Page 2 of Love at a 7-Eleven

I had the sensation that I knew him.

He wasn't an athlete, though.

At least I didn’t think he was.

I started to ask him if he played football, and then I got caught up in thinking about other ways I could have known him. I got tongue-tied and couldn’t decide on what words to say. "You go ahead," I said dumbly. "I'm just still… deciding what I want."

"Are you waiting for this fridge, though?" He gestured, offering me to go ahead of him.

"You can go ahead. I-I'm not even sure if I want it anymore." I stepped back, shaking my head.

"Is it because you think you're in my way?" he asked.

He was sweet and concerned, and I felt like I knew him even though I had no idea how. He was handsome and tenderhearted, I could feel that from the first encounter. I loved his voice. He was so appealing to me in every way that I glanced away.

"No, not at all," I said, feeling bad that he felt bad. "I might not even get the drink. It doesn't have to do with you. I’m deciding not to get it for other reasons. I lied to my mom about it, for one."

I clamped my mouth shut and smiled at him. I tended to overshare or mention odd details when I got nervous, and I had no idea why that bit about my mom had come out of my mouth. This guy made me feel antsy and intimidated.

"Why'd you lie to your mom?" he asked, sweetly interested. He stepped back into the aisle looking like he was no longer focused on choosing a drink from the cooler. I knew he was regarding me, and I glanced at his face. Goodness, gracious. He was just beautiful. His eyes were the darkest brown I had ever seen. I felt things when my eyes met his. My chest and stomach felt a wave of… "Oh, my goodness," I exclaimed when it hit me. "I do know who you are!"

"You do?" he asked. He said it with the cool confidence of someone who got recognized in public.

My father and brothers were all in the spotlight to some extent, and I knew what sort of confidence this was. He was famous. I knew exactly who he was.

"Makoa's son."

"Yes, I was Makoa's son."

"Kai," I said, shaking my head. "Malu Kai. I knew you were trouble, right from the start."

He smiled. "Everybody who recognizes me from that show hates me."

"Because Makoa was the best character, and you killed him! Your own dad. How could you?" He smiled because he could tell I was being lighthearted. "No, that's awesome. That means you're a great actor if people hate you. You did a good job. They're just mad that Makoa was gone. Then you died two episodes later."

"Yeah, I was just there for one season. I’m not really an actor. They just hired me because of my looks. My tattoos."

"I can't believe they're real. They looked just like Makoa's."

"His were real, too. But he's an actor. They found me to match him since he was around for three seasons."

"You were really good," I said. "You did a good job."

"Thank you," he said, smiling at me, staring at me. "What about your mom?" he continued. "What was the lie?"

I felt horrified that he remembered this part of the conversation. "It's about the energy drink," I said, pointing at the cooler. I figured coming clean was my best option. "I told her I was coming in here for headache medicine because she doesn't want me drinking these things."

"That's sweet. Which one were you after?"

"It's the one with green tea. It's got vitamins and stuff. She just doesn't believe in any energy drinks at all."

"Not even coffee?"

"No, coffee's okay," I said. "She drinks three cups a day. It just can't come in a can."

"The coffee can't come in a can?"

I shrugged. "I don’t think she'd drink it from a can—she'd be scared that it's not regular coffee. It's not important that I lied to her, though. I mean, I'm not saying it's not important, I just don't know why I told you that. It's just green tea." I gestured to the cooler. "Anyway, you go ahead. I'm sorry for telling you all that and for talking to you about the TV show. I'm sure you get that all the time."

---