Chapter 2

***Dylanne

I watched Kai's sleek Audi vanish into the night while I stood there with a broken heel in hand. My ripped shirt hung open as I used my other hand to hold it together.

My chest suddenly felt heavy as I walked, eyes stinging with tears daring to drop. I yanked off the other heel and walked barefoot on cold concrete littered with cigarette butts and God knows what. I looked around, there was no one in sight, not even the AIDS guy. No phone signal. No cash for a cab. Great! Just fucking great.

I started walking, and this time, the tears slowly dropped, mascara lining my cheeks. Crashing out shouldn't even be an option, but that hurt me. He called me a slut and then blamed me for getting assaulted?

Five fucking years. He'd been gone for five fucking years and now came back acting like the saint. What about the promises he made to me?

Scared, I walked silently along the lonely dark roads. Eventually, I could see my apartment building and rushed straight to the patio, fumbling the key in the lock. It opened right up, and without a second thought, I walked in and slammed the door. Kimberley wasn't home, which meant Kai had taken her to his.

I pulled off my clothes and walked right into the shower. The water heater did its thing, a hot bath, and at least it cooled the migraine I was having. In the morning, I would take some painkillers, but right now, I needed my fucking bed.

But my body beat me to it. I was too fucking tired to get out of the bath, and it fucking hurt. My heart felt like it was bleeding, about to crack open. Somehow, the sobs came out tinier, and just like that, I cried in my fucking bath. Not just because of the way he made me walk back home, but because of how he ridiculed me. Called me a slut. Made me feel like I had no right being near Kim.

After four hours, I think, I got out of the bath and straight to my room and then my bed. I plugged my phone in and covered my eyes with a sleep mask. A notification came through my phone. Reluctantly, I picked it up and glanced.

Kai 📱: Are you home now?

Please tell me he isn't shitting me right now? Then another came.

Kai 📱: I'm at the door. Open.

A wave of anger hit me. How dare he make me walk all the way back home and then come to my house like he had the right? I held my phone tightly as I stood up, charged and fucking ready to blow his head off if I could, as I stormed straight to the front door.

“What are you doing here?!” I screamed right at his face the moment I opened it. He stood, hands lazily across his chest like he deserved to be here.

“I wanted to check up on you. To see if you got home safe.”

Safe? Like he really cared about me.

“I don't want to see your face anywhere near me. I am going to ask you to leave.”

He didn't wait for me, didn't listen to anything I said, and pushed his way in. His eyes lazily went over our place: two small couches and a small center table, a dream catcher, and a little bit of fresh fruits placed in the middle of the table, with a small fridge and a ridiculous amount of Miley Cyrus paintings, courtesy of Kim.

“Looks good,” he assessed, hands deep in his pockets.

He calmly strolled to the couch and sat down, legs crossed over the other. No explanation. Nothing at all. And it did nothing but fuel my anger. He was such an egotistical, terrible asshole, and I wanted him to leave!

“In case you're wondering, Kim is at home, sleeping after puking her guts out in my car.”

“At least she's okay.” That was the only thing that mattered now.

“What happened today, Dylanne?”

“Excuse you?” I moved toward him, flip-flops making their snappy sound.

“Who do you think you are, barging into my home after ditching me in the middle of nowhere? Get the fuck out, Kai!”

He didn't budge. Didn't even move a fucking muscle.

Then he stood slowly, all six-foot-seven of glorious arrogance. Sometimes, I'm sure he acts this way because of how confident he is in his looks. He moved so fast I didn't catch him closing the space between us.

“I saved you tonight. Both of you. I don't like the idea of you playing dress-up with my sister and going to a club when you know she's a light drinker. What if something bad had happened before I got there?”

“I had it handled.”

“With what? Your measly taekwondo skills?”

“That doesn't even matter right now.

You've done your part. You left me—”

“Walking was the point.” His voice dropped.

I didn't even recognize who he was right now. This wasn't the same Kai I fell in love with five years ago. He was different this time; his eyes held some kind of pain I couldn't place.

“It teaches consequences. But I wasn't going to let you die out there, so I needed to know you were safe.”

That was just mediocrity. He decided to come “check” on me because he wanted to fulfill his righteousness. I sighed and tried to walk away, but he held me back, pulling me to him. We stood there, faces inches apart, his thumb grazing my skin and making me flutter.

His gaze dipped to my lips, and a sudden chill ran through me. I could inhale his scent—saffron and cedar. It felt like home again. Like the past, when I'd let him splay me on the kitchen counter as I screamed his name into oblivion.

I craved his touch as my tongue darted out over my lips. I tried to look away, find some distraction, but not when I was staring into his storm-gray eyes.

“You need to leave, Kai,” I said weakly.

“I've missed you. Can we just forget about this?” he uttered, hands holding my chin as he pulled me in for a kiss.

And that was when it hit me. He wasn't sorry. He didn't feel like shit for hurting me. He expected us to pick up like nothing happened. Expected me to forget what he'd just done.

I dropped my arms from his biceps and pulled away. The look on his face changed to confusion.

“You need to leave, Kai. I have work tomorrow, and I'm not ready to deal with this tonight.”

“Dylly—”

“Leave! Now, please,” I begged.

I turned away, making it easier. He said nothing else and walked out. The sound of the door followed, and I wiped the tear that slid down.