CHAPTER 2

KAI

"Knox is moving in with us."

I stared at Ethan. Then I looked at Knox. Then back at Ethan. Nobody laughed. Nobody said they were joking. Knox just stood there beside his suitcase, looking entirely too comfortable for someone who had just been announced as the newest problem in my life.

I blinked. "You're kidding."

Ethan shook his head. "No."

I laughed, one short, disbelieving laugh. "No, you're definitely kidding."

"I'm not."

I looked at Knox. "Tell me he's joking."

Knox's mouth twitched. "Why would I ruin this for myself?"

My stomach dropped. "Ethan."

"Kai."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

I looked at the suitcase beside Knox. It was big. Not weekend-trip big. Not 'I'm staying for two nights' big. Big enough to make my chest tighten.

"How long?"

Ethan hesitated, and I pointed at him. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"That thing where you pause before saying something terrible."

Knox laughed under his breath. I shot him a look, and he lifted both hands. "I'm quiet."

"Good."

Ethan sighed. "His accommodation fell through."

"And?"

"The team needs him nearby for the season."

"And?"

"He needs somewhere to stay."

"There are hotels."

"For a night or two, yes."

"Then he can stay in a hotel for a night or two."

"Kai."

"What?"

Ethan gave me the look. The older-brother look, the one that usually meant he had already made a decision and was only pretending we were discussing it.

"How long?" I asked again.

"Until the end of the F4 season."

I stared at him. The room suddenly felt too quiet.

"The whole season?"

"Yes."

I looked at Knox. He shrugged. "Looks like it."

I turned back to Ethan. "You've lost your mind."

"Probably."

"You're actually letting him stay here?"

"Yes."

"In this house?"

"Yes."

"With me?"

Ethan frowned. "It's my house too."

"I know that."

"Then why are you acting like I've invited a criminal?"

I looked at Knox. He smiled. "Good question."

"You're not helping."

"I wasn't trying to."

I rubbed my forehead. This couldn't be happening. There had to be another solution. A hotel. An apartment. A friend's house. A tent. I didn't care. Anything.

I looked at Ethan. "Why didn't you tell me last night?"

"I tried."

"When?"

"You were asleep."

"I wasn't asleep."

"You were supposed to be."

I stared at him. "So that message..."

"Was me trying to prepare you."

"You said you needed to tell me something."

"I did."

"You could have said, 'Knox is moving in.'"

Ethan shrugged. "I thought you'd react better in person."

I laughed. "Clearly."

Knox picked up one of his bags. "Where should I put this?"

I looked at him. "Outside."

He smiled. "Funny."

"I wasn't joking."

"I know."

That somehow made it worse.

Ethan grabbed his keys from the table by the door. "I have to go."

I spun around. "What?"

"I have work."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes."

"You're leaving me here with him?"

Ethan looked between us. "You're both adults."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"It does."

"No, it really doesn't."

Knox laughed. Ethan shook his head. "You'll survive."

"You say that like you're sending me into battle."

"I'm sending you to breakfast."

He walked toward the door, and I followed. "Ethan."

He turned.

"Please reconsider."

He smiled. "No."

"Ethan."

"Don't kill each other."

"I make no promises."

"Same," Knox called from behind me.

Ethan laughed and opened the door. Before stepping outside, he looked at me. "Be nice."

I pointed at Knox. "Tell him that."

Ethan looked at Knox. "Be nice."

Knox nodded. "Absolutely."

The door closed.

Silence.

I stared at it, then slowly turned around. Knox was still standing there.

"Your brother has a lot of faith in us."

"He shouldn't."

Knox smiled. "You really don't like me, do you?"

The question caught me off guard. I looked at him. He was smiling, but there was something curious underneath it. I forced a shrug.

"You're annoying."

"That wasn't my question."

"It's my answer."

He laughed softly. "Fair enough."

He grabbed another bag and carried it toward the stairs, and I watched him go. I should have gone back to my coffee. Instead, I followed. Not because I wanted to. Obviously. Someone had to make sure he didn't break anything.

That was all.

"You can put your things in the spare room."

"Thanks."

"You don't have to thank me."

"I know."

Halfway up the stairs, Knox stopped. "You've changed."

I frowned. "What?"

He looked at me for a second, then shrugged. "Nothing."

"No. What did you mean?"

"Nothing."

"You literally just said I've changed."

"And you have."

"How?"

He started climbing again. "I don't know yet."

I stared at the back of his head. What was that supposed to mean?

I followed him upstairs. The spare room was at the end of the hallway, directly across from mine. I opened the door, and Knox stepped inside and looked around. The room had been empty for months, but Ethan had clearly prepared it. Fresh sheets. Clean towels. A small desk. A wardrobe.

Knox dropped his bag beside the bed. "Not bad."

"It's a room."

"Very welcoming."

"You wanted somewhere to sleep."

"I did."

"So sleep."

He laughed, and I turned to leave.

"Kai."

I stopped. "What?"

"Thanks. I mean it this time."

I glanced back. He was standing beside the bed, and for once, he wasn't smiling. He looked genuinely grateful.

