Billie Bossa Nova

35.

Vusi Mthathwa, who would be partnering with Moonlite Casino for the upcoming tournament had invited Kai Rivera to his wedding. Billie went as Kai's partner, dressed in a long blue and black traditional piece, as per the theme, and tying her hair up to a bun.

The wedding, as expected from a man of his wealth, was grand. A modern-traditional wedding. Besides the extraordinary music and amazing food, the wedding was all but eventful.

Kai was too busy having conversation with Vusi, the groom and also the current CEO of Everett Flights to keep her company throughout the day and even more so when they went home. He was tucked up in his room, making phone calls and working on his laptop. She even got up at three AM for a glass of water and peeked into his room.

Billie found him sitting at the edge of his bed with two empty coffee mugs on the nightstand. His computer glasses sat on his nose while he tapped endlessly on his keyboard. He didn't glance at her, but asked why she had woken up. She mumbled that she'd been thirsty, then said goodnight and returned to her room.

She missed him. It was odd, to miss someone that was right there, but she did. She missed talking to him and joking with him and the way he looked at her. She missed looking at him, too. She missed his touch, the way it ignited her. She missed the sound of his voice, not when it was all tired and asking her why she was up as a means of getting her to leave so that he could continue working. She missed his laughter and his smile and his scowl and his serious face.

Billie laid in bed for two more hours drifting in and out of sleep with Kai on her mind. That he wasn't sleeping. That she wanted to spend more time with him. Like a neglected cub, Billie longed for his attention in the most ridiculous way known to man. A feind, shamelessly so.

After a lot of contemplating, she got up and went to his room again. Kai sat in the same way she had left him last time, but now he removed his pants and was only in his boxers. His shirt was still on, like he decided to get changed but was too distracted and stopped halfway. Disheveled curls sat like a bush on his head, the twenty-four hours of slick and stick guarantee that the brand of hair gel offered having expired and disrupted in the course of the night. His laptop was on his lap, phone in his hand and bed completely neat, a sign that he didn't even think about sleeping.

“Go back to sleep, Billie.”

Kai didn't even lift his head to look at her. Billie stood leaning on the threshold. Letting a few seconds pass before gracing him a response.

“It's almost five AM,” she replied. Kai hummed a response. As if he knew that was how long he'd been up. Like he was used to it. It wasn't a new thing