friends.
He had met everyone who lived on the estate, and they were all so nice. Kai was enjoying the job he begged Lafayette to assign him. He was waiting tables at Club Zombie. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it kept him busy. Beau had encouraged him to go to college with some of the other zombies, and he would as soon as he could figure out what he wanted to study.
Ulrich seemed a little off when he spoke to him earlier that day, but the kid wouldn’t say why. It made Kai extremely uncomfortable, but he didn’t know what to do about it.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the gentle breeze along with shade from the forest made it perfect. Jasper had taken him riding through a different part of the huge estate. There was a quiet babbling brook, wild flowers everywhere, and no one else in sight.
He smiled over at Jasper, “Looks almost like home.”
Jasper grinned, “None of the other guys ever want to ride this far out with me. So I usually come out here alone. Thank you for joining me.” He pulled his horse to a stop. “You ready for lunch?”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. You packed us a lunch?” That was brilliant planning on Jasper’s part.
“Yup.” Jasper jumped down from his horse and grabbed the pack that Kai hadn’t noticed.
Kai dismounted a tad slower. He was a much better rider than when he started, but he still didn’t want to spook his horse. After petting each horse, he walked them to the brook so they could drink the cool water and then gave them time to graze a bit before he turned back to Jasper.
“Wow.” When he turned around a blanket was laid out, along with plates, glasses, and silverware were ready to be used. There were containers of chicken, salads, and chocolate cake.
Jasper grinned at him, “What? Have you never had a picnic before?”
Swallowing, Kai shook his head. “Not like this. You brought real china and glasses.” He walked slowly towards the blanket.
Shrugging, Jasper turned away to put the pack away. “Well, they don’t blow away.” Kai guessed that made sense. It just seemed so fancy and formal. He didn’t know why, but he was feeling all jittery on the inside just looking at it.
He pointed to the iron ring a few trees down in the shade. “You can tie them to that, so they don’t step on their reins.”
Kai did that and gave each animal one more cuddle before he turned around and tried to understand why he was feeling nervous and restless at the sight of the picnic.
Jasper sat on the blanket and leaned back on his elbows. Looking over at Kai, he asked with a grin, “Planning on standing there all day?”
Now he felt dumb. “No,” he said as he stomped over to the feast trying not to resent the calmness of the older man. Jasper was always calm, and Kai always felt like he was tripping over himself.
Setting a piece of cold chicken breast on his plate and one on his own, Jasper gave him a silly smile, “What’s got you so uptight?”
“Nothing. I don’t know.” He put the potato salad on Jasper’s plate, but not the coleslaw because the guy simply disliked carrots for no apparent reason, and added both to his own plate. Picking up the small container of pickles, he put those all in Jasper’s dish because he loved them while the guy was busy pouring them sparkling water.
“Is it Ulrich?” Jasper asked, looking at his face closely as if to get more from his mere words than he was willing to say.
“I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.” To Kai it really felt like something, but he didn’t know how to put it into words. But Jasper quietly waited. Kai knew the guy would wait until he talked. Sighing deeply as if he were being tortured, “I don’t know. It’s just that Ulrich doesn’t seem the same.”
“How so?” Jasper leaned toward him to listen closely.
“He never smiles anymore. He doesn’t laugh. He just… I don’t know. He isn’t talking to me, not really.”
Jasper pointed to the chicken on Kai’s plate. “Try some.”
He had met everyone who lived on the estate, and they were all so nice. Kai was enjoying the job he begged Lafayette to assign him. He was waiting tables at Club Zombie. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it kept him busy. Beau had encouraged him to go to college with some of the other zombies, and he would as soon as he could figure out what he wanted to study.
Ulrich seemed a little off when he spoke to him earlier that day, but the kid wouldn’t say why. It made Kai extremely uncomfortable, but he didn’t know what to do about it.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the gentle breeze along with shade from the forest made it perfect. Jasper had taken him riding through a different part of the huge estate. There was a quiet babbling brook, wild flowers everywhere, and no one else in sight.
He smiled over at Jasper, “Looks almost like home.”
Jasper grinned, “None of the other guys ever want to ride this far out with me. So I usually come out here alone. Thank you for joining me.” He pulled his horse to a stop. “You ready for lunch?”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. You packed us a lunch?” That was brilliant planning on Jasper’s part.
“Yup.” Jasper jumped down from his horse and grabbed the pack that Kai hadn’t noticed.
Kai dismounted a tad slower. He was a much better rider than when he started, but he still didn’t want to spook his horse. After petting each horse, he walked them to the brook so they could drink the cool water and then gave them time to graze a bit before he turned back to Jasper.
“Wow.” When he turned around a blanket was laid out, along with plates, glasses, and silverware were ready to be used. There were containers of chicken, salads, and chocolate cake.
Jasper grinned at him, “What? Have you never had a picnic before?”
Swallowing, Kai shook his head. “Not like this. You brought real china and glasses.” He walked slowly towards the blanket.
Shrugging, Jasper turned away to put the pack away. “Well, they don’t blow away.” Kai guessed that made sense. It just seemed so fancy and formal. He didn’t know why, but he was feeling all jittery on the inside just looking at it.
He pointed to the iron ring a few trees down in the shade. “You can tie them to that, so they don’t step on their reins.”
Kai did that and gave each animal one more cuddle before he turned around and tried to understand why he was feeling nervous and restless at the sight of the picnic.
Jasper sat on the blanket and leaned back on his elbows. Looking over at Kai, he asked with a grin, “Planning on standing there all day?”
Now he felt dumb. “No,” he said as he stomped over to the feast trying not to resent the calmness of the older man. Jasper was always calm, and Kai always felt like he was tripping over himself.
Setting a piece of cold chicken breast on his plate and one on his own, Jasper gave him a silly smile, “What’s got you so uptight?”
“Nothing. I don’t know.” He put the potato salad on Jasper’s plate, but not the coleslaw because the guy simply disliked carrots for no apparent reason, and added both to his own plate. Picking up the small container of pickles, he put those all in Jasper’s dish because he loved them while the guy was busy pouring them sparkling water.
“Is it Ulrich?” Jasper asked, looking at his face closely as if to get more from his mere words than he was willing to say.
“I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.” To Kai it really felt like something, but he didn’t know how to put it into words. But Jasper quietly waited. Kai knew the guy would wait until he talked. Sighing deeply as if he were being tortured, “I don’t know. It’s just that Ulrich doesn’t seem the same.”
“How so?” Jasper leaned toward him to listen closely.
“He never smiles anymore. He doesn’t laugh. He just… I don’t know. He isn’t talking to me, not really.”
Jasper pointed to the chicken on Kai’s plate. “Try some.”
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