Chapter 13
“Get in, loser. We’re going to karaoke.” I motion for Kai to get in Asher’s car.
He’s sitting by the entrance of our hotel, holding a bundle of clothes and a box of pineapple pizza.
I texted him that I needed a new outfit and to be ready in an hour.
It doesn’t take much convincing to get Kai to do anything, especially after midnight, but I don’t miss the puzzled look on his face when Asher’s driver pulls over, and Asher peeks his head out the window.
“What happened at the ball?” Kai’s brow knits into a frown. “Did he kidnap you?”
“I did not kidnap your girlfriend. Do you think so little of me?” Asher says. He grimaces when Kai points at the boot around his foot and arches his eyebrow. “You have a point.”
“You know what, I don’t want to know. Let’s just go.” Kai slides into the backseat and hands over the clothes, a pair of my sweatpants and his black hoodie.
“Asher won the private concert. We’re going to give him a live one,” I explain.
“We? What do you need me for?”
“To choose a karaoke spot,” I say, then turn to Asher. “Kai has this weird sixth sense for finding the best places. He’ll help us choose.”
“Aren’t you from here?” Kai frowns at Asher. “You should know.”
“I mean, I was born here, but I haven’t really lived long enough in a place to say I’m from anywhere,” Asher says. “I’ve also just never sung karaoke.”
“Never?” Kai asks, amused. “What, is this too much of a peasant activity for you? Or is your singing so terrible that no one wanted to come with you?” Asher shrugs and gazes out the window. Kai sighs, but his eyes soften. “We’re going to need drinks.”
Colorful LED lights dance across the walls as we step into the private karaoke room.
A mirror ball spins overhead, throwing glowing patterns around us.
I weave my way through the space, drawn to the plush sofas and scattered beanbags.
Kai and Asher sink into them while my gaze drifts to the stage, complete with a large screen and a dance pad.
“Okay, welcome to the highly exclusive, most-anticipated Sassy concert!” I say, slipping into my performance voice.
Asher blows a party horn while Kai shakes a small tambourine.
“Thank you. And let’s hear it for our generous host, Asher Grish.
” I extend a gracious arm toward Asher, who pretends to bow before invisible guests.
His turtleneck and designer pants are a stark contrast against Kai’s pajama pants. “Any requests?”
Asher taps his mic. “I don’t know. Any of your songs?”
“Okay, no. I refuse,” Kai groans. “First karaoke rule: You have to choose hard songs to embarrass your opponent. Sasha already knows her own songs. We need to make it harder for her.”
“Wait, we’re allowed to compete?” Asher says with glee. His eyes shine with the same competitive glint he had at the bouldering place. A shiver runs through me. This is bad.
“Oh, hell yeah,” Kai says with the same look. “They have a dance pad, too.”
“You can dance?” Asher asks.
“Can you?” Kai grins. “Aren’t you tired of losing to me?”
This is super bad.
This isn’t bad at all, actually.
Unlike the bouldering place, where I had no chance of winning, I’m owning our karaoke showdown.
Asher’s not a bad singer, and you can tell he’s been trained—Kai and I gawk when he chooses a country song that he executes with a perfect Texas drawl—but he’s drunk, and he almost stumbles off the stage a few times.
And Kai … tries. His forte is dancing, but there’s not much he can do with a medical boot. He kills it, though, when he sings Fresno’s “Infinito” in Portuguese. I end up winning the overall score, so I get to choose a duet song to break the tie between them.
“Sing for me, talentless peasants.” I lounge on the couch, kicking back and propping my feet up on the table as I pass Asher and Kai the mics.
“This song again?” Kai whines when I queue up my go-to karaoke song, “Accidentally in Love.” I throw empty candy wrappers at him until he drags himself onstage. “So she said, what’s the problem, baby?”
The moment Kai gets comfortable with the song, Asher tries to upstage him.
“What’s the problem? I don’t know. Well, maybe I’m in love, LOVE!” Asher trips while doing a dramatic spin on the dance pad. When his head nearly misses the edge of the table, we agree we should call it a night and switch our attention to the pizza instead.
The clock strikes two AM by the time we lie down on the beanbags, eating the last of our snacks and taking sips of vodka while we play truth or dare.
“Asher, truth or dare?” I rasp, the alcohol burning down my throat. My head spins, my chest warming from within.
“Dare.”
“I dare you to post a video singing that country song from earlier. Throw it back like a cowboy for your fans.”
Asher winces. “Truth.”
Kai sinks deeper into his beanbag. “You really worry about your image.”
“And what if I do?” Asher says. “I don’t want to post a video where it’s obvious I’ve been drinking. And you two are from the US. You shouldn’t be seen drinking anyway.”
