get out of here."

Once outside the once-a-hotel building, Kayden and I suddenly took steps in opposite directions, then stopped, looked back and laughed at each other. I was walking towards my car and assumed he was walking towards his. "You're riding with them?" he asked me and I nodded.

Kayden pouted. It wasn't a full on and genuine pout but he did, and it had me changing my mind. "Wait," I said. "Just a minute."

"I can't let you do that Julian, it's my—" Killian looked conflicted.

"Come on Killian, just this once," I tried to convince him. "You guys will be right behind us."

He sighed and seemed to think really hard about it. Killian then nodded twice. "Fine, but you guys can't drive fast enough to lose us."

"Yeah of course," I agreed. Anything to get to Kayden faster.

"What are you doing?" I asked when he held the door open for me and I got into his passenger seat. He closed the door and leaned on the open window, chin on his arms, eyes trained on me.

"After stealing you from your bodyguards, I can't promise to be the best bodyguard but I will do my best to be an awesome chauffeur," he said then looked at me for a beat too long, then moved off to get into the driver's seat.

And just like that, we were driving to wherever he was taking me, with Killian and Gary following close behind.

•••

"Your wallpaper is Groot?" Kayden asked. I hadn't realized my phone had lit up with a message. "Not bad Ju, not bad."

I realized then that I loved the way he had shortened my name, and was waiting for the next time he would say it again.

We were seated in a diner across from each other. The neon sign outside had read 'The Mad Egg', I was still trying to figure out why.

               When it came to smaller places, Killian usually stood outside and I wasn't sure if it was to give me more privacy or if it was because he was too big to fit inside. The alone time it gave me was refreshing. I was used to being watched, to a point where it became as normal as breathing but every once in a while, it felt good to have those eyes away from me.

                "Now this is what I'm talking about," Kayden said after taking a bite. "How's it taste?"

               "It's so good," I replied.

               "Yeah, J is the best," he said and looked content with himself.

                Kayden got a call in the next few seconds. "Yeah Ma..." He probably didn't realize he was pulling his own cheek, it was so cute. "Okay Ma, love you too." It ended.

               "You pull at your cheek while speaking on the phone, or is it just your mom?" I asked before taking a sip of my drink.

               "Nah, you lyin'."

               I laughed. "I'm not, really. It's so cute," I half mocked.

               Kayden chuckled. "Boy, you did not just call me cute."

               "I did. It would be a great way to be remembered in history. Think about it...Kayden the Cute. Chills, anyone reading that history book would get chills."

               "I ain't ever heard such an ugly title in my life. I'll make one for you too. Julian the Mighty, out-runner of lizards and salvager of cotton candy. Double chills."

               "What the fuck?" I asked between laughs. "I gave you a one worded title."

               Kayden held out his phone to me and showed me my baby self. "I really love this photo, Ju."

               I wish I could hide my face. He said it again. He called me Ju and he loves my picture, silly as it was. "You ass," I replied.

               The best I could do with hiding my face, was glance outside the diner momentarily. That was when I noticed Killian frowning and looking at his phone. It gave me a random feeling of foreboding.

               "Can I get you more food?" Kayden asked me, drawing my attention back to him and my empty plate. "There's ketchup on your lip."

               I licked my lips just as Killian walked towards us with an unreadable expression on his face. Something was definitely up.

               "Hey MIB," Kayden said excitedly to Killian. "Come to join us for some delicious food?"

Killian's frown deepened as he ignored him and bent over to my side and spoke lowly into my ear. "Your father wants you back home, right now."

Hearing him say that immediately downed my spirits. I didn't want to leave but I knew I had to. One glance at Kayden and I already knew he was confused and waiting for me to say something.

What was wrong with my dad all of a sudden? He'd never pressure me to do anything as long as I followed his restrictions. I was well within them, two bodyguards and all. And now...really? Now of all times?

"Somethin' wrong?" Kayden asked me.

I bit my lip while looking for the best way to tell him. "I have to go," I said carefully.

He sipped his coke, then nodded, saying nothing.

"But...I loved this place, thank you," I let him know as I got up.

"Nah, it's nothin'." He said because he didn't know how much it meant to me. "This was cool, I'll text you."

My heart soared at hearing that. "I guess we'll talk in a week."

Kayden laughed and made my skin tingle. He got up too. "Promise I'll text you."

"Okay." I took my hands out of my hoodie without thinking and hugged him.

What in the name of cringe?!! I really hugged him. I put two arms around his middle and...no, that's enough. You've really outdone yourself Julian.

Just before I could take it back and shoulder the embarrassment, I felt his hand around me, stilling me as if to say 'not so fast'.

Was I holding my breath? Was I not? What was this...what was this moment?

We pulled away slowly. Everything inside me reacted to the look in his eyes. I curled my fingers into tight balls and shoved my hands back inside the pockets of my hoodie. "Well...bye then."

Killian had long since gotten out and I knew they'd both be waiting for me.

Kayden didn't respond as I walked past him and got out of the diner. I got back inside and walked back to him. "You asked if you could get me more food. Yes," I said. And with that, I was gone.