Chapter 35 #2
“Hey, I’m not judging,” I said, hands up in surrender, still grinning. “What’s the ninety-nine for?”
“Because I was nine and nine was already taken.” He groaned, dragging a hand down his face before flicking his eyes toward me.
“You mean there’s more Kballer’s?” I laughed again, unable to help it, leaning back in my seat as the warmth of the moment settled between us.
“Shut up,” he said playfully, nudging my knee with the back of his hand before turning his attention back to the road, still smiling like he couldn’t quite shake it.
“That might be your new nickname,” I said, tapping my fingers against my thigh. “Kballer. Yeah, it suits you well.”
“Really,” Kai said, giving me a side-eye as he slowed for a turn.
“There’s always Piggy,” I mused, raising an eyebrow.
“No, Kballer, it is.” He nodded firmly, lips pressed together like he was making an official decision, though the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away.
We listened to music for the rest of the drive, and every so often Kai would glance over at me. Maybe he was checking I was okay. Maybe he was just making sure I hadn’t disappeared. I didn’t know - but each time, I forced a small smile, and he gave one back, like it reassured him.
When we finally pulled up his driveway, my breath caught. I hadn’t expected… this.
The house was huge. Not quite the size of the mansions down Princes Road, but close enough that it made my chest tighten.
It was only a few streets over, still in the nice part of town - the part people like me didn’t usually have a reason to walk through.
The road was quiet, a cul-de-sac tucked away from everything else.
Queenborough Avenue. Even the name sounded expensive.
The houses were discreet, the cul-de-sac lined with tall trees and thick hedges that shielded everything from the main road.
But when the hedges broke, you could see the lawns - neat, trimmed within an inch of their lives, the kind of tidy that didn’t happen by accident.
Each house sat a good distance apart, each with its own wooden gate.
Not the big, towering kind Callum had at his party, but still solid enough to make you know you were crossing into someone’s space.
Kai’s was already open, so he didn’t have to get out of the car or anything - he just steered us through like he’d probably done a thousand times.
I pressed my palm lightly against the window, taking it all in, the quiet settling over me like a blanket I wasn’t sure I was allowed to touch.
Kai’s house was all red brick, with ivy climbing up the walls like something out of a film.
The stone driveway glistened from the rain, and warm light glowed behind the front windows.
Despite how big it was, it looked… homely.
Lived in. Like a place where people actually sat down together and talked and ate and laughed.
My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard, pretending I was just taking in the view.
Kai killed the engine, the music fading out, and for a moment the only sound was the soft ticking of the cooling car.
“You ready?” Kai looked over at me, one hand still resting on the keys. He’d grabbed the shopping bag from the back seat and was bracing himself for the rain, shoulders tensing like he already knew how cold it would be.
I nodded, swallowing the nerves gathering in my throat as I wrapped my fingers around the door handle.
When I stepped out of the car, the rain was still hammering it down, cold droplets hitting my face instantly.
“Quick,” Kai said, already jogging around the front of the car.
He beckoned me with a sharp wave, and I ran with him across the driveway, shoes splashing against the wet stone until we ducked under the archway in front of his door.
We stopped there, breathless and dripping, the sound of the rain pounding just inches away while the space beneath the arch felt strangely warm and close.
And then a crack of thunder erupted overhead, sharp enough to make me jump. My hand flew instinctively to the doorframe.
“Yeah, I definitely couldn’t have let you walk back in that,” Kai said, shaking his head as he stepped closer, the shopping bag rustling in his grip. “You would have been drenched.”
“I’m already drenched,” I said, looking down at my hoodie with a laugh as rainwater dripped from the hem.
“Yeah, well, you would have been even more.” He chuckled, shifting the bag to his other hand as he slid the key into the lock. He turned it easily and pushed the door open, stepping aside so I could go in first.
Warmth hit me instantly - a soft, steady heat that wrapped around my cold skin - followed by the smell of food drifting from somewhere deeper in the house. Something savoury. Something roasting. My stomach hungered at the scent.
I stepped inside timidly, copying Kai as he took his shoes off.
The entrance hall opened up into a large room, the kind you only ever saw in films. A grand staircase curved down from either side, meeting in the middle like something out of a manor house.
