1994~Kai Parker

Crazy for Swayze

   "SHIT!"

   "Sloane?"

Sitting up to look at my ankle, I saw that it had begun to swell. Dammit.

   "Sloane?" Kai called again, and I heard his footsteps coming closer before I saw him ascend the stairs.

   "What happened?" he asked as he came upon me sprawled out ungracefully on the floor.

   "I'm pretty sure I just sprained my ankle. It's ok though, I don't think it's too bad."

I got up and leaned against the railing, wincing as I tried to bear weight on it. Kai, witnessing my discomfort, looped his arms underneath my back and knees, scooping me up off of the ground. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and I noticed a small smile begin to form on his face before he adjusted it into his signature smirk.

   "You did this just so you could hitch a ride on the legendary Kai Parker, didn't you? You know you could've just asked instead of going to all of that trouble."

   "Ha-ha." I said dryly, though the words were spoken with a tentative smile.

He carried me down the stairs and laid me on the couch, and I grabbed some pillows and stacked them up so that I could elevate my foot.

   "Could I have a little ice please?" I requested, and Kai promptly went to go get me some.

I had to admit that it was refreshing to have him help heal a wound that wasn't inflicted at his hand, and I tried not to linger on how it had felt to be in his arms: the warmth, the softness, the strength...

   "Ice!" Kai announced as he came back into the living room,

   "Oh, uh, thank you."

I rested the ice around my ankle, hoping that the tried-and-true RICE method would be enough to heal it.

   "I'm sorry to have put a damper on the evening."

   "Oh, don't worry, I'm actually pretty appreciative because now I won't have you in my way around the kitchen. Invalid you is a fun you."

I just raised an eyebrow at him as he laughed and brought the container of video cassettes over to me.

   "Since you're all hurt and stuff, I am gracious enough to let you pick the movie, even though you implied earlier that I could. You're welcome."

Smiling at him as he left the room to attend to the pizza, I bent over and began to shuffle through the familiar tapes. Hm, what do I feel like watching tonight? Eventually, I pulled out Road House, and I sat with it on my lap, waiting for Kai. Not long after I had decided, he came back into the room with the pizza on a large tray and two bottles of Zima. A huge smile grew on my face at the sight of the food, and Kai, seemingly pleased with my excitement, sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the couch, his head near my waist. I bent down to grab some pizza, and, almost as if it were instinctual, I planted a soft kiss on his cheek in gratitude as I got my slice, my lips practically buzzing with electricity as I pulled away. What the hell did I just do?! He whipped his head over to look at me in surprise as I sat back and tried to appear nonchalant about it all. I took a big bite before I spoke with my mouth full, attempting to make my coverup even more casual.

   "I was grateful for the food."

   "Uh huh, ok." he said, smiling to himself at my poor attempt at trying to make the act seem friendly and unromantic.

Shit, pizza really is your kryptonite.

   "So, Miss Kissy-Kissy, what did you pick?"

I blushed a little at the nickname before I held up the tape of Road House in response.

   "Niiiice, I'm crazy for Swayze. What's he up to these days by the way?"

   "Oh, uh, he died..."

   "What?! Noooo, not Swayze!"

   "Yeah, it was really sad."

   "Damn. I really need this Zima now." he said as he cracked one open.

He handed one to me, and I examined it curiously as I took it and did the same.

   "A toast for Swayze, R.I.P." Kai said as he clinked his bottle with mine and promptly knocked back a quarter of it.

I took a small sip and choked on it a little, perplexed by the unusual taste.

   "It's good, huh?"

   "It's...interesting."

   "I told you so."

He winked before he popped the tape in, and I settled in as the movie began to play, sipping on the odd drink as we watched Patrick Swayze rip guys' throats out. In hindsight, perhaps this wasn't the best choice of film. I tore my eyes away from the movie to look down at Kai, who was thoroughly enthralled by the images flashing across the television, and my gaze lingered over his face and how soft and innocent it looked, his features illuminated by the incandescence of the screen. Aware that my eyes were on him, he turned back to look up at me, and I tried to pretend that I hadn't been looking at him, quickly switching my attention back to the movie. I glanced down again to see that he was still looking up at me, knowingly, and I drew in a shaky breath under the intensity of his gaze.

   "What are you looking at so intently, hm?"

   "Oh, uh, nothing."

He smiled at my terrible deflection and moved towards me until his face hovered a mere couple of inches away from mine, and his gaze flicked down to my lips and then back up to meet my eyes. Oh Lord. I tried to keep my heartbeat steady and my breathing even, but it was nearly impossible with him in such close proximity. He began to lean even closer, and my breath hitched just as he changed direction last minute and placed a soft kiss on the side of my cheek.

   "Now we're even." he teasingly whispered into my ear, lingering there for a moment before he sat back down.

I breathed out a little, the tension in my body dissipating as I thought about how close he had come to kissing me. My mind lingered on the sparks that flew from his gentle, outwardly unassuming peck, and, even worse, on how, in that moment, I had realized how badly I had wanted him to kiss me. Trying to once again shove Kai-centered thoughts into the back of my mind, I focused on the movie all the way up until the end credits rolled.

   "Well," Kai said as he got up and ejected the tape, "that was fun."

   I jumped back at his touch as he reached over and grabbed the empty Zima bottle that was resting in the crook of my arm, and he smiled as he commented slyly, "Wow, the hot and cold approach. That's a lot more deviousness than I ever expected from you-I like it."

   "I am not...you just startled me, that's all. I was thinking."

   "About me and my irresistible charm?"

   "You wish."

   "Defensive sarcasm! Sexier by the minute."

I blushed at his newfound boldness-though none of what he said was untrue, I wished that it had been. Kai, beaming with the confidence that his assertions about me were accurate, picked everything up and put it back in the kitchen.

   As he came back out, he asked, "Shall I carry you upstairs to your bed or are you just going to crash here on the couch?"

   "I'll just crash here." I answered before I let out a giant yawn.

Waves of sleepiness began to wash over me, and I curled up into a comfortable position as best I could with my ankle. Kai tilted his head at me and ran up the stairs, coming back down with a thick comforter that he laid over me and tucked around me.

   "Thanks Kai." I mumbled sleepily.

   "Awww, you're adorable when you're all sleepy instead of overbearingly sarcastic and defensive," he said, leaning down to boop my nose. "Good night Sloane."

   "Love you, good night."

Oh shit, my second error of the evening. I closed my eyes, hoping that it had escaped his notice, but I could feel his stare on me. I refused to open them again, pretending that I had fallen fast asleep, and eventually I heard Kai shuffle away before I was truly drawn into slumber.