A WEEK HAD PASSED SINCE ILARIA LAST SPOKE TO KAI OR ROSE. A week she used to get herself together, to process things she spent so long trying to bury.

In those 5 days, she'd received a message from Kai every morning, to anyone, it would be his normal everyday jokes but to Ilaria - she knew it was his way of saying he cares and that he's still there. Rose called instead, telling Ilaria that she can take all the time she needs and that it isn't her fault the police can't do their jobs.

And, everytime she said that, Ilaria would say "fuck the police". The texts and the calls helped alot more than her friends knew.

She had spent these days writing, it was her favorite way of letting things out and then doing some things she enjoyed most.

The girl stretched out on Friday morning and decided it had been time to get back to her everyday life.

Well... Her very abnormal everyday life.

She grabbed her phone and sent Kai a text to ask him to pick her up. She needed to see him.

To apologize for being an absolute bitch for no reason 99% of the time and to tell him some stuff she thought she had figured out about the strange dream she'd been having over and over.

Once she was done showering and getting dressed, she made her way downstairs and smiled at her mother who was making breakfast.

"day off?" Ilaria asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

Her mother shook her head of brown curls "no no, I took off." she replied with a grin.

"are you sick?" Ilaria asked panicked "I can pop in at the pharmacy for you? Should I call our doctor?"

Her mother laughed and Ilaria stared at her with folded arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Im not sick"her mother said, straightening up, a small smile still on her face" but that's what I told them."

" MOM! People's lives depend on you" Ilaria said exasperated.

"jaanu, I'm not the only surgeon in that building." her mother rolled her eyes and straightened Ilaria's short cardigan "the way you teenagers dress these days" she muttered "and where are you going?"

Ilaria shrugged, trying not to smile - she was so screwed but she wouldn't admit it "just to Kai"

"is that so?" her mother asked still trying to tug Ilaria's cardigan down "are there adults in that house?"

Ilaria avoided her mother's eyes, she sucked at lying "there are adults"

"who?" her mother raised a single brow, stepping back from her fidgety daughter with crossed arms.

Not that face, think Ilaria. She's gonna bust you! "uhm... His aunt... Uh... Carol?" her tone came out questioning and Ilaria cringed inwardly.

Her mother let out a laugh and shook her head "I told you I'm okay with it" she smiled "I trust that boy, for some reason"

Ilaria smiled "I trust him too" a hooter sounded and Ilaria grabbed a pancake, kissed her mother on the cheek and made for the door.

The snow was coming down less and The weather was clearing up, Ilaria pointed a middle finger at the clear sky, clear skies meant school would be opening soon.

"you look nice" Kai ruffled her hair while she got comfortable, she shot him a glare and patted down her hair.

"how many times do I have to tell you don't mess with my curls?"

"I'll have you know, I have issues hearing" Kai grinned.

"clearly" Ilaria muttered.

"I missed you, agent" he told her while starting the car.

Ilaria hid her grin behind her hair "that's too bad, I forgot about you for a minute there."

"hmm" Kai answered, eyes on the road "you're a terrible liar."

Ilaria tucked her hair back and looked at him, well... his side profile atleast, which was very distracting "I might have missed you too. Just a little."

"yeah?"

"yeah."

They fell into a comfortable silence, Ilaria fidgeted with her hands and tried - very hard and in vain not to stare at him but how had she never noticed how gorgeous he was? Well... She always thought he was but it seemed even more overwhelming than usual.

"hey, Agent?" Kai broke the silence and by his tone of voice she could already tell he was going to say something very stupid and very Kai like.

"yes?"

"are you enjoying the view?" He turned his head to look at her with a grin, she punched him lightly "eyes on the road and you wish"

"yeah, I do" he grinned wider and turned his eyes back to the road.

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Kai had taken out their board and sat on the floor , while Ilaria sat on the bed, he tilted his head up "why, are you so silent?"

Ilaria snapped out of her daze "I've been having this weird dream" she told him, still staring at the board "its the only dream I've been having lately."

Kai listened, his head still tilted back slightly, she could feel his eyes on her "Its always the same. Me walking through the woods, barefoot, everything's quiet until there's a scream, I find this cabin" she replayed her dream "and there's a girl banging on the window and then a guy shows up but I can't see his face, it's blacked out and he tells me the same thing everytime."

