CHAD HAD LEAD THEM THROUGH HIS HOUSE TO THE LOUNGE. Ilaria was already fimiliar with the place, she could still see herself sitting on these very same chairs the first night she met Chad's family.

"Really, I knew she didn't tell you." Chad said with a pause "but I figured you would find out eventually, you're always snooping"

Ilaria rolled her eyes and swiftly corrected him "investigating."

Chad's eyebrows rose "investigating even when there's nothing to investigate, you have a obsession"

"well, I didn't come here to talk about my obsessions did I?" she bit out, sat down and pulled Kai by the arm with - he always seemed in a daze, this was routine for them.

Sometimes Ilaria wondered what he did in the weeks before they met.

Chad sat down in the armchair opposite them and balanced his elbows on his knees, he clicked his tounge "drugs" he shrugged.

"what?" Ilaria asked confused.

"thats why my number was there" Chad smirked "yes your bestie was a addict"

"you're lying" Ilaria said, shaken although she did not show it. She felt like her blood had stopped in her veins.

"come on, Ilaria. You can't tell me you're so self absorbed that you hadn't noticed that since Jan, she had been distant? Shaky? On edge?"

When she thought of it, she had noticed but she had thought it was just some home trouble that Kenna would eventually bring up.

She had asked her multiple times and Kenna had simply brushed it off" just tired", "this murder business you know?" and that was the end of it.

Kenna was stubborn no matter how much Ilaria pushed her to talk she would always do it on her own terms at her own time and Ilaria respected that because she always did open up eventually.

"every month on the 18th." Chad continued "Kenna would stop by for drugs"

Ilaria wasn't even aware that Chad did that sort of thing.

"how come I never knew you sold?" she asked him.

Chad shrugged "I hid it well enough besides I don't always do it. The big man does."

"what?"

"my supplier, usually they all go to him. Kenna too, it was just last month that she came to me." he told Ilaria calmly, unaware that the news he had given her flipped her whole world around.

"and you didn't find it weird that it was on a specific date every month?" Ilaria spat "don't you care about anyone but yourself?"

"I don't ask my clients questions" Chad rolled his eyes.

Ilaria swallowed down the bile in her throat. Since January? How had she not noticed?

"are we done here?" Chad asked impatiently and Ilaria shot him a glare, she had never in her life met someone as selfish as he was.

"can we have your suppliers number?" Kai spoke, he'd been silent the entire time. Ilaria was grateful he spoke for her, she couldn't bring herself to.

"I don't see how that will help" Chad said "but sure. Just let me go get a pen and paper."

When he was gone, Ilaria could feel Kai's attention shift to her. She shook her head "leave it"

"are you okay?" he asked softly.

Ilaria didn't answer him, he had answers to his own questions. He read her like a book. She couldn't stand it.

When Chad got back they took the number and left immediately, Ilaria was glad to be out of that house. It felt like the walls were laughing at her.

Outside, Kai took her arm and turned her towards him, ducked his head slightly to meet her eyes and said "it's not your fault."

Ilaria shook her head "I should have known" she wished she could just bury herself under the snow they were standing on but she couldn't.

"blaming yourself won't get us anywhere" He said, dropping his hand from her arm. She missed the warmth immediately "it's not your fault, Ilaria. It's not, you couldn't have known." just when Ilaria opened her mouth to answer, he cut her off "Don't try arguing with me we will freeze to death out here, us being so stubborn -"

Ilaria sucked in a breath and stared at him. How was it that she barely knew him but she felt like he knew her better than anyone else? It had only been a few days.

"come on, let's go get some coffee back at my place and -"

"no we need to go meet this guy -"

Kai glared at her "Ilaria, you need time to process things. You're human, we'll call up this dude immediately tomorrow, I promise."

Ilaria huffed and looked up at the sky, contemplating. She decided Kai was right "okay. I'm actually craving coffee."

