When Cal enters his apartment on the south side of the town, he is definitely not expecting a huge tree standing in the middle of his room. His apartment is actually only a one huge space and a small bathroom, so when it is said that the tree is in the middle of his room, it means that the tree has managed to grow exactly in the middle of his room, and thus Cal’s small coffee table is snapped into two.
Cal closes the door slowly. He considers to call his landlord, but he doubts the old woman will believe his story. Cal needs to wait two whole week before his complain about his upper neighbour leaking plumbing is responded. This tree, Cal thinks tiredly, will probably take a year.
The fact that Cal is on the third level means that the tree needs to go through two levels below his floor, and the fact that nobody alarmed him about this is weird. His neighbour right below his room is nice; Cal has the man’s number saved in his phone. They had run together a few times, and Cal had bought him coffee twice. Andrew is nice, his labrador Sport is also nice. The tree must go through Andrew’s room first before Cal’s, and Andrew must have told him about that hours ago.
Or else the tree grows just like that; the root spreads between the thin layer of Andrew’s ceiling and Cal’s floor.
Cal does not want to deal with this. He exited his apartment again, locked it, and walks down the stairs without rush. When he arrives downstairs, he walks back to his campus’ direction. He grabs two cans of coke and three packets of onigiri on a convenience store on the way.
Cal does not rush. He walks in his usual speed, smiling at the dogs he meets on the way, feeling the sweat running down his back, and keeps on walking. The sky is almost orange when he returns home earlier, and while Cal walks back to campus now, there are streaks of dark blue. The stars are not visible despite of tonight’s clear sky. Cal never see any stars in this town.
He finally arrives at campus area, but instead of walking straight to the main building, Cal turns left; he goes to the dormitory area. Now his steps are faster than before; only increasing few beats, still calm, not rushing. By the time he gets in to the lobby, the sky is completely dark.
Cal takes the lift to fifth floor. He does not meet anybody in the lift nor when he stalks out of the small compartment to room 510. Cal knocks.
The door opens a few seconds later, “Cal?”
Cal offers a smile and he holds up the plastic bag with cokes and onigiris inside. “Can I sleep in your room tonight? I bring food.”
Kavinsky stares at him for a moment. “Of course, come in.”
Cal steps in, he takes off his shoes and walks in his socks. There are two beds inside; and two tables, two cupboards, two bookshelves. Cal sits on Kavinsky’s bed on the right side. He puts his backpack on Kavinsky’s messy table.
“You go somewhere?” Cal asks. When Kavinsky opens the door for him before, his shirt is unbuttoned and there is hair gel in his left hand. After letting Cal in, Kavinsky hovers over the long mirror in front of the bathroom, styling his black hair.
“Yeah. Party at Jesse’s. It’s Saturday night, you wanna come?”
“I’m not invited.”
Kavinsky shrugs. “You can come with me. Jesse wouldn’t mind.”
“I don’t even know Jesse.”
Now Kavinsky turns his attention from the mirror. “Chem class? Red hair? Pink glasses? She got the highest score for chem pop quiz last week.”
Cal does recognise the vague description, and he nods.
“So, you go? Free booze. Luke and Maria will be there too.” Kavinsky finally buttons his shirt up and throws a leather jacket over it.
“Nah, I want to sleep early. Today’s classes are hell. You know I have Old Richard and that pig Stevenson in one day.”
Kavinsky grimaced from the door. He is pushing his feet to his shoes. “I still don’t understand why you don’t want to switch one of them for something else.”
Cal only shrugs. “Where’s Lee?”
“He won’t barge in, if that’s your concern.” Kavinsky opens the door. “It will be me for the week, and unfortunately I’m going out now.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, man. He left three days ago, and Mr. Parrish told me to not expect him for a week. Family problems, maybe.”
“Poor Lee,” Cal says from the bed.
“Yeah, I know.” Kavinsky says from the door. “I’ll be back around midnight. Or not. I don’t know. Probably tomorrow morning. You can have my room for the whole night.”
“Of course,” Cal throws his socks to the wall. It lands under Lee’s table. “I will make myself comfortable.”
“Please don’t break anything.”
Cal grins. “I don’t promise you anything. Have fun, Kav.”
Kavinsky salutes and he is gone.
Upon Kavinsky’s disappearance, Cal reaches to his plastic bag, opens the coke and sips it loudly. He buys two, but it seems like he will finish it by himself tonight.
Cal does not bring changing clothes with him, and his body feels sweaty. He showers anyway, reused his underpants and steals Kavinsky’s shorts from the closet. Cal does not wear his uniform shirt and goes bare-chested for the night. His dirty clothes are crumpled along with Kavinsky’s dirty laundry in front of the bathroom’s door.
Tonight is not cold. It is not that hot either, so Cal slips under the comforter on Kavinsky’s bed without worrying about sweating later. His body feels clean, he can sleep now. He has turned off the lamp, and now he lies in the dark. It is still eight in the evening.
Cal thinks about the tree back in his apartment. What exactly is that tree, and how it grows inside Cal’s apartment is lost on him. Is this the universe telling him that he has supernatural powers? That now he has the ability to grow trees everywhere he goes? He straight away worrying if he will grow one more tree in Kavinsky’s room. He doubts Kavinksy will mad at him, but he does not know how to explain it to the school.
“I grow the tree from nothing, Ma’am,” Cal tests it on the thin air. It sounds ridiculous in his head, it is even more nonsensical aloud.
Cal grabs his phone from his bag. He regrets that he didn’t take a photo of the tree before coming here. He can send it to the group chat, and probably one of his friend know what it is and how it can happen.
