I point at my chest. “Why am I suddenly the team chef?”
“Because you’re a better cook than all of us combined,” Kai says. “And you’re less likely to burn the apartment down than Weston. Plus, you’re way more qualified.”
“That’s not a qualification.”
“If you ask the ladies, I think they may disagree,” Weston adds, wagging his eyebrows. “Don’t worry, Cap. I’ll help.”
Kai’s stare goes flat. “Don’t call me that when you’re about to do something dumb.”
Weston salutes. “Yes, sir.”
Asher slings his bag over his shoulder. “Try not to poison anyone.”
“No promises,” Weston calls.
Asher flips him off without looking and walks out toward the weight room like he’s above all of us—which, honestly, he might be.
The weight room is its own brand of hell. It smells like metal and ego and whatever pre-workout Weston is currently abusing. Coach has us on a program that’s equal parts science and sadism, and even though the season has barely started, our bodies already feel like we’ve been hit by a bus. I bench while Kai spots—silent, steady.
“Eat something besides eggs,” I tell him between reps.
Kai’s face remains blank. “No.”
Weston appears behind us with wild eyes and a shaker bottle. “If I die today, tell my mother I loved her.”
Asher walks by, unimpressed. “Tell your mother you’re dramatic.”
Weston points at him. “Could you try being supportive for once?”
Asher doesn’t break stride. “No.”
Weston turns to me. “Bennett, are you okay? You look…extra twitchy.”
I flip him off and rack the bar.
“I’m fine,” I say.
Kai’s gaze flicks to me—brief, knowing.
Right. Built-in lie detector.
We’re back at the apartment by late morning after swinging by the grocery store. Weston is already parked at our counter like he lives here, rummaging through cupboards.
Kai scans the room like he’s setting a defensive scheme.
“Keep it chill,” he says, but it’s aimed at Weston more than me. “No crowding. No ‘where are you from’ interrogation. She’s obviously from the same place as me, and she’ll talk when she’s ready.”
Weston puts a hand to his chest. “Captain Mercer, I am the picture of chill.”
Kai’s stare saysyou are a liability in a human body.
I hide a smile as Weston heads for the patio and starts pulling ingredients out. So much for my sous chef. My own phone buzzes on the counter like it’s possessed. I don’t reach for it. Kai’s gaze drops anyway, then returns to my face. The corner of his mouth twitches like he’s clocking my self-control for once in my life. Good for me.
A knock sounds at the door, and Kai moves immediately in that direction. He opens the door, and the girl in the hallway is smaller than I expected, wearing an oversized sweater and holding herself like she’s trying not to take up any extra space. Wide eyes look into the apartment, scanning, before her gaze lands on me.
For half a second, everything stills.
I’ve seen her in passing, but never this close.
