lifeline ⇾ kai parker

46┃dreamscapes

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

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"MILA, ARE YOU COMING OUT?" Kai leaned against the side of the house, waiting for Mila to come through the patio door. A little boy stood beside him, the two of them sporting loose-fitting white tank tops and swim trunks. The thrill of scheming coated their anticipating expressions.

His son had inherited most of his features. Levi had a full head of brown hair, a mischievous smile that was displayed in this very moment, and a perfectly straight nose. He had gotten Mila's eyes, though, the green color sparkling in the afternoon sun. The only other difference between them was the color of the bandanas wrapped around their foreheads; Kai's matched his shirt while his son wore a red one.

Mila slid open the glass door and stepped onto the deck. Because of the unforgiving heat, she was only wearing a bikini top and jean shorts. Kai was instantly distracted.

"Stand down," Kai told Levi, laying a hand over his chest before he had bothered to throw the water balloon he'd been holding onto.

Mila glances up from rubbing remaining suntan lotion on her arms. "Were you trying to ambush me?"

"No," Kai responded right as Levi had said the opposite. Kai sent him an unamused look, which made Levi smirk wider; you could never tell which side he was on.

Mila hummed, gesturing for Kai to come closer. He doesn't hesitate to do so. She pulls him in halfway by the collar of his shirt. Their mouths come together for a slow, rhythmic kiss that causes Kai to loose his grip on his own water balloon hiding behind his back. It explodes once it hits the floor, marking the deck, but he doesn't notice. Kai just moves his hands to her hips and enjoys the attention he's getting.

Levi folded his arms over his chest and shook his head slightly, a behavior he learned from his mother. "Traitor."

Mila pulls away at the sound of her son's voice, unable to hold back a smile at how offended he looked. He was all pouty lips and furrowed brows, features that looked absolutely adorable with his chubby cheeks and wide eyes.

"Did you two have fun playing with the neighbors?"

"Yup. Me and Levi totally dominated the water balloon fight. It actually just came down to me and him, but I let him win," Kai says, not seeing how Levi's nose wrinkled at the words.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not," Levi argued, and this reply came with a swing of his arm. The yellow rubber of the balloon popped once it hit Kai's back, soaking his relatively dry shirt.

Kai spun around at the impact, mouth agape as he examined the wet spot. Then, he redirected his gaze to their giggling five-year-old. Mila bit her lip to hold in her own laughter, but her raised eyebrows conveyed her amusement.

"You little..." Kai didn't bother to finish his sentence when he took a big step forward. Levi immediately took off in a sprint, still giggling, and ran further into the backyard.

Mila jumped on Kai's back, and he stumbled, nearly falling over. "Run, Levi! Run!"

"Hey! Who's team are you on?" Kai complained. He craned his neck to look over his shoulder at her content face.

"The winning team. You suck," she answered before she planted another kiss on his lips, but this time it was merely just a peck.

"I feel so used and manipulated," he whispers, referring to all of her seductive methods of distraction. His act of being offended quickly drops when his attentive eyes go to her lips. "Do it again."