I think about how scared I was to go home last night, how Kai stayed up and watched movies with me, and how we ended up falling asleep on the couch together when I thought I wasn’t even going to be able to sleep at all.
“You can stay with me if you need to.”
“At your grandma’s house?”
“She won’t care. She’s nice. She’ll probably make you sleep on the couch, but it’s pretty comfortable. And she makes breakfast in the morning.”
As he considers my offer, a series of emotions flash across his face: hesitancy, confusion, gratitude, and ultimately, hilarity. “Are you going to sleep on the couch with me?”
I roll my eyes. “No. You have to be a big boy and sleep all by yourself.”
He juts out his lip, sulking. “But I slept on the couch with you. Doesn’t that mean you have to return the favor?”
I smash my lips together to keep from smiling and encouraging him more. “I’ll return the favor another time. My grandma’s cool and everything, but not that cool.”
Grinning, he reaches forward and traces his finger down the brim of my nose. “I’m going to make sure you follow through with that.”
His touch makes me feel like I swallowed a jaw full of very alive, very excited butterflies. All from a freakin’ touch.
Afraid my voice will come out all wobbly, I say nothing and search the store for an icepack. I end up settling on a cup full of ice, and then I grab a couple of napkins to clean up the blood with. The band-aids are a no-go, so I pick up a couple of candy bars and a soda, hoping a little sugar rush might help him feel better.
After we pay, he waves good-bye to the cashier, and then we head out to the car. Kai grabs a thin folder and his jacket out of his car before sliding into the backseat of my grandma Stephy’s car.
Indigo rotates around in the seat, takes in the sight of his face, and her jaw drops. “Whoa. You look like shit.”
“Gee, thanks,” he says then sighs. “But seriously, thanks for coming to pick my sorry ass up. It was really cool of you.”
“No worries.” Indigo starts the engine. “You’re okay, right?”
“I am now.” He wiggles around, knocking his back against the seat. “I think this seat is busted.” He reaches over and fiddles with a latch, folding the back of the seat forward and peering into the trunk. “Your grandma really needs to get this fixed.”
“She won’t,” I say, sliding into the seat beside him. “She’ll say it’s old and has character and that fixing it would be ruining it.”
Kai shoves the seat back, his eyes landing on me. “You don’t have to sit back here with me. I promise I can handle sitting by myself for a couple of hours without getting into trouble.”
“I don’t know about that. You’re kind of a handful.” I set the bag of stuff I bought onto the floor and pull the door shut. “I’m going to try to clean up your face, okay?”
“Aw, my very own naughty nurse.” He presses a hand against his chest. “I’ve always wanted one of those.”
Indigo giggles as she drives out of the parking lot. “I forgot how adorable he is.”
“Don’t encourage him,” I warn her. To Kai, I say, “I’m not your naughty nurse. I’m just trying to get you bandaged up, and then I’ll try to see if I can find info about concussions.”
He rubs his lips together, suppressing a smile. “Don’t ruin my fun. Right now, I’m totally picturing you in a tight, short, white dress with knee-highs that go all the way up those long legs of yours.” His gaze drags up my legs. “It looks really good on you, by the way.”
Tingles spill across my skin, but I quickly shrug them off. I’m not sure whether to be happy he’s in a good mood despite everything going on or worried that maybe it’s a concussion making him act like this.
“Lean back in the seat,” I instruct as I dig out the napkins and water. “I’m going to clean the blood off your face. Then you can press the cup of ice to your cheek while I do an internet search on concussions. Whatever you do, don’t go to sleep, though. I think I remember reading something in health class about needing to stay awake after a concussion or something.”
He pouts. “What if I’m tired, though?”
I wag a finger at him. “I don’t care if you’re tired. Keep your eyes open. If I even so much as see them starting to shut, I’ll pinch you.”
He lifts his hand to cover his mouth and hide a smile. “You’re cute when you’re bossy.”
