Forever Kind of Love

Chapter 15

On Monday, I don't go to class. I have a doctor's note to get out of all my classes for a week so that I can rest, but I honestly just don't have the will to do anything right now. When I close my eyes, I imagine myself on stage performing in a grand hall with an orchestra, or I imagine what it would be like to never play again. Every time I get up, my side aches and I hiss at the pain. I'm starting to look like Violet from Willy Wonka, all purple and swollen. I think briefly about Kai, wondering if he'll miss me in class, but soon the piano draws my mind away.

Around lunchtime, there's a knock on my door. Maybe it's Ace and he forgot his key? Any of my other friends would have texted before, so I don't bother changing or hiding my tearstained face as I slowly make my way to the door. I open it and freeze because it isn't Ace. It's Kai. Maybe I'm hallucinating? I didn't think the painkillers the doctor prescribed were that strong though.

But as I look up into his eyes, I know I'm not hallucinating. Their intensity is real, and it feels as if his stare is burning into me. He starts at my face before slowly tracking down my body. I'm only wearing an oversized t-shirt over my underwear because pants are too painful right now, and I have never felt more exposed. After their meticulous perusal of my body, Kai's eyes lock back on mine. He looks a mix of angry and in pain, like he's the one who got hit by a car, not me. Before I can ask what he's doing here, he steps forward. Then suddenly Kai's giving me the best hug of my life. His strong arms and manly scent engulf me, but he's being so achingly gentle that I start crying again. I thought all my tears were used up, but I was wrong. We stand there hugging as I cry into his shirt and he whispers that everything will be okay, that I've been so brave, that he's right there.

I don't know how long we stand therelike that, but eventually my tears stop, and I lean back to look up at Kai. Hedoesn't loosen his hold on me when he asks, "You going to let me in?" I givehim a small smile and leave his arms to walk us back into my apartment.