Isla

 

The Jeep came to a halt and I lurched up, blinking around. I’d dozed off at some point after we’d gotten dinner and now we were back at the house. Glancing over, I saw Kai was already out of the car and I scrambled to unbuckle. He opened my door a second later, the bags in his arms and his face hidden in the shadows.

“Watch your step,” he said, helping me down.

I stared around at the darkness. It was almost impossible to see anything, only a handful of solar lights illuminated the driveway and path.

“Do you have a flashlight?” I asked, taking a step forward and stumbling a little.

“Don’t need one,” Kai said loftily. “Here, hold onto me. I’ve got great night vision.”

Clutching his arm, I had to almost jog to keep up with his long stride and sighed with relief when the white sand of the beach came into sight as the trees fell away. The ocean was all darkness, save where the whitecaps appeared and then vanished seconds later.

Climbing the stairs, I let out a sigh of content as Kai opened the door. “It’s good to be home.” He went still, glancing at me and I thought I saw a light flash in his eyes. But something in his rigid posture suggested I’d overstepped some line. And after the stupidity of vanishing on him earlier at the market, I flushed wildly. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it…”

Kai jerked open the door and went in, depositing the bags on a table and heading for the bathroom. I sighed as I followed him in and then smiled around as the cats oozed out from various parts of the room.

“Hello, cats,” I said, squatting down to pat Nacho, who was writhing around in excitement. “I missed you.” He followed me as I went into the kitchen and I laughed.

As I poured myself a glass of water, Kai reappeared and gave me a tired smile. “I’m exhausted. Good night, Isla.”

“Kai, wait,” I said, pulling on my hair nervously. “I’m-I’m sorry about what happened earlier. And what I just said. It slipped out.” I paused, thinking back over that long and quiet car ride. “And thank you again – for everything.” Meeting his unreadable brown eyes, I said, “I’m going to make it up to you.”

An almost pained grimace crossed his face. “You don’t have to do that. You don’t owe me jack.”

Soft laughter bubbled between my lips. “Kai, are you serious? I owe you more than you know.”

He nodded stiffly. “Alright. Hey, no training tomorrow okay? Rest day for both of us. Night.”

And with that, Kai turned and went to his room, closing the door between us.

 

It was almost 11 a.m. the next day and I’d been painting for hours. As I put down the brush and stretched out the kink in my neck, I glanced at Kai’s door. It was still closed.

Is he still sleeping? I thought, a little worried and irritated.

Walking over to the door, I rubbed my palms on my thighs and listened at the door. It was quiet and I carefully twisted the doorknob, peeking in.

Empty?!

An indignant sound escaped me as I looked at the heap of blankets and drawn blinds. When had Kai woken up? Where was he now? I’d been up since seven and hadn’t seen him once.

Pacing to the front windows, I stared out and studied the ocean. It was empty and I could see all the surfboards were accounted for. Gritting my teeth, I went into the kitchen and aimlessly rummaged through the cabinets. If Kai had gone somewhere, the least he could have done was leave a damn note.

After lunch, another few hours of painting, I laid down on the couch to rest my eyes for a second. When I opened them again, the pink, ruddy light of sunset was pouring through the windows. Rubbing my face, I gaped in amazement. I’d slept for three hours.

Working out had wiped me out, I guessed.

At that moment, I realized the house was incredibly quiet. Kai’s not back.

Getting up, I hastily looked through the rooms just in case and then outside again. The beach and yard were empty. Flying down the stairs, I hastened across the sand and studied the water.

Had he gone swimming and…?

My mind seized, unable to finish the thought. Kai, where are you?

Glancing right, I suddenly realized I could see a figure walking towards me along the water, shuffling and kicking at the sand. My heart seemed to burst from my chest as my feet took off and I ran down the beach.

Kai gave me a half-smile as I ran up to him. “Hey, Isla.” Furious, I punched him hard in the arm and he jumped. “Woah, now. Training is tomorrow.”

“You could have left a note if you were going to take off all day!” I huffed. “Where’d you go?”

“Ah, I didn’t realize – I lost track of time,” Kai said, sounding vague. “You know me.”

“I do know you,” I retorted, my temper flaring. “And that’s not like you. Is this about yesterday?” I demanded. “There are better ways to handle these things!”

