Page 16 of Exile
“Kitten, if you think I’m going to let little things like work or taking care of your mom prevent me from claiming the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and calling her mine, you are seriously delusional. I am going to make this work. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” He presses another kiss to my mouth, sealing his promise to me and causing all of my fears to melt away.
CHAPTER TEN
SERENA
The next few weeks pass with Dom and I forming a cozy routine. We see each other most mornings at the coffee shop when he stops in. At least once or twice a week he comes over to have dinner with me and Mom. When I work at Mav’s Fridays and Saturdays, Dom will come after his shift to lurk on a bar stool and keep the frat boys at bay. Brad and his merry band of douche bros haven’t been seen since Dom took them down a few pegs, and I can’t help but be grateful for his insistence in hanging around. Our dates out of the house are nonexistent thanks to my crazy work schedule and studying for finals. Plus Mrs. G has been helping her sister during her recovery, so she hasn’t been able to stay with Mom again. My guilt won’t allow me to ask Kai to stay with Mom.
Speaking of Kai, outside of class and his occasional stops by Brewed Awakening (never when Dom is there), I have barely seen him, thanks to Dom taking up whatever free time I have available. A pang of longing hits me when I think about my friend, and I decide to text him to see if he wants to come over tonight for a movie night. It’s Sunday afternoon, and Dom is off golfing with Eric and Dane, so my evening is wide open.
Me: You, me and a movie marathon tonight? And by marathon, we will watch half a movie, and I’ll pass out from exhaustion?
I don’t have to wait long for Kai’s response, which loosens a knot of uneasiness that had been building in my chest.
Kai: Depends. Which movie am I listening to you snore through, and will there be popcorn?
I bark out a laugh at his response, his humor enveloping me like a warm blanket. Hanging out with my best friend is exactly what I need tonight.
Me: Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. Duh. And I’ll even throw in some M&Ms to go with the popcorn since I’m feeling generous.
Kai: See you at 7.
At 7:00 p.m., Kai waltzes in through the front door, a six pack of fruity ciders for us to share. He knows I’m not big on most alcohol, so he always brings something I’ll like even if the fruity stuff isn’t his favorite. He claims he only drinks the stuff because I do, but I’ve seen half-drunk six packs of ciders in his fridge that I know I had nothing to do with.
I’ve got a frozen pizza fresh from the oven, a big bowl of popcorn, two sharing size bags of M&Ms spread out on the coffee table with Zombieland queued up and ready to go. Mom has gone up to her room claiming a headache, but I think she just wanted to give Kai and I time to hang out on our own.
Kai stops after he enters the living room, eyeing me suspiciously. “Where did you get that?” I look behind me, trying to figure out what he could be talking about.
“Get what?” I ask, spinning around trying to see what he sees.
“That,” he says again, pointing directly at me, his lips pressed in a flat, unamused line. It’s then I realize I’m wearing my favorite oversized hoodie. A.K.A. Kai’s favorite A Tribe Called Quest hoodie that he got when he saw them on tour for his eighteenth birthday. He let me borrow it when the weather was unexpectedly chilly one day in our senior year of high school, and I might have—maybe—forgotten to give it back on purpose.
“Oh, uh, this old thing? I…uh…think you left it here. I thought you gave it to me.” I smile sheepishly at him, stuffing my hands into the front pocket, hoping he won’t make me take it off right this minute. I’m dressed for lounging and stuffing my face with junk food. That means baggy sweatpants, no bra and my most comfy hoodie is all I’m wearing.
“Uh-huh. Yeah, I don’t think so, ReRe. You stole that hoodie. That is mine. Give it back.” He lunges at me suddenly, and I shriek in alarm when he grabs me around the waist and tugs me into him so he can pull off the shirt.
“No! Kai! No! Stoooooop.” I’m laughing like a loon, because he’s tickling me with one hand as the other starts yanking up the bottom hem of the sweatshirt.
“This is rightfully mine, ReRe. Give it to me now, or I’ll be forced to tickle you into submission.” Kai’s fingers dig into my ribs, and I squirm futilely trying to get out of his grasp and preserve my modesty. He knows I’m ticklish beyond reason, and I’m powerless to stop him.
“Hahastahppleasehaaa,” I wheeze out, tears starting to stream down my face. Kai’s arm that isn’t busy tickling me has worked its way under the hoodie, and he’s pulling it up, exposing my bare torso. I feel his knuckles brush against my bare skin, and even despite the uncontrollable giggles, it sends a shiver through me to feel him touch me like that.
“Give it up, ReRe, and all of this will be over.” His husky voice teases my ear as his hand inches further up, until suddenly he’s got a handful of the hoodie and my bare breast at the same time. We both freeze. My back pressed into his chest, his left arm banded around my waist, hand still digging into my ribs while his other hand cups my left breast. It’s like time stops, and we both forget how to breathe and how to move. Not once in our entire relationship, in all of our many wrestling matches, or tickle fights, or goofing around, have we ever been this close to intimacy. We are friends. Best friends. This is not a line that we have ever crossed.
I find myself acutely aware of the way I can feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, in time with the hummingbird flutter of my own. I also find myself very much aware of the press of his now hard length pressed against my backside. Time finally seems to resume, and Kai lets go of me in an instant, backing away, hands up in the air.
“Uh…you can keep it for now. But Ima get it back before I leave.” He won’t look me in the eye, and I can see a red hue lighting up the tips of his ears even with his sepia skin tone. I quickly nod my head and yank the shirt back down into place.
“Yeah, I was trying to tell you before you tried to take what I rightfully stole—I’m not wearing a bra.” Somehow his cheeks manage to redden even more at my confession.
“I noticed,” Kai bites out as he plops down on the couch, pulling a pillow onto his lap. I can’t help but smirk at his discomfort as I plop down on the other end of the couch, giving him some space to cool down. I decide to plate up some pizza as a peace offering to break the tension. There’s no reason to let an accidental boob grab make things weird between us and ruin our night. It's been weeks since we’ve hung out, and I’m determined to still enjoy our evening. I’m so determined to not let things be awkward that I pack away the thrill of enjoyment I got from Kai’s warm palm cupping my breast into a tiny little mental box made of steel and lock it away deep in the recesses of my mind. I have Dom for that kind of stuff now, and I have no business thinking of Kai in that way at all. Especially when he’s clearly so uncomfortable with what happened.
“Ready to watch zombies get splattered?”
We are so engrossed in our movies that I don’t notice any notifications on my phone until after Kai helps me clean up and says goodnight. I check my phone after I climb into bed and see the missed texts and calls from Dom.
Tall, Dark and Pumpkin Spiced: Hey, Kitten. Just got done golfing. Want me to come over?
Tall, Dark and Pumpkin Spiced: I can bring dinner? I was thinking maybe we could do a sleepover.