Chapter twelve: Barely Concealed

O L I V I A

At some point in the middle of the movie, Griffin had snuck out with his phone pressed to his ear and a huge smile plastered to his face. If I'd had to guess, I'd have said it was George on the other end. Carter was dozing off. Sam and Josh had ended up cuddling. When our eyes had met, I had shot her a questioning look. In return, she had looked sheepish and mouthed 'later'.

"You want to cuddle, too?" Kai whispered, leaning in.

Bold. And despite our situation, a turn-on.

"What happened to being friends?" I asked him, hoping it came out steady.

"I never said that," he muttered. His breath hit my neck every time he spoke and this time, I shivered. "And friends cuddle too."

No. Not normally, they don't. But since I'm already going to hell, why not sin thoroughly?

"Okay."

I shrugged indifferently, scooting closer to him. He pulled me in front of him and shifted me to sit between his legs. Then he wrapped his arms around my middle. It felt amazing. Cocooned in his warmth, I couldn't fathom any reason why I had had a mental breakdown at all. This was where I belonged. It was so familiar, too. I realized that I had missed it without even knowing. A soft sigh escaped my lips when I felt his chin drop on my shoulder.

"I'm bored," he mumbled.

"How's that even possible?" I asked him softly, not removing my eyes from the screen.

"I don't know," he whispered back. His lips grazed the nape of my neck and I shivered. It felt too good for me to complain. "Maybe because I've seen this movie a billion times."

"Um-hmm." I nodded, not trusting my voice. We did use to watch it quite a lot even when we were in high school.

"You're seriously enjoying this?" He inquired as I finished my chocolate. It would be missed. I gasped lowly when I felt his lips press into my neck and stay there for a second. I felt his lips curl into a smile at the reaction.

Oh, my God.

"I was until you started speaking." I chuckled breathily, trying to save face. "What's up Kaison?"

"Let's get out of here," he suggested. His lips grazed up and down my neck, stealing my ability to think. My heart thudded in my chest and my neck and face felt hot.

"What? No," I said lightly. "They'll notice."

"Who will?" He challenged, keeping it up. I closed my eyes, already having had stopped watching the movie a long time ago. The feeling of his flesh against mine was too distracting, and he seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

"Sam," I counted slowly. "Josh. And others might spot us sneaking off."

"Sam and Josh are a little preoccupied, don't you think?" I opened my eyes to see him tip his head toward the love birds. They were making out.

Hun.

"So?" He prompted me to answer.

What the hell.

"Okay," I agreed, the corners of my mouth lifting. I turned my face sideways to face him. He was already looking at me. "Let's do it," I said.

"Now we're talking." He beamed. As if I wasn't already dazed by his assault from a few seconds ago.

He didn't make any move to get up.

"Kai?" I chuckled, pushing his hair back from his face. "You need to let go."

He paused, blinking.

"Maybe I didn't think this through," he thought out loud.

I laughed. "You didn't."

"Let's go in a while?" He proposed, smiling crookedly.

I rolled my eyes, still grinning. "Whatever."

"This is nice," he echoed my thoughts.

"I know, right?" I spoke before I could think. I fumbled to cover up my slip. "You know, the movie" -- which I was not watching anymore -- "It's hilarious how life is full of beautiful coincidences, no? They both had an aim-"

"Can I ask you something?" He interrupted.

I stopped. "Yeah, sure."

"Why do you like the movie so much?" He asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"I mean, the base of their entire relationship is a lie," he reasoned. "Well, two lies. Why do you love it as such?"

"Because, Kai, it's love," I explained patiently.

His eyebrows came together and his lips formed a slight pout as he thought. "So is that it, then?"

"Not quite." I tried to frame it right. "Everyone has their ups and downs," I attempted. "No relationship is perfect. It's how you handle it that matters. Their relationship started off as a game and a bet, I agree. But they found love, Kai. And love is powerful. Love conquers everything."

"Not everything," he argued.

"Oh?" I confronted.

"Sometimes love isn't enough." He sighed. "Situations play a huge role. Choices, too."

The double meaning in those sentences was heavy. I got the feeling that we weren't speaking about the movie anymore and my stomach churned.

"Are you saying that their situation was ideal?" I asked, bringing us back to the main object of our discussion because I was feeling jittery. I

"No," he said. "But that is scripted. It's fiction. A fairytale."

"Life is what you make it." I shrugged. "Make it a fairytale if you want."

"It's not that simple," he fretted.

"When is anything ever simple?" I asked him. "You have to work for every damn thing."

"Some things . . . nevermind." He shook his head slightly. "This will lead us nowhere."

"But I don't want to drop it," I insisted. "What's your point?"

"The point is, Liv, that sometimes situations are too governing. They say that when the time is wrong, everything goes wrong, however hard you work. Your brain goes into self-destruction mode. It's just how it is. If the circumstances won't allow it, you will crash and burn. Long story short, if the time is not right, love can't do shit."

