Chapter 8
Kai
With a huff, I stared up at the ceiling, watching the fan endlessly continue its lazy circles. I’d rolled over in bed for the umpteenth time, pretending I hadn’t just been in this exact position, waiting for the ceiling to magically reveal what the hell I was supposed to do with myself.
I blamed the impending doom of the decision for the final roster of the team drawing closer, much faster than I would have liked.
I blamed the memory of her petite, tight body under mine.
I blamed the way she’d sounded when I had my tongue buried between her cheeks.
Or the way her mouth had curved when she tried not to smile at me and failed — the image was stuck in my head like a burr.
Whatever the reason, sleep wasn’t happening, and she wasn’t leaving my mind anytime soon.
So, naturally, like a complete idiot in an early-2000s teen movie, I found myself sneaking across the yard at midnight, dodging the loose board on our porch like I wasn’t a grown adult.
A soft breeze carried the smell of cut grass and summer sweat, and I jumped as the AC unit kicked in with a whirr. I cast a furtive look around to make sure no one had seen me jump as though I were five seconds away from having an out-of-body experience.
With my hands planted on my hips, I stared up at her window.
“Mate,” I muttered under my breath, “you are not actually doing this.”
But I was already bending down, my hand closing around a pebble, despite being painfully aware of how cliché it was.
The first pebble pinged off the window frame. For a moment, I waited with bated breath, but when nothing happened, I bent down again.
I tossed another one, a little harder, and this time it hit its mark.
Still nothing. Maybe this was a sign from the universe? Should I just go back home?
But then the sound of the window creaking open had me staring at it with mounting horror.
This wasn’t her window, it was Janet’s. Fuck my life.
The old bat stuck her head out, wearing curlers and one of those billowing vintage-style robes with fur trimmings. She squinted down at me like I was interrupting something of profound importance.
“Oh,” she stage-whispered, raising her eyebrows. “It’s you.”
I froze. “Hi?”
Janet pursed her lips. “You’re throwing rocks at the wrong window, dear. Tori’s is the one on the left. You’ve got terrible aim.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Right. Thanks.”
This was wonderful. Fantastic. Couldn’t be better.
Janet leaned farther out. “I knew something was brewing between you two.”
I choked. “What? Um no. There … there's nothing, um, brewing.”
She scoffed. “Don’t lie to an old woman. I smelled trouble right from the start. And I love trouble, dear.”
“…Great?”
“Lord knows, this one” — she jabbed a thumb to her right — “could do with a bit of adventure in her life.”
I gaped at her. “Riiiight.”
“You want some advice?” she whispered, glancing left and right like she was expecting someone to jump out of the bushes.
Honestly, I didn't, but she pressed on regardless.
“Tori needs people who won't give up on her,” she mused, her tone oddly wistful. “Everyone else does. She’ll expect you to.”
Well, fuck. Those words hit me right in the chest. But Tori was aware I’d leave eventually, though, so it wasn’t like I was actually leaving her behind … right?
Janet continued, a fond expression on her face.
“She’s prickly because she thinks she has to be.
She’s trying to keep everyone at arm’s length, but she’s missing out on so many beautiful things in life.
You should show her there’s more to life than this.
” She made a circular motion with her hands, the flared sleeves of her robe flapping dramatically around her.
I swallowed hard. “I can try.”
Janet clasped her hands together excitedly. “Good, dear, I think you might be just the person for the job! Also, don’t tell her I said any of that.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good.” She straightened. “Now, would you like her number for next time? I’ve got it written on a sticky note.”
I recoiled, my brows shooting up to my hairline. “You … um, you’ve got her number ready on a sticky note?”
“I keep everyone’s numbers. You never know when you’ll need to arrange an alibi.”
She winked.
Jesus Christ.
“Anyway,” she said, already pulling back into her room, “go get your girl. I’ll deny everything if asked.”
She slammed her window shut, only to open it again, albeit just a crack.
“If you want any more insider information, you'll have to pay me in double-stuffed Oreos.”
I slow-blinked. “Righto.”
“Lord knows those cookies are the only double-stuffed things these walls see these days. Such a shame.”
With that, Janet closed the window all the way. I stared at it for a long moment before shaking my head.
“What the hell just happened?”
But I couldn’t dwell, for I had a mission.
And apparently an incorrect throwing angle.
This time, I tossed a pebble at the correct window. It tapped the glass with a soft but crisp sound. A moment later, the curtain twitched.
Then the window slid up and Tori leaned out. Her messy hair framed her face, but her eyes were sharp as if she hadn’t been asleep at all.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she hissed.
“I, well … I couldn’t sleep?” I offered weakly.
She slow-blinked, her eyebrows raised, and shook her head. “And that’s my problem, how exactly? This isn’t an early 2000s romance movie, dude.”
I drew a deep breath, holding up a finger, but then deflated. “It isn’t your problem.” I shifted my weight, suddenly feeling ten times more awkward. “I just … didn’t want to be alone.”
Her eyes softened, the annoyance slowly draining from her face as she just stared at me.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “And I didn’t want to wake Tāne because he’ll make me do hill sprints at sunrise. So I thought … I don’t know. Maybe you'd … maybe you’d talk to me. Or tell me to piss off. Either one works.”
With a resigned sigh, she shook her head. “You’re an idiot.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“And you’re lucky my gran sleeps like a log.”
I barely managed to keep a straight face.
She looked up at the sky, sighing again, then pierced me with her gaze. “Shut up and climb in.”