He pauses, analyzing my statement, then nods, his features naked from any shield.
“Fair enough. Letting people in... It’s not easy for me.”
“I thought, maybe I was more than people.”
Kai holds my gaze steady.“You are… You’re more than that.” The air thickens, slows. His words hang between us likea promise or a confession. Then, softer, he whispers, “You’re something else.”
My lungs stop moving. It’s not just what he says, it’s how he says it, as if I matter. His words settle deep, sinking, tugging at something I didn’t know was exposed.
After a beat, he speaks again quietly.
“Ask me anything.” There’s no mask in his voice, no challenge. Just... him. So I reach for the question that’s been lingering at the edges since the moment I first saw through the cracks in his armour.
“Why do you hide that you’re an artist?” He stills, not what he expected. Kai’s jaw tightens. I can almost see the defences rising, but the gates don’t close, not completely.
“Because when you have a father like mine,” he says slowly, “you learn to bury anything that brings you joy. Otherwise, he finds a way to twist it. Until it stops being yours. Until it breaks you.” There it is, raw and unfiltered; it lingers between us as fragile glass.
“You can trust me with your joy. I won’t break it.”
Kai doesn’t respond right away. His expression barely shifts, just a flicker, the faintest hitch in his breath. But something in him stills, no retreat, and that’s enough.
Then his voice drops low, rough, intimate. “Oh, Princess,” Kai leans closer, “you could destroy me if you wanted to.” The words steal my breath.
And Kvirr, he’s good.
A surprised laugh slips out before I can stop it.
Kai tilts his head. “What’s funny?”
“I dunno, this whole thing,” I say, my finger circling the air. He gives me a curious—skeptical look. “The fact that you think I’d fall for this sweet talk,” I quickly add, for a moment, something shifts in his expression, hurt? It’s barely there, just as quickly gone. Then he goes still, before going back into motion.Kai grabs my backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as if it weighs nothing.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying, right? Let’s go.”
I hesitate. Not visibly, but inside, where the doubts live. It would be easier if he stayed in the box I’d put him in; annoying, arrogant, a distraction.
But now?
Now we’re in this in-between space neither of us can name. We’re not enemies anymore, but calling us friends feels too generous. He’s either drawn to the challenge, or I am a pastime, maybe both. Either way, I can’t trust him, not completely anyway. Because in a place like this, where choices are scarce, even half-trust can be dangerous. But still... I follow.
“Can you teach me how to ride a bike?”
If I ever need to run,reallyrun. I’ll need more than instinct and a quick way out, and that engine fits the role perfectly.
The only lightaround us comes from the soft glow of the street lamps, casting long shadows across the pavement, the trees circling us. Kai leans against his motorcycle, arms crossed, looking like he’s deciding whether to lecture me or laugh. I’m pacing nearby, probably a little too dramatically, but it’s better than panicking.
“Were you even listening to my instructions?” Kai asks, amusement tugging at his voice as if he already knows the answer.
I shoot him a sharp look. “Yes.”
He shrugs. “I mean, I can go over them again if you want.”
“Could you not?” I stop and face him. “It’s a motorcycle, not a spaceship.”
Kai chuckles, shaking his head. “Could’ve fooled me with all that pacing. Youdoknow the point is to ride it, right?”
I roll my eyes and exhale through my nose. “It’s just that your bike’s… intimidating.”
Kai lifts an eyebrow, clearly enjoying himself. “It’s a machine,Vi. Not a monster, it won’t bite.”