I suck a discreet inhale through my nose, trying to remain nonchalant. But I can’t help thinking about Kyler and how, earlier today, he called my freckles cute. While I know Kai’s just messing around with me, it still feels uncomfortable to have both of them call me cute on the same day.
After I settle my breathing down, I twist the lid off the bottle of water and pour a couple of drops onto a few napkins. “So, are you going to tell me what you were doing out in Mapleview?” I gently press the napkin to a dried spot of blood on his cheek.
He flinches but doesn’t move his head, keeping his eyes trained on me. “I was doing something for Big Doug.”
“What kind of something?” I delicately run the napkin against his cheek, slowly moving it toward his jawline.
“Just something.”
“Something sketchy? Because Mapleview doesn’t have the best rep for being a place where people go to do good things.”
“Are you judging me?” He hugs the folder to his chest like a teddy bear, looking hurt.
“What? God, no… I’m just worried about you.” I inch closer to him, press a couple of fingers to his other cheek, and tilt his head so I can clean off the blood on the other side of his face. “This morning, when we were in the hallway, you started to tell me something bad was going on with you and that T guy, but you never got a chance to finish.”
“Because Kyler interrupted,” he grumbles, scowling.
“I know. I wish he wouldn’t have. I wanted to—I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” His gaze is so intense, so fixed solely on me, that my fingers tremble. “You guys hung out all day?”
I reluctantly nod. “Well, until about seven.”
“What did you guys do?” he asks, not really sounding like he’s sure he wants to know.
I shrug, turning on the ceiling light to get a better look at the cut on his forehead. “Played basketball for a little bit. Then we went to the football field and played flag football with his friends.”
“Ew,” Indigo says, and I realize she’s been listening to our entire conversation. “Football? That’s what you guys did all day?”
It makes me a tiny bit uneasy that she’s paying so much attention to Kai and me. Indigo is too observant for her own good, and she’s got a soft spot for Kai. She’s determined Kai and I belong together, despite never having met Kyler, and is very blunt about her opinion.
“It wasn’t that bad. I even scored the winning touchdown.” I examine Kai’s face to make sure I got all the blood off.
As I’m leaning over him, he starts combing his fingers through my hair. The movement, while subtle, centers all of my attention there. I become hyperaware that his face is two inches from my neck, the warmth of his breath tickling my skin.
“Touchdown or not, it still had to suck balls playing with his friends. They’re such dicks, and I know they’ve been mean to you in the past.” He makes a face. “I bet they were super nice to you now, though, just like Kyler, because you’re hot. They don’t even know you, not like I know you,” he murmurs, fixated on playing with my hair. “Your hair’s so soft. It reminds me of velvet.”
I sit back to get a good look at him. “I think I need to look up symptoms of a concussion.”
“I’m fine,” he insists, resting his head back against the seat and lowering his eyelids. “Totally … fine …”
Panicking, I pinch his arm.
His eyelids pop open, and he glares at me. “Ow. That hurt.”
“I warned you I’d do it.” I take ou
t my phone. “Now keep your eyes open while I look this up.”
“Yes, boss,” he mumbles, resting his head on my shoulder.
Indigo catches my eye in the rearview mirror, and even though I can’t see her mouth, I know she’s smiling. Me, not so much. I’m starting to get worried. Kai’s acting like he’s drunk or something. Maybe he is. But he doesn’t have alcohol breath or anything.
It takes me fifteen minutes of fighting with an in and out signal before I can pull up a useful web page. I have to pinch Kai three times to keep him awake, and each time he responds, he makes less sense. Confusion is a symptom, and he’s definitely confused. When I ask him questions about the last couple of hours, he can’t even remember how he started playing poker with the cashier at the gas station.
“What about right after you were hit by that guy?” I ask him. “Can you remember what happened then?”
“Yeah, I blacked out for a minute, woke up, called you because I have your number memorized.” He presses two fingers to his temple. “It’s all up here. Every single number engrained into my mind … And I knew, if I called you, you’d help me without judging me.” He strokes my cheek with his fingers. “You’re so nice like that. Too nice, honestly. Too nice to be with me or my brother or anyone. No one’s worthy.”
