Chapter 14: "Twenty Stan" (II).

Kai

"Today's your day off, right?" The young man asked, peering beside me as I tried to concentrate on watching the television which was showing my favourite series at eight in the morning. We sat on the couch in the living room, and he was sitting beside me like a dog - waiting for me to give him his treat. I swear I saw his tongue behaves like what dogs usually do.

All in all, it was true. I had my day off today. Not just any day off, we as workers are given numbers of days that we can have a layoff in a month... if we needed one. I usually don't use them a lot since, at the end of the year, it would be turned into cash and would go right into our bank account as bonus salary. Yet, this time, I thought I needed to use it not because of Stan... but because of my encounter with Hayes yesterday at work.

I honestly don't want to see him right now, and I felt like I was starting to hate seeing him... not too much, though.

Breaking away from my thoughts, I glance at Stan with my brows furrowed. "How did you know that?" I asked, wondering how he even knows I had the day off from work.

He grinned, scooting closer to me and putting his hands on my thigh. "I saw your text with your dad saying you're taking one," He answered, then continue. "Oh! And I saw your text with my present self. I wanted to look at what we were talking about, but I resist since it's not fun like that... although I saw your text sounded something like 'it's urgent-,"

Before he could finish, I cut in. "You wanna go out?! C-come on, let's go out. I'm... gonna get ready," I rushed, apprehensive to what would happen if he finished that sentence.

"Yeah?! Where we're going?" Intrigued, he comes to forget about what he said. Phew... that was so close...

"Anywhere... just anywhere you want,"

"Fuck yes! I'm gonna go get dressed quick!! Don't leave without me!" He said, getting off from the couch and sprinting away to the bedroom.

Of course, I'm not going to leave you. Why would I even ask you if you want to go out? At the same time... I found out that twenty-year-old Stan is also the same needy lover that he is. He has always been so. I reflected on that, and he had been clingy, but he was being so all the time.

Yet, I didn't notice any of that before.

About twenty minutes later, Stan came out from the bedroom wearing the clothes that his seventeen self chose a few days ago. Besides the slight difference in height and also the size of his body, he fits the clothes well. Thank god I reminded his seventeen self to choose something a slight tad bigger.

I scanned him up and down and my mouth gape a little from seeing him in a full casual outfit. He wore an army green shirt, with a black jacket over it. It was a nice colour scheme. One that made him looked like those college students who would cause any type of trouble but would get away with it instantly. Can't deny, though... the man was pretty sneaky himself.

"Are we going or what? Come on!! Stop staring at me like that," He sped, getting the car keys and taking my wallet with him from the coffee table. Frightened that he was holding my car keys and my wallet, I stand up immediately from where I sat - staring at him with a scarred face.

"What do you think you're doing?! Give me my wallet and my keys," I directed, strutting at him to snatch the two items away, but he held them up high from me that I can't reach them.

He snickered. "Can't do. I wanna drive!"

"Sure! Then drive! But what's that got to do with my wallet. Give it back!" I yelled.

"To make you get up and go. You wouldn't even stand up if I didn't do something," He answered, still not giving me my wallet back. When I do extend my left hand further to reach it, I lost my footing and right there, all that was happening was how I was pushing Stan to the wall with him trapped in between my arms.

This doesn't feel right.

I felt myself standing like a statue in front of him while he wore a smirk on his face. His face leans forward into me, inching away from his lips touching my chapped one. The hot breath that went out from his lips was nimiety - like the way it's just excessively touching my face makes me flush in red.

"Waa... I didn't know you would make the first move," He spoke, which then leans in to close the gap between us as if he thought I was doing this to kiss him.

N-NO!

And before he could even kiss me, I shove myself away from him - leaving his lips naked with any touch. I took the privilege of him being confused for a second to say something I felt was needed to say towards the young man. I can't fool around with him like this. And he can't either.

"You're not allowed to kiss me," I declared, having the man with his eyes close opens up amply.

His face scrunched. "What?! W-why?!"

"Because you haven't said sorry to my twenty-year-old self yet. It's not fair for me if you do this," I crossed my arms, staring at him as if I mean it. But in reality, I didn't mind at all if he kisses me. What I mind was that if he kissed me, then I'll be more guilty and feel more stupid that I let him since I know we've broken up. I don't want to take advantage of him.

He gets off from the wall, head looking down. "Why do you have to remind me of that? It's not like I could say sorry to him right now... You know long I yearn to be with you?" He frowned.

"I know. But I will be yours after you apologize, and then you can do whatever you want... don't slump too much. Just that now... we need to get going if you still wanna go out," I reassured, feeling a tad wrong for reminding him about that.

"Yeah... sure," He cooed.

