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“Good luck with that.” He turns to the fountain and leans in to study the ripples of water.
I blink at him. “What?”
“I’m sure he’ll pledge his commitment to you on your second date,” Kai says without looking at me, “buy you flowers every Tuesday, and be the perfect boyfriend.”
I pull a crease on my forehead. “And what’s wrong with that?”
His shoulders fall as he turns to me. “It's just going to be another letdown, because before you know it, the intrigue will fade. He’ll be blowing you off for his hoity-toity banker friends. You’ll start to question his loyalty and affection, but those Tuesday flowers will keep you attached.” He pauses, looking me straight in the eye.
I start to open my mouth, but he continues. “When he does occasionally give you his attention, he’ll kiss you the same way each time. It’ll be a good kiss, sure. But you won’t really feel anything because he won’t really care. And neither will you. It’ll look good on paper, so you’ll stay together because it’ll be safe.”
My jaw hangs open. “Excuse me? You don’t even know this guy.”
“Yeah, and neither do you. But he sounds painfully boring.” He eyes the water again.
“Only because you’re making up these ridiculous assumptions about him.” I glare at him.
“What’s the first question he asked you when he texted you?”
I cross my arms and tap my foot. “That hardly matters.”
Kai waits patiently.
I clear my throat. “He asked me what kind of flowers I like.”
Kai nods and takes a long breath. “Sounds about right.”
I step toward him and present my palms. “What in the world is wrong with a guy asking a girl what flowers she likes?”
“It’s so unoriginal and cliché,” he replies. “I don’t buy the intention as genuine.”
“I happen to like flowers.” I narrow my eyes. “I’m flattered that he cared to ask.”
Kai shakes his head. “The guy's following the rules by the book, and he probably does the exact same thing for every first date.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, don’t try to tell me you haven’t used the same moves on dozens of women, Kai.”
He nods. “Oh, I have. Works like a charm on most of them.” He pauses. “But they didn’t work on you.”
My gaze lingers on his and I squint my eyes, trying to understand why he’s suddenly so cynical.
“It didn’t work on you, because you don’t want those things, Sophie.” He’s facing me squarely now. “I know that, because you told me so. Straight to my face. You want someone who will be authentic and exposed with you, look at you like you’re the only thing in his world. You don’t want someone who’ll just go through the motions. You want something raw and real.”
“I…um…” I trail off, unable to manage a response.
His eyes hold mine, firm and sympathetic all at once. “You’re as terrified of a passionless relationship as you are of a one-night stand.”
I hesitate. He knows this part of me almost as well as I know it myself. He reads me like an open book, and as hard as I try, I can’t conceal my vulnerability as well as I once did.
“Who says I’d be getting into a passionless relationship?” I gulp back the lump in my throat. “Maybe this guy is full of passion. Maybe he’s my perfect match. Maybe he’ll make me feel the things I’ve never felt before.”
The air hangs quietly between us as he watches me. “Have you never felt them?” he asks gently. “Those things you so desperately want to feel?”
I swallow slowly, watching the way the sunlight reflects in his eyes. Yes, I’ve felt them. Kai makes me feel them all.
“Because I’ve felt them with you, Sophie,” he begins, taking one step toward me. “Since the very beginning.”
I take a small step backward. His sudden change in demeanor throws me off like I’m falling from a horse. I steady myself against the edge of the fountain, knowing the truth I’ve avoided for so long is finally staring me in the face. We’ve navigated our friendship so well over the last month. Why is he trying to change things again?
