Chapter 17
Kai
Tāne was already rummaging through the fridge when I walked into the kitchen, dripping sweat from my morning lifting session. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at the empty spot where the leftover chicken should’ve been.
With his eyebrows raised, he turned slowly, the accusation radiating off him like heat from asphalt.
“Bro,” he growled. “Did you eat my meal prep?”
Absolutely.
I wiped my forehead with my shirt. “Define your.”
He slammed the fridge shut, glaring at me. “I swear to God, if I didn’t need you, you’d be homeless.”
“You sound hangry. Maybe you should eat something.”
He squinted like he could will guilt into me through the sheer power of his gaze, then seemed to remember something and his whole expression shifted into smug curiosity.
“So,” he said casually, leaning against the counter. “How’s the girl next door?”
I blinked. “What girl?”
Tāne snorted. “Neighbor girl. The one you look at like you’d gnaw your own arm off if it meant touching her hair.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“No, no. Don’t bring Him into it. No reason to get shy on me now, neph. I’ve seen the way you sprint home after practice. Like a golden retriever hearing a cheese wrapper.”
“Tāne—”
“And is that not her lip gloss and hair ties that keep turning up everywhere?”
“They’re not every—”
“And she’s got this ‘I pretend I don’t care but I absolutely care’ thing going on.” He folded his arms. “It’s adorable. Like watching two baby deer figure out romance while it’s coming at them like a road train.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, the tips of my ears heating up. “It’s not … I mean, we’re not—”
I cut myself off, dropped the fake denial and exhaled audibly.
“Already too late for that, I reckon,” I admitted quietly.
Why did she have to be so goddamn perfect in the first place? Wouldn’t be neck-deep in this mess if she was just a normal, boring girl.
But no, she had to be the most interesting and intriguing person I’d ever met. Go fucking figure.
Tāne froze and his eyes sharpened, all teasing gone.
“Well, shit!” he drawled.
I nodded, then he nodded and we stood in silence for two full seconds like a pair of jackasses. Then Tāne clapped his hands like he’d just come to a conclusion.
“Right. Time to lock her down.”
I choked. “Excuse me?”
Did I say conclusion? I suppose I should’ve gone with deranged epiphany.
He launched into motion like a general preparing for war.
“First option,” he said, counting on his fingers, “you cook for her. Women love food. You make her a meal so sexy she thinks about it for the rest of her life.”
“Yeah, hold on. How does one make a meal sexy? It just sounds wrong, mate.”
“Then get better at cooking!”
I covered my face. “Tāne, please—”
“Option two,” he continued, ignoring me, “we fake an injury. Something noble. You tear your ACL, I don’t know…”
He tapped his finger against his chin. “Oh, that’s good! You tear it while rescuing a kitten. She nurses you back to health. Boom. Bonded for life.”
“What is wrong with you? Didn’t you just say you need me?!”
“Right, right,” he relented, nodding sagely. “Back to the drawing board!”
“Can we just not?” I sighed.
“Option three — my personal favorite — you simply pick her up, throw her over your shoulder, and announce that you’re courting.”
“Tāne!”
He shrugged. “Worked in my day.”
“No it did not.” I scoffed. “What, should I put a baby in her belly while I’m at it? Lock her down?”
He paused. “Now, there’s an idea. Just don’t get caught.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Don’t get caught paving the way, if you catch my drift. Anyway.” He waved the thought away. “Point is, if you’ve caught feelings, you need a strategy.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. Did he really just say what I think he said?
“Right, right. You know you sound insane, don’t ya?”
Tāne snorted, but then his face softened ever so slightly.
“Does she like you back?”
“Maybe, but she just…” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know, actually. She’s not easy to get to know and keeps me at arm’s length … well, she tries at least, I reckon. Not giving her much of a choice, to be honest.”
“Mm.” He nodded knowingly. “This is how you know it’s real.”
I groaned. “It’s complicated. You know I'm going home in a few months. Tori … she’s fighting so hard against letting me close, and I can’t even fucking blame her. But whatever we have is … I don’t know how to describe it. I’ve … I’ve never felt like this before.”
Tāne braced his hands on the countertop. “And you? You want to let her in?”
I avoided his gaze, considering his words.
“I don’t know what happens next, but I know I don’t want to stop. I feel close to her in a way I—I can't quite explain.” It felt good getting this off my chest.
My uncle swayed his head from side to side like he was carefully choosing his response. “As much as I would love to have you here with me, I know you want to go back home. There’s a lot waiting for you there, and it’s what you’ve always wanted but…”
“… buuut?” I stared at him, my eyebrows furrowed.
He huffed out a breath, a hint of a smile curling the corners of his mouth. “But, there are other options.”
Bloody fucking hell, could he be any more vague?!
I widened my eyes, giving him a pointed glare. “Like what?”
“She could come with you. There are lots of different types of visas and ways to make this work.”
I froze, my mind racing and my heart thundering against my ribs. This wasn't the first time I'd had this thought, but I'd always dismissed it as far-fetched.
And yet … hearing it voiced by another person suddenly made it seem less unattainable. Less crazy.
I deflated slightly. “Tori would never leave her gran.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Tāne shrugged. “All I’m saying is, you need to tell her you’re all in. She probably won’t be the one to take the plunge. If you really want this, want her, then you’re going to have to man up. Be vulnerable and lay all your cards on the table.”
There was a moment of silence — not heavy, but loaded with meaning — as I let his words sink in.
I blew out a breath and stared up at the ceiling, refusing to meet his gaze. “Fuck, I hate it when you’re right.”
Tāne chuckled and slapped my back with enough force to have even someone my size stumble a step.
