High Tide (boyxboy)

Chapter 4: Confusion

"You, me, balcony, now."

☆

"Excuse me? Do I know you?" The man questions.

"You're Kai." Stan says, still in a state of awe. 

"Yes, I know who I am, but who are you?

"You don't know my name, but you know me." Stan says smiling. "I've been looking for you for 10 years.

Kai backs away from Stan, slightly shaking his head, giving off a weak smile. "Look I'm sorry if you think you know me or whatever, but I really don't have a clue who you are. I've never seen you before in my life. 

"No, you're lying." Stan gets agitated, stepping forward again towards Kai. 

Kai now starts to feel threatened. "Look, please step away. I said, ''I don't know you." 

The room surrounding them is now quiet, with everyone watching what is unfolding. Nathan makes his way to the front picking up the microphone. "Ok. Let's get the music going." The tunes begin to play and the attention is drawn away. He then heads to the two men who seem to be getting nowhere with the conversation they are having.

"The cave, the beach. It's you. You were there."

"Look I really don't know what you're talking about." Kai is now holding his hands up defensively.

"Hey, Stan. What's going on?"

"It's him, Nat. The boy. The boy on the beach." Stan has such desperation in his voice. The need for people to understand. It is him. Stan is not imagining things. 

Kai now turns to face Nathan. "Um, thanks for inviting me and all, but I think I'm going to go now." He begins to push in between Stan and Nathan. Stan grabs Kai by the arm as he pushes through. 

"Please wait. I need to explain."

"Get your hands off me." Kai yanks his arm out of Stan's grasp and heads straight for the door, knocking people left, right and centre to get there. 

Nathan looks at Stan who is watching Kai exit the apartment. He goes to follow but this time Nathan grabs Stan's arm, causing him to divert his attention to Nathan. 

"You, me, balcony now."

Nathan literally drags Stan through the double doors and out into the night air. He lets go and closes the door behind him.

"So tell me. What the hell was that about?"

Stan grabs on tightly to the rail with one hand, the other pointing back inside. "You saw that, right? His eyes." 

Nathan sighs. "Yeah, I know the guy has crazy colour eyes and it's unusual... but that's no reason to..."

"It's him Nathan. I'm sure of it." Stan is so convinced. "I need to go see him."

Nathan stands in the way of Stan and the doors leading back into the apartment. He places his hands on Stan's chest. "Look...don't do anything rash....just sleep on it for now...ok?"

Stan looks at Nathan with annoyance. Maybe he was right. Stan's thoughts were all over the place. He was convinced Kai was the boy. The boy who saved him all those years back. 

He eventually relents, nodding. 

Stan decides not to invest in the rest of the night, choosing instead to head to his room. He can't get the eyes, those aqua eyes of Kai's from his mind. There was no mistaking in Stan's mind that he was that boy. And he was determined to prove it.

***

The sun shines bright through the blinds in Stan's new bedroom. It must be late morning, possibly early afternoon, with the party eventually easing off in the early hours. 

It only takes a matter of minutes before his thoughts turn to those eyes he saw last night. Stan was so convinced that he had found the lost boy after all these years, but this morning, he wasn't feeling so sure. 

Stan drags himself out of bed and enters the living area. Nathan is sitting on a stool, tucking into a bowl of cereal. "Hey, you're up." He says with a full mouth.

"Yeah morning." Stan makes his way to the coffee pot, grabbing a mug and pouring himself a drink. 

"I didn't see you much after, you know, the Kai thing last night. Are you ok?" 

Stan sits himself on a chair, placing his mug on the countertop and rubbing his hands down his face. "Yep, I'm an idiot. I know."

"Hey, you're not. It was just a mistake that's all."

"All the same Nat, I should at least go and apologise." Stan sighs. "What's his apartment number?"

"It's 7, but Stan...." Nathan adds, "Don't scare him this time. He's actually a really nice guy." 

"I'll behave, I promise." Stan smiles. 

After a shower, Stan gets himself dressed and ready to go and knock on the door of number 7. He didn't have a clue as to what he was going to say. He just hoped that Kai would open the door...

Knock knock 

Stan taps the door a couple of times and steps back a little and waits...

There is what feels like a long minute of silence before Stan can hear the sound of the latch being turned.

Kai slowly opens the door and peers through the crack. 

"Hi I..." Stan begins but Kai just slams the door closed.

Knock knock knock

Stan tries again. "Hi l...I just want to apologise for last night." He waits again, but the door remains closed. Stan closes his eyes, feeling frustrated. "Please...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, it's just...I've been looking for someone. I thought that someone was you and it clearly isn't so...."

Stan is about to turn away when the door latch again begins to turn. This time, Kai opens the door a little wider. 

"I'm sorry." Stan gives what he hopes is a sincere apology. "I want to explain, so you understand and not think I'm completely insane."

Kai just looks at Stan, as if he is deliberating whether to let him in or not. He slowly opens the door a little wider. "I guess you'd better come in then."