Chapter 5
KAI
Alex sat beside me, staring so hard at the worksheet his nose was practically touching the paper. I didn’t know why it bothered me that he barely looked at me. Or that every time I glanced his way, he shifted in his seat like he’d been caught doing something wrong.
I was starting to understand he was shy. Painfully shy. But nothing about him really added up.
The way he folded into his oversized blazer, quiet and small, he didn’t look like someone who’d ever been in trouble. He didn’t look like someone who’d show up at a party with the wrong crowd. He definitely didn’t look like someone who’d be mixed up in anything to do with his brother.
There was something in his eyes - something soft, almost innocent - and the way the colour shifted from brown to hazel when the sun hit them made it hard not to stare.
At the bonfire that night, everything had been shadows and marmalade hues, everyone’s faces blurred by smoke and darkness.
But here, in daylight, he looked… different.
Pretty, even. If you could call a guy that.
Dark curls, pale skin, lips that looked like he’d been chewing on them.
I noticed how he picked at the skin around his fingers - tense, restless - like he was carrying stress no one else could see.
I caught myself staring again, only snapping out of it when he looked up at me, confused. Shit. Too obvious.
I didn’t know why I kept looking. Something about him pulled at me. Ever since the bonfire, he’d been stuck in my head - not in a weird way, just… curiosity.
I wanted to know him. Know what his deal was. Know what was real and what were just rumours about his brother.
And when he made it clear he didn’t want to talk, I’d tried not to look disappointed. But I was.
I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. I really didn’t. But what was I supposed to do?
We had a whole ass project together worth thirty percent of our grade - we had to talk.
And if I was being honest with myself… I wanted to anyway.
When the bell rang, he practically launched out of his seat, head down, brown curls bouncing as he made a beeline for the door. And before I could even think about what I was doing, I was already moving after him. My hand closed around his wrist on instinct.
He spun back, startled.
Shit. Those eyes.
I hadn’t meant to scare him. Me and my mates were always messing around, grabbing each other, shoving, joking - but Alex wasn’t like that. He’d flinched earlier when Callum tapped his shoulder, and now he looked at me like he wasn’t sure whether to freeze or run.
I eased my grip immediately.
My stare narrowed on his face again - too intense, too focused - and I had to force myself to soften it. I had a habit of looking at people like I was trying to read their whole life story in one go.
Note to self: don’t startle him again.
“Sorry,” I said, eyebrows pulling together. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t.” He shook his head quickly and kept walking, but I knew by the way his shoulders tensed that a part of me had. I matched his pace without thinking.
“Good,” I said. “I just wanted to know when you’re free to meet up.” Kyle Anderson passed by and dabbed me up; I returned it automatically before looking back at Alex.
He frowned, scratching the back of his neck in that shy way of his. “Meet up?”
“For the assignment?” I raised my brows. “The one Miss King literally just gave us?” I let out a small laugh, hoping to ease the situation.
“Oh.” He paused, glancing at me quickly, before carrying on down the hallway.
“You free after school today? We could get a head start,” I asked, weaving through the corridor as shoulders bumped into us. “Or any free periods?”
“I’m busy.” His eyes drifted away from mine.
“Okay… tomorrow then?” I tried again, hopeful.
“Maybe.” He shrugged, like talking to me was the last thing he wanted to do. And it shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. I cared about my grades, sure - but it was more than that. The way he kept trying to get away from me… it got under my skin.
My hand landed on his shoulder before I even thought about it. This time he didn’t flinch, just glanced at my hand, and I pulled it back immediately.
“Look,” I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.
“You might not care, but I can’t get a bad grade.
If my grades drop, they’ll take me off the team.
And if I can’t play…” I dragged a hand through my hair, jaw tight.
“Well, then I might as well die. So can you please just tell me when we can meet?”
Too dramatic? Probably. But did it work?
Come on, Alex.
His eyes - dark amber in this light - lifted to mine, searching, uncertain.
“Alright. Okay,” he said at last, almost in one breath, shifting awkwardly. “I can do Wednesday. But we can’t go to mine.”
My heartbeat settled back into something normal.
“That’s fine. We’ll go to mine,” I said, steady and sure. “Wait for me outside the school gates. I’ll give you a ride.” Something told me he needed that - direction, a plan, something solid so he wouldn’t bolt.
“Okay.” He nodded, forcing a small smile.
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” I said, smiling for real.
He didn’t answer - just gave me a stiff nod before slipping into the crowd like he was made of smoke.
I stayed where I was, frozen for a moment, the ghost of his wrist still warm against my palm.
And it lingered far longer than it should have.