Shaking my head, I pulled open the car door.“See you later, Kai,” I told him, mock-weary.He was still stood like that, inane grin contagious, as I pulled away down the street.
Chapter Two
It was probably naiveof me not to expect Kai to come calling that same evening.Somehow, though, the reality of my neighbors’ twenty-something son actually inviting himself over had been divorced in my head from the reality of, well, my neighbors’ twenty-something son inviting himself over.
Naivety I had only a brief time to reflect on as I crossed the hallway to answer the front door.
“Hey Tate!”
The exuberance of youth.Kai was wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt, board shorts, and sandals.There was a folded towel slung over his shoulder; I glanced at it, pointedly.
“I’m really sorry, I can’t help you with your car right now,” I told him, forcing a serious expression onto my face.Was rewarded by a momentary frown in response.
“Oh,” he replied, after a moment’s pause, “no...I mean, I was hoping...”His voice trailed off as he registered my growing smirk.“Unkind, Tate, very unkind,” he scolded, though his grin told me the teasing wasn’t really unappreciated.
I stepped to the side, holding out an arm in welcome.“The pool awaits.”
Kai walked through the hall and across the open-plan living room, nodding approvingly at the tasteful decor that I’d had no involvement in.One of the advantages of a turnkey rental was that, when your ex-boyfriend was the one with all the aesthetic aptitude, your own shortfall in skills needn’t be immediately obvious.
“Well, doesn’t that look good,” he said, stopping at the doorway to the deck and admiring the shimmering water.I’d already pushed the button to open the cover, but was still at the wine-pouring stage of my evening.Kai half turned, to catch my eye.“Seriously, though, I really appreciate you letting me use it.It’s so damn hot next door, but my dad views turning the A/C up as a shameful admission of defeat.”
I shrugged.“No problem, it might as well get some use.”I made a bee-line for the open bottle.“Do you want a drink?”I called over my shoulder.
“No, thanks,” came the reply, and so I glug-glug-glugged the white wine into just one glass.Enjoyed a healthy sip, then turned and almost dropped the rest.
Kai still had his back to me, but while I’d been sating my thirst he’d already peeled off his t-shirt and, more surprising, dropped his board shorts.Wide shoulders, healthy with muscle, tapered down to a narrow waist, to which a black square-cut swimsuit clung.Broad thighs emerged underneath, themselves atop shapely calves.
He was, even after just a few moments’ glance and the rear view alone, stunning.
“Oh,” I said, quietly.
Loud enough still, though, for Kai to hear me.He followed my gaze down, to where his shorts lay in a messy heap on the deck.
“Oh right.Yeah, I can’t swim in those things.Not since I was on the team in high school, anyway.It just feels like you’re being dragged down by a pillow case tied around your waist, y’know?”
I nodded, mute, but I didn’t know.Not really.Honestly, I’d always been self-conscious when I was in the water.Partly because, without my glasses, I was just short-sighted enough for the world to be disconcertingly blurry.But also because of the healthy - well, unhealthy - amount of body shame in there, too.
