Kai:
You were having so much fun with the games. I didn’t want to interrupt. My brother’s at the office. Maybe we can talk tonight? Seeing you today was the highlight of my day.
It’s only five o’clock, he’ll probably be there for a while. Plenty of time to spend with the fam, shower, and head to bed for our late-night talks that I’ve missed…a lot.
Ava:
Don’t work too hard ;) That sounds like a plan…And same!
When the last guest leaves, my sister says goodnight, and off to bed she goes. Giana is already sleeping, so we don’t have to worry about her. Logan and I work on cleaning up the items we don’t want to leave overnight. All the food, drinks, trash, and decorations are cleaned up in about an hour. The tent, chairs, and tables will all be broken down by the company that set them up.
The last trash bag is taken to the bin. Logan strolls into the kitchen, and he realizes there’s more cleaning to do. “Most of this is all trash. Can you grab a bag under the sink?” he asks.
I hand it to him, and we both start chucking food and decorations into the bag. The dishes are piled in the sink. Of all the things, dirty dishes in the sink bother my sister, so I turn around and say, “I’ll do the dishes if you finish cleaning up the island.”
Once we are finished, I head upstairs and get ready for bed. The only person I can think about is Kai.
TWENTY-ONE
Kai
Ileft the baby shower and went straight to the office. Blake was already there working.
“You’re powering through this project,” I say, dropping my toolbag on the floor.
He glances up at me. “How was the co-ed baby shower?” he asks, chuckling and shaking his head. “Did you see her?”
I walk right by him and say, “Yes, I did.”
The chuckling grows louder, and it’s echoing through the space. I glance around. The stark white walls, the exposed high ceiling with black fixtures, and the back wall project. It’s not anything special yet. By the end of the week, this will be exactly the office I imagined.
Someone is knocking on the door. I turn around. It’s the delivery guy. Almost all the furniture is here. I open the door, and he brings in all the items.
Blake and I end up working for a few hours putting up the rest of the walls. He updates me on his projects because he won’t be able to join me tomorrow or for most of next week. It’s a solo project for the next few days. The office will be my priority, especially if I want it to finish and open in the next couple of weeks.
A smile crosses my face. This is getting real.
Before leaving, I shoot Ava a text.
Kai:
Finally, heading home. I’ll call you in aboutan hour.
I want to invite her over to hang out in the hot tub, but not tonight. Seeing her again in that pink bikini in my hot tub while we talk about life—it’s what I’ve been imagining for the last few weeks. It’s what I crave every day.Her.Her attention. Her touch. To have more minutes, more hours, more days with her…longing to hold her in my arms, show her how much I care about her. Soon, very soon.
For this week, I have to focus on finishing the office.
Ava:
I’m not sure my eyes will stay open another hour. It was a long day.
Kai:
For both of us. Let’s plan on meeting up this week.
Ava:
Yes, that sounds perfect. Night.
