Chapter 18
KAI
I never thought I’d live to see the day when Luke King might be right about something.
It rarely happens because he has the judgment of a golden retriever. But doubts swarm my mind now as I sit on the couch eating breakfast with Diana while she works on her assignment for class.
The way she looked at me and leaned into my touch last night makes me wonder if I’m not the only one trying to keep their emotions in check.
I poke at my scrambled eggs and groan under my breath.
Even if I wanted to talk about it, Diana didn’t say a word to me last night when we were doing research, she hasn’t said a word to me this morning, and I think she’s trying everything in her will to make sure it stays that way.
“āiyā.” Diana suddenly curses in Mandarin and starts furiously typing on her laptop. I glance over at her. She’s strangely on edge for someone who hasn’t been caffeinated yet.
“What are you doing?”
She doesn’t take her eyes off the screen. “I’m investigating.”
“Investigating what?”
Diana sighs. “I was supposed to work on the joint project today with Patrick Hertzberg. Since I’m working on Mellonbaum’s project, we rescheduled the meeting to next week.
But now I think Jonathan weaseled his way into the project because I see them attending this rally together.
” Diana squints at the screen. “It’s him. It has to be.”
“What the—” I set my plate down. “Diana, are you stalking your brother?”
“No, I’m watching a livestream of the rally to see if I can find Jonathan in the crowd of people. I just can’t read their lips.” Diana twists her laptop around to let me see the screen. “Does it look like they’re conspiring against me?”
I blink back at her. “I think you need to go outside and sniff some fresh air.”
“No,” Diana protests. “I need to be on this.”
“No.” I reach over and close the laptop down. “What you need is to be caffeinated and fed.”
Diana hesitates. She bites down on her lip and hugs her laptop.
I sigh. “Come on, Di. It’s not healthy for you to do anything if you’re feeling like this.”
Those words finally make her look up at me for the first time this morning. Surprise overtakes her face as if she’s never had someone say this to her.
Diana’s shoulders fall.
“Okay,” she relents, “I’ll go with you.”
I chuckle. “Your enthusiasm is touching, princess.”
“I’ve had enough of you,” she grumbles. But as she heads out of the living room, I swear I can see Diana trying to hide her smile.
DIANA
“Who’s ready to do some hockey drills?”
Luke’s question has the Little Griffins cheering and tapping their sticks against the ice.
From my place in the stands, I can see Kai skate out onto the ice in his black windbreaker and baseball cap. He smiles at the Little Griffins like a dad seeing his kid take their first step.
“Alright, guys, here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to skate around the cones and…”
I can’t look away from him.
Seeing Kai be so gentle and encouraging with the kids is so wholesome that I’m struggling to focus on my readings.
Joseph Merritt was right about Kai. After everything he’s been through, he still gives his all to what he loves.
A Little Griffin skates up to Kai and taps his knee. “Hi, Kai M!”
Kai grins and bends down to pat his helmet. “Hey, Henry!”
“I’m going to miss you.”
“Aw, don’t say that, buddy. We’re seeing each other next Saturday.”
“Yes!” Henry and Kai fist bump.
“Hey, hey!” Luke bends down to smile at the kid. “Are you going to miss me, too, Henry?”
Henry crinkles his nose. “No.”
The Little Griffin skates away. Kai and Rowan cackle as Luke drops his head into his gloves.
I laugh into my hand. Kai looks up at me from the ice. His green eyes shine so utterly playful and gentle under the lights that I wish he could see how much I’m smiling beneath my mask.
My phone suddenly fires off.
I scramble for it, tapping the screen to life.
Major data breach at St. John’s Senior Home exposes residents’ private information
My stomach twists into knots.
No news outlet has covered Gregory’s scandal, and it’s already been twenty-four hours.
Why is the media keeping quiet?
Why is bàba keeping quiet?
He has to be planning something. This much silence after a disastrous stain on our family name is unheard of.
Anxiety thrums through my body, bracing for a storm I can’t see.
“Your matcha is cold.”
I blink, jolting upright. I snap my head up. Kai looms over me, back in his boots, with his duffel bag slung over his broad shoulder. Behind him, the Little Griffins are skating off the ice.
“Class is over?”
“Yeah.” Confusion and concern have Kai’s brows furrowing together. He settles down beside me. “What’s wrong?”
Everything. I’m sinking further into a whirlpool of questions and suspicions I can’t properly grasp, and I hate it.
My fingers press into my matcha cup. Kai patiently waits for me to answer him. Out of all the flames spurring up around me, Mellonbaum’s midterm project is the only fire I can put out right now.
Today is not about the HMG. Today is about working on Mellonbaum’s midterm project so Kai and I can get an A, bàba’s pride in me can be restored, and I can focus wholeheartedly on the joint project with the Decibel 6 and the Pacific Observer.
I won’t let anything else throw me off today.
Otherwise, rooming with Kai and tempting my impulses will all be for nothing.
“I’m fine,” I lie, “We should head to Granville Island before we run into traffic.”