𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝓜𝓮

Chapter 3

EMMALINE LEILA WARNER

I felt my heavy limbs ache from exhaustion before I was even fully conscious. Groaning as I stretched one leg straight, then the other, and pushed the side of my face into the pillow. How long have I been sleeping? I couldn't even remember falling asleep, briefly replaying through the day; school, academy, going home with Kai— Kai.

My eyes snapped open and instead of being met with my dresser that laid next to my bed in my room, I was met with a bookshelf in Kai's room. I mean technically it was mine, since when he got it he told me how he's tired of me leaving my books behind or messing up the place with them scattered everywhere, so now it was had just about five crossword and puzzle books, kai's books, and the rest was all mine. Wait— I'm in Kai's room.

I snapped my head to my right, but he wasn't there. Thank God. I closed my eyes, still halfway in my dream state as I replayed what happened. I forced him to watch a cartoon he hated then slept through it. Oh God, why am I like this? And before it— no. I didn't even want to think about that. Still, I couldn't stop the memory from flashing in my brain. He was absolutely gorgeous. I hated it. He didn't fit the stereotype of the typical masculine boy, but even so, his lean form was strong and defined, with visible six-pack abs. His muscles were lean and wiry, built up from working out and training rather than from bulk and brawn.

I've definitely seen Kai with no shirt before, when we went swimming, or when he just took off his shirt to change into another in the academy, but I never walked on him like that in my life. He was in nothing but a towel for god's sake.

"Ugh," I groaned loudly, kicking my feet against the bed, causing the blanket to fall on the floor, and grabbed a pillow slamming it to my face. Why couldn't I just knock? That was so embarrassing.

I sighed putting the pillow down and sitting up, running a hand through my hair that was still cold from the shower. It was dark outside, with only the moonlight coming from the window eliminating the place. I flipped the switch of the nightstand lamp and my eyes roamed around the room, processing. My gaze fell on the dresser mirror, with some polaroids, and unfinished crosswords, tugged in the corner. I smiled at the polaroid of Kai and me on his 12th birthday, when I made fun of him being short, still there, rolling my eyes when they saw the other one underneath it in my 16th birthday with him resting his arm on my head with a very big grin his eyes were barely even visible while I frowned crossing my arms as proof that he finally got taller, saying, and I quote, "And that, my friend, is called karma. Now, pose for the picture!"

There was one with him and Kenji standing on the couch, Kenji holding a pan as Kai held his arms in surrender. Another one with Naz hugging him so tight, I could see the pain in his eyes from running out of air. The last one was one with Kai, mum, dad, and me. Mum had her arm linked in Dad's as Kai wrapped his arms around my shoulder from behind, all of us grinning so hard except for dad whose eyes were shooting daggers at kai.