“Okay.” I scoot to the edge of the couch until my butt is about to hang off before I stand up.
After making my way into the bedroom, I let out a gasp as my eyes flash between our bed and the crib nestled right next to the bed. “Who did this?”
“This is our present to you,” Kai says, gesturing between himself and Kevin.
I turn around and wrap my arms around both of them. “Thank you.”
“It’s brand new, too,” Kai says.
“What? You guys didn’t have to do that. They’re expensive,” I say as I rub my hand on top of the crib, feeling the soft, white paint beneath my fingers.
“I couldn’t have my niece sleeping in a used one.”
“Wait, who put this together?”
“Kevin put it together while we were at breakfast this morning.”
Kevin is still such a wildcard to me. Sometimes he’s overly nice, and sometimes he’s just a jerk. All I can say right now, though, is thank you—so I do just that.
I set my phone down after Kai didn’t answer, and it went to voicemail. It’s seven in the evening, and Kai is usually home by now. I sit by myself, staring at the chicken and rice I made. I’ve never eaten dinner without Kai before—well, not since we moved in together. He’s always home by this time, and we eat together. But it’s already seven, and my stomach is growling. Instead of waiting longer, I decide to eat.
An hour later, all I get on the other side of the phone is more ringing until it goes to voicemail again.
What the hell?
I finished eating, cleaned up, and I even made a plate for Kai and put it in the microwave…he’s still not home.
As the minutes drag on, I can’t shake this uneasy feeling creeping up inside me. My whole body is restless, making me pace back and forth in the living room. I try to do some schoolwork to keep my mind busy, but I can’t concentrate enough to keep my mind off the worst-case scenario.
Did he get hurt?
Is he at the hospital?
Is he lying in a ditch somewhere?
I decide to call Kevin.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Voicemail.
I slam my phone down next to me on the couch.
It’s 9:30 now, and the sun is setting. Still no sign of Kai. I slip on my sandals and walk over to Kevin’s.
When I reach his apartment, all the lights are off. His car isn’t in the driveway. Those two have to be together, because Kai left the car for me. Why don’t they answer? I don’t have anyone else’s phone number who might know where they are. I make a mental note to get his Uncle Dave’s number, but that isn’t going to help me right now.
Even though the lights are off, I still knock and ring the doorbell. No one answers.
A weight is pressing down on my chest, each breath heavier than the last as my mind races with endlesswhat-ifscenarios. I’ve been sitting on Kevin’s steps for an hour, waiting for any sight of them. With every headlight that turns down the street, my heart skips a little until the car drives right past me and then the heaviness settles again.
“Hello. Is everything alright? It’s eleven o’clock at night,” Paige says in a groggy voice.
I’m surprised she’s sleeping. I thought she would be out since it’s the summer and she has no school.