“It’s just a silly video,” Kai teases in a fake British accent. “Oh, pardon me. Gentlemen like me don’t indulge in such pointless activities.”
“Was that a British accent?” Asher squints at Kai.
“Proper British accent, yes, lad. When I ask for a rubber, I mean an eraser, not a condom, innit? Hand me a cuppa. The monarchy is mint.”
“That was terrible,” Asher says. He aims his phone at Kai. “Maybe I’ll post this instead, lad.”
“Don’t you dare. I will make you sign an NDA.” Kai pounces on Asher, trying to reach for his phone. Asher makes an incredulous sound when Kai crushes him against the beanbag.
“Oh, look who learns quickly.” Asher pushes Kai off him before turning to me. His ears are red. “Anyway, Sasha, my turn. Truth or—”
“I haven’t even asked you a question yet!” I say.
“My half a million pounds, my rules.”
“What?” Kai shoots upright. “Your what?”
“I forgot to tell you…” I chuckle. “That’s how much Asher paid for this.”
“You paid half a million pounds for a poorly lit karaoke room, cheap vodka, and pizza?” Kai puts the bottle down.
“It’s good pizza. And good company,” Asher says, reaching for the last slice.
“Riddle me this. You had half a million pounds to spare on a concert, but you’d never done karaoke before?” Kai stares at him with a sudden intensity.
“I just hadn’t gotten around to it. It’s sort of pointless.
There’s nothing in it for me.” Asher averts his eyes.
It makes me wonder if there’s more to it, something he’s not saying.
Maybe he didn’t have enough friends who wanted to do karaoke with him.
The centrifuge spins you to incredible heights, but it leaves everyone you care about on the ground.
“Singing for an invisible audience for your own amusement is stupid, if you ask me.”
“There doesn’t need to be a point. You could, I don’t know, just have fun,” Kai says. “Life is already pointless anyway.”
“Stop with the nihilism. It’s my turn. Kai, truth or dare,” Asher says.
“For your own good and your criminal record, don’t let Kai do a dare,” I warn.
I still remember the time Mia dared Kai to show up to class in an inflatable dinosaur costume and he followed through.
Or the time we had to dissect worms in class and I refused out of principle.
Kai ended up breaking into the empty classroom at night and released the worms, which caused an all-year-round worm infestation in the football field.
“Oh, really?” Asher has that competitive look on his face again. My jaw tightens slightly.
“I’ve never turned down a dare.” Kai holds his gaze, unfazed. “Do your worst.”
“Please don’t,” I say.
Asher leans forward until his knee brushes against Kai’s. “My worst, huh?” A smirk tugs at his lips as he locks eyes with him. “I dare you to kiss me. With Sasha’s permission, of course.”
I snort, relief flooding through me. I almost expect Kai to grab Asher’s face immediately and French-kiss him out of spite, but when my gaze cuts to him, his expression is unreadable.
“Come on. Choose something else?” Kai says. He shifts on his seat. “That’s kind of a stupid dare.”
“What? I thought you had never turned down a dare,” Asher quips.
“This is…” Kai clears his voice. “I’d rather—”
A pang of unease grips me. That feeling I’ve had since Kai and I became friends again returns, like he’s keeping something in.
“Scared?” Asher leans forward with a self-satisfied grin. “It’s just a kiss.”
“Fuck it.” Kai braces himself against the side of Asher’s beanbag, inches away from his face.
Asher stiffens, caged between his arms, but all Kai does is reach down to grab the bottle of vodka.
He chugs the rest of it before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I’m not going to kiss you because I’m pretty sure I’m bi, and I don’t want my first queer kiss to be with—” Kai points in Asher’s general direction. “No offense.”
“I’m very much offended,” Asher says.
“I don’t want my first kiss with a guy to happen because of a dare. I want it to matter.” He looks away. “You’re the first people I’ve told. I don’t know if I’m ready for anyone else to know yet. I’m still confused, so just … give me some time to process.”
When he turns to me, a plea of understanding shimmers in his eyes. Are you mad?
Of course not. My heart beats painfully. I want to pull him into a hug, ask him a dozen questions—When did you realize? Did you think you couldn’t tell me?—but all that leaves my mouth is: “Oh. Dope.”
“Dope?” Asher snorts.
“I’m processing! I had no idea, but I’m happy!” I reach for Kai’s hand and tug at his fingers. “Seriously, Kai, I’m so, so happy.”
“What do you mean you didn’t know? You’re his girlfriend,” Asher says, eyes narrowing at Kai. “You hadn’t told Sasha you’re bi?”
“I—” Kai freezes. The relieved look on his face turns panicked.
Fuck. The contract.
His eyes flicker to me, as if looking for an answer, but I don’t know what to say.