Chapter 66
KAI
There’s a ton of shit I’ve forgotten about when it comes to relationships, and with my twisted luck, taking a girl out on a date is one of them.
“Let’s go on a date?” I pace back and forth across the apartment floor, raking my hands through my hair. “What the fuck was I thinking?”
Rowan sighs as he goes through his study cards. “Kai, calm down.”
“I haven’t been on a date—let alone dated—a girl in three years, Row. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do!”
We’ve only been friends with benefits. What if I disappoint Diana in trying to be her boyfriend? What if I’m not what she’s been daydreaming about? I might’ve wanted her for so long, but she’s wanted me for even longer, and I’m worried I’m going to fuck it all up.
“Dude, look at me, look at me.” Luke grabs my shoulders until we’re eye to eye. “You’re overthinking this, okay? The science is very simple. The key to a girl’s heart is telling her you’d still love her if she were a worm.”
“And if she wakes up from a dream where you cheated on her, you need to apologize like your life depends on it,” Wallace adds.
His face wobbles on Luke’s FaceTime screen as he fidgets in his hospital bed.
To keep him in the loop, we’ve been video chatting with him about everything.
But at the same time, I miss him so much and I wish he could be here to help me deal with the shitshow called dating.
Rowan rolls his eyes and sets his study cards aside. “Look, it makes sense why you’re nervous. Considering the fact that you and Diana were broken up before, there’s a lot of pressure you’re putting on yourself to make this work now.”
A stunned silence overtakes the room.
My eyes widen. “You knew about that?”
“They were broken up?” Luke’s face goes white with sheer horror and betrayal. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I—” Rowan groans. “How could I tell you? You were upset!”
“Well, you could’ve taken a hot second to let me know my best friend got his heart shattered!” Luke points out.
“You were in a lot of pain, too!”
“I was not!”
“You were listening to Evanescence, Luke!”
“Je-bal,” Wallace curses. “Why didn’t you tell me? Do you know what I’ve been stuck watching at the hospital? The fucking opera channel!”
The boys erupt into an argument.
“Hold on, hold on!” I wave my hands up, breaking through all the yelling and swearing. “How did you know Diana and I broke up?”
“You kept avoiding my questions.” Rowan scowls and crosses his arms. “Both of you are terrible liars by the way.”
Luke’s nostrils flare as he dramatically jabs his finger at us. “I can’t believe you two had this information and didn’t tell me. The betrayal I feel right now is astronomical!”
“Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can help me with this date.” My stomach twists in knots the second I glance at the clock. I gulp, gripping my curls tight. “It’s a stupidly small thing to worry about, but I’m so nervous, man.”
Luke softens up. He bites his lip in contemplation before he rolls his eyes and sighs. “Alright, well…I do have an idea.”
“A good one?” Rowan asks.
Luke scratches the back of his head. “I mean, it’s not conventional. I’ll tell you that.”
I stand outside of Stella’s apartment door.
I swallow hard, fidgeting under the black winter coat and crew neck sweater Luke forced me into.
“This is it, Kai,” I whisper. “Don’t fuck this up.”
I reach out and knock on the door. My clammy hands tighten around the bouquet of flowers.
There’s a crinkling noise. But it’s not from the wrapping paper.
“I can’t believe you used my prime account for this.” Rowan’s voice gripes through the earpiece. “This is a terrible plan.”
“And yet you’re still going along with it,” Luke quips back.
I adjust the earpiece, making sure it’s completely hidden behind my hair.
Usually, listening to any idea of Luke’s—especially ones inspired by the Spy Kids movie he watched on the flight to Toronto—is insane. But I’m desperate and Luke is the only one who always knows what to say to a girl.
“Just hurry up,” Rowan grumbles. “Getting Wallace on the phone is killing my battery, there’s this old lady staring at us from her window, and I’m starting to think we’re parked here illegally.”
I can hear Wallace’s crackly laugh through Rowan’s speakerphone. “I think she wants you, bro.”
Footsteps suddenly hurry across the floor behind the door. My heart jumps, pounding harder and faster.
“Shut up! She’s coming to the door!” I whisper.
The boys go quiet and the door swings open.
Stella beams at me. Even if it’s 7:30 at night, she’s in a dramatic silk robe with her black hair swept into that signature high ponytail.
“Kai!” Stella sighs as she takes me in. “Ugh, you both are going to look amazing tonight.”
The knots in my throat ease up a little. A smile breaks across my face. “Thanks, Stella. Is Diana ready?”
“Oh, she’s more than ready.” Stella trills over her shoulder, “Oh, Dianaaa!”
She steps back, prying the door open a little wider. I step into the apartment and my grip on the flowers slackens.
Holy shit.
Diana stands there, glowing under the chandeliers. The crystal garlands radiate into her black curls and illuminate the simple, lace dress that hugs her curves. My knees nearly give out when those dark eyes glance up at me, black as smoke, yet bright as stars.
Diana smiles, her arms winding behind her back. “Hi.”
My mouth falls open, yet the words don’t come.
“Tell her she looks radiant like the sun!” Luke prods.
“Say it with gravitas!” Wallace instructs.
Rowan scoffs. “You’re both making him sound like a medieval fuck boy.”
