Page 31 of Riot

“I like them together. She’s smiling. Look, when was the last time you saw her smile with anyone? She’s always so serious,” one remarks with a grin. “I think we should ship them until it’s real.”

“I agree with that,” Kage whispers darkly. “Want to give them something to really talk about, sweetheart?”

I frown at him as the girls are directed to one of the cars and us to the next. Just as they slide in, Kage lets out a whistle. They turn to look as he lifts his hat, and then Kage kisses me on the cheek. The screams they let out are feral, and before they can pull out their phones, I dive into the cart. Kage laughs as he follows me, his hat back down.

I watch as they turn, trying to see us as we start to move, but it’s no use.

Shaking my head, I grin. “They are going to follow us around all day now.”

“Nah, I’m fast, baby.”

I smirk. “Not what a girl wants to hear.”

He gapes at me. “Was that a joke?” he exclaims. “I’m breaking you down one thing at a time.” He lunges over to my side, draping his arm around my back and leaning into me. “Soon, sweetheart, you’ll be in my bed and calling me yours.”

I elbow him. “Doubtful.”

When I turn to the view, I’m smiling once more.

The asshole.

Kage is right; he’s fast. We race from the wheel when they call after us, looking like maniacs as we run from the fair and back out into the city. The excitement makes me laugh, a sound so carefree, I haven’t heard it in a long time.

We end up walking for hours. My flight isn’t until the middle of the night, so when we find a park overlooking the city, Kage disappears and comes back with blankets and a picnic. I don’t even question how he got them. I relax, nibbling on the food as the sun begins to set. The sight is beautiful, but I have this strange feeling inside, like I have been missing so much beauty.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, leaning back on one elbow. He’s staring at me, not the sunset, but I shouldn’t expect anything else from Kage.

“How often I spend hours waiting nervously for the night to come, not realizing the beauty it holds,” I admit honestly, looking away so I don’t have to see his eyes.

“Why are you nervous for the night?”

I glance over at him, meeting his dark, unjudging gaze. “Because my demons hide in the dark.”

I look back at the sunset, waiting with bated breath. His hand covers mine on the blanket—no words, just a comforting hand, and I want to cry for the second time today.

“Personally, I like sunsets,” he says. “They remind me that time keeps moving and that tomorrow is coming. It’s a reminder that life goes on no matter what happens. That’s what I used to think as a kid when I shared a room with my mom and siblings, cold and hungry. Those sunsets were a promise that no matter how bad things got, I had tomorrow and another chance to be better.”

I meet his eyes once more, something bending inside me. I never thought of Kage’s past. “You were hungry and cold a lot?”

He smiles softly. “I was. We grew up poor. Happy, but poor.”

“I grew up rich and unhappy. What a pair we make,” I murmur.

“Your home wasn’t happy?” he asks.

“You would think so. I had everything you could ever want as a child—everything but parents’ love. I was a thing to them, something to use. I wasn’t a child and was never allowed to be. I hated nights the most because they were so long, and I was so alone. At least during the day, I had to attend school or shoots with them and be around people. When I was alone at night, I was scared.”

“Just think, on nights you were staring into the dark, so was I. Both of us were hoping for tomorrow to come, hoping for a better future. Now, here we are together, despite everything, watching the sunset and knowing the dark can’t hurt us anymore.”

“Can’t it?” I ask.

“No, Fallon. It can’t. Nothing can hurt you, not with me here,” he promises.

Others have made empty promises like that before, but I want to believe him.

THIRTEEN

Today was amazing.

---