Chapter 39
ALEX
“Thanks for dinner,” I said with a smile as he bent to put on his shoes. “It was really nice.”
Mum smiled back at him, hands clasped together. “It was nice having you around. Don’t leave it too long before you come back.” She handed him his clothes, warm and folded from the dryer.
I nodded, then glanced up at Kai. “Are you sure you don’t want me to change now?” I held the bundle awkwardly against my chest.
He shook his head with a small smile. “No, just give them back at school or something.” He straightened up, brushing a bit of lint from his hoodie.
“Okay.” I gave him a small nod, clutching the clothes a little tighter.
“Alright, love,” Mum said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Drive safe. I’ll see you when you get back.” She squeezed his arm before stepping aside.
“I will,” he said, leaning into the kiss with a soft laugh.
“See you later, Alex,” she added, waving at me with a big, toothy grin.
“Bye, Kate.” I waved back as I stepped out the door, and Kai followed, keys already in hand as he unlocked the car.
“At least it’s stopped raining,” he said, tilting his head up toward the sky as he walked around to the driver’s side.
“I don’t know… I’m not convinced. Those clouds look pretty grey.” I squinted up at them, hugging my jumper tighter around myself.
“Well then we’d best get you home before the skies open again.” He flashed me a quick grin as he ducked into the driver’s seat, pulling the door shut behind him.
When I sat down and clicked my seatbelt into place, he glanced over at me, one hand resting on the gearstick.
“Warrick Road, right?”
I nodded, brushing a bit of damp hair off my forehead as I settled back into the seat.
The drive to mine was quiet, which I was grateful for. We just let the music fill the space between us, the soft hum of the engine carrying us along. I watched the streetlights smear across the window, one after another, and felt my shoulders slowly loosen.
I was glad Kai didn’t ask any more questions about what he’d seen earlier. I didn’t think I could take another round of those eyes narrowing in on me, trying to read me like I was something simple.
Hopefully he’d just forget about it.
“Where do you want me to pull over?” he asked as we turned onto my road, his fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel.
“Here’s fine.” I forced a smile, and he eased the car to a stop on the left side, the engine still humming beneath us.
I glanced over just as he looked at me, the dashboard glow catching the edges of his face.
“Thanks again… for dinner,” I said, already reaching for my seatbelt.
He smiled and nodded, but something in his eyes lingered - like he wasn’t done.
“Just quickly,” he said, lifting a hand as if to stop me from getting out. “Did you mean what you said earlier? You’re thinking about working with your brother when you finish school?”
I sat back in the chair, letting out a sigh. “I didn’t say I was thinking about it, just that he wants me to.” I shrugged.
“But do you want to?” he said, looking at me like he could see straight through whatever I was trying to hide. “Honestly, is that something you want to do?”
“It’s not that easy,” I said with a sigh, my fingers tightening around the hem of my sleeve.
“Why?” His eyes did that thing again - sharp, searching - and it made my nerves spike.
I dropped my gaze to my hands, fiddling with them in my lap.
“You have so much potential, Alex. You’re doing well at school.
You could be whatever you wanted to be.” He shook his head slowly. “And you choose to deal.”
“You don’t know anything about me.” The words came out harsher than I meant, my jaw tightening as I stared out the window instead of at him. Heat crawled up my neck, the kind that comes from being seen too clearly.
“I know it’s not you,” he said quietly. “So why do you do it?”
“Why do you care?” The words came out sharper than I meant, the bite landing before I could pull it back. “You’ve known me, what, a week?” My voice wavered, and I hated the way it betrayed me.
I dragged a hand through my hair, staring at the floor.
“I’ve been doing shit for Connor since I can remember.
I’m not like you. We don’t have a lot. I don’t have a big house and a mum who cooks enough food to feed five people.
” The words tumbled out, faster now, like they’d been waiting.
“I work with Connor because that’s how I’ve been brought up.
That’s what our family does. It’s not like I can just tell him no. ”
The confession slipped out before I could stop it, hanging between us heavier than I wanted it to.
“Why can’t you tell him no?” Kai asked quickly, brows pulling together as he turned toward me.
My shoulders tensed. I shook my head, staring down at my hands. “Because… because he’s my brother,” I said finally. “And we need the money… I need the money.” My voice cracked on the last word, and I swallowed hard. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was the only part I could force out.
