“Ow! Fucksake!” I curse, scowling up from the floor to catch Kai still clutching the hallway door frame dramatically. “You’re a fucking dick.”
Finn shuffles up behind him, gently headbutting my dickhead friend between the shoulder blades to get him to move. Finn’s not always great when he wakes up.
Laughing happily, Kai sweeps to the side to let Finn continue his half-dazed crawl to the kitchen.
“Long time no see, broskilina.” He launches himself on the couch, settling in comfortably.
Giving up on the more advanced stretches, I settle into some more basic moves on the floor, knowing that Finn will join me after he’s had enough blood.
“Broskilina?” I question the new nickname with a raised eyebrow and sweep my body around and folding myself in half to grab my toes.
“I’m trying it out.” Kai shrugs carelessly. “What are we up to tonight? We’ve got a few hours to kill before heading in for close and it feels like we haven’t hung out inages.”
I don’t point out that we basically have the same work schedule so we spend most nights at work together, because we both know it’s not the same. If we take away the hours at the bar, he’s right. We’ve barely seen each other lately. Between him spending all his time with Finn, either at Finn’s or here at ours, and me spending every night I can at Willan’s—especially in the last three weeks since he was sick—it’s getting hard to believe we still live together.
I mean, my sewing machine still hasn’t made its way back from Willan’s. In fact, more of my stuff seems to have made a semi-permanent relocation to his. Including half my clothes and my toy collection.
Finn returns from the kitchen with three bottles of blood, putting mine on the coffee table for me before settling onto the couch with Kai, snuggling in as hard as he can under Kai’s arm.
“Thanks, Finn.” I get a little hand wave in acknowledgment. “And I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, withWillan.” Kai sings the name, following it up with lip smacking air smooches.
“Oh, fuck off.” I laugh, giving up on stretching to snatch up a nearby cushion to peg at Kai’s head. I completely miss and it goes sailing over his hair, which only makes Kai cackle harder.
“You two are idiots.” Finn grumbles, lifting his blood to his lips to suck on the straw he’s slipped in there. Kai forgets about me for a second to dote on Finn, stroking his hair back from his face and kissing the crown of Finn’s head. Kai must’ve really drained him this morning.
Warmth spreads through my chest watching them together. I never realised how much I wanted something like that—that easy affection and care—until I found it for myself.
“‘Idiots in love.” The tender moment passes, and he’s right back to being his usual self. I can see the exact second Kai realises what he’s implied, his handsome face screwing up like he’s just licked rancid blood. “Ew. No. In love with other people. Not each other. Gross.”
“Ouch, Kai.” I clutch my chest dramatically. “You don’t need to bethatharsh about it.”
“Oh, fuck off.” The lightest of blushes creeps over his tanned cheeks as he rolls his eyes and waves his hand. “You know what I mean.”
If I wasn’t a vampire, and my body locked in for the next couple of hundred years, my laughter would be a solid ab workout.
“Yeah, yeah. I get what you mean.”
“Huh.” Finn perks up from the nest he’s created against Kai, looking at me curiously with his big green eyes. “You didn’t deny it.”
“Deny what?” I’m confused, because why would I deny Kai and I being in love? The idea is just absurd.
“That you love Willan. Do you?”
Kai’s face lights up like a neon fucking beacon. Turning to me open-mouthed, he goes to say something, but I can see the slight flex of Finn’s hand on his side, squeezing tightly to restrain him.
I kinda wish someone would restrain me. Only because I somehow feel like I’m rooted to the ground and yet still floating out of my body.
If this were a movie, this would be where they play the montage of us, and the moments we’ve shared in these past months.
The night at Hearts Gate.
Coffee at that horrible fucking cafe.
Him showing me the candles at the shop.
The vampire updates.
