Chapter 6

Ash

A fter mentally preparing myself over the weekend to face Kai on Monday, I was almost ready. The last few days were an emotional roller coaster with coming out to Mom and, later on, to Aiden. Every Saturday, we had this small tradition where the three of us sat down to a family dinner, with Kai often joining us. Since Mom and I cooked like shit, Kai and Aiden always took cooking upon themselves. They were great chefs, and their teamwork was on point. Kai hadn't joined last Saturday for obvious reasons, but it was for the better. Being just the three of us made it easier for me to come out to Aiden, who took it the same way Mom had. Knowing I had their support made coming to school today a lot easier. Only Kai hadn't shown up to any of our classes. So after I was done with swimming practice, which he'd also skipped, I tracked down Zoe, who was on the girls' team.

"Hey, Zoe," I said, stepping close to her while she was busy drying her hair with a towel.

"Hey," she answered back half-heartedly, looking rather annoyed.

Okay, then…

"Do you know where Kai is?"

"Don't know and don't care," she snarled, throwing the towel into her gym bag and zipping it.

"Did something happen between you two?" It was the first thing I asked because, the last I knew, they were fine. More than fine. They were happily in love. Yeah, Ash, that's a way to make yourself feel better. And while I didn't want Zoe to get hurt, since she was still a friend, I wouldn't be sad if they broke up.

"He pushed me, Chief."

Suddenly, I wasn't all that giddy about their supposed breakup.

Kai did what now?

"What do you mean he pushed you?" My brows pulled close because what she said was out of character for him. Kai would never be violent toward a woman, especially his girlfriend.

Looking around to see no one was standing too close, Zoe sighed, then returned her eyes to me. "We went to the movies on Saturday, and after we got to our seats and all, he pulled out a bottle of scotch. I was like, ‘What the actual fuck, Kai?' because why would he bring booze to the cinema?" While speaking, she began pulling up her hair into this messy bun on top of her head. "Anyway, I got angry with him and went back to the car when he followed me. We got into a fight, and I tried to take the bottle away from him. He then got really pissed off." She paused and pressed her lips together. "Chief, I've never seen him so angry. I swear to God, he looked like someone else. But, whatever, he got pissed off and pushed me. After that, I grabbed my things and drove off. He hasn't called to apologize since, and I doubt I'll take him back. I want nothing to do with a drunk."

A drunk?

What Kai did was incredibly wrong, but he wasn't a drunk, just drunk. Whenever things got rough with his parents, Kai would go out and party to release some steam. That was his way of coping. His folks were never happy with him, no matter what he did, and always tried to push him into a box that didn't fit. Sometimes, he told me he felt like a dummy in the making. His parents pushed and pulled, forcing him to act the part and follow their lead even when it didn't fit his character. They never saw him for who he was, and that typically was why he'd snap. Having said that, as angry as he got, Kai didn't have violent outbursts.

So, while I did feel bad for Zoe, I'd still have to give Kai the benefit of the doubt until I heard what he had to say about this.

Parked outside Rob's restaurant, I was ready to get out of my truck when my phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, I nearly dropped my phone but got a hold of myself beforehand and answered the call.

"H-Hey."

"I was beginning to think you gave me the wrong number," Soren said, his voice as smooth and sexy as I remembered.

"No, no," I chuckled nervously, my eyes focusing on the car's dashboard. "Sorry I didn't text back. I was just busy." Soren had texted me over the weekend, but I was too caught up with Kai to even consider talking to someone else.

"They sure do keep you busy in Economics if you don't even have a minute to text back."

Good thing he said that because I'd completely forgotten my lie.

"Yeah… They work us hard."

Soren chuckled, but it was more of a tired drawl than an awkward laugh like my own.

"You sure know how to keep a man hanging," he said, causing my skin to heat up.

"Y-You think so?" I asked while pushing random buttons in the car to keep myself busy.

"Oh, for sure." He paused for a second. "I have no doubt you can bring a man to his knees without even trying."

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and my breath caught. On the one hand, he was so suave and composed, while on the other, he said things that set my body on fire.

"And you know what the sexiest part is?" he asked, his voice dancing on my eager nerves.

I blurted a weak no.

"The sexiest part is you not even realizing what you're capable of, Ashton. It's absolutely mind-blowing."

A flutter ran through me, and I fought hard not to giggle because, holy shit , he was saying such bold things. Me being sexy? Come on. I was an awkward kid who spent most of his Friday nights binge-watching old movies with his mom. Not to mention, I was a virgin whose experience was limited to his right hand. So him thinking I knew how to bring a man to his knees was simply outrageous.

"Am I making you feel awkward?" he then asked.

"N-No. Not at all." I swallowed my embarrassment. "It's just… I think you got the wrong impression of me."

Soren let out that soft chuckle again.

"And I think you've got the wrong perception about yourself, beautiful. So how about you let me take you out on a date so we can see who's right?"

He was so good with words, making it even more obvious he was out of my league in every possible way. Yet, he wanted me, and it felt nice.

"Okay." I smiled to myself. "But I'm letting you know that you're set up for disappointment."

"That's never going to be the case." His words carried a promise. "Sadly, I have to hang up now, but I'll text you the details."

"O-Okay." Seems like this is the only word I can come up with at the moment.

