Page 35 of The Wrong Side of Kai
I look outside again and, sure enough, there’s a figure in black skinny jeans and choppy bangs heading for the restaurant door – that must be Raven. It’s like a repeat of the previous few minutes. Emo kid walks over to the booth, Harrison becomes visibly furious, using hand gestures until Raven has no choice but to escape, flicking the Vs back at Harrison as they go.
The third hook-up turns up immediately after. The same happens again, except Harrison gets up from the booth as if to shove his unwanted “date” away. But they don’t need telling twice. Kai is shoveling chips into his mouth at full speed, engrossed as though he’s watching a live fight on TV.
“Oh shit, they’re coming out,” he says, slouching down in the seat as though we’ll be spotted.
Harrison and his dad are leaving the restaurant in a rush. They march across the parking lot to his dad’s BMW, and it’s clear from Harrison’s body language that he’s totally embarrassed. I can’t imagine it’s much fun having your meal interrupted several times by strangers looking to hook up, but that’s the whole point. Harrison Boyd isn’t allowed to have fun anymore. The BMW speeds out of the lot, disappearing across Uptown Westerville.
“I bet he’s mortified,” I say as I sit up. “And who knows what his dad must think.”
“Good,” Kai says. He whips out his little notepad and a pen, then scores a line through this task on the to-do list. We’ve slashed Harrison’s tires, hacked into his phone, and sent a triple act of randoms his way looking for fun times. “Tomorrow night we’re breaking into his house.”
I look at him funny. Breaking into Harrison’s house seems like a step too far. “You were serious about that?”
“Uhh, yeah.” Kai’s expression mirrors mine. He puts the notepad away. “Wear all black again, like that leather jacket you sometimes wear. It looks good on you.”
“Kai. . .”
“Yeah?”
My lips move, but yet I can’t find my voice. What I want to say is this:Kai, this might be a littleweird, but I really like you.
But what I actually say is, “We should get going.”
I adjust my seat then pull out of the Bob Evans parking lot. We’ve been parked here for over an hour, so my legs feel numb as I drive across Uptown toward Kai’s neighborhood. The glow from the streetlights races across the windshield, lighting up our faces every few seconds.
“Stop worrying, by the way. I still think you’re a good person,” Kai says quietly, breaking the silence. His observation takes me by surprise. Is my guilt that obvious?
“You’ve known me for three days,” I say with a small laugh. The past three days have felt like forever. “How could you possibly know I’m a good person?”
“I think we’re all good people. Even Harrison, despite how shitty he is,” Kai explains. “We all just do bad things.”
“And how often do you do bad things?”
My eyes are fixed on the road ahead, but I can still sense Kai sheepishly smile next to me. “Not all that often. You’ve been a bad influence on me.”
“Hey!” I abruptly swerve the car. “Youapproachedmein that office, remember? If anyone’s the bad influence here, it’s you.”
Kai grins at me, his blue eyes shining. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on the road. “Are you glad that I did?”
“Well, you’re notthatbad.” The past few days, although they’ve been hell, have also been a lot of fun. And that’s because of Kai.
“Even though you’re seeing the worst side of me? The side of me that’s choosing to do all the wrong things?”
I pull up outside his house and look at him. The car is in park, the engine still purring, the two of us gazing at one another in the silence. “I like this side of you,” I admit quietly, glancing away from him as a flaming heat spreads across my face. I turn off the heating, but I don’t think that’s the problem. My stomach is doing somersaults.
“You do, huh?” Kai teases. I sense him sit up, twisting in the passenger seat to fully face me, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. There’s a sudden pressure in the air around us, tension that’s brewing.
“Yes, okay?” I snap. I can’t take it anymore. Exasperated, I swivel back to look at him, clutching the steering wheel. “I like this wrong side of you. I likeyou.”
Kai’s playful grin immediately falters. His face screws up with confusion as he stares at me, absorbing my words as though I’ve spoken a foreign language. He blinks a few times. “You know this is how action movies usually turn out, right? The female accomplice always falls in love with their slick counterpart.”
“I didn’t say I was in love with you,” I defend. Not yet, at least, but at this rate, I might just be in love with him by Monday. Although Vanessa Murphydoesn’tfall in love.
“Not yet,” Kai says, voicing my own thoughts as if he can read them. He winks and reaches for my hands, removing them from the steering wheel. His skin is warm against mine. “Wait until you see my good side. I’m such a gentleman.” Kai’s smoldering gaze is locked on me as he lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles. He’s messing around, trying to lighten the mood after such a forward confession, but it triggers an impulse that’s unstoppable.
Clasping his jaw in my hands, I crash my lips against his. My heart hammers in my chest as I kiss him in the darkness of the car. My mouth against Kai’s, Kai’s mouth against mine. . . He moves his thumb to my chin, tilting my head up as he kisses me back, taking my lips between his own. Now it’s so soft, so gentle, so innocent. I slide my hand to the back of his neck, working my fingers into the nape of his trimmed hair and up into his thick curls.
But then Kai reaches for my hands and tears his lips from mine. I freeze like a deer caught in headlights as he holds my hands still, both of us blinking at one another, our mouths parted open. For such a fragile kiss, I’m left breathless.
