Chapter 24 #2
I lunge for a pillow of my own, and before I know it, we’re in a full-on pillow war, laughter filling the room as feathers explode into the air around us.
She dodges to the side, giggling wildly, as I swipe at her with my own pillow. She ducks just in time, narrowly avoiding the impact, and then, before I can react, she’s bolting out of the room.
“Oh, you’re running now? " I call after her, chasing her down the hallway.
She shrieks, grabbing another pillow from a tiny couch and flinging it backward at me without looking.
It hits me right in the face, again.
“That’s called strategy!” she yells triumphantly, disappearing around the corner and down the stairs.
I shake off the impact, sprinting after her as she weaves through the house, knocking over a lamp in her escape. “If I weren’t already dead, I’d be worried about you killing me!”
She bursts into laughter, dashing into the kitchen, then the living room, then coming back, grabbing a couch cushion this time, and wielding it like a shield. “Come on then, baby, let’s see what you got.”
I don’t hesitate.
I charge at her, swinging my pillow like a weapon, but she dodges, spinning to the side as I crash into the fridge. “You fight dirty,” I groan, rubbing my shoulder.
She smirks. “You fight slow.”
I feint left, watching as she instinctively moves to block, and then I strike from the right. My pillow smashes into her side, sending her stumbling backward. She gasps dramatically, clutching her chest. “Betrayal!”
I grin. “Survival.”
Just as I’m about to go in for the final blow, she jumps onto the couch, launching herself off with an impressive leap, tackling me in mid-air. We crash onto the floor, pillows and cushions tumbling everywhere as we wrestle for dominance.
She pins me down, straddling me as she raises her pillow above her head victoriously. “Admit defeat!”
I squint up at her, panting slightly. “Never.”
She slams the pillow into my face, feathers bursting into the air like confetti. “Say it!”
I grab her waist, flipping her onto her back in a sudden movement. She lets out a surprised squeal, and now I’m the one hovering over her, pillow in hand. “Nice try, but I don’t lose.”
She stares up at me, her breath hitching slightly, and for a brief moment, neither of us moves. The playful energy between us shifts into something else entirely. The air grows heavy, charged with something deeper, something we don’t dare put into words.
She bites her bottom lip, and I swear my heart, or whatever ghostly version of it exists, stutters in my chest. “Kaze…” she murmurs, her voice softer now, her fingers lightly brushing against my wrist.
I should say something witty and turn this back into a joke.
But I can’t.
I’m too busy drinking her in, the way her flushed cheeks contrast against her soft skin, the way her eyes search mine, full of something I can’t quite name.
I’m tempted, so damn tempted, to stop playing, to close the space between us, to get closer, just once.
Again.
My grip on her wrists loosens, and instead of taking the opportunity to push me off, she slowly lets her hands trail down my arms, her fingers traveling over my skin before settling against my chest. The tension between us crackles like static, my entire body on edge as she moves beneath me.
Then, in one swift move, she flips us over, and before I can even process it, she lands on my back with a triumphant grin. “Gotcha.”
I barely have time to react before her fingers dig into my sides, and suddenly, I’m laughing, helpless, gasping, writhing beneath her touch. “No, wait, Khalee, stop!”
She grins wickedly. “Oh, so Mr. I-Don’t-Lose has a weakness? Interesting.”
I try to turn and grab her hands, but she’s ruthless, relentless.
Her fingers darting along my ribs, my stomach, sending me into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. I can barely breathe, my attempts to fight back growing weaker by the second.
“You, ” I wheeze, twisting underneath her, trying to escape. “You are pure evil!”
She throws her head back, laughing, her weight keeping me pinned. “And yet, I won!”
“You won, you won, fuck,” I gasp, finally tapping the floor in surrender. “Just, just stop before I actually die again.”
She giggles, finally relenting and rolling off me, collapsing onto the floor beside me, both of us breathless, our laughter slowly fading into quiet exhaustion.
“Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun,” I say, still trying to catch my breath, grinning like an idiot.
“Same.” Khalee exhales, her voice softer now, more thoughtful. “I think spending the afternoon with my parents brought back the child in me.” She pauses, a small, almost wistful smile tugging at her lips. “We should do this more often.”
I want to tell her I’d love to, that I’d like nothing more than this. To exist like this, wrapped in laughter and light, in a moment that feels almost untouched by time.
But the thought tightens in my chest. Because it’s a promise I’m not sure I can keep.
So instead, I say nothing. Because at least while I’m whole, I can enjoy it.
At least for one night.
At least with her.
“Do you know what I think we should do?” she asks, pulling me back.
I turn to her because I know what we should do.
We should talk.
There’s too much left unsaid, too much to unravel between us.
But I don’t say that. And she notices the way my demeanor shifts, the way the air between us shifts.
“Give me tonight, Kaze.”
Her words are gentle, but there’s something behind them, something pleading, something fragile.
I study her for a moment, my chest aching. “Promise me you’ll tell me everything, love.”
She hesitates, just for a second.
Because even thinking about it scares her. But then she nods.
“I need your words, Khalee.”
Her lips part, and this time, she doesn’t hesitate. “I promise.”
I exhale, something loosening inside me.
“Okay then. We have tonight.”
A small smirk plays at the corner of my lips, and I nudge her lightly. “So… should we order a pizza?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “No pizza today. I have a better idea.”
I raise a brow, intrigued.
“Can you eat?” she adds.
“I believe so.”
“Then leave it to me.” She grins. “Is there anything else you’d like to do?”
My first thought is to kiss her.
To close the space between us, to feel her beneath my hands, to give in to every quiet longing clawing at my ribs.
But I hold it back.
Instead, I glance at her, a teasing lilt in my voice. “Anything you want, love.”