At this point, his touches and rambling don’t faze me. He clearly has a head injury, and while he doesn’t want to go to the hospital, I’m not sure I feel okay with not taking him. Not knowing what else to do, I call Grandma Stephy.
“Where are you?” she asks the moment she picks up.
“Didn’t you get my message?” I ask. “I left you one.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I’m just going to be okay coming home to an empty house after everything that happened today.” She sounds mad. “And I tried to call you a ton of times, but your phone kept going to voicemail.”
“Sorry.” I feel bad for making her worry. “We were in Mapleview, picking up one of my friends who needed a ride. It was kind of a last minute thing. His car … broke down, and he was stuck there.
“Are you heading home now?” she asks, calming down.
“Yeah, we’re about fifteen minutes …” I stammer over my words as Kai lies down and puts his head in my lap. “Um, yeah, we’re about fifteen minutes out.”
“Good,” she says. “I don’t like you being out this late, especially with everything going on.”
I think about all the crazy stuff she let Indigo and me do while we were overseas. It doesn’t make sense that she’d be worried about us being out late now. Then again, a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.
I give Kai’s arm a soft pinch since he starts to drift to sleep again.
“Grandma, do you know anything about concussions?”
“Why?” she asks warily.
I explain to her how Kai was mugged and hit over the head with a crowbar, and now he refuses to go to the hospital because he’s worried his parents will get mad at him. When she questions why he’s so worried his parents will get angry with him, I don’t know what to tell her.
“Was he not supposed to be in Mapleview?” she asks. “Did his parents not know he was out there?”
“I don’t know.” I look down at Kai lying on his side, his face nuzzled in my lap. I have the craziest urge to run my fingers through his hair, do the same thing he did to me just minutes ago. I restrain the urge, though, telling myself I don’t have a concussion, so I don’t have an excuse to touch him like that. “I think he just doesn’t get along very well with his parents. I think he’s just worried his dad will get mad at him for the car getting ruined and stuff.”
“His dad sounds like an asshole,” she says matter-of-factly. “If he got mugged, then it wasn’t his fault.”
“His dad is kind of an asshole. He kind of reminds me of Lynn, only not so out to get you. He’s just kind of a mean, angry guy.” Poor Kai. I absentmindedly slip a few fingers through his hair but then quickly pull away. Whoa. What am I doing?
“Don’t stop,” he mumbles, reaching for my hand and moving it back to his head. “That feels so good.”
I stare down at my hand with uncertainty. Should I do it? Isn’t it weird?
“Just do it,” Indigo urges. “He probably won’t remember it in the morning, so you won’t have to worry about things being awkward, but he’ll be grateful for it tonight.”
Maybe not awkward for him, but I just spent the day with his brother and let him kiss me on the corner of my mouth. And now what? I’m going to sit back here with Kai and play with his hair? Isn’t that crossing a line? But since he’s hurt, I somehow rationalize that it’s okay and lightly run my fingers through his hair.
It’s so soft…
“Isa, what’s going on?” Grandma Stephy says through the phone, startling me.
I completely forgot I was talking to her.
“Nothing.” No, it’s definitely something. “What should I do about the concussion? Do you think he’ll be okay if I don’t take him to a doctor?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know much about concussions.” She pauses. “I have a friend who’s a retired doctor. He lives a few buildings down. Let me give him a call to see if he’s still awake. Maybe he can help us out.”
I recline back in the seat with my fingers still in Kai’s hair. “Thanks, Grandma.”
“You can thank me by getting your ass home. I’ll feel better when you’re here.”
Yeah, me, too, but mostly because I just want to make sure Kai’s okay.
By the time I hang up, we’re almost to the apartment complex. Kai still has his head on my lap when we turn into the parking lot, and I’m still combing my fingers through his hair. I don’t know why, but I’m starting to find the movement almost as soothing as he does.
