Page 29 of Between the Boards
“He just gave his book away to a complete stranger for free?”
“No, silly.” She steps out into the warm salty air. “I’m borrowing it. We exchanged numbers so that we can meet up when I’m done reading it.”
“Well, look at you.” I force a grin and wiggle my brows. “You don’t even need me to coach you. You’re a natural.”
Kairi abruptly stops and grabs my bicep.
“Idoneed you,” she says.
The words send a rush through me so sudden it nearly knocks the breath from my lungs. My eyes drop to her lips before I can stop myself.
Kairineedsme.
Maybe not in the way I want, but it’s enough just to know that I’m neededsomewhere.
“Don’t worry,” I say with a laugh, ruffling her hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Her tense expression turns to relief and she lets go of my arm as we start walking again, but the spot she touched me still tingles.
“But,” I add, tapping the book in her hand, “you should finish this up quickly so we can get you two on a date soon.”
Kairi scoffs. “We don’t even know if he’s single.”
I glance at her sideways. “He gave you his book and his number, Kai. I highly doubt he’s taken.”
She bites her lip and looks away, deep in thought, and something about that bothers me.
“What?”
She shrugs. “He could be like Zale.”
My brow furrows. “Meaning?”
“He could have multiple girls he talks to,” she says quietly. “That conversation might’ve meant nothing to him.”
“Not every guy is like Zale, Kairi,” I say, softer now.
“I know.”
“And I’m sure your conversations with Zale mean more to him than he lets on,” I mutter, staring ahead as we beeline toward the beach.
“Excuse me?” she says loudly. “Did you just say something semi-nice about Zale?”
“Definitely not.” I snort. “I’m not blind, Kairi. If he didn’t care at least a little bit, he wouldn’t have waited up for you after our date—especially not with another girl upstairs.”
Kairi laughs, but it sounds thin. “Yeah,” she says, bringing the straw to her lips without drinking. “Maybe you’re right.”
Her expression turns distant as she sinks into the thoughts swirling around in her mind. She’s probably thinking about Zale, and jealousy flares inside of me—sudden and ugly.
This is bad.
I used to handle hearing her talk about him just fine. I used to be okay watching her flirt with whoever she wanted. But now, every ounce of her attention feels stolen if it’s not directed at me.
I clear my throat. “I want to talk about what happened.”
Kairi glances up. “What happened?”
“Three nights ago,” I clarify.
