-FORTY EIGHT-

"Where are we going?" I asked Kade as he pulled me along. I had to bite back my smile at our conjoined hands.

Just when I thought we were going to drive somewhere, he led me right past all the cars in his driveway.

He gave me a small shrug. "I don't think I should drive right now, and the house is a little chaotic if you haven't noticed, so I'm taking you to one of my favourite places nearby," he threw me a wink and I tried to hold off my blush.

Like that was going to work.

I didn't question him much as he led me towards what seemed like a park from afar. My suspicions were proven right as we neared. But instead of going through the main entrance, Kade pulled me through a couple of trees, right to a clearing that had a huge fountain in the middle.

It was a beautiful sight. The fountain was actually designed to look like a natural waterfall with the water gliding through huge rocks and landing into the base where I could spot a few small fish.

There were a few people loitering about but the park was by enough for each of them to have their own personal space.

Kade pulled me along to a spot that was a bit higher than the main ground but looked over a part of the park, including the fountain.

We sat down on the ground, facing the park.

He was silent for a little while, his attention focussed on the setting sun, right in front of us. I didn't speak up either, afraid that I would spoil the moment. I just low-key wished that he hadn't let go of my hand after we sat.

I was craving his warmth a little.

"I know there's a lot to be talked about between us," Kade spoke up and I tilted my head to the side to give him my attention.

He was still looking ahead.

I waited for him to speak. I didn't think it was the right time for me to say anything else. I could sense that he was trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I felt my nerves slowly start to jumble up. There was a huge possibility that Kade was finally going to open up to me. Just the fact that he was doing this meant that we might finally acknowledge whatever was going on between us.

"Uh, I know you thought... with Montana- that's not what- I mean- fuck!" Kade ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"This is going just great," Kade buried his head into his hands.

I let my hand hover over him hesitantly before slowly dropping it on his tense shoulder. I felt him relax a little.

"Hey, you can take some time to figure out what you want to say. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere," I said softly, hoping he understood that I was going to hear him out no matter what.

He slowly lifted his head, turning it towards me. My breath got caught in my throat when I met his Mediterranean eyes. They somehow always seemed to have an effect on me. And now, with the sunset glow reflecting in them, they looked ethereal.

He took a deep, calming breath and turned his gaze back to the sunset. "I guess it's better to start from the beginning."

I nodded, encouraging him silently.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but there aren't any family pictures around the house," he started.

I had noticed that but had assumed they didn't like those hanging around for guests to see. Some families were private like that.

"That's because my dad can't bear to look at them anymore. Especially not after my mother cheated on him and divorced him to marry the said guy," he said a little bitterly. His fists clenched as he probably pictured the bad memories in his head.

"Kade, you don't have to-"

"Kyra, let me do this. You deserve to know these things as much as the rest of the Elites," he said that with so much determination that I stopped myself from protesting.

I couldn't ignore the warmth it brought be to know that he finally did consider me a part of his closest.

"Anyway, it's safe to say that I absolutely loathe my mother because what she did to dad left him in pieces. And you wanna know why she left him? It wasn't for love, it was because he was the bigger fish in the sea of money," he scoffed bitterly. "Dad was not doing that well in business because he had let his health suffer because he worked too much. That cost him heavily because his recovery meant that he couldn't participate as actively in his work and so his empire went down."

I could feel different emotions swirl inside me, one that was the most prominent, was disgust. A person who left someone in their lowest was one of the worst kind of people. Just like what Reed and Beth did to me, I hated them so much. But those were people I could easily forget as strangers. For one to have his own mother and wife do that, I couldn't even imagine what that would feel like.

"That's when she decided to leave. I was twelve when I came home one day to find dad downing alcohol like he wanted to die. I don't know if you know how it feels to see your idol come apart in front of your eyes," he took a shuddering breath. "I had never seen him like that in my life. So... so dead."

I squeezed his arm, trying to reassure him with my actions. I wasn't sure I had in me to speak. The weather seemed to change as if it reflected a little on what we felt. A chilly breeze brushed my skin and I tried to move a little towards Kade as discreetly as I could.

