"...Then mom and I went horse back riding, J. I am low-key glad my mom was busy at London otherwise I would have not had a great time with Doctor Brown."I explained as I struggled to slip on my tight tee while making sure my edges remained intact.
As I spoke to JR, who was seated on the office chair where I was accustomed to studying, I grabbed my lip gloss that was on my bed, applied it to my lips, and continued speaking to him.
"I am glad you enjoyed yourself, baby."he responded as if he was in a daze his response elicited a giggle from me as I slowly shifted my lips from side to side, making sure to evenly coat them with the lip gloss.
"Were you paying attention to me?" I questioned in amusement taking note of JR's absent-minded behavior and responses as I placed the lip gloss in my pocket.
"Yeah, I was, can you kiss me now?"JR desperately asked leaning in for a peck, to which I returned a smile and leaned down to give him a few sweet pecks on the lips, causing me to smile even brighter.
"I hadn't seen you in a week. This kiss does not even feel like it's enough."he hummed against my lips making me playfully roll my eyes.
"You should have said that before I got fully dressed, Jesse."I responded before I pecked his lips a couple of times and pulled away from him making him groan in response.
"I could always take this off," JR replied with an seductive voice as he rose from his seat and pressed me against him, showering me with soft kisses along my neck line. As we wrapped our arms around each other, I softly moaned in response to the pleasant sensation.
Suddenly, we heard a knock on my door, causing JR to groan in irritation and me to let out a frustrated sigh.
"This is why we go to my dorm room."he responded making me giggle at his frustration as I made my way towards the door and opened it standing there was a strange man whose presence immediately prompted me to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Good morning sir?"I politely greeted as I gave him a small smile.
"Good morning, you are Imani right?"he asked making me briefly look back at JR to see that he was already right behind me protectively.
"I am Imani, yes." I responded in confirmation of the man's question, looking back at JR with a glance to see his protective stance right behind me.
"I hate that we are meeting this way but I am Kaisa's uncle and I have not heard from her in about a month."he responded in fear which made my heart sink as I stared up at him in shock.
"Everytime I would ask her about her campus life she always told me about you. So' I assumed you would know where she is, do you know where she is?"he asked as he gave me a small smile when I shook my head at his question, his smile dropped as well, and we now stood before each other in concern.
Sensing the urgent need to locate Kai, I quickly offered a solution by retrieving my phone from my nearby desk and dialing Kai on it. Yet, I was hit with disappointment when I only got a busy tone for a response, indicating Kai was either busy or had purposely silenced her phone.
"She was not answering her phone. I have left many messages and she has not responded. I tracked her phone down and it says that she is still here on campus."he responded in concern making me sigh heavily as I nodded my head.
"That's good, campus is not that big so we can go looking for her."I responded making him nod at me with a smile.
"I will get a couple of the KEK members to look for her as well."JR offered causing the man to smile with gratitude. Without hesitation, Kaisa's uncle accepted JR's gesture, extending a shaky but warm handshake back as he thanked him for his willingness to help.
"Okay, sounds good." I replied to JR after he confirmed he'd meet me in the quad in 15 minutes. With that established, I walked out of my dorm with Kaisa's uncle, flashing him a quick smile on our way out before we began our walk together.
We made our way to Professor Amara's office where we reported to her that Kaisa had gone missing.
"That isn't like her." I chimed in with my own expression of worry, feeling for Kaisa's uncle with the knowledge that his niece was missing.
At that moment, the professor spoke up and revealed that a number of Kaisa's lecturers expressed concern over her extended absence from class. The professor's expression also morphed into one of concern as she faced the anxious man next to me and offered her support.
After Professor Amara issued a formal announcement to all in order to enlist more support for the search for Kaisa, she took a moment to personally reason with Kaisa and reassure her that she'd be in no trouble if she simply provided some sign of life by the end of the day.
Expressing his gratitude towards professor Amara, Kaisa's uncle reached out to shake her hand. The professor was more than happy to offer her support and even smiled back at the man.
"Oh, please, it's the least I could do. I am just looking out for the welfare of my students, sir." Professor Amara responded with a slight smile, her concern evident in her tone.
"I do not mean to sound forward sir, but does she normally go missing like this?"I asked with a gentle expression, listening to his reply with interest as he sighed in defeat and gave a nod to indicate a confirmation of the question.
"After the tragic mass shooting at her high school, she developed a habit of abruptly disappearing for a duration of several weeks, never an entire month or more." he answered solemnly, a tone of sadness evident in his voice and mannerisms.
"She would always be at her grandmother house though but she is so far out of home and having her phone say she's still on campus I doubt she is even there."he explained further making me sigh heavily as I thought about Kaisa.