I shrugged. "Don't mention it."

Then I walked away. I'd barely reached my bedroom door when I heard him call again.

"Kai."

I turned. He pointed down the hallway. "Which bathroom is yours?"

"The one you're not using."

He laughed. "Still got the attitude."

"Still asking stupid questions."

"Good to know some things haven't changed."

I rolled my eyes and walked into my room.

I closed the door and stood there, listening. I could hear drawers opening across the hallway. A suitcase zipper. Footsteps. Knox, moving around. In my house.

I stared at my bedroom door. This was going to be a disaster.

I sat down on my bed, and my phone buzzed. Ava.

AVA: So?

I frowned.

ME: So what?

AVA: What did Ethan want to tell you?

I stared at the message, then typed.

ME: Knox is staying with us.

The typing bubble appeared immediately.

AVA: WHAT???

I smiled despite myself.

ME: Until the end of the F4 season.

There was a pause. Then:

AVA: I'm sorry.

ME: Thank you.

AVA: No, seriously. Are you okay?

I glanced toward my door. Across the hall, something crashed to the floor.

"Sorry!" Knox shouted.

I closed my eyes.

ME: He's already breaking things.

AVA: 😂😭

ME: This isn't funny.

AVA: It is a little funny.🤭

I shook my head. Then another message appeared.

AVA: You know what this means, right?

I frowned.

ME: What?

She took her time answering.

AVA: You're going to have to see him every day.

I stared at the screen. That shouldn't have bothered me. It was just a fact. Instead, I found myself thinking about all the little things I'd gotten used to avoiding: seeing Knox at dinner, hearing him laugh downstairs, running into him in the hallway, having him around when I came home from work. Knowing he was sleeping somewhere in this house.

I typed:

ME: Unfortunately.

Ava sent back a laughing emoji, and I locked my phone.

Then there was a knock, and the door swung open before I could answer. Knox stood just inside the room.

"Can I come in?"

I blinked. "You're already standing inside."

He glanced behind himself. "Oh."

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"I need help with something."

"With what?"

He held up his phone. "Wi-Fi."

I stared at him. "You're a professional racing driver."

"Yes."

"You drive a car at ridiculous speeds."

"Yes."

"You can understand telemetry."

"Yes."

"You can't connect to Wi-Fi?"

He smiled. "Apparently not."

I laughed before I could stop myself. It was small, barely there, but Knox noticed. His smile changed. Not the usual smug one. Something softer.

"You laughed."

I stopped immediately. "No, I didn't."

"You did."

"You imagined it."

"I definitely heard it."

"You're tired."

"Maybe." He stepped farther into the room. "Help?"

I held out my hand. "Give me the phone."

He passed it to me. Our fingers brushed. It was nothing, just a stupid accidental touch, and I kept my eyes on the screen as I found the network and typed in the password.

"There."

"That was fast."

"Because I'm not useless."

"I never said you were."

"You were thinking it."

"I wasn't."

I handed the phone back. He looked at the screen, then at me. "Thanks."

"Go."

He laughed. "You really want me gone."

"Yes."

He nodded. "Good to know." He turned and walked toward the door, then stopped. "See you later, Kai."

"Unfortunately."

He smiled and left.

I sat there for a moment, then shook my head. This was ridiculous. It had been less than an hour, and somehow Knox had already managed to make himself comfortable.

I went downstairs, grabbed my laptop from the living room table, and carried it back up to my desk. Outside my window, the morning traffic was beginning to build. I looked across the hallway. His door was open. I could see part of his suitcase inside, his jacket hanging over the back of a chair, his shoes beside the bed. His things were already spreading into the space, as if he'd been there much longer than an hour.

I turned away, then stopped. Something felt different. Not bad. Just...different. Maybe because the person I'd spent years keeping at a safe distance was suddenly much closer than I knew how to handle.

I sat down and opened the laptop. Work. That was what I needed. Work was easy. Numbers made sense. People didn't. Especially Knox.

I pulled up the telemetry file from the night before. The graph appeared on the screen, and I studied Turn Seven again. Brake pressure. Speed. Throttle. There. The same inconsistency. I leaned closer.

Behind me, I heard footsteps. I didn't turn around.

"Still working?"

I knew that voice. I kept my eyes on the screen. "Yes."

Knox moved closer. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

He leaned over the back of my chair, and I immediately closed the file.

He looked at me. I looked at him. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"You closed it pretty quickly."

"I wasn't doing anything."

He smiled. "You're a terrible liar."

I stared at him. "Get out."

He laughed and walked away, and I watched him disappear through the doorway. Only after he was gone did I realize something. Knox hadn't called me "kid" once since he'd arrived.

I didn't know why I'd noticed. But I had. And somehow, that bothered me more than it should have.

I looked toward the hallway. His bedroom door was directly across from mine, and it hadn't fully sunk in until now. I stared at it, then at my own door. Across the hall. Every morning. Every night. Every time I stepped outside my room, there he'd be.

Knox Vale. Right there.

I let out a slow breath. This was going to be a very long season.