Damn, for a man his age he sure was strong.
“That’s my boy. Stupid with love. Just like the great men who came before you.”
“No one in our family has ever had a functional relationship.”
“Exactly! Tradition! Your dad went mad over your mum. I mean, he left our bloody home country for her. Whitakers go all in once we find the one.”
My dad had famously fallen so hard for my mum when she’d worked in New Zealand for a couple of months, he followed her to Australia because he was going crazy being apart from her.
I buried my face in my hands. “You’re not helping.”
He plucked an apple off the counter, tossed it to me.
“Don’t overthink it, mate. If it’s serious? Lean in. If she’s scared? Hold steady. And if you want to keep her around?” He winked at me. “Find a way she can’t resist.”
I groaned again. “You’re fucking crazy.”
“Runs in the family.”
“Sure, mate. Whatever you say. Got to run now.” I stood up, slapped the counter and strode toward the front door. “See ya!”
“Heading next door?” Tāne called after me, sounding smug.
“Where else?”
I stood near the garage wall, holding the pads and watching Tori bounce lightly on the balls of her feet. Her shoulders were loose and her jaw was set. She was wearing one of those tight sports bras and bright red kickboxing shorts made of some sort of shiny material. Satin, maybe?
Her hair was woven into two thick braids, and a faint bruise was spreading along her ribs, turning yellow at the edges. I didn’t mention it because I was aware this was normal for her, but I didn't like seeing her all bruised up.
She rolled her shoulders, exhaled slowly, and then nodded at me.
“Alright. Chest first. Don’t move.”
“Wasn’t planning on it. I value my ribs.”
Despite her petite stature, she was incredibly powerful. Tori snorted, and then she started moving. The first strike landed with a solid thud, rattling my arms. She flowed into the next one without hesitation.
Elbow. Hook. Knee.
Her style was undeniably aggressive, but she was never wild or reckless. Everything was precise and controlled.
I instinctively adjusted the pads, bracing my feet as I would on the field. Holding pads wasn’t really any different from absorbing contact — it was just more personal.
Tori slowed after a few reps, breathing harder now.
“Again,” she demanded.
I hesitated. “Tori, you’ve already done like—”
She shot me a pointed look, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Again, Kai.”
So I did what she asked. Tori was capable and experienced, I had to trust her to know her own limits. Halfway through the next combo, she clipped the pad at a strange angle, hissing as she shook out her hand.
I dropped the pad and stepped forward without thinking. “Hey—”
“I’m fine.” She tried to wave away my concern but didn't pull away when I gently took her wrist, my thumbs brushing over the tender spot. Her skin was warm, and tingles shot through my body from where our hands touched.
“Any particular reason why you’re pushing yourself?”
Tori shrugged, her eyes fixed somewhere past my shoulder. “Showcase is in three weeks.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Showcase?”
“Yeah.” After a moment's silence, she pursed her lips, clearly considering whether to let me in a bit more. “I don’t often get the chance to compete, but if I do, I want to do well … I want to fucking win.”
That, I understood. I’d suspected Tori was competitive, but I hadn’t realized we were so similar in that respect.
“You’re gonna smash it,” I said, like it was obvious. Like it wasn’t even up for debate.
Tori looked at me then, her chin tilted up stubbornly, as if she’d expected me not to take her seriously. She studied me, and when she found nothing but genuine support, her guard dropped for just a second.
“Sometimes I’m scared I won’t. I’m not good at losing,” Tori admitted.
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I did the only thing that felt right. Stepping back into position, I lifted the pads again.
“Then hit me. Let’s get you ready.”
Her mouth twitched. “You trying to coach me now?”
“Yeah.” I chuckled. “Why not?”
Tori giggled and shook her head. This time, when she approached the pads, there was a lighter quality to her movement. She was still fierce and utterly focused, but I could clearly tell the difference when I studied her.
It looked like she was actually enjoying herself.
Eventually, somewhere between reps, she feinted instead of striking and shoved me lightly in the chest.
I exaggerated the stumble. “Oi! Cheap shot.”
“That was a test.” A smug smile played around her full lips.
“Oh, and I failed, did I?”
“Spectacularly.”
Tori stepped closer, playful now, and before I could react, she tapped my shoulder and darted away like we were kids.
Without thinking, I chased her, caught her around the waist, and we ended up half-laughing, half-wrestling on the mats. She elbowed me gently in the ribs.
“Careful,” I said, a mocking seriousness laced my tone. “I’m fragile.”
She rolled her pretty green eyes. “You’re literally a linebacker.”
“Emotionally fragile.”
This earned me a genuine laugh. When we finally calmed down, Tori was breathing heavily and had pressed her forehead briefly against my chest. She didn’t immediately move away.
I noticed a fresh bruise on her shoulder. Purple this time. Without thinking, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to it. She froze for a second, then she sighed shakily and rested her head against me.
“Does that help?” she murmured.
“Dunno,” I replied honestly. “But it just feels right.”
Tori pulled back just enough to look at me; her eyes were softer than I had ever seen them before. She looked vulnerable in a way that somehow felt … special.
“I suppose it does.”
I smiled as she shook her head, her lips twitching. Then she tapped my chest once with her knuckles.
“Thanks. For holding the pads.”
“Anytime.” And I meant it. “I’ll hold whatever you need.”
Tori studied me for a long moment, like she was weighing something up.
Eventually, she turned back toward the setup in the garage.
“Okay. Let’s do one more round.”
I lifted the pads again, my heart bursting with emotion and my arms at the ready, knowing I’d stand there for as long as she needed me to.