Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
KAIA
“Thank you everyone for coming. Take some refreshments home so I don’t. Have a good night and drive safely,” I signed as I spoke, and waved goodbye to everyone.
Another great sign language class in the books.
Everyone loved Daisy. She wasn’t just knowledgeable, obviously; she was patient and so sweet.
She didn’t make anyone feel less than her for not getting it, and when they did get it, she cheered them on.
I loved watching her teach. But to be fair, I loved watching her do anything.
“You did amazing, as always.” I smiled at Daisy when the last person left and she slumped in a chair, exhausted from the class.
“Thank you. I’m trying, but I feel like they’re getting it. I still can’t believe how many people actually want to learn sign language.”
“Well, I, for one, think it’s amazing and more people should learn it.”
She smiled and stood up, giving me a hug I wasn’t expecting but still wasted no time returning. Her hugs were like little gifts, and I was raised to always accept a gift.
“Thank you, Kaia,” she said when we broke apart.
I looked at her, confused. “For what?”
“Just for… telling Drea to hire me, and for being you. Always.”
I smiled and tried to hide my blush. “Come on, let’s get this place cleaned up so we can get out of here.”
She nodded, and we began stacking the chairs and rolling them to the back.
We were cleaning up the tables when Drea was getting ready to leave.
“Hey, Kai. Are you ready for the game tomorrow? Blair said she’s excited to see you! She misses you.”
I smiled at the mention of her girlfriend. I adored Blair, and we had become really close over the past two years. Especially after their breakup.
Cara, Blair’s publisher and best friend, was the only person who didn’t know they were together at the time.
They hated each other until they came back from a festival and didn’t anymore.
Long story short, they didn’t want to make things weird with Cara, so they asked us all to keep their relationship a secret.
They all had a big falling out, but I was glad everything worked out in the end.
“Yeah. I’m so ready. I’ve never played pickleball, so I don’t know how good I’ll be, but it should be fun.”
She turned to Daisy. “So, Daisy, I’m glad I caught you guys. Cara got sick and had to cancel last minute, so I was wondering if you wanted to join our game tomorrow? You and Kaia against me and Blair? What do you say? I’ll buy lunch after.” She grinned.
Daisy nodded. “Sure. I can’t say no to free food. It sounds fun. See you guys tomorrow.” We said goodbye to Drea, but we weren't far behind her.
During the ride home, I kept looking at Daisy, like I did all the time.
I tried my best to make sure I wasn’t caught.
Especially since the other night when we were reading together.
She threw me off with that eating comment, although she wasn’t wrong, and I couldn’t help but look at her.
I wanted to see if she was looking at me too. Maybe it was stupid, but it was true.
Whenever I would look over at her, she’d be looking out the window, but she was smiling. I wanted to know so badly what was causing her to smile. Was she thinking about the class? What to eat for dinner? Our game tomorrow?
Once we made it home, we ordered some takeout and settled on the couch. We didn’t turn on the TV or talk; we just enjoyed each other’s company while we ate, laptops in our laps, and Duke at her feet. Both of us were workaholics to a degree. Always on our phones or computers.
Eventually I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and I told Daisy I was calling it a night. She agreed through a yawn.
After a few hours since we’d parted ways in the hall, Daisy took a shower, and I got settled for bed, trying not to think about her in the shower.
After checking a few emails and responding to some messages from Fallon and Blair, I stripped off my clothes from the day and threw them in the hamper.
I usually slept in sleep shorts and a tank top, but it was starting to get colder, so I grabbed a longer shirt and some pants out of my dresser.
I turned around and was stunned frozen when I saw Daisy standing in the doorway.
“Hey! Sorry. I was just coming to say goodnight. I should’ve knocked.” Her cheeks were flushed with the most adorable shade of pink.
“It’s okay—” I stopped when my brain caught up with me. The shirt dropped from my hands and my chest was bare to her. For a moment, all I could do was stand there as she stared at me. I was afraid to move.
Eventually, I knew I had to. I was topless, and my best friend was staring at me like, well, I didn’t know what, but I leaned down to pick up my shirt, and when I came back up, she was gone. That was really weird.