"I truly can't wait to see you, Ashton." With that, he ended the call, leaving me with a big-ass smile plastered on my flushed face.

Fanning myself since it was suddenly incredibly hot inside my pickup truck, I got out. His game was unreal, leaving me even more insecure about my lack of experience. It was also amazing how confident Soren was.

Was he out? Did his friends and family know he was gay? Or was it a secret? I quickly brushed off those thoughts. A man like Soren probably had no secrets to hide as he was perfect.

Walking into the restaurant, I greeted everyone and was soon asked by Rob to go and do inventory in the back storage. I loved doing this task since it took at least an hour and was much easier than working with customers.

Our storage room was a small unit in the back of the restaurant, so to get there, I had to go outside through the rear parking lot. Still giddy about the talk I'd had with Soren, I pulled out the unit's keys and was ready to start working when I spotted Kai smoking with his eyes closed while leaning against the wall.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" I asked, pocketing the keys while checking out his uniform.

"I took a smoking break," he said, opening his eyes. They were bloodshot red, meaning he was either tired or stoned. Going by the dark circles around them, I wanted to believe it was due to the former.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, and he snorted a tired laugh. Frowning at his reaction, I moved to open the door when he blocked my way.

"What's up with that face, Ash?" He pointed at me, and I pushed his hand away.

"You're being an asshole right now."

"I thought that's what you liked, no? Assholes?" He grinned. "Or do you prefer to be the one getting it?"

"Fuck you," I snapped, hurt by his words, but he didn't seem to care and instead flashed me a toothy grin.

"I'm just joking, Ashy ." He put his hand on my shirt and tried to pull me close.

"Don't touch me," I argued, pushing him away only for him to grab my hips and turn us around so my back hit the wall.

"Suddenly, you don't want me to touch you?" He leaned close, his lips an inch from mine.

His breath reeked of alcohol, and I wrinkled my nose.

I want nothing to do with a drunk .

Zoe's words struck me like a hard slap.

"You're drunk," I hissed.

"I went to a party last night and came back home a little too late, that's all." He shrugged, but his lie reeked the same way the booze did.

"So Zoe was right calling you a drunk."

Anger crossed his face, and he stepped back. Taking a hit from his cigarette, he blew out the smoke. "She's exaggerating like all chicks do."

"You pushed her."

"Fuck her for saying that bullshit," he snarled. "I didn't lay a fucking finger on her. She fell by herself after acting up like a raging cunt."

Shocked, I stared at him with my mouth open. I had never seen Kai act and speak this way in my entire life. It was almost like he was a completely different guy.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you behaving this way?"

Taking another drag, he then tossed the used bud to the ground. "Sorry for not meeting your expectations," he muttered, blowing the smoke in my face. "It's a good thing we're not dating, then. Right?"

He was bringing this up again and mocking me so cruelly.

"Fuck you, Kai."

"Wouldn't you want that?"

Wanting to punch the smirk off his face, I held myself back and instead said, "You think you're my only option out there? You think I'm that desperate that I'll stay hung up on you even after being rejected? You're pathetic."

Kai's brows shot to his hairline. "Will you listen to that." He clapped his hands. "You want to tell me that your virgin ass got a waiting list?"

Kai knew I was still a virgin, and until now, he never gave me shit about it and said it was legit. So him throwing that fact back at me in such a hurtful way was more painful than I could have imagined. Swallowing back my tears, I took a deep breath. "Maybe I do."

"Please," he sneered. "Who'll ever want you?"

My palm hit his cheek before I knew it, leaving him and me shocked.

"J-Just so you know, I have a date." My voice shivered as I held my head high. Even though he was trying to mock the fact that I loved him, I remembered my mom's words and wasn't about to feel ashamed of my feelings.

Rubbing his cheek, Kai continued to look at me, stunned. We never fought, let alone hit each other. This was a first for us, but he asked for it.

"You have a date?"

"Yeah."

"With that rich asshole?"

"He's not an asshole."

Kai snorted. "Yeah, right. And do you honestly think he cares for you?"

"I've had enough of this," I said, turning away from him and pulling the keys out of my pocket. I wasn't about to let him ruin my excitement over Soren. "I have work to do, and so do you."

My fingers trembled, but I still managed to insert the key into the keyhole and turn it.

"Do you know what I did that night after leaving your house?" he suddenly said.

When I didn't turn around to face him, he went on. "I drove back to Zoe and kissed her."

I felt my heart sink to my stomach.

"And you know what I did after?"

Tears gathered in my eyes.

"I fucked her raw. And her pussy was so fucking good."

Unable to move, I remained in place until I heard him walking away. With shaking hands, I opened the storage room. Nearly falling inside, I shut the door and locked it behind me. With my back pressed against it, I slowly slid to the floor, tears already streaming down my face, and broke down. Not only did he humiliate me, but Kai also managed to make me feel so unworthy. I thought the worst was behind us, but today, he proved me wrong.

He was vengeful, angry, and cruel. So fucking cruel, using my love for him against me.

After putting myself back together, I returned to the restaurant, prepared to tell Rob I was quitting. I loved it here, but working alongside Kai seemed impossible. But as I approached Rob, I found out that Kai had already quit before I could.

What is going on?