it’s a big job, but maybe you could hire some help or something.”
“Maybe,” Ulrich said vaguely. Kai decided not to follow up on that. “So who else have you met?”
“Well, I spend a lot of time with Corey and Jackson.”
“Who are they?” Ulrich laughed. “And why are you blushing?”
“I’m not.” The denial didn’t make his statement true, which frustrated Kai even more. The kid was too perceptive. “They are just guys I met here.” He was not going to share how almost every time he hung out with them, they got intimate. It wasn’t like he participated in their impromptu sucking fuck fests. He just hung out until they were done and were ready to continue their conversations.
“Are they like together? In like together together ?” Ulrich asked, overly excited about the perspective.
Rolling his eyes, Kai admitted it. “Yeah, they are. How did you know?” He’d only said their names.
Ulrich waved him off. “I know things.” It was his way of jokingly admitting that he had a vision of them. Kai could only hope it was PG rated.
“They are nice guys. I guess they met in high school, but got together… afterwards.”
“They are waiting for someone else.” It wasn’t a question. Ulrich knew.
Kai nodded his head.
Ulrich looked a bit dazed as if he had connected to whatever gave him the information. “Everyone there is waiting for someone.” Kai nodded quietly. “I will be there too, Kai. But I won’t be waiting. I will meet my someone before it’s time.” The kid frowned and snapped out of it. “Well, it sucks to be me.”
“You okay?”
Ulrich looked as grumpy as a toddler near naptime. “I shouldn’t have to wait. That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?” Kai wasn’t sure if he were following him.
“Nothing.” Ulrich pouted in that sulky way of his that made Kai want to jolly him right out of it.
“So you can see you’ll be here?” Kai asked hopefully.
Ulrich smiled, obviously trying to find the silver lining. “Yeah.”
Kai stopped himself from asking when because it always frustrated the kid that the time frame was never clear. “So that’s good, right?”
“Yeah,” Ulrich tilted his head and looked at the screen. “Are you gay?”
“What?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, but the kid seemed to end every conversation with that question. “Why do you keep asking? Do you think I’m going to wake up gay one day?” The kid looked a bit hurt by Kai’s explosion. Sighing, Kai knew he shouldn’t have raised his voice. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled.” Inhaling and exhaling. “Ulrich why do you keep asking me?”
His cheeks tinted to a light pink, and he shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess ‘cause I am…”
There is it was. “Okay.” He’d been waiting for that admission. “Are you okay about it?”
“Yeah, of course.” The kid snorted as if that was the dumbest question ever. How could he have remained so untouched by his father’s ugliness? “Are you?” He glanced away from the computer screen as if he could hide how important Kai’s answer was to him.
“Yes, of course. I’m fine with it.” At his words, he actually saw the kid breathe a sigh of relief. “But please, Ulrich, be careful. Your father can never know.” Kai could only hope Ulrich understood how important heeding his warning would be. His uncle spewed so much hate on every topic, but homophobia was the biggest on that long list. Kai wondered if maybe that’s where some of his issues developed from, and it amazed him that Ulrich seemed unscathed by it.
* * * *
Time seemed to fly by. Before Kai knew it, another couple of months had slipped by as he adjusted to his life as a transitioning zombie. The days took on a relaxing yet exhilarating pattern. He would usually spend some time in the morning reading the mated couples book and then in the afternoon he would spend time with friends. Well, mostly Jasper, but sometimes Corey or Jackson or one of his new
“Maybe,” Ulrich said vaguely. Kai decided not to follow up on that. “So who else have you met?”
“Well, I spend a lot of time with Corey and Jackson.”
“Who are they?” Ulrich laughed. “And why are you blushing?”
“I’m not.” The denial didn’t make his statement true, which frustrated Kai even more. The kid was too perceptive. “They are just guys I met here.” He was not going to share how almost every time he hung out with them, they got intimate. It wasn’t like he participated in their impromptu sucking fuck fests. He just hung out until they were done and were ready to continue their conversations.
“Are they like together? In like together together ?” Ulrich asked, overly excited about the perspective.
Rolling his eyes, Kai admitted it. “Yeah, they are. How did you know?” He’d only said their names.
Ulrich waved him off. “I know things.” It was his way of jokingly admitting that he had a vision of them. Kai could only hope it was PG rated.
“They are nice guys. I guess they met in high school, but got together… afterwards.”
“They are waiting for someone else.” It wasn’t a question. Ulrich knew.
Kai nodded his head.
Ulrich looked a bit dazed as if he had connected to whatever gave him the information. “Everyone there is waiting for someone.” Kai nodded quietly. “I will be there too, Kai. But I won’t be waiting. I will meet my someone before it’s time.” The kid frowned and snapped out of it. “Well, it sucks to be me.”
“You okay?”
Ulrich looked as grumpy as a toddler near naptime. “I shouldn’t have to wait. That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?” Kai wasn’t sure if he were following him.
“Nothing.” Ulrich pouted in that sulky way of his that made Kai want to jolly him right out of it.
“So you can see you’ll be here?” Kai asked hopefully.
Ulrich smiled, obviously trying to find the silver lining. “Yeah.”
Kai stopped himself from asking when because it always frustrated the kid that the time frame was never clear. “So that’s good, right?”
“Yeah,” Ulrich tilted his head and looked at the screen. “Are you gay?”
“What?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, but the kid seemed to end every conversation with that question. “Why do you keep asking? Do you think I’m going to wake up gay one day?” The kid looked a bit hurt by Kai’s explosion. Sighing, Kai knew he shouldn’t have raised his voice. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled.” Inhaling and exhaling. “Ulrich why do you keep asking me?”
His cheeks tinted to a light pink, and he shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess ‘cause I am…”
There is it was. “Okay.” He’d been waiting for that admission. “Are you okay about it?”
“Yeah, of course.” The kid snorted as if that was the dumbest question ever. How could he have remained so untouched by his father’s ugliness? “Are you?” He glanced away from the computer screen as if he could hide how important Kai’s answer was to him.
“Yes, of course. I’m fine with it.” At his words, he actually saw the kid breathe a sigh of relief. “But please, Ulrich, be careful. Your father can never know.” Kai could only hope Ulrich understood how important heeding his warning would be. His uncle spewed so much hate on every topic, but homophobia was the biggest on that long list. Kai wondered if maybe that’s where some of his issues developed from, and it amazed him that Ulrich seemed unscathed by it.
* * * *
Time seemed to fly by. Before Kai knew it, another couple of months had slipped by as he adjusted to his life as a transitioning zombie. The days took on a relaxing yet exhilarating pattern. He would usually spend some time in the morning reading the mated couples book and then in the afternoon he would spend time with friends. Well, mostly Jasper, but sometimes Corey or Jackson or one of his new
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