“Kai,” I whisper as Indigo shuts off the engine. “We’re here.” When he doesn’t respond, I talk more loudly, leaning closer. “Kai, we’re at my grandma’s house. You have to get up so we can go inside.”
The only answer I get is the soft sound of his breathing.
“Kai.” I pinch him. Nothing. Panic. Panic. Panic. “Kai, you have to wake up.”
“I am awake,” he groans. “So quit yelling.”
Relief washes over me at the sound of his voice. “Come on. I’ll help you walk in, but I can’t carry you.”
He rolls to his back, and his eyelids flutter as he opens his eyes. He blinks up at me, dazed and confused. “Where are we?”
“At my grandma’s,” I tell him. “Remember, I said you could stay here.”
He doesn’t seem to have a clue what I’m talking about but sits up, anyway. He remains quiet as he opens the door and stumbles outside into the cool night air. I hurry and hop out, chasing after him as he wanders across the grass, heading in the wrong direction.
“Nope, this way.” I catch his arm and haul him in the opposite direction.
He follows me, blinking around at the surroundings, being strangely quiet for Kai. I don’t relax when I get him inside. If anything, I freak out even more. In the light, he looks so much worse. His eyes are bloodshot, his expression dazed. Thankfully, my grandma’s doctor friend is already there.
He’s an older guy, probably in his seventies, with salt and pepper hair. He seems nice enough as he tells Kai to sit down on the sofa then pulls a chair up and asks him a series of questions. Kai answers the best he can. Then the doctor checks his reflexes. I decide to mention to the doctor that I think Kai also hurt his ribs so he’ll check them out, too. I don’t bother mentioning that it was from yesterday, because I don’t even want to attempt explaining why Kai’s getting beaten up so much. I couldn’t even if I tried since Kai hasn’t explained what happened yet.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Indigo tries to reassure me.
“Yeah, I know.” But I don’t know for sure. I don’t know much of anything anymore. I’m becoming the most clueless girl in the world. Isabella Anders, the clueless girl who doesn’t know who her mother is, who play
s with a guys’ hair after she kind of, sort of kissed another guy, who’s so worried sick right now she feels like she’s going to puke.
Indigo offers me some cookies. “You need to eat.”
I grab a handful and stuff them into my mouth, but I barely taste them. “I’ll feel better when I know he’s okay.”
“I wonder why that is.” Her accusing gaze bores a hole into the side of my head, but I refuse to look at her.
After the doctor finishes, he gets up from the chair and addresses Grandma Stephy. “He has a mild concussion, and that cut on his head might need a couple of stitches.” He looks at me. “I tried to tell him he might need to get it taken care of, but he says he’s fine. I don’t have anything to stitch him up here, so I suggest trying to get him to go in the morning. As for the ribs, he may have broken one, but there’s not much I can do for that. He’ll just need to take it easy. He could go in and get an x-ray to confirm it, but that’s about it.”
I nod, but considering how adamant Kai was about not going to the hospital, I don’t think I will be able to persuade him.
The doctor makes a list of symptoms to watch out for and says that, if he shows any signs of them, take him to the hospital right away. Then he gathers his stuff, and Grandma Stephy walks him out.
Kai’s gaze collides with mine from across the room, and he pats the cushion beside him. “Come and sit with me and play with my hair some more.” He seems more alert than he did in the car, but the wounds on his face are more prominent under the light.
When I dither, Indigo nudges me in the back with her elbow, shoving me forward. “Go and take care of your man candy.”
I shoot her a dirty look, but she only laughs at me.
Shaking my head, I pad across the room and sit down on the chair beside Kai. “Do you need anything? The doctor said you could take a couple of painkillers, and I think my grandma might have an ice pack in the freezer.”
He lies down and puts his head on my lap again. “I just want to rest like this.”
“Is my lap that comfortable?” I joke, smiling down at him.
He bobs his head up and down, looking up at me, all serious and intense like he gets sometimes. “It’s better than a pillow.”
The Year Falling in Love (Alternative Version) (Sunnyvale Alternative Series Book 2) Page 11