“That’s how Lord Felmire snatched Lady Constance in the Devious Countess. You, on the other hand, have no bitches,” Luke snaps. “Pipe down on the judgment, Kaneshiro.”
Diana cocks her head. Worry tinges her voice, “Kai?”
“You look radiant,” I blurt out.
Her brows furrow as she smiles unsurely at me. “Thank you?”
“Y-You’re welcome,” I sputter.
Rowan sighs. “That was pitiful.
“It’s okay, champ!” Luke claps his hands. “We have all night! Keep your head up!”
“You got this!” Wallace cheers.
For dinner, I take Diana to Bramble and Oak.
It’s a romantic, yet secluded diner tucked into the corner of a Christmas tree farm.
Fairy lights and garlands frame the windows that glow gold under the fading sun.
Elderly couples quietly admire it all as they sip hot chocolate from chunky, ceramic mugs.
I think my awkward energy will die down the second we get to the diner. But it doesn’t.
It only gets so much worse.
“It’s nice to walk through a door and not have people stare at me,” Diana sighs.
“Well, I…I like staring at you,” I stammer.
Diana’s brows arch up.
“Oh, absolutely fucking not,” Luke cuts in. “That line is giving creepy old man at the grocery store.”
“Tell her she’s pretty!” Wallace blurts out.
“Just compliment her!” Rowan commands.
“I-I don’t mean I like to stare at you in a creepy way.” I gulp. “I meant more like a ‘you’re pretty’ kind of way, because you are pretty! You have a nicely shaped head.”
Diana looks even more disturbed.
“At this point, you might as well tell her you want to eat her for dinner,” Rowan huffs.
Through the window, I can see the boys in the car. Rowan has his head down on the steering wheel and Luke pumps his fist in encouragement, while he holds up his phone to show Wallace clapping his hands on the FaceTime screen.
Diana sets the menu down and stares pointedly at me. “Kai, what’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on!” I choke out.
She rolls her eyes. “You’re a worse liar than me. I know something is going on because you’ve been acting squirrely all night.”
“Di, that’s ridic—”
“Oh, shit, shit,” Luke whimpers.
“What?” Rowan hisses.
“Spider! There’s a spider!”
“Goddammit, Luke!”
“It’s scuttling towards me!”
Their screams rupture through my earpiece. I clench up, the noise piercing and jabbing into my eardrums.
“Putain!”
I rip out the earpiece.
Diana gawks at it, her glass of water freezing against her mouth.
“Di, this is not what it—” I sigh, realizing just how idiotic the words sound. I slump back in my chair and flick at the earpiece. “Honestly it’s exactly what it looks like.”
Diana carefully puts her glass of water down. “You mean, the boys were directing you on what to say and do through an earpiece this whole time?”
“It was Luke’s idea,” I insist.
Diana makes a face. “And you thought following any idea of Luke’s was wise?”
Luke scoffs through the earpiece, “Alright, I fucking heard that and that hurts my feelings.”
I shrug, rubbing my forehead. “When you’re desperate, anything Luke says is wise.”
“I did not sacrifice my weekend just to be slandered like this.”
I groan and switch off the earpiece. Embarrassment makes me sink back into my seat. “I’m sorry. Our first date wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“Kai.” A soft, exasperated laugh breaks from her smile. Diana rises and settles into my lap. I’m completely weak when she hugs my face to her chest and strokes my hair. “Honey, why did you put so much pressure on yourself to make this perfect?”
I shake my head and reach out to fiddle with the plastic advertisement frame on the table. “I didn’t think we’d ever have a chance after that night. I’m just nervous about failing to live up to the guy you’ve been daydreaming about.”
“Aww, no.” Diana pouts with a playful, little glimmer in her eyes.
She kisses my forehead.
“The guy I was daydreaming about was a plain illusion in my head. You’re so much more than that, Kai. You’re a reality I can’t stop falling in love with.” I can feel her smile slowly curl against my skin. “Even when you’re sweating through your shirt and stumbling through your words.”
I snort, tilting my head up to arch my brow at her. “So, you’re saying you still want me after all this?”
“I’ve smelled your hockey equipment.” Diana’s nose crinkles as she waves a hand at the earpiece. “This is nothing.”
“Hey, watch it.” I poke her stomach. Diana giggles before kissing my nose.
I glimpse outside the window where Luke and Rowan are pulling out of the parking lot.
I look back up at her.
“Do you wanna get out of here?”
“And go where? There’s not a lot of places we can go at the moment where people won’t talk about us being together.”
The sign I idly fiddle with suddenly catches my eye.
Go skating at Marley and Babette’s Christmas Wonderland!
“Well…”
Diana follows the line of my gaze and her own eyes widen. She shakes her head. “Kai, no.”
“It’s the perfect place, Di! Look.” I point at the picture of a tall man and a chubby woman smiling in their matching ugly Christmas sweaters. They gesture proudly at an indoor rink festooned with Christmas decor. “Old white people run this place. Half of them don’t even know what streaming is!”
“But I don’t know how to skate!” Diana protests.
“You see a problem, I see an opportunity,” I drawl.
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“You will eventually.” I kiss her before easing her off my lap. “Come on.”