Page 54
There. That explanation should be more than sufficient.
“Ah, so Guy’s your comfort but I’m your escape.”
“Guy’s a day at the spa, you’re a night in a haunted house.”
“One puts you to sleep, the other gets your heart racing. Sounds about right.”
Put that way, yeah. But no, because…
“That’s not how I meant it.”
“How did you mean it?”
“I don’t, uh. I meant… Well… But Guy… And you…” Khaos intrigues me like a haunted house would—fleetingly. That’s all I meant. I think.
His laugh grates on my already frayed nerves.
“I can’t explain what I meant, okay? But it definitely wasn’t a compliment.”
“I took it as one.”
“I can see that. I’m pretty sure your head just doubled in size.”
“Both of ’em.”
“Okay.” I try to shake that image away before it can take root. “Look, I had a momentarily lapse in sanity. It won’t happen again.”
“Two. You had two lapses. And you haven’t spent a whole night with me…yet.”
“Now who sounds conceited?”
Without waiting for an answer, I move to exit the pantry a second time.
But once again, Khaos’s voice stops me in my tracks.
“Kota, hold up.”
“What now?”
“What happened today? What made it so hard?”
I laugh. We’re just going to have a normal conversation now? After all that?
Khaos is looking at me expectantly, so…I guess we are.
“A bad performance.”
“Your herkie or whatever?”
It’s so funny to hear him try to talk cheer.
“No. A teammate had a really bad fall and she…kicked out another teammate’s teeth.”
“No shit?” He reaches for the bag of rice again, finding it after one swipe of his long arm. “So it’s pretty dangerous, what you do?”
“Can be. Although, today’s mess-up seemed…not…accidental?” This is my first time saying it out loud. I’ve been thinking it all day but haven’t had the opportunity to voice my thoughts. Nobody talks to me about cheer. My mom just criticizes me and Guy’s jealous of the time I put into it.
“What do you mean? Like the girl meant to kick out the other person’s teeth?” After sticking his phone in the bag to submerge it in the rice, he zips it closed and looks at me.
