Page 16 of Only When We Fall

“Guys, you don’t mind if the lads from my class come do you?” asks Noah, glancing up from his mobile.

Zara groans, “Oh no, not sports people, how will we ever cope with all those abs and floppy hair?”

Noah playfully shoves her, and she giggles, throwing her arms around him. “You better set me up with a fitty.”

“But first, we should do karaoke,” Landon announces.

“Absolutely not,” I cry, as he grabs my hand and begins to drag me to the front where the DJ is setting up the mic.

Zara is already handing over our song choice to the guy, her eyes glittering with mischievous excitement.

“Please tell me you didn’t pick –” I start.

The intro to“Wannabe”by the Spice Girls blasts out before I can finish.

“Ihadto!” Zara yells over the cheers of the crowd. “It’s a classic!”

There’s no time to protest. A microphone is shoved into my hand, Landon grabs another, and Noah’s already trying to imitate the moves from the music video. We fall into it, badly, off-key, and full of energy.

Landon can’t keep a straight face, Noah keeps missing his lines and making up new ones, and Zara somehow knows every word, every move, and makes it look like a Broadway audition. We’re shouting more than singing, dancing like idiots, and the whole pub is loving it. Phones are out. People are clapping. And again, I’m reminded of how happy I feel right now.

And that’s when I see him.

Kai Banks.

He’s leaning back in a booth near the bar, as if this ishiskingdom and we’re just extras in it.

He’s got one arm slung casually around a girl in a tiny top, the other resting behind another girl who’s whispering something in his ear. He doesn’t even look at them. His eyes are onme.

Just watching. A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. He’s testing the waters.

I freeze mid-line, my voice catching in my throat.

Zara picks up the slack instantly, belting out the next verse while giving me a look that says,what’s wrong?

But I can’t answer. I can’t do anything but stare.

Kai smirks, slow and lazy. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

And I hate that it still hits me. I hate that I care.

I force myself to keep going, finish the song, laugh at Noah’s terrible attempt at a high note, and pretend I’m fine.

But inside, I’m burning.

Kai

I take a slow sip of my drink with my eyes firmly fixed on the stage. Emmie.One-hundred-percent. Her voice. Her smile. But different hair, she wears it longer now with a slight bouncy curl at the ends. And she’s wearing make-up. Her clothes are new, gone are the baggy jumpers and too long jeans. Now, she shows her flat stomach off in cropped shirts and her perfectly rounded backside in tight fit jeans.

And I don’t know if I’m pissed she’s here, dancing, laughing, being someone new and different. Or, if I’m pleased she’s here, because now she can’t ignore me and pretend I don’t exist.

The guy next to her, thatLandonbloke, he’s a little too handsy for my liking. And I wonder what the deal is there. Has she moved on?

I shift in my seat just as Noah spots me from across the bar. His eyes light up and he waves me over.Shit.Before I can pretend I didn’t see him, he’s already making his way to me, dodging a couple of girls mid-dance.

“Kai!” he grins, clapping me on the back. “Didn’t think you’d come.”

I smirk. “Beer and terrible singing? I’m not made of stone.”

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