But he does not, so now Cal hopelessly typing down on Google search bar, trying to get anything on a giant tree that suddenly grows in the middle of a room. He gets nothing.
Frustrated, Cal throws his phone down the bed. The room is carpeted, Cal does not even care if it doesn’t. He inhales sulkily.
Of course it smells like peppermint and sweat. Cal wonders when was the last time Kavinsky changes the bed sheet. Cal recognises a hint of almond from Kavinsky’s soap, or probably it is just him that also used the soap earlier. His phone vibrated somewhere on the floor, Cal ignores it. It probably his mom. Or Leah, his sister.
Cal stares at the ceiling until his drowsiness takes over.
Cal wakes up at a point, but he is unable to comprehend what causes him to wake up. He keeps his eyes closed, but he can hear something stirring outside his vision. Cal’s blurry eyes catch the glowing digital clock on the bookshelves. 10 p.m.
“Kav?”
“Shut up, go to sleep.”
Cal is not instantly awake, but he pushes himself up to his elbows and opens his heavy eyelids. The room is still dark, but he can make out Kavinsky’s figure, struggling to takes of his socks perhaps, before finally throws his jacket to Lee’s bed.
“What are you doing, Kav?” Cal says, hoarse. “It’s not even m-midnight yet,” Cal yawns, blurring the last syllable.
Kavinsky does not reply. He goes to the bathroom and turns on the light. Cal lies down again. He closes his eyes, but he listens to the room. He hears Kavinksy moves on the bathroom, something falls down, and then Cal hears the lamp’s switch again. He waits for Kavinsky to be close enough so he does not have to use his voice that loud before he asks him again.
“The party is not that fun,” Cal hears Kavinsky opens his drawer. Something is falling down again. “Fuck, why did you leave a half full coke on the floor?”
“Shit I’m sorry,” but Cal does not stir. “I will clean it up in the morning.”
Kavinsky grumbles, and walks to the bathroom again. Probably washing his sticky feet. Cal hears the lamp switched on, a murmur of water, and then lamp switched off.
“Scoot over,”
Cal moves himself closer to the wall. He feels Kavinksy joining him under the comforter. The bed creaks under the new weight. He still has his eyes closed.
For a while, they lay together side by side in the dark. Cal waits until he falls asleep again, but he does not. He listens to Kavinsky’s breath evens out. Cal forces himself to sleep.
Cal adjusts himself so he now facing Kavinsky, his head on the shoulder, his left arm throws over the waist, before he jolts in surprise.
“What the hell, why are you so cold?”
Kavinsky laughed. “That’s for the cola.”
Cal curses under his breath. He retracts his arms so they both back to their first position: laying side by side. The other boy is still laughing.
“I accidentally grow a tree in my apartment,” Cal says, breaking the laugh.
“Don’t be silly. How?”
“I don’t know,” Cal sighs. “I came home this evening, and somehow there’s this huge ass tree in the middle of my apartment. It breaks my coffee table.”
Kavinsky hummed. “We should cut it down tomorrow.”
Cal’s eyes shot open. “You believe me?”
“Why, why not?” Kavinsky is grinning at him. “I don’t strike you as a liar.”
Cal pushes himself up so he can kisses Kavinsky’s nose. Cold nose. “What if something’s happen when we cut down the tree?”
“Like what?”
“Like,” Cal gulps. It sounds silly in his head, it even more crazy out loud. “Like an earthquake. Or something might crawls out from the trunk.”
“I don’t know, it is possible something might comes up. It’s like an exchange.”
“A blood for a blood,”
“Yeah,” Kavinksy laughs harder this time. “And a flock of raven, and probably black sticky liquid.”
Cal hits any body parts he could find. “Shut up.”
It is Kavinsky who throws his arm over Cal now. It is heavy and cold, but Cal does not protest. The smell of peppermint and sweat are now stronger. And also the almond soap. Another smell mixes around the established one; Kavinsky’s shirt’s flowery detergent. It is from the school laundry on the first floor. Cal’s nose is squashed between his own face and Kavinsky’s clothed shoulder.
“We will cut down the tree.” Kavinksy’s tone is final.
“What if?”
“If there are ‘what ifs’ we will think about it later.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow. After breakfast.” Kavinsky thinks for a while. “Probably after lunch.”
Cal kisses him then, open mouthed and slow, he can taste the beer. Whatever its brand is, Cal does not like it. He does not like beer in general, but he decides he can bear it for a while. There is a hint of something sweeter when Cal explores Kavinsky’s mouth deeper, but he is too lazy to identify it further. Kavinsky bits his lower lip, and Cal sighs at the vibration it sends to his whole body. Kavinksy laughs.
“What?” Cal pulls out.
“Nothing,” Kavinsky looks amused. “Nothing. We will cut down the tree tomorrow, and nothing will happen, I swear.”
Cal turns his face in the gap between Kavinsky’s neck and the pillow. They do not talk for a while. The room is silent except for their breath. Cal can feel his eyelashes batting over Kavinsky’s skin while he blinks.
“What happen to Lee?”
“I accidentally send him away.”
“The park outside the town?”
“No,” Kavinsky’s voice is dark. “I cannot find him this time.”
Cal pulls himself and sets himself so he is face to face with Kavinsky again. He stares at the blue eyes. It used to be as bright as the sky, now it is not. Cal runs his fingers through Kavinsky’s hair.
Kavinsky closes his eyes and leans in to the touch. He may or may not tighten his embrace on Cal’s waist.
“We will be okay.” Cal murmurs. Now it is like some kind of mantra between the two of them. “We will be okay.”
ns 15.158.61.48da2
