“I don't know,” he sighs, sitting down on my bed. “She said that the kiss was a mistake, but I'm confused because she asked me out.”
I furrow my eyebrows. “That’s really random. Why would she say that?”
Seriously? Why would she say something like that unprovoked? It's obvious to anyone that she clearly likes him, maybe not as much as he likes her, but she still feels something for him. So, what's the use denying it?
He shrugs. “Because I asked her to be my girlfriend.”
Oh, that's why.
“What?! Already?” I ask loudly, my eyes bulging out of their sockets.
Is this kid serious? Yeah, he's been in love with her for years, but they've literally just had their first kiss, not to mention she's probably terrified of how strong he's coming on.
He looks taken aback by my question, so I speak again, a little softer this time. “Maybe she got scared and said it was a mistake because you were going way too fast.”
“Yeah, that's what Aryan said.” He nods in agreement and deeply sighs.
I quirk an eyebrow. “Aryan Oberoi? Since when do you speak to him?”
“Since the party. I saw him beat the hockey girls at the drinking game, so I asked him for pointers. We've been talking ever since.”
“So, you guys are like friends now?” I question, confused.
“We've always been pretty friendly, but yeah, I guess now we're actually friends,” he says, fixing his hair in the mirror again.
Wow. Okay. So not only is he going on a date with Victoria, but now he's friends with Aryan. He's slowly melding into Adaline's friend's group and I don't know how to feel about that.
What if he becomes friends with Adaline? What if he realizes what's been going on between us?
My head hurts.
“What should I do about what Victoria said?” He changes the subject, almost whining.
“Nothing. Just enjoy your date. It's not like you have to confess your undying love for her. Have some pride,” I say half-jokingly and half seriously.
I can't imagine what it would be like to be Kai, to wear your heart on your sleeve unashamed. I feel my insides coil at the fact that he is so brash and bold and he doesn't see anything wrong with that. In fact, he revels in it.
He scoffs, laughing. “Pride? Why do I need pride when life is so short?”
I give him a deadpan look for being so dramatic, but he stands up abruptly and pulls me up by my hands so that I'm standing with him.
He put his hands on my shoulders. “Life is too short to not be honest about how you feel. I love being around Victoria, so I'm going to keep doing it because why would I deprive myself of something that I clearly enjoy?”
He's staring deep into my eyes like he's trying to send me a mental message that I'm not quite comprehending. All I know is that his words are burning into my skin, sending tremors through every inch of my body.
He's so carefree and light about being in love with her.
Life is too short.
“You're so whipped,” I joke, shrugging his hands off me so I can hide the hot flush on my neck.
It works, because instantly, he laughs and just sighs dreamily. “Yeah, I am.” He looks at his watch and says, “I need to go now or I'll be late.”
“Come on,” I say, walking toward my bedroom door and opening it for him. He sprints out first, then I follow.
I walk down the stairs as he power-walks and I can feel the excitement radiating off his body; he's practically bouncing with energy. It probably takes him two seconds to reach the front door—that's how fast he's walking.
He opens the door first and I almost trip when I see Adaline standing right in front of my door, her fist raised like she was about to knock.