"and that is?" Kai asked curiously.

Ilaria lowered her eyes to his " that the cabin has been empty for years and that I'm just imagining things, that I like princesses, I'm just dreaming of a princess trapped in her tower"

Kai sat up straighter "wait, wouldn't that mean you're younger in the dream?"

Ilaria nodded "yes but I don't think it's a dream"

Ilaria could always tell Kai anything, when they were together, everything else fell away and she'd never felt safer. There wasn't a thing she wouldn't tell him in full trust.

Kai got up and got a pen and paper to write down what she'd just told him and pin it on the board, no questions. He turned around and leaned against his desk, pushed his hair out of his eyes "have you tried recalling anything else?"

"it's always a dead end" she sighed "have you got anything on Michael Kingston and Joe West?"

Kai smiled wide "oh yes, they're bestfriends and they run almost every campus party. There's going to be one the night before campus opens in a few days"

Ilaria connected the dots "so if we have any chance of finding them soon it's at one of the parties?"

Kai winked "you read me too well, agent"

"how far out of town is this campus?"

"about an hour away?" Kai responded immediately "we go to the party, we try finding them, you ask questions, I observe." Kai shrugged "and hopefully we'll be able to pry something out of them. One of them is definitely Kenna's ex."

"or" Ilaria started and began digging in her purse, she pulled out Kenna's phone "we check for which one of them he is on this and then go to the party and just talk to him. The quicker, the better."

Kai moved to sit down next to her "you're ready? She nodded silently and flipped the phone around.

Ilaria drew in a breath and stared at Kennas phone, it was strange holding it knowing Kenna would never be able to again. It was strange unlocking it and seeing the wallpaper of the two of them knowing she'd never have her bestfriend that close again.

But more than that, she knew that Kenna was still with her, for as long as she remembered. So she went on and opened her contacts.

She started with Joe's name but they never found anyone under the name Joe but they did find Michaels name, with a red heart next to it.

"Bingo" Ilaria turned towards Kai with a smile that he returned.

They didn't say anything and Kai, absently, like he was in some sort of trance, traced the shape of Ilarias jaw. Ilaria was scarcely breathing already so when he moved his hand to trace her lips she didn't breathe at all. She couldn't think straight, couldn't move, she felt stupid for getting so worked up at such a light touch. Her eyes fluttered closed and he traced that too, she heard him let out a tiny breath, he was so close to her she could feel it.

"you're flawless" he whispered, so softly Ilaria barely heard him. The air felt thick but Ilaria didn't move, she didn't want to move. She could've stayed there forever, in the little bubble they'd created for themselves without realizing but then he pulled back and their bubble popped.

Ilaria eyes snapped opened, heart racing.

"I'm sorry" Kai blurted "I didn't mean to envade your space or anything-"

Ilaria grinned "its okay, pretty boy. Relax." she sighed "nothing personal, right?"

"right" he mumbled.

"also, I'm sorry for being kind of a bitch" she swallowed "I shouldn't have said what I said. You do know me, you know me so well sometimes it scares me."

"kind of a bitch" Kai teased and she rolled her eyes "okay a complete bitch"

"it's okay agent, nothing personal, right?" he shot her words back at her and she nodded.

The air was still static between them and Ilarias brain went into overdrive, why the hell had she said 'nothing personal', she could still feel him tracing her lips. That certainly was personal.

Kai got up "takeout?" he tapped his stomach "a crazy girl once told me I have worse cravings than a pregnant woman and right now? I'm craving some sushi"

He immediately went back to his usual self so Ilaria, although her brain was still hazy, tried doing the same "sure but only if you don't make fun of the fact that I can't use chopsticks this time. It's getting old."

Kai chuckled "it'll never get old"

"also, I'm using what you said earlier as black mail" she winked "and I agree, I am, infact flawless"

"shut up"

"never"

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Hey heyyy!

Omw I know it's been...forever. Well, it feels like forever lmao but anyway, this chapter is literally just Kai and Ilaria content 😭

I'm sorry. I just love them so much lmao 😭😭

Also, I'm the writer but I was literally screaming "JUST KISS" but anyway -

I was listening to flawless by the neighborhood while writing this and Gorgeous by Taylor Swift 😭I can't help adding stuff from the songs I listen to lmao.

What do you think of this chapter? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and share <3