Smiling, I push his shoulder to lift him up. "Good, now come on. I'll let you drive,"

Hence, we started our journey out of the house and into the town but further away this time. I told him that last time, I brought his seventeen-year-old self to a diner he wanted to go which was somewhere surprisingly nearer to home to which he describes it as 'boring'. I had to suppress my irritation when he said it was considering that he, himself wanted to go to that same diner.

When I asked him where he wanted to go this time, he said that he had no absolute idea where he actually wanted to go. Considering that it was that phase of an age where some people don't really know what they want to do when they go out, I just told him that we should go bowling. I understand really well sometimes about that issue or whatever name that phase is because I went through the exact same thing.

Especially when Ryan dragged me to go out, and I would, but when I asked him where are we even going? He said he doesn't know and when asked me the same thing - I don't even know myself too.

It's a kind of disease when you're that age because you've gone out so many times when you're before that age or whatever age it is, and you just decided that bowling would be a pretty good idea. Not particularly bowling all the time... maybe other stuff that you would have in mind... I don't know - maybe fishing?

"So was it fun wearing an engagement ring to college?" I snorted, gazing at the shiny ring that wrapped around his ring finger.

While he's driving, he takes a glimpse at me with a sly smile. "I guess so... people stop bothering me more - I can breathe properly without having those crowds swarming around me and... it feels nice to imagine that you're actually engaged with someone," He hummed, bopping his head up and down to the song playing on the radio.

"I wonder who that someone is," I turn away, avoiding his face after I said that.

"Are you trying to make me spill your name as the 'someone'?" He teased, his index finger reaching to poke my cheek.

My face blushed red. "N-no! Why would I even want to? It's not like you even ask me to be your fiancée,"

"Aaa... now you want me to propose to you first? Wow, you're very specific, huh?"

"I'm not! Oh my god! Can we just talk about something else?" I covered my face, regretting even asking that cursed question. I can't even be serious with him.

"As you wish, hubby," He grinned.

"Stop!"

-

After that embarrassing hour, we arrived at the bowling centre with a sight of a considerate amount of people coming to play. We walk to the entrance and once entered - went straight to the counter with Stan getting our shoe while I go get some quick drinks and snacks for us while we bowl.

Then, we would soon go to our lane and started bowling a couple of rows of games. Being a good sportsperson he was, he scored more than one strike but being the very well competitive competitor I was, I put a good match. Off-topic, but you know that kind of movie that showed two people bowling, and it's gonna be one of them who sucked... yeah, I hate those.

The good thing about all of that was that we had fun. So much fun.

"How come you're so good?! I should have played with you more often when we were seventeen!"

"Duh... you were underestimating me, nitwit,"

But the only problem that surfaced in the ongoing beautiful moment we had was Hayes. The man was here as well, and I hadn't realized that he was here as well, when he suddenly goes to the bowling lane beside us with his friends - which wasn't from our workplace.

Why did he not go to work? I know I'm not because I'm taking leave because of him. What's his reason?

"Kai? What are you doing here?" He asked as he settles down with his friends - eyeing me and also staring at Stan up and down.

"Ah shit... here we go again," I muttered. Stan leans beside me - a worried face he wears. "Who's that?"

I glance at him with a 'just keep quiet' look while Hayes walks to us with a friendly smile but not towards Stan. "You're off work too. I thought you were at work," He started, eyes still on me.

"I thought the same of you too," I replied simply.

"Oh... you want to play together with us. Plus... I sort of want to make it up with you about yesterday," He spoke, reaching forward to touch me, but I retract back. What? Make it up? Did he thought we were dating?!

I furrowed my brows. "I don't know what you're talking about, Hayes. What do you mean?" I questioned. Why would he even say things like this? Did he want to piss Stan off?

"I mean... we're dating...-," He answered but was soon to unleash hell on earth.

"What did you say?" Stan began, marching forward to cover me with his hand latching around my hand.

Hayes chuckled, treating Stan like he was an easy person. "You heard what I said... I think Kai and I are dating and we should bowl together instead,"

"You're seriously asking for death, stranger," The twenty-year-old spoke.

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it? It's not like you two are dat-," My eyes went wide when he was going to mention that Stan and I broke up. With sudden instinct, I walk forward with a swift motion an irritating feeling towards my colleague.

Consequently, I raise my hand and slap him square on the cheek (yeah, it was the only thing I thought of doing) - with anger and furious concentrated towards my hand. "Don't you ever talk shit about us dating! I never even liked you for a hot minute! Who do you think you are with your crazy imaginations!" Hayes stare at me with disbelief then the same energy of anger was infuriating through his red face as he scowls at me.

"Did you just hit me?! You dumb fa-," The man angered, raising his fist but not until Stan grabbed his arm. Hayes's friends just gawked at us but soon stands up as well when they saw their friend lifting his fist.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you," Stan cautioned, tightening his grip onto his arm, earning a whimper from the man from the strong pressure.

And in that split seconds, another fist came from Stan and connects right towards Hayes's left jaw.

- - -