And I don’t know what he finds, but I nod anyway. “Perfect people don’t exist. Just exhausted ones.”
I’m not even sure where it came from, or why I say it. It’s instinctive.
Kai’s gaze sharpens, his eyes narrowing in something like suspicion. But after a pause that feels longer than it is, he simply says, “Hm.”
That’s it.
Then, without another word, he lifts his hand and reaches just above my shoulder toward the shelf behind me. He doesn’tlean in. In fact, he’s careful to keep the distance between us, and his body never so much as brushes mine.
But still, I freeze.
His hand closes around a spine, fingers dragging briefly across the worn edges of the cover.
“Found it,” he says, plucking a book free.
And then he’s stepping back, book in hand, already turning away before I can ask what it is.
He doesn’t look at me again. Doesn’t offer an explanation.
He just walks off, like I was never there at all.
***
I spot Christian across the bookstore, engrossed in a classic novel. A part of me wonders if he heard or saw what happened with Kai—if he even sees anything at all past the words on the page.
Taking a deep breath, I approach him. “Are you interested in buying that book?”
He doesn’t respond immediately, flipping another page before finally glancing up. “Probably.”
I don’t even realize how much I’ve been fiddling, not until his eyes move directly to my hands. Feeling awkward, I turn to leave, assuming the conversation is over.
“You work two jobs,” Christian says, his gaze piercing yet distant.
Caught off guard, I nod. “For now. I applied for another one,” I admit.
“Your sisters work too?” he asks, his expression unreadable.
“It’s complicated,” I reply cautiously.
“That’s not an answer.”
“Not yet,” I say after a pause, feeling slightly exposed in front of him. For a moment, something like surprise flickers in his eyes, but it vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
“You’re the youngest,” he observes.
“Does it matter? Responsibility doesn’t always fall to the oldest,” I counter, drawing a breath. “Age has nothing to do with it.”
Christian gives me a faint smile, though it doesn’t convince. “In some cases, maybe. But I wouldn’t call it that.”
“So, what would you call it?” I ask.
“It’s selfish, Adeline. And if you don’t see that, you’re even more delusional than I thought,” he says before pulling out of his corner and making his way to Edna and Kai, who is already leaving with a book in his hand.
I watch Christian pay and leave, feeling a bit uneasy. Mainly because I know he’s right.
As the bell chimes, Edna looks at me knowingly. “Kai Steele, hmm? I’d be careful with that one.”
I blink. “Why do you say that?”
