“If you weren’t so intent on finding the man of your dreams,” I say roughly. “I might’ve.”
“Why?”
I shrug. “You’re a good kisser from what I can remember…but then again my memory could just be flawed—you know—concussion and all.”
Her eyes move slowly between mine. “Kiss me then,” she whispers, “if you want to check whether you’re right.”
Every muscle in my body tightens. She’s so close, and all it would take is leaning in just slightly, but I push away from thewall instead and take a step back before I do something I can’t undo.
“You don’t actually want that, Kai,” I say.
“And how do you know what I want?” she asks, stepping toward me.
Maybe it’s because I know her better than she knows herself, but this isn’t what Kairi wants—it’s what I want, and she knows it. She’s always the one taking care of everyone else, because she’s convinced that making other people happy is the same thing as being happy herself.
But that’s not how real happiness works.
“You want Zale,” I remind her.
She freezes, the water rippling gently around her as she stares at me, confusion flashing across her face.
”I’m not kissing you,” I say. “Or fucking you,” I add for good measure.
She exhales slowly and closes her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she says after a moment.
I frown. “Why are you apologizing?”
“You’re my friend,” she says. “One of my closest friends. I guess I just wanted to forget about everything with Zale…and my nonexistent love life. But I shouldn’t have tried to use you as a distraction.”
“It’s alright,” I say, even though it doesn’t feel alright at all. “That just means we should really find you a first date now and get you a proper distraction.”
Her brows lift.
“How does tomorrow sound?” I ask.
“Tomorrow?” Her voice shakes nervously.
I nod and swim toward the pool edge, hauling myself up until I’m sitting on the side, water streaming down my body. It’s proving way harder than I thought to force myself to keep my hands to myself.
“Yeah,” I say. “Let’s find your first date tomorrow.”
Her eyes travel down my bare chest before returning to my face.
“Tomorrow works,” she says, voice distant.
“Alright.” I force a grin.
“You made me a dating profile?”
Kairi stares down at my phone, swiping through the photos I pulled from her social media accounts earlier this morning.
“It’s set so that your profile only shows to guys within Saltwater Springs and nearby towns,” I explain, watching her reaction carefully. “Are you still okay with this?”
”Yeah,” she says, glancing up at me. “Of course. Thanks for doing this.”
I shrug. “I told you I’d help.” I take the phone back. “You’ve already got a few matches.”