It was nearly one in the morning, and I still couldn’t sleep. I followed Daisy to ask what happened, but her door was closed, and I didn’t want to bother her. I thought about texting her but decided against it.
Maybe it was just my imagination and she was only looking at me because she was waiting for a response, not because she liked what she saw.
My boobs were nothing special, so that couldn’t have been it.
They were perky, yes, but I was small to begin with.
They reflected my small size, and they weren’t anything to write home about.
Sometimes Daisy was up at random times throughout the night, working or reading, so I decided to get up and get a drink of water and see if I could catch her awake. I needed to make sure we were okay, for my sanity.
On my way to the kitchen, I passed Daisy’s room, where the door was cracked open a little. I walked past but stopped when I thought I saw movement. I walked up to the door and peeked inside. She was in her room, and she definitely wasn’t sleeping.
I was frozen in place. I had to blink a few times to be sure I saw what I thought I did.
Sure enough, Daisy was lying in her bed, head tilted back, eyes closed, mouth open, hands under the covers.
She was… she was masturbating. I didn’t even know she did that.
I mean, sure, somewhere in the back of my mind, I figured she might’ve, but I wasn’t stupid enough to let myself think about it.
I had to leave. I knew I had to, but I couldn’t. My brain wasn’t quite processing what was occurring, and my eyes wouldn’t leave her sweaty, thrashing body. Whatever she was thinking about, it was working for her, and the scene I was witnessing was working for me.
Daisy and I had been best friends for almost three years, so we knew a lot about each other. I never asked about her sexual habits, mostly because I didn’t want to know. The images would haunt me for the rest of my life, just like the one playing in her bedroom.
I always assumed that as an adult, she did things like that. I was no stranger to pleasuring myself, especially when my best friend was Daisy Fletcher—my walking fantasy. We just never talked about it.
I felt like a creep, so I turned and ran to my room, forgetting my mission of getting water. My body felt pretty hydrated after that, but I forced myself to go to sleep without relieving the tension coiling in my body. I would work out all my frustration on the court tomorrow.
I woke up deeply unsatisfied. Sleep did not come to me for more than a few hours. Thanks to my brain constantly replaying the vision of Daisy coming apart under her own touch, my body was on fire. I was sexually and mentally frustrated, and I couldn’t wait to relieve some stress during this game.
When Drea was getting over her breakup from Skylar, Mackenzie, Fallon’s wife, had challenged her to a ban from sex.
Of course, that didn’t last long once she started working with Blair, but when it did, she told me about her games with Cara and how it helped her.
And right now, I could use all the help I could get.
While I wasn’t on a ban from sex, it had been too long. Between taking care of my dad and meeting Daisy, it hadn’t been at the top of my list. But since living with Daisy, those urges had started to resurface.
The problem with dealing with those issues was Daisy. She wasn’t an option, and I wasn’t really interested in trying to find someone else. Maybe once I moved out? In the meantime, I had myself and my small but faithful collection of toys to get me through those tough times.
I had left the house early this morning with the excuse I wanted to check up on the construction of my office, which was partly true. Daisy wished me luck and said she’d meet me outside.
The construction was coming along, and I had already started thinking about what colors I’d paint the space with.
I’d get Daisy to help me, order Chinese, and make a whole day of it.
I also wanted to start looking for a desk and a chair.
And I really wanted a new laptop. And I definitely needed a desktop computer.
I’d have to remember to start a list after the game.
I had just pulled up when Daisy texted me:
My sunny girl: OMW! 5 min max!!
Me: See ya soon!
I was excited for the game. Not only to spend some time with Daisy, but to spend time with Drea and Blair outside of work.
It wasn’t often that we hung out together, mostly because I’d rather spend time with Daisy, if I was being honest. I did love Drea and Blair, and I was happy we all worked things out.
When I quit, it had been a long few months of not seeing Drea every day or talking to her in some form, and I’d hated it.
I’d still seen Blair sometimes, but she was miserable and I didn’t want us both to be miserable around each other.
Daisy came over a lot during that time to check on me and bring me things to cheer me up.
We had long conversations about it and what the next steps would be.