A coat rack stood by the door, jackets neatly hung.
Bookcases lined the walls, filled to the brim.
A couple of chairs sat angled toward each other, like they were meant for reading or quiet conversations.
The whole place felt warm - creams and deep reds, wooden floors polished to a soft shine. It smelled oaky, but also sweet, like someone had baked earlier or lit a candle. It was nothing like home. Home smelled like weed and cigarettes and damp walls.
“Is that you, Kai love?” a voice called from the archway to the left. There was another archway to the right, and from here I could see more bookcases - a whole room of them. Someone in this family must really love reading.
“Yeah,” Kai said, stepping in behind me and nudging the door shut with his foot. “It’s us.” He shook a bit of rain from his hair and shifted his grip on the shopping bag.
His mum came through the archway, and now I could see the space properly - an open-plan kitchen and living room, the living room stretching out toward the back of the house.
She had a big, bright smile on her face as she walked over.
She wore a cream knitted jumper that slipped off one shoulder, blue jeans, and soft Ugg slippers.
Her hair was the same blonde as Kai’s, her lips the same shape, but her eyes were a striking bright blue.
She was young. A lot younger than I expected a mum to be. And very pretty.
She gave Kai a kiss on the cheek, then turned to me with that same warm smile.
“So lovely to meet you, Alex,” she said, stepping closer with an easy confidence.
“Thanks for having me, Mrs Fields,” I said, forcing a polite smile as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. It was unusual being greeted with such open, happy faces.
“It’s no trouble,” she said. “And please, call me Kate.” She gave me a reassuring nod.
I nodded back, unsure what to do with my hands.
“Look at you, you’re both bloody soaked,” she said, tugging lightly at Kai’s sleeve. Droplets flicked onto the floor. “Why don’t you give Alex something to wear, and I’ll put both your clothes in the dryer?”
“Oh, that’s really not necessary,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I can’t wear your clothes.” I glanced up at Kai, half-hoping he’d agree.
“Course you can,” she said immediately, waving off my protest. “You’re our guest. I’m not gonna have you shivering through dinner, right, Kai?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” he said, giving me a small, reassuring smile. “Come on.” He gestured toward the staircase, already stepping toward it as he handed Kate the shopping bag.
My stomach fluttered - nerves, warmth, something in between - as I followed him across the polished wooden floor.
“Do you even have anything that will fit me?” I said, walking behind him up the stairs. My voice came out thinner than I meant it to.
I was uncomfortable. Nervous, even. Because what if he tried to give me a T-shirt?
Or worse - what if he expected me to get changed in front of him?
In the PE changing room at school, that’s what all the guys did. That’s what Kai did. And he’d probably think nothing of it.
But I couldn’t do that. Not with the bruises still fading across my torso. Or the collage of cigarette scars on my arms. I definitely didn’t want him to see any of it.
Kai shrugged lightly. “It’s better than being wet, right?” he said, glancing back at me as we climbed the stairs. His expression was casual, but his eyes flicked over me like he was checking I was okay again.
I forced a smile, though my stomach twisted.
God, I was nervous. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have come.
This is why I stay away from people.
This is why I don’t go round people’s houses.
My mind was so deep in that spiral that I didn’t even realise we’d reached the end of the hallway until Kai pushed open a door and stepped inside.
His room.
He walked straight over to the dresser on the right, pulling open a drawer and sifting through neatly folded clothes. “What do you prefer?” he asked, holding up a couple of items. “A jumper or a T-shirt?” He paused, then grabbed another. “I have hoodies as well.”
“Oh, erm… a jumper’s fine,” I said quickly. He nodded, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
One fear down.
“Tracksuit bottoms okay?” he asked, opening another drawer and rummaging through it. “I would say jeans, but joggers have drawstrings.” He shrugged, glancing over his shoulder.
I nodded, looking at the size of his torso. Yep, his jeans definitely wouldn’t stay up on me. He handed me a grey jumper and matching grey bottoms. “These are my smallest ones.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking them gently, the fabric soft and warm in my hands.
“Did you want to go get changed in there?” He pointed toward the bathroom, the door slightly ajar. “I’ll sort myself out here.”
I nodded again, relief washing through me like warm water. “Yeah… thanks.”
Another exhale. Another knot loosening.