“Taking a walk is always a good idea,” Kai said calmly, sticking his hands in his pockets. At that moment, I realized he was wearing a shirt and a light hoodie. It was a little jarring to see him so clothed, I thought with some hilarity. But the day was a bit on the cooler side. “I needed space.”

Swallowing, I asked before I could help it, “From me?”

“What?” Kai looked startled and his gaze sharpened on me. “Uh, no.”

“You watch out for me all the time, Kai. I wish you’d let me do the same for you,” I said. “And if I’m bothering you, just say so.”

A small smile appeared on his face. “I’ll keep that in mind, but you weren’t bothering me.”

He began to walk again and I fell into step next to him. Things were rising to my lips and pouring out, things I’d been secretly thinking and worrying about all day. “I’d understand, you know. You do like all of the housework and cleaning. And you’re used to having your own place. But you got stuck on assignment during your vacation time, right?”

“Isla, I promise you, it is none of those things,” Kai said in a patient voice.

“But you’ve been so generous, Kai,” I said urgently. “I worry all the time I’m taking advantage of it. And if I did something, you have to tell me.”

He let out a chuckle and gave me a sideways glance. “Next time I will definitely not forget a note. Have you been worrying about this all day? Please, don’t.”

Suddenly tears were pushing into my throat. “How could I not? Kai, you’ve made this horrible experience into something good. You’ve made me feel safe and welcome. Hell, you’re making it harder every day to even think about leaving here.”

Kai swung around to me, stopping me in my tracks. A ghastly smile flitted across his face and that same look from last night was in his eyes. “Don’t say things like that, Isla.”

I flushed, embarrassed but determined to get through to him. “It’s true, though.”

“You’d move here?” he asked, sounding deeply skeptical.

Looking around, I couldn’t help but smile at the rising mountains, the sweet and fresh air, the ocean and then Kai. “I can’t really see a life back in LA for myself. I think I need to start over. And now, with Laird helping me out, maybe here...” I sighed. “But I probably can’t afford it. It’s kind of a foolish thought – I usually don’t get the things I want.”

Kai let out a strangled laugh. “You sound like me.”

I looked down, not sure what to say or do. “Yeah, well. Don’t worry about it.” I was wishing I’d never said anything in the first place.

“You could stay here,” Kai said.

My head snapped up and a crackle of anger went through me. “That’s a nasty joke, Kai.”

“It’s not a joke,” he replied quietly. “It’s a serious offer.”

“See? You’re doing too much for me,” I said in a whisper.

Kai shrugged. “You’d be doing a lot for me, too. You’re the perfect roomie. Plus, the cats like you.” He smiled weakly. “They’re a hard crowd to win over.”

For a second, I wanted to throw myself at Kai. I almost did. But then something occurred to me. “Isn’t that against some protocol? Wouldn’t you get in trouble?”

“Huh?” Kai asked, puzzled. Then his expression darkened. “Oh, that. No, probably not.”

“I don’t want you breaking the rules on my behalf,” I said, putting my hands on my hips.

“Isla, I’d break every rule and then some for you,” Kai said with a smirk. “I enjoy breaking the rules. Especially Piper’s.”

I could feel myself flushing. “Um, I’ll think about it.” I was a little dazed. The gallery yesterday and now this. “What’s rent? Utilities?”

“Doesn’t cost a dime, kid. This house is all paid for. And utilities, don’t worry about that.”

We began walking again as I mulled this over. My heart was fluttering with excitement in my chest as I thought about it. Then other thoughts came crashing down.

What about my feelings for Kai? I thought. If I lived here, it would be asking for trouble. Maybe I could get over it, I thought. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad…

Unbidden, the image of Kai relaxing on the couch with some red-head and me quietly tiptoeing to my room came into my head. I clenched my fists. “I couldn’t,” I said aloud.

“Couldn’t?” Kai asked.

“I think we got caught up in the moment,” I said lightly, avoiding his eyes. “I’m not sure it would work after all. There’s a lot to consider.”

“Oh, of course,” Kai said. Did he sound disappointed? “But still…” he trailed off.

“It was a nice thought,” I said, sounding wistful.

“The nicest,” Kai murmured.

Something in his voice twisted my heart in my chest. I couldn’t look at him as we continued to walk along. And I wished that my stupid heart could have remembered all the secrets that kept us apart. But no, it had circumvented or perhaps pierced straight through all that, wanting Kai.

In a world with no secrets, maybe, things could have worked out.