Kaider Shots

B.a.B Part 3

Cinder pushed Kai off her, away from the kiss. She caught sight of his face, which feigned disappointment.

"Kai, what are you taking about?" she nearly squealed. "Happy endings, they're not real. They're in books, they're fiction."

Kai's words were stuck in his throat as his eyes began to sadden, and Cinder had no idea why she'd said that. She completely believed in happy endings, but not the one Kai was talking about. She wanted something that lasted, something with a base. Like meeting the perfect guy and spending time with him. Having the most wonderful first kiss in a romantic scene.

She didn't want a whirlwind fling that lasted for all of a few weeks. Not a burst of light that leaves her in the dust when he's done.

"But we could have that. You understand what it means to have that," he reasoned. He took a step toward her and wrapped one of her hands in both of his. "Please, Cinder. If you give me a chance, I can prove to you that it can work."

Now this was definitely a page out of a romance novel. The boy begging the girl to give him just one chance to prove himself, to prove he cared about her.

But she'd seen Kai all of two times in total. And he was acting like they'd been friends for years. Cinder was on edge on whether he was mentally stable or not.

She also saw the pleading in his eyes. It melt half of her resolve away. It was like he was saying, "You're my last chance. Please, don't give up on me."

"Okay," she sighed. "One date. But we need to actually talk about this. We can't just rush into it like that."

His smile was so bright and big it could outshine a star. He swooped it to her and was about to kiss her again. Out of nowhere, she pressed her index and middle fingers to his lips.

"Can we wait a while, before doing that again?" she asked. He flattered a little, but nodded and backed away.

"Alright," he agreed. He brought her hand to his lips and brushed them against it. "Goodbye, Cinder."

And like that, he was gone. The bell rang, and Cinder crashed onto her bean bag. Her heart was racing at a million miles an hour. She'd just pushed away a heart-flipping moment with a literal prince. Everything she'd ever dreamed of as a child, she just threw it away.

But she'd grown up from that, and knew that a real relationship relied on trust and faith and actually knowing the person you're with. She knew next to nothing about Kai, and she was going on a date with him. And to top it off, he kissed her! Out of the blue, without a reason. It was enough to make her head explode.

The bell rang again, and Cinder shrank back into herself. "Cinder!" a friendly voice called. "Where are you hiding?"

As fast as she could, Cinder scrambled out of the alcove and to the front desk. There, Winter was waiting, and she seemed almost as confused as she was.

"A boy outside said you'd need this." Winter held out a piece of paper to her. Cinder took it hesitantly and read what was on it.

1-800-143-1987

Call me when you're free.

-Kai

"I don't know why," Winter began. "But I feel like I've seen him before."

"That's reassuring," Cinder grumbled. Now, he was expecting him to call her. She hadn't had time to be relieved that he hadn't given her his number before he left. At least he doesn't have mine.