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Yet, the man who wants nothing to do with love is the one who saved me and sits with me in silence now. If I were alone in my room with Nick, I’d be anxious and on edge, but here with Kai, I feel perfectly at ease. His presence is calming and reassuring in a way it was even on the first night I met him in Long Island. He has a way of making me feel comfortable in my own skin. No one has ever made me feel that way before.
Kai stirs beside me. “Nick is probably passed out cold by now. He was as plastered tonight as I’ve seen him yet.”
“Do you think that’s why he took things so far?” I ask, not opening my eyes.
Kai sighs. “I don’t know. He wasn’t drunk in the hallway back at the theater earlier.”
I frown. “No, he wasn’t.”
“But, maybe yes…” he continues. “I don’t presume to know why he does anything he does.”
“I don’t know if he actually would have—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Kai cuts me off. “He went far enough.”
“If you wouldn’t have dropped off my script tonight...”
Kai doesn’t respond. We both know what that scenario might have meant. But it doesn’t matter now, because he’s here, and I’m safe. We sit in silence for another few moments. I replay images of Kai’s fist against Nick’s nose. As shocking as it was, there was also an undeniable feeling of protection that came with it. As soon as he showed up, I somehow knew everything would be ok. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
“Thank you…” I repeat softly, and the words are truer than ever.
Kai rubs my left shoulder in reassurance. It’s a communication of understanding without words. But instinctively, I register his touch as an embrace, and I lean my head in against his shoulder. He tenses again, but he doesn’t move away. For some reason, it feels like a natural progression of our night. He stepped in to save me, and it makes me want to stay close to him. I keep my eyes shut, appreciating the way his body feels; warm and large beside mine, and before I know it, my thoughts wander further away from consciousness.
Tonight, he is safety. I want to bury myself in the feeling and push Nick and his roaming hands from my mind. If Kai leaves, I’ll have to face those thoughts again, but when he’s here, I can find my peace. And that’s what I need most.
TWENTY
Kai
Sophie’s head on my shoulder: somehow, I’m not prepared for the way it makes me feel.
It isn’t Elaine’s head on William’s shoulder. No. It’s Sophie’s on mine. I gaze down to see her eyes are closed, and her lips are parted just so. She’s finally asleep, free from the grips of her traumatic night. My arm is starting to fall asleep, but I don’t dare move, and I don’t want to. She’s so peaceful now, and I love the feel of her so close.
Less than an hour ago, she was wrapped in a blanket, fighting back tears. In my mind, I can still see Nick’s hands on her arms, shoving her against the wall. Even though he was drunk, she wouldn’t have been able to shrug him off. In that moment, I wasn’t even sure I could take him on myself, but once I pulled him away from her with ease and he went stumbling across the floor, it was clear he wasn’t coherent enough to put up much of a fight.
My anger has been building for weeks now. He’s slowly been moving closer to her, touching her more, whispering things in her ear. He’s been making gradual moves each time so that none of them shocked her too much. I know exactly what he’s been doing. It’s the sinister version of the typical progression any man is familiar with when pursuing a woman he’s interested in.
I have an inkling Sophie knew exactly what he was doing too, but she was probably trying not to be rude, or maybe she was second-guessing his intentions. Like I told her earlier, she’s too quick to see the good in people. It’s both a blessing and a curse. And now it’s clear that she isn’t safe alone with him. Actually, no one is safe alone with him, and I can’t wait to call George in the morning and set things right.
As Sophie sleeps on my shoulder, I gaze around her living room, studying the way she keeps her space. There’s a vase of fresh wildflowers on the table, a grinning picture of her and Leah hanging from the wall, and a bright blue teapot on the stove. Everything is exceptionally neat and tidy, apart from a single dirtied mug that sits in the sink. The whole place feels like her; perfect and unassuming on the outside, but with unique little quirks and a flaw or two if you look deep enough.
I didn’t expect to be sitting here with her so intimately after our heated arguments over the last few days. Even just earlier today, I thought we might have finally reached our end. Yet, it’s so simple to fall back into a positive space with her, especially now after she looked at me with her big brown eyes, terrified and finally letting me stand up for her. In a bewildering way, it feels natural to be with her like this, even when everything else suggests otherwise.
She stirs next to me, rubs her eyes, and peers at me curiously. I smile at her, and she returns the expression.
“You should probably get some real sleep now,” I shift my arm out from behind her and stand up.
She nods, setting her blanket to the side.
I clear my throat. “And, um, you should lock the door once I leave.”
Sophie’s fearful eyes shoot up to mine, and I think she might protest like she did before, but she doesn’t. She just wraps her arms around herself and lowers her gaze to the floor.
“Can Leah come over, so you aren’t alone?” I ask.
Sophie shakes her head. “She’s out of town.”
“Oh.” I still haven’t made a move to the door yet. “You’ll be ok?”
