Consumed » Kai Parker

Forty Seven

Kai's POV

"Oh, fuuuuck yes."

Charlie pauses, eyeing me weirdly. "Kai, we're in line for a breakfast buffet and you keep moaning like you're," she lowers her voice, due to the other hotel guests in close proximity next to her, "you know. Stop, people are staring at you."

I wave my hand in dismissal, loading my plate, already piled high with other goods, with hash browns and turkey bacon. "Let them. This is one of the best displays of food I've ever had the pleasure of seeing since I escaped the prison world." The woman standing next to me, who was in the middle of depositing scrambled eggs onto her plate, freezes, and gives me a look, before ushering her kids away. Charlie tries to stifle a snicker, noticing this.

"Kai," she says, failing to sound stern and I grin at her, making my way down the line. "Oh, my God, everyone in this hotel thinks you're a creep."

"Even you?" I ask her, turning my head to lean in close to her face with a jeer, before perusing the last few food options toward the end of the line.

"Especially me," she teases, nudging my shoulder before grabbing a glass of orange juice from the refrigerated section, adding it to her tray and declaring that she's ready to go.

Frowning with indecision at the variety of different smoothie flavors laid out across the countertop in crystal glasses, I tell her absently, "Go grab us a table, I'll be there in a sec."

Eventually deciding on the pink smoothie labeled strawberry banana blast, I set it down on my tray and snatch a glass of OJ to go along with it, 'cause why the fuck not, this buffet has everything. It's only then, when I turn around to go find Charlie, that I find her still standing by me.

"Couldn't find the tables, babe?" I chuckle.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanna eat in your room instead?"

Though I'm not at all opposed to the suggestion, I arch an eyebrow at her, questioning. "Aren't your friends gonna be down here in a few minutes?"

She shakes her head, dismissing the notion. "Probably not. Bonnie and Liv are still getting ready in our room last I checked, and who knows what Damon and Elena are up to."

I shudder. "Don't know, don't care, don't wanna know. Not about to have my appetite ruined when I just barely got to taste all this food."

She chuckles and we head out of the breakfast hall with our plates in hand, leaving behind the chatter of other early birds who wanted to snag the best items from the buffet.

"...then, she had the nerve to grab the last slice of French toast when she saw that I had my eyes on it."

Charlie is retelling the story of her encounter with a rude woman back at the breakfast buffet as we step off the elevator once it reaches the fourth floor. I glance down at her during our walk to the room, grinning at the way her eyebrows are furrowed in frustration, like she's considering going back down to the first floor just to track the woman down and throttle her.

"And I was like, hello? I was going to grab that. And she was like, well maybe you shouldn't be so damn slow next time because you're not entitled to every damn thing in this buffet, sweetheart. I mean, can you believe that? Who's that much of a bitch at nine in the morning anyway?" She looks at me with incredulity, waiting for my response while I laugh quietly, unlocking the door to my room and pushing it open so she can walk in first.

"Should've told me," I say, setting my plate down on the nightstand near the right side of the bed before pushing myself up onto it. She mimics my actions, scooting closer to me with her plate balanced on her thighs. "Your handsome witch in shining armor would've defended you."