Page 27 of Only When It Breaks

Austin is already up with his hand out ready for Luna, and they rush off together. Bella sighs heavily. “Well, guess that’s the end of that game.”

“Aww, you’re the only one that didn’t get anything from it,” says Henry, “I could dare you to kiss me.”

She groans, pushing to her feet. “No thanks.” And she saunters off. Henry waits a beat before running after her.

I twist in Kai’s arms. “We kissed,” I say, still not believing it.

His eyes burn into mine and he cups my face again. He tilts his head as he presses his lips to mine. He takes his time, exploring my mouth until my toes are curling. He pulls back, “And now I can’t seem to stop.”

“You and Bella,” I say, my voice lower.

“A long time ago. We weren’t even a thing, not really.”

I roll my eyes, a glimpse of his Casanova turning my stomach. “Is it likely to happen again?” I instantly regret the words. When did I become so damnneedy.

He shakes his head, rubbing his nose against mine as a smile pulls on his lips. “No.”

“Walk me home?” I ask, knowing it’s at least thirty minutes from here, and I want to spend half of that kissing.

He stands, slipping his hand in mine. “Lead the way.”

By the time we reach mine, my lips are swollen from kisses. And just as I reach up to give him one final one, I hear yelling. We pause to listen before we realise it’s coming from inside my house.

I shove the key in the lock, freezing when I see broken plates across the kitchen floor. Kai pushes me behind him, stepping into the kitchen. Joel is red-faced and swaying, and mum is crying in the corner.

“What the fuc-” I begin before rushing to Mum and pulling her into my arms. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she whispers, nodding fast. “I’m fine.”

I glance back to where Kai is wrestling with his dad, trying to lead him to the door. Joel is openly sobbing, apologising over and over. Kai catches my eye, and shame washes over him. He doesn’t say anything as he guides Joel out and I follow, my arms crossed. They step outside and Kai orders an Uber. “I’m really sorry,” he eventually mutters.

“Will you be okay?” I ask, my eyes lingering on Joel as he sways back and forth.

“Yeah. Fine. Go look after your mum.” I nod, taking a step back and closing the door.

Mum is already clearing the broken dishes, and I grab a brush to help. “What happened?”

“He just had a little too much to drink,” she shrugs.

I frown, not liking how she’s brushing this off like it’s normal. “Has it happened before?”

She stiffens and then continues cleaning. “He’s a nice guy,” she mutters. “When he’s sober.”

“And how often does he drink?” I ask firmly.

“His wife left and . . . I guess he isn’t coping well,” she adds, like that explains it, or worse, excuses it.

“You know you can’t see him again, Mum.”

She glances away. “I know.”

I step closer until she’s forced to look at me. “Mum, I’m serious. You can’t see him again. He’s dangerous.”

I recheck my phone.Stillnothing.

The message I sent last night,“Are you okay?”just sits there, read but unanswered. Not even a thumbs-up. Exactly like the two I sent before that.

Ava’s talking beside me, something about her biology teacher being a sadist, but her voice fades out as I stare at Kai’s name. He kissed me like he meant it. He held me like I was real. And now I feel like an idiot for believing any of it.

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