by Rebel Hart
“Nina?” I looked to my right, and Kai was standing above me, looking down at me with the most pain and anguish in his eyes than I’d ever seen before. “Hey.”
“Kai. Hi,” I replied.
“Can I, uh, talk to you for a second?”
“Um.” I was truly torn. After our history, I didn’t think I had much left to say to him, but the look on his face plucked at my heartstrings. “Okay.”
I stood up and followed Kai a few feet away from the table. He tried and failed a few times to start his sentence, fidgeting with his backpack strap, and the hem of his shirt, and anything he could get his hands on.
Finally, he took a deep breath. “I’m sure Sydney told you all about the role I played in this mess you all are in.”
I looked over my shoulder at Sydney, who was watching intently, but immediately looked away when we locked eyes. I looked back at Kai and shook my head. “No, she didn’t. This is your fault?”
“Fuck,” Kai grumbled. “Look, just tell her to play the tape for you. In any event, there’s something I need to tell you, and I’ve been practicing it for, like, damn near twenty-four hours straight, so please let me get all the way through it before you say anything, okay?”
“Okay.”
Kai looked right into my eyes, and deep inside me, the young, teenage girl that had a crush on him perked up. The feelings I had for Kai were residual and fading, but I couldn’t deny what had been left behind after so long.
“I’m in love with you,” Kai said.
My brain imploded. “Um. What?”
“Yeah. I know that’s kind of crazy to hear after the way I’ve acted. I was listening to Taylor, and I don’t mean it like an excuse. I should have talked to you first, but… She was telling me that you’re just a player, and I saw the way you were with Devon. I thought maybe it was actually true.” He sighed. “I’ve always liked you. I wanted to ask you out the first time I saw you, but Taylor realized that you liked me, too, and interfered. Again, I’m not trying to make excuses. I tried to keep myself from developing any feelings for you, but you’re great. No matter how much I tried, I found myself drawn to you, always flirting with you and wanting to be near you. I mean, you felt that, too, right?”
I couldn’t lie. “I did.”
“Yeah. See?” He shook his head. “How I acted at NewSem was disgusting. I never should have pressured you like that, but I panicked. I thought you were with Devon, and I felt like I was losing you. I don’t just want to sleep with you, Nina. I want to do everything. I want to go out on dates and bring you to meet my parents. I’ve always dreamed of bringing you back home to Hawaii. There’s a Disney resort there. You love Disney.”
I nodded. “I do love Disney.”
“You’d love it there. It’s perfect for relaxing and reading.” Kai grabbed my hand. “I know that you’re with Devon, but I also know that’s new, and you and I have all this history. I want to be with you, Nina, and I’ll wait as long as I have to for the sex part. I deserve it after how I acted. I love you.”
There was an internal battle going on between the teenager I used to be and the person I’d grown into. I thought about every time I pined after Kai or dreamt about him. Every time I shut someone down who tried to start something with me because I wanted to be available for him or all the hoops that I jumped through for chances to be near him. I’d battled through hell to be with Kai, and now here he was, saying the words that I’d always dreamt of him saying. I’d always wanted to be with Kai, and now I finally had a chance.
Only I didn’t want it anymore.
I said a silent apology to my fourteen-year-old self and slowly pulled my hand from Kai. “I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not. You hurt me. Not just at NewSem, but a lot over the last few years. If you’d said that stuff to me even a month ago, my answer might be different, but I’m in love with someone else.”
Kai dropped his head for a moment before looking back up at me. “I’m never gonna stop hoping that things change, and if they do, I’ll be here.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” I replied, and it felt amazing. The only thing I felt from Kai’s confession was an excitement that I could finally close the Kai chapter in my journal. “Bye.” I turned around, and Devon was standing right behind me. “Hi.”
He had a blinding smile on his face. “I was eavesdropping. Not sorry.”
“So, I guess you heard, then?” I said. “You’re stuck with me.”
He shrugged. “I’ll have tons of time this year to get over it.”
My jaw dropped. “Yeah?”
“I’m a Presper student once again! Both Kai and his dad can go suck it!”
“Hell yeah!” I jumped into Devon’s arms, and he lifted me off the ground as he kissed me. “I love you.”
He rubbed a thumb over my cheek. “I love you.”
If things hadn’t gone well for Devon, I would have stuck around regardless, but I couldn’t help but be elated that I’d get to spend the rest of the school year with my no longer fake boyfriend.
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Rebel Hart is an author of Contemporary and Dark Romance novels. All her books are FREE in Kindle Unlimited. Check them out at author.to/RebelHart.
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