Page 242 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“Oh, Drew can’t stand it. I can’t even count how many fights they’ve had.”
Kai smirks. “Countless? Like Freddy’s dates?”
I laugh, easing into being alone at the table with Kai. “Exactly.”
Some of the fun disappears from Kai’s expression. “Were you really worried about Jamie moving into my house?”
“Can’t a girl be possessive about her boyfriend?”
He relaxes a little with a laugh. “Well, sure. But Jamie is just one of the guys.”
“I know. But… Well, me and other girls, we have a catty history. Old habits die hard.”
Kai squeezes my hand, and I notice some clamminess on his end. Then, with his other hand, he runs his index finger along the scar below his left eye. “Jamie doesn’t know how I got this.”
I swallow hard. “She doesn’t?”
“Tabby, there’s nothing else you’re expected to do with Jamie. Honestly, with the way Jamie and I keep fighting, my friendship with her will be ending.”
“No,” I rush. “I’m not having that. I won’t be the reason your friendship ends.”
“But she’s being so stubborn.”
I grip his bicep. “And so are you.”
“But I’m the one with the new relationship to protect.”
“And she’s probably feeling abandoned. That’s how I felt when Camila and Yvette would ditch me for their new boyfriends.”
Kai’s determination pierces through my soul. “Jamie won’t make us break up. I won’t allow it.”
“But, you…”
Kai scoops me into a hug, edging me off my seat and onto his lap. “I don’t want you ever thinking we’re breaking up. That’s only happening if you want it.”
I dig my chin into his shoulder. “I don’t want to break up.”
His hands press into my back, and his frame relaxes. “Good, because I don’t like losing.”
I pull back so I can kiss him, but he stops me. “What is it?”
He unravels one hand to touch his scar again. “I got this when I was six. I was at my grandparents’ house…”
“Stop,” I interrupt. “You don’t have to tell this story. You told me you don’t tell anyone.”
“You’re not anyone,” he whispers. “You’re my girl.”
Okay, I’m putty.
“My grandparents had this little dog, and I was chasing it around their house. I ran into the kitchen, and a drawer was open. I hit the corner and immediately there was so much blood. It was the first time I had needed stitches.”
“Oh, wow. That would’ve been scary at six-years-old.” I pause to think about it. “So, a kitchen cupboard? Oh, I just thought…”
“Exactly,” Kai cuts in. “I kept putting off this story. I came back to school with a bandage and stitches. Everyone wanted to know what had happened. Soon, the mystery became so much bigger than the real story. Who am I to take the conspiracy away from my friends?”
“So you’ve made it out to be more than it is?”
“I just keep the truth hidden.” He caresses the side of my face. “But I don’t keep the truth from you. I wanted to tell you that day at the arcade, but I got too in my head.”