"You know what the worst part is? I used to think it was because of me she left. I thought maybe it could be because I had not been a good kid that she decided to not want kids at all. All sorts of things messed with my mind at that time... only to find out that it wasn't a kid she didn't want. It was just me. Because that man she ran away with had a son almost my age. S-She told me to my face she didn't want me."

Fucking hell.

I didn't even know the woman but the rage I felt for her was too much. I felt my fists curl up involuntarily. I was so ready to punch just about anyone.

I could barely bring myself to look at Kade properly. His face had painful emotions that I wanted to take away immediately. For once, his eyes were an open book, letting me into the depths of pain he hid behind them.

So I did the only thing I could think would help him know that I was with him. I grabbed his hand, holding it tightly as if it would help him not feel the pain.

He gave me a reassuring squeeze in return.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Ever since that day, I have been trying my hardest to be the best at everything for my dad. So that she can't rub her son into our faces like she always manages to do. You know, the reason I started racing was because he was training for professionals. I know it may sound like it's too much but I couldn't take it when she rubbed it in dad's face just how brilliant her son was.

"I want to take away her happiness; the thing she prides herself the most on. I want to show her that every achievement she thinks she can boast about will be mine in the end. Just like how she ruined our life, I'll make sure she experiences that for herself. The only thing I didn't expect was to actually end up liking it so much," Kade let out a harsh sigh.

I could feel his exasperation and at the same time I could feel his frustration with himself. He has been in a turmoil for so long and I felt for him.

The more he spoke, the more I could fit in the pieces of the puzzle. I had questions that he was answering on his own and I could see it leading somewhere.

"Is that something Montana is helping you with?" I finally found my voice.

Kade looked at me in surprise but nodded. "The UVX World Championships are one of the most prestigious racing events for the new entrants. It's a chance to prove yourself and get picked by sponsors for big racing events like NASCAR. He has qualified for them thanks to my mother's connections. Montana said that she could find me sponsors that could back me up for them. This could be my only chance to beat him fair and square," he said, looking at me.

No wonder Kade had managed to stick to her despite their not so nice history. That also explained why Montana had so much control over him. She was basically blackmailing him into staying with her. If she thought it was going to somehow make him stay forever, she probably didn't expect me to be an interruption.

"Has Montana's contact come through for the Championship?"

Kade averted his eyes a little. "Uh, yeah. I have a qualifying race this weekend. If I do well in that, I might just have a real shot."

I smiled. "Well, I hope you kick ass in that race."

Kade gave me an uneasy smile. It was probably nerves. It was a big deal, after all.

I looked at the boy beside me. He was so good at hiding his burdens and emotions that any person looking at him would barely even realise how much he was struggling.

He was strong. That I had no doubt about. I just hoped he would learn to share his burdens so that he didn't have to be strong alone.

"Hey Kade?" I pulled his attention from the grass. "Thank you for telling me," I smiled genuinely happy that we were going to be real with each other.

He smiled back, his expression hung light hearted. "Well, I was initially hoping that I wouldn't have to burden you with all this at all."

I shot him a confused look.

A mischievous glint came back to life in his eyes. "I wanted to wait until the UVX was over to finally act on my feelings but I have to say Miss Kyra Bryant, you really work fast," he winked, sending my heart into overdrive.

"W-What?"

He playfully rolled his eyes at me. "Let's just say that I'm low-key blackmailing you into sticking closer to me now," he smirked.

I quickly averted my eyes, staring intently into the blades of grass that my hands were plucking, all the while hoping that the dimming glow of the sunset was enough to conceal the deep blush pooling in my cheeks.

I could hear Kade's chuckle reverberating beside me and I couldn't help the giddy tickles spreading through my nerves, all the way to my heart.

This boy really had me good.
********
Hello peeps! (Please ignore the typos if any)

I hope you liked the chapter. I hope I gave you a little better insight into Kade's past and life. Also, more importantly, THEY FINALLY TALKED. Lol.

Now that things are getting personal, who's excited to see where this goes?

Q: Would you rather be a part of Chase's pranks for a day or be Kade's Seat mate for a race?

A tough one?

Anyway, thank you guys for your endless love! See you next week <3