The Prince and the Plant Whisperer

Until He Sobers Up

"Maybe we can get him to our dorm common room?" said Kai. "It's 3 floors of stairs, but like right there." She pointed up at their window in Gaffigan.

Why not!?

"Let's do that," Kai decided. "He can rest there, until he sobers up—"

Lilly and Kai's common room was the small living area right next to their bedroom. With their limited cash, the two girls kept its decor simple. Other than a gray linen futon, it had a little striped carpet, and a mini-fridge stocked with yogurts and cheese and Lilly's favorite pickles. That spare furniture was framed by several ferns and palm trees—the plants too tall to fit in Kai's rooftop greenhouse.

"I'll stay with him," Taeyong chimed in. "If that's ok with you all."

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So this was how a blotchy-faced Tom Levay ended up stretched out on Lilly and Kai's gray futon. Rolled out on his side, with a cold towel on his forehead, and a thermos of water beside him.

"See?" Tom slurred. "Screw the hospital. This is better."

Taeyong pulled up their folding Ikea chair next to Tom. He leaned back, stretched, then clasped his hands behind his head.

"Sometimes being a wing-man just means being a nurse," sighed Taeyong, rolling his eyes and then winking at Lilly.

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It's so strange having these guys there in our living room! Lilly said to Kai with her eyes.

So, SO strange! Kai grinned back silently. Sorry you're missing the dance.

I guess in some ways this is more exciting, Lilly said with her eyes.

Meanwhile, Taeyong was talking intently to Barry, who'd come upstairs with them all. "You should leave," Taeyong said to the wiry kid. "I'll be here."

"You sure?" Barry said. "I do have a test tomorrow...."

Kai walked Barry out of their dorm into the vestibule, as Lilly peeled away to get Tom more water. Other than faint footsteps several flights down, there was no one else around.

As Barry turned toward the stairs, Kai said "Wait—" She put her hand on Barry's shoulder. "Is Tom gonna be ok?" she asked.

Barry nodded. Then he hitched his backpack up. "You've never met our dad," said Barry. "Ever since I can remember, dad's always been on our case. For not drinking enough. Always mocks us for being lightweights."

"You're joking."

Barry did a mock impression of his dad's voice: "The biggest back-room deals happen when everyone's plastered outta their minds."

What? Kai thought.

"What I'm saying is, Tom's been this drunk at home before, trying to keep up with dad."

"This drunk.... at home?" Kai exclaimed.

What!?

Barry continued. "I can't even hold two shots of vodka down. But sometimes Tom could almost keep up with dad. But dad—he's a big guy. College rugby star. How was Tom supposed to compete? Like, back when he was a sixteen-year-old?"

Kai's mind was reeling. What? What kind of dad—

Seeing Kai's face, Barry added, "Yeah, my dad's real weird ideas. He tries to get me and Tom to pull all his sh*t. And we can't argue, because he makes big bucks and goes to Davos and knows everyone."

"You never told me this stuff—" Kai breathed.

Barry's voice cracked a little. "Dad's just been disappointed in me, forever. He says stupid stuff—says I'm gay, stuff like that. All because, like, I wouldn't tackle him when we played football. To be fair he called Tom gay once too, because he brought home this girl who quote-unquote 'Wasn't Hot Enough.' "

Continuing, Barry explained, "But Tom can almost pull off acting like dad. Which makes it hard. Because the pressure's still on."

Lilly rejoined them in the vestibule. Hearing Barry's intent tone, she stayed quiet.

Barry added:

"Tom actually tried to protect me from dad. He just couldn't. He really tried." Barry looked glum.

Kai suddenly envisioned Barry as a scared child, crouched down near the feet of a cold, bullying man. It wasn't hard to picture.

But what was new: She could picture Tom too. As a slightly taller child, trying to act tough. Smooth. Indifferent, and in control.

You're both still kids! she thought. It was the first glimmer of warmth she'd felt toward Tom.

Barry explained, "I think when Tom heard you protected me from those eggs at Freshman Olympics—he kinda thought you were like this guardian angel. The guardian angel he always tried to be."

Kai looked back and forth between Lilly and Barry. "Is that why—"

Her voice trailed off.

Barry said earnestly, "There's sides to my brother no one's seen since our mom died. But you could bring him back. And honestly, I miss my brother."

Kai bit her lower lip, thinking.

Then Barry smiled sheepishly, trying to appeal to Kai:

"Put it this way. Tom's like a... dried up plant! A plant that just needs some watering from a really good gardener!"

That was too much. Kai burst out laughing.

"Hey!" she scolded her friend. "You think you can get me to take care of someone, just by comparing them to a plant!?"

"But he is like a plant!"

Kai warned, "I'm taking Intro Psych this semester, ok!? We're experts at recognizing psychological manipulation."

But then again...

Maybe there was something to Barry's words.

"Look," Kai said. "I'll try to be more open-minded about your brother, OK? It obviously means a lot to you."

Just as she finished her sentence—

—the distant footsteps they'd heard from the stairwell below approached. And suddenly, behind her, Kai felt the breeze of someone rounding the last few steps up to their landing.

A tall, quiet presence. A presence that somehow felt familiar.

She turned.

Lukas.

The upperclassman was dressed in a simple white button down shirt, jeans, and leather shoes. He stood there in on the landing, one elegant hand resting on the wrought-iron banister.

A strand of hair fell over his forehead, barely reaching the bridge of his straight nose.

Had he heard everything?

She scanned Lukas's face and couldn't tell.

Kai felt shocked into a dream, where everything weird seems normal.

Lukas just stared at Kai with the same strange, intent expression she'd seen on his face that first day they'd met. Like his dark eyes were going to burn up with all sorts of thoughts and feelings that he kept unshared.

What on earth is he doing here!

In—

in our—

Pushing aside her confusion, Kai cleared her throat. "Hi!" she said. "You've met Barry. And this is Lilly. Lilly, this is Lukas."

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