Page 19 of Between the Boards
I make it through the front door without dropping her or bumping her head against the walls, and I’m not at all surprised to find Zale sitting all alone at the kitchen table, waiting for us. His eyes snap up the second I walk in, and immediately lock onto Kairi in my arms.
He’s on his feet in seconds, rushing over.
“What did you do to her?” he demands. “Why is she passed out? Did you drug her?”
I roll my eyes and shoulder past him. “Seriously?” I mutter.
“Hey!” he snaps. “I’m talking to you.”
I stop and turn to face him again.
“Is there a reason you’re waiting up for her?” I ask, my voice cold. “You’ve got Alessia upstairs, and about ten other girls you’ve probably made promises to this summer. So maybe back off, and stop leading Kairi on unless you actually plan to be serious about her.”
He stares at me stunned, and I don’t wait for him to come up with a response as I turn and head up the stairs.
“Thank you,” Kairi mumbles against my chest when we reach the top, her face pressing into my shirt.
I glance down at her. “You’re awake.”
She doesn’t answer, but her grip tightens slightly around me, so I carry her to her room and gently set her on her feet. She steadies herself, then looks up at me with a small, soft smile.
“You didn’t have to say all of that to Zale for me,” she says, sleepily.
“Yeah, I did,” I scoff. “He needed someone to put him in his place. I’m happy I was the one to do it.”
“I had fun tonight,” she says.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “Me too.”
When a beat of silences passes I force myself to say more, if only to hold off on saying our goodbyes for the night.
“Feeling ready for your date with Brandon now?”
She exhales slowly. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Thanks again for helping me.”
“That’s what love coaches are for,” I say.
Before I can stop myself, I reach up and tuck her loose strand of hair behind her ear, but the second my fingers brush her skin, we both freeze.
Shit.
I pull my hand back like I’ve been burned, staring down at it before I clear my throat and look at her again.
“Good night, Kai,” I say, taking a step back.
“Good night, Colton,” she whispers.
I leave before I do something stupid, and the door clicks shut behind me. I drag a hand through my hair as I walk into my room.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I mutter.
She’s my friend—nothing more and nothing less.
I quickly change into my workout gear and head to the small in-house gym downstairs to burn this out of my system. As I pass Zale’s room, I hear Alessia’s soft moans through the door and for some strange reason, the sound just pisses me off more.
SEVEN
KAIRI