I fell quiet after that passionate delivery. Not for the first time in six years, I got the feeling that there was more to the story that Kai had told me. That he was holding back. But then the scene of me asking him for an explanation and him not having any would flash through my mind and I would be left confused again.

But what if he had not come clean? What if I was right? What if he was lying? I must've been missing something. Either something had happened at the party after we had been separated, or I was too deep and blind in his love to differentiate anymore.

I couldn't decide what scared me more.

* * * * *

Rhythmic knocks woke me up from my blissful slumber.

"Shut it," I muttered, looking for the snooze. I encountered a warm body. I lifted my head in sleepy confusion, squinting at my surroundings.

Harsh light.

Retreat. Retreat! I repeat retreat!

"What the fuck?!" I grumbled and buried my head into my pillow. It was harder than usual. Felt more defined too. And why the hell was it moving up and down?!

A familiar tune tickled my ears and my senses suddenly stood alert even as it stopped abruptly. My head snapped up and I slowly tried to open my eyes again. I took a double-take.

Frankly, this just explains the strange pillow.

I swallowed, my mouth dry. "Umm."

"Good morning," Kai wished me with a cheery smile.

"Good morning," I wished, but it came out more like a question. "What are we doing, Kai?"

"Cuddling," he answered lowly, the hoarseness in his voice intensified. I suppressed a shiver.

"You weren't supposed to stay the night," I said softly.

"We weren't supposed to fall asleep," he agreed.

"Let me go," I whispered.

"I don't wan-"

A bang interrupted him and made me jump. Kaison chuckled.

"Who the fuck is it?" I asked in a whisper, detangling my limbs from his and sitting up. It took more effort than it should've because he was not helping at all. He sat up precariously, mindful of his injury.

"Your beloved friends," he answered dryly.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Uh oh."

"Um-hmm." He smirked.

We had sneaked out, after all. Towards the very end of the movie, actually. By then most of them had either clocked out in the ballroom or gone back to their rooms. Kai and I had walked on the beach for a while and then returned to my room to talk. Sometime in between doing that, we had fallen asleep, apparently.

"How long have they been here?" I asked. I fumbled in the dark, pulling open the curtains. I didn't remember switching off the lights last night.

"Not long," he answered, pulling his uninjured hand under his head and facing the ceiling. His muscles stretched at the fabric tantalizingly. I felt heat rush into my cheeks. My eyes traveled back to his face to see his lips curved up in a knowing smile. My blush intensified. "They've called you twice, though."

"You need to leave," I said, clearing my throat and looking away. "Now."

He scowled playfully. "Too blunt, Livvy."

"Haha," I deadpanned. "Would you rather be grilled by Samantha and then be chewed out by Griffin?"

Another knock, more aggressive than before, sounded on the door. It was followed by the ringing of my phone. I gave Kaison a smug, pointed look.

"Good point." He nodded, getting up. He put on his slip-ons and stood up. "See you at breakfast."

"See you," I replied, pushing him out the patio doors. I closed them behind him and pulled the thick curtains closed halfway for good measure. With the room in partial dark, I walked to the door and opened it.

"Finally," Sam huffed, inviting herself in. "What took you so long?"

"I was sleeping," I told her as Griffin slipped in too.

"Duh," she rolled her eyes, "It's our last day here! We're going out."

"Umm, not we're not," I said. "I'm tired. I want to sleep."

"Liv," she complained, plopping down on the bed.

"My stomach fucking hurts," I told her. "And my body is aching like a bitch."

"Let her rest," Griffin supported me.

I hugged him sideways. "And that is why you are my favorite."

Griffin snorted and Sam pouted.

"At least let's go down for breakfast," she whined.

"Fine." I held my hands up in defeat. "Just let me clean up, will you? I'll meet you guys in twenty."

"Come to the beach," Griff said as they went out. "That's where everyone is."

"Gotcha." I shut the door.

With a groan, I got to work. After I'd brushed my teeth and had had a bath, I looked for my phone and found it lying under the covers. It had probably fallen from my pocket last night. There were a few missed calls from Sam and Griff but I dismissed the notifications. I also caught up with my teammates to see their progress on the project we had been working on together for a while. Everything seemed alright.

I replied to my mom's texts and talked to her on call while I got dressed. When I was ready, I quickly bid her bye and hung up. I scrambled around for my keys and purse. Then I remembered that I was supposed to take pain medication and I popped some ibuprofen in my mouth, washing it down with some water on my way out.

The beach had a breakfast bar again. Sam and Griffin were sitting at a table with Kaison, Carter, and Joshua, eating. I got my plate and piled it with a few omelets and hash browns before joining them. I also got myself some litchi juice.

I sat down, sighing heavily. "Good morning, guys."

Josh smiled welcomingly. "Good morning, Olivia."

"Morning, love." Carter grinned.

"Why do you look so tired?" Sam asked, examining me in the light. "Didn't you sleep well?"