The truth finally dawned on me. I felt guilty for not noticing that she had gone missing for a whole month. I had become used to her regularly disappearing for a period of a few weeks, she'd always miraculously reappeared. This time, even with the location of her phone indicating that she was still on campus, I couldn't help but question whether she was here.
"Alright sir, you can stay in my office for awhile and have some tea and Imani darling you can go out and look for Kaisa."Professor Amara chipped in making me nod my head almost immediately before I left her office.
I sighed heavily as I pondered the many possibilities with regards to Kaisa's possible location, determined to do the search on my own despite the nagging feeling that the answer was just within reach.
As I stepped into the main quad, I could feel the urgency in the air as numerous students combed the area in a desperate search for Kaisa. The pressure was palpable as I joined the throng, determined to do my part in the hunt for the missing student. All around me, people were racing from building to building, calling out the girl's name as they canvassed every inch of the campus. The atmosphere was tense and nerve-wracking, and I was resolved to find her no matter what it took.
As I sat down on a nearby bench, my mind was flooded with ideas and possibilities about Kaisa's location.
Where was she? Why had she gone missing?
I was determined to find her, and I refused to give up until she was found. The longer I pondered her whereabouts, the more worried I became.
My thoughts were abruptly halted when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I quickly withdrew it and answered the incoming call without bothering to check the caller ID.
"Hello? Mani?"
My heart sank once I heard the familiar voice as I stood up immediately.
"K-kaisa? Are you okay? Tell me where you are I'll come right now."I responded as I looked around the quad with a sense of relief.
"I did not mean to make a scene, Mani."She cried making me shake my head.
I was taken aback by the sound of tears and immediately attempted to relieve her of any guilt or sense of being a nuisance.
"Hey, Kai, listen, you weren't causing a scene at all, okay? Just try to take a few deep breaths." I encouraged as I waited for her sobs to cease as I gently took my phone away from my ear and alerted Professor Amara that I was on the phone with Kaisa but I asked her to give me a few minutes with her.
"Now, tell me where you are as soon as you're able so I can come and get you."I urged unable to restrain my emotions upon hearing her tearful voice on the other end.
"There's a room, in the music room that nobody uses. I've been in here."She spoke making me nod my head as I began to make my way to the music room urging her to stay on the line.
Upon receiving a reply about her location and a reassurance to stay on the phone with me, I immediately started making my way towards the music room, determined to locate the mysterious room she mentioned.
"Alright, I'm headed over to the music room right now. Just stay where you are, and I'll be there shortly." I responded to her making her respond in agreement.
When I finally made it to the music room, I was delighted to discover Kai waiting for me. Before she could even begin to protest, I quickly wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly as I released a sigh of relief that she was found. Hearing her apologies, I smiled and assured her that there was no need for them.
The worry I felt while searching for her had subsided, and all that remained were my heartfelt joy that she was found.
The whole campus was alerted that Kaisa was found and before anyone could make a scene of finally seeing her I quickly grabbed some food and took her back to her dorm room, intending to spare her from the attention and allowing her to readjust peacefully, away from the commotion.
"I do not know why I even do this. I just have this weird feeling that I should just hide from something or someone like I did when...that happened."She explained as I had my arms wrapped around her cradling her like a little child.
I held her close to me, allowing her to bury her head in my chest.
"I can still hear the gunshots, Imani. I can still hear the other students and teachers screaming."She cried as she held onto my chest tightly which made me tear up abit as I returned the embrace before kissing her forehead.
"Kai, I'm here now." I crooned softly, stroking the back of her neck with a calming touch. I knew the sounds she was hearing had to be from a horrible memory that had scarred her deeply.
With a steady voice and a loving caress, I attempted to relieve the fear and offer her some small measure of solace.
"You're safe, Kai. You're far away from it all now," I said while hugging her tighter, kissing her forehead once again.
Kai sobbed making me stroke her hair and hold her close in my arms, offering my warmth and empathy. As she finally drifted off, I smiled at her peaceful slumber and allowed my own eyes to rest for a few minutes. Once I felt as if she was resting comfortably and deeply.
I heard a knock at the door and replied with a gentle "Come in." When I saw who it was, I was relieved to find Kaisa's uncle. I offered him a small, grateful smile as I watched his loving gesture towards his niece.
"You're welcome." I whispered kindly, nodding toward him. I was pleased to see Kaisa's uncle smiling down at her as he kissed her forehead, clearly relieved and grateful to me.
"I believe Kai needs some rest, so I'll leave you two to catch up." I added discreetly as I gently removed myself from Kaisa's grasp and made my way to my dorm room.
When I reached the dorm room, I saw JR sitting on my bed with a small smile, which made me let out a heavy sigh as I made my way toward him. Before he could say anything, I climbed into his arms and laid him down in the comfort of my bed, holding him closely as I pressed my body against his. JR only reciprocated without question allowing me to rest my head against his shoulder.