Page 35 of Until We Burn
“So do you.”
Diana’s thumb roves back and forth against my hand. Relief unwinds from the tight knot in my chest.
I’ve been venting to Luke and Rowan about this, but there’s only so much they can understand. They’ve both been offered contracts by the Vancouver Phoenix after graduation, which means they’re basically set for life. I considered getting a therapist to talk about this with, but every single one made me feel like a specimen being studied under a microscope.
Talking about this with Diana, though? It feels like taking my first real breath after years of forgetting how to do it.
Suddenly, in Uncle Manu’s beat-up car in the middle of Gastown at rush hour, Diana Huang doesn’t feel so unreachable anymore.
But you can’t reach for her;that same little voice comes up again.Diana’s dad is cutthroat about making sure the Huangs continue the legacy of the HMG. You know he will do everything in his power to take you down if he thinks you’re a liability.
I rip my hand away. Diana flinches before she pales in realization.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I?—”
“It’s fine.” I force a smile onto my face. “Gotta stay at ten and two to be safe, right?”
My hand flexes before it grips the steering wheel. But as tightly as I hold onto it, I can’t stop wanting to take her hand again.
CHAPTER 17
KAI
God is testing me.
He’s tempting my patience and all of my common sense by making Diana look too damn good in my clothes.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Her hair slinks over her neck as she glances down at my oversized junior hockey Surrey Goldfins t-shirt. “I feel bad about taking something from your closet.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” I gulp. “It’s better than wearing jeans to bed.”
I try to avoid Diana by walking into the kitchen to make dinner. But I can still see her standing in the corner of my eye with her hands on her hips as I sift through the cabinet.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Fine!”
“Is that why you’ve been going through the cabinet for the last five minutes?”
“I’m looking for something.”
“Was it that box of pasta you’ve flipped over twice?”
“I—” My hand pauses over the familiar, yellow box with a grain mill sketched onto it. I snatch it out. I’m about to pour the entire thing into the pot before realizing I haven’t even turned the stove on.
“Merde,”I mutter.
I reach over to switch on the stove while Diana leans against the counter to watch me curiously. I can’t believe I thought inviting her to stay at Kitsilano was a good idea. It’ll be a goddamn miracle if I don’t end up burning our dinner and the entire kitchen tonight.
Diana cocks her head. “Why do I have the feeling that me wearing your shirt is throwing you off a little?”
I laugh as I chop up some green and red bell peppers. “Hey, you’re the one making a big deal out of it since I’m fine.”
“You can hardly look me in the eye when you say that,” Diana points out.
“I need both eyes to make dinner, princess.”
“And those eyes can’t possibly spare a second to look at mine?”