"I did, actually," I replied. "I'm just not feeling too well, that's all."

"You had dropped this," Kai handed me a paper bag.

"Hun?" I took it, puzzled.

"Last night, in the ballroom," he fabricated.

No, I hadn't. I had eaten them all last night.

I had a good idea of the contents, though, so didn't bother voicing my thoughts. I opened the bag and sure enough, there were two more brand new bars of Lindt in there. My lips twitched.

"Everything good?" He asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Umm, yeah. Perfect." I grinned. "Thanks," I added and closed the mouth of the bag, placing it on my lap.

"Don't mention it. Did you take your medicine?" Kai asked.

I gave him another smile. "Yeah."

"What medicine?" Carter frowned.

"Ibuprofen. My head hurts," I lied.

"Oh, did you drink last night?" He questioned, intrigued.

I raised an eyebrow, smiling. "No, Cart. I did not."

He looked confused as he moved his gaze back to his food.

"You have a headache?" Sam's eyebrows knit together.

Oh, fuck.

"It's nothing, really." I tried brushing it off with a chuckle.

"What the hell, girl? You-"

"Sam," I beseeched silently with my eyes. She stared at me for a long moment, trying to read me. She must've found something there because she dropped it. I gave her a small grateful smile and in return, she gave me a look that promised more questions later.

Too bad it wasn't the end.

"How'd you know about her headache?" Griffin asked, looking between Kaison and I suspiciously.

Ummm . . .

"I guessed," Kaison said airily with confidence.

Griffin scoffed, unimpressed. "You guessed?"

"Hey Griff, would you mind exchanging orange juice for litchi?" I attempted to break them up.

"Sure," he said curtly, pushing his glass towards mine. "Kaison?"

Ohhh no.

"Here," I said deliberately, pushing my glass towards him while accepting his. "Take it," I stressed, hoping he would look at me and take pity.

Griffin was like my older brother even though we were just months apart and in the same grade. I was an only child with busy parents. My mom could never really pay attention or understand me and my dad was in London with his other family. And you know how loving older brothers are. Overprotective is an understatement when it comes to their behavior.

"Guys, did you notice that we're all going home on the same flight!" Josh exclaimed out of the blue. I saw Sam's hands twitch on the table as if for a facepalm and I suppressed a laugh. She had put him up to it, and by the looks of things, she wasn't satisfied.

There was definitely something going on between the two.

"Maybe," I mused, accepting the opening however narrow. "But there are a lot of flights from LA to New York City in a day."

"American Airlines? Departure at four?" He asked hopefully.

I blinked in surprise, putting some food in my mouth. "Yeah."

Kai looked at me, mirroring my expression. "Me too."

What are the odds?

Josh laughed. "Well, there you have it!"

"Not really," I said, swallowing my bite. "Sam is going back to Chicago and Griffin is meeting George in Colorado for the weekend."

"And I'm going to stay," Carter added.

"So basically it's just you, me, and Kaison going back to New York?" Josh deduced questioningly.

Either he was a good actor or I was reading too much between him and Sam.

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed. "I mean, we'll still not be together, though. Seats are an issue."

"Oh."

"But we can leave for the airport together if you guys want. Sam and Griffin fly out just a few minutes before we do," I added.

"How soon?" He asked.

"My take-off is around two-twenty," Sam piped in. "American Airlines."

We looked at Griffin expectantly. He sighed in defeat.

"Quarter to two, United," he replied shortly.

"Not bad," Josh thought out loud. "Let's leave together at noon, what say?"

"Fine with me," I spoke. "We have to check out by one, anyway. I heard Lena mention that they had bookings starting from that time onwards."

"Then let's finish breakfast and get packing!" Sam cheered. "We can still have fun."

"I saw a foosball table in the game room," Griffin offered.

"We have a game room?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, we have two of those," Carter said recklessly. "I'm surprised you guys don't know."

"Then it's settled!" Josh declared, shooting a smug look at Sam who rolled her eyes in response. "Everyone, pack and meet in the game room by nine-thirty!"

"But only after we finish eating," I stated. It felt important.

The table burst into raucous laughter and I laughed with them, a little embarrassed.

"After we finish eating," they agreed. "And it's gonna be a fucking blast!"

Sam raised her glass up and the rest of us followed, clinking our juice glasses together before downing them. My heart was ready to burst with joy. Everything was finally working out. I looked around the table to see the smiling faces, soaking it all in. Under the table, Kai reached for my arm and linked our fingers together. My heart lurched with renewed joy and my smile widened to the point where my cheeks hurt. There was only one word to describe how I was feeling. I was euphoric.

Maybe there was hope for all of us after all.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A/N:-

Cheers!

I'll make this short and quick cause I have to get back to my school work lol

I hope you're liking the book and how it's going! It's probably gonna cross 100k words😅 I hope that's not a problem hehe. Please comment your thoughts! I'd love to know what you're thinking. Also, hit that star if you liked the chap.

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All my love,
xoxo.