lifeline ⇾ kai parker

35┃harmonious tribulation

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
end of part 2/book 2

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THE SCRAPE OF HER PEN against notebook paper was interrupted by a repetitive tapping. She unfolded her legs and slipped off of her bed to investigate, but she already had a theory on what was waiting for her once she pulled back the curtains.

A noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a laugh was released when she caught sight of Kai's face smushed against the window. He looked how he usually did: absolutely ridiculous. With his bent nose, crossed eyes, and his smeared mouth fogging the glass, he had successfully brought forth unsolicited happiness.

Fingers undo the latch and push up the windowpane. The rattle of the rain had previously faded into the background, but now with the window open the sound was amplified and rolled in along with the splatter of droplets.

He was completely soaked. He stepped inside with squeaking shoes, dark clothes clinging to his skin, and wet hair sticking to his forehead. Mila watched him enter with lifted eyebrows and spaced lips, not quite knowing where to start with his unexpected arrival.

"Whew. It's really coming down out there." He shook himself like a drenched dog, blowing out air in a way that flapped his lips and produced a comical sound.

"Why didn't you use the door?"

"I wanted the full boyfriend experience. Sneaking into your bedroom late at night through the window. Getting to see you in a skimpy nightgown." Kai peels off his coat and throws it onto her desk chair after giving her a through but quick scan. "You're not following through on your part."

"Sorry. All my slutty sleepwear is in the wash," Mila resorted, shrugging.

She took a brief glance at herself through the mirror attached to her dresser. She saw the spaghetti straps of her tank top overlap the straps of her bra. Baggy sweatpants and fluffy ankle socks made up the rest of her outfit.

The squelching noise of Kai taking off his shoes reverberated around the room while she returned back to her spot. A spiral notebook was flipped open, the pages filled with bullet points and her handwriting. A textbook was also laid out, and her eyes only stopped scanning the paragraphs whenever there was a highlighted, bold word. Writing down vocabulary terms had gotten a bit tedious but it seemed to be the only way that she could learn them.

"You're forgiven, I guess," Kai responded. A yawn followed his reply; he stretched his arms and shuffled across the room. "I still have some clothes here, right?"

"Yeah. Third drawer," Mila answered without looking up.

"Sorry I didn't check in that much today. I spent most of the day with Damon. It went how it usually went. I was my genius and awesome self and he got angry and threw me against the wall. Talk about anger issues. Definitely needs to go to a meeting. I mean, for anger management. Not for his drinking. Although, now that I think about it, he uses a bourbon bottle like a binky. His tantrums are starting to make a little more sense now. Anywho, looks like we're going to rescue Mama Salvatore from the 1903 prison world tomorrow."

"You texted me 72 times today, Kai. During class may I add. If your updates mixed in with your requests for nudes didn't fill me in enough, Elena did. She explained what Damon wants to do. I understand why they're going, but why are you going?" She sighed out. She blinked a few times at her work before her focus shifted completely towards Kai.