“And thanks to you, I’m now out of a job as well,” I said before I could take it back.
“That’s not fair.” He shook his head, shifting in his seat to face me more fully. “Alfie was hurting you.”
“I needed that job.” It was all I could manage. The words felt small, pathetic, but true. Kai leaned back slowly, exhaling through his nose like he was trying to keep himself from arguing.
“I know you think you’re helping, but you’re not.” I shook my head, fingers digging into my palms until they stung.
“Fine.” He said it flatly, no heat, no bite - just a quiet surrender that somehow stung more than if he’d shouted.
“I’ll give you your clothes back tomorrow,” I said quietly, fingers already on the door handle. But the second I pushed it open, I froze. There was a figure lying on the pavement outside my house.
“Shit!” The word ripped out of me before I could stop it, and I shoved the door fully open, stepping out fast.
“What is it?” Kai said, sitting up straighter, his seatbelt half-off as he leaned toward my side of the car.
“Just go home.” I slammed the door shut before he could say anything else and took off down the road, my feet hitting the pavement hard as I ran toward the body.
The wind whipped my hair back as I ran, my mind racing ahead of me. I knew who it was. I’d known the second I saw the shape on the pavement. I just prayed she’d be okay.
“Mum!” I shouted as soon as I was close enough. “Mum!” I dropped to my knees beside her, hands shaking as I pressed my fingers to her neck.
Please be breathing. Please.
A pulse. Thank God.
I tapped her cheek - firm enough to get a reaction - lifting her head gently into my lap.
She stirred, her eyelids fluttering. “A-Alex?” Her words slurred as she blinked up at me before her eyes slipped shut again. She was slumped on the ground, makeup smudged, completely out of it, lying in a pool of her own sick.
“Yeah, it’s me, Mum,” I breathed out, relief and panic tangling in my chest. “Let’s get you inside.” I tried to pull her upright, but her body stayed limp, dead weight against my arms.
“No. I don’t want to,” she mumbled, her head lolling. “I can’t move.”
“Come on, Mum,” I said, voice tight. “You can’t stay out here all night. You’ll freeze.”
Footsteps stopped right in front of me. I looked up.
Kai stood there on the pavement, eyes wide, chest rising fast like he’d run the whole way.
“Do you want me to call somebody - an ambulance or something?” he said, already crouching beside me.
“No.” I shook my head quickly.
Why didn’t he listen to me?
Why didn’t he go home?
I avoided his eyes. “Just… can you… Help me get her inside?”
He didn’t argue. He just stepped in, looping her arm over his shoulder and pulling her gently to her feet. She sagged against him, and I hurried to take her other side. Together, we half-walked, half-carried her toward the house.
My hand shook as I tried to fit the key into the lock. I took a breath, steadied it, and pushed the door open. I held it for Kai as he guided her through.
“Where shall I put her?” he asked, adjusting his grip as she slumped again.
“Just through here.” I led him into the living room, biting at my nails. “On that sofa - make sure she’s on her side.”
He did exactly what I said, lowering her carefully. I rushed to the kitchen, grabbed the bucket, and placed it on the floor beside her head.
“I’m s-sorry, love,” she mumbled, and then she was sick again - just like I knew she would be.
“I know, Mum,” I said softly, holding her hair back, keeping my voice steady even though my chest felt tight.
Five minutes passed. Maybe more. Mum drifted into sleep again, her breathing evening out. And somewhere in the middle of all that, I forgot Kai was still here.
He hadn’t said a word. He just stood there, watching me with those eyes - too soft, too understanding, too much.
I couldn’t deal with those eyes.
Pity.
Sympathy.
All the things I didn’t want from him.
I stood up quickly and grabbed a cigarette from my pocket, lighting it quietly and sitting down on the sofa, running a hand in my hair.
“You can go now,” I said, not looking up at him.
I didn’t want to. Didn’t want to see the expression on his face.
“Does that happen a lot?” he asked, shifting his weight like he wasn’t sure if he should stay or run.
“Normally she makes it inside the house,” I said, taking a drag, my eyes fixed on Mum’s sleeping form, her mouth slightly ajar, her arm hanging lazily off the side.
He let out a slow breath and lowered himself onto the sofa beside me. “Is she going to be alright?” His gaze followed mine, worry tightening his jaw.
I nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
He furrowed his brows, somehow staring at me more intensely. “For how long?”