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Kai had made Ilaria's coffee for her, she had just opened her mouth to tell him how and he'd said "I already know how"

Ilaria smiled "you didn't lie when you said you're observant"

He nodded and shoved the warm cup in her hands. She sat crossed leg on the couch, a book in hand too.

Kai was on the carpet next to her when he shut his book, her eyes snapped up, the sound startling her from her daze.

He tilted his head at her "what are you reading?"

"murder on the orient express" she answered and lifted the book to show him.

He smiled slowly and shook his head, Ilaria huffed "what now?"

"you don't get tired of it do you? All the mystery? Your life is literally a mystery right now and you're still reading one"

Ilaria shrugged "I can't read anything else without getting bored, what are you reading?"

"Dracula" he said "wanted to see what the hype was about"

"a classic? Why do you strike me as exactly the type to read classics" she laughed.

"classics are the best" he said and went into a deep dive about how he loves classics and why. When he finished he asked her what she thought.

she said "I just hate classics"

"why!?" he asked exasperated "who hates classics?"

"most teenagers"

"you guys suck."

"you're a teenager yourself. Pretty boy"

Kai shook his head "I like to believe I'm a wise old man, deep down" he nodded to himself.

"well that's very fitting" she teased back.

Kai yawned and nodded "I'm hungry, are you hungry? Because I'm starving." he said dramatically "I might just die from starvation."

Ilaria grinned, he spoke alot when he wasn't reading or in his little daze, she complained about it out loud but enjoyed it quietly.

"as a matter of fact I am starving too" Ilaria answered, Kai's lips pulled down into a frown "well I can't cook" he gave her a slanted smile "takeout? Chinese?"

"yes oh my God yes I've been craving Chinese" Ilaria squeeled "we can half the bill"

"okay"

"I should say though, I cannot, for the life of me eat with chopsticks"

Kai let out the most obnoxious laugh at that, to Ilaria's annoyance "you don't know how to eat with chopsticks?"

Ilaria glared at him and shook her head. When Kai continued his laughter she crossed her arms "it's not that funny"

"yeah, yeah. sorry" he apologized, still smiling like an idiot.

"now go order our food before I murder you"

"ou, careful there. You're making yourself look suspicious" Kai grinned. There days were often filled this way, Ilaria being in the worst mood known to mankind and Kai being the sunshine boy.

Ilarias phone rang and she answered it without much thought, her mother was on night shift so she'd be home before her mom even knew she was gone,it had to be her brother.

"yes, Tate. What do you want now?" she answered, smiling despite her words. She loved that her brother checked up on her.

"I'm just making sure you're alive but as a matter of fact, your bank details please" he joked back, his voice was warm and familiar. Siblings, what a stupid thing, how annoying her brother was but oh, if she got herself out of town the only person she'd take with was him.

"I am, infact, alive." she replied "are you?"

"yes, I'm going over to Sofia's so I might not be home when you get back but it seems you've been staying out later than I" her brother informed her.

"I have a interesting life, despite what you might think"

"liar!"

"am not"

"liar, liar, liar"

"shut up" she rolled her eyes and ended the call abruptly.

"food is on the way" Kai said looking up from his phone and Ilaria nodded before going back to her book.

When the food arrived Kai attempted showing Ilaria how to use her chopsticks but she ended up throwing one at his head and he feigned hurt before getting up to get her a fork instead.

"you know, I feel like we're going to get this guy" Kai said shoving his food in his mouth.

Ilaria tilted her head and nodded, she never liked hope, still she allowed herself to have atleast some of it anyway.

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Hey guys!
Thank you so much to anyone who's reading this, I appreciate it so much <3

Again, don't hesitate to correct any of my errors

I noticed my tenses were all mixed up from the first two chapters so I'm going to go fix that soon 😭apologies on my behalf.

How are you guys liking the characters so far?

What do you think of the book itself?

Anyways, I hope everyone sticks around till the end:)

Thank you, again and whatever filler chapter ideas you guys might have pleaseeee tell me I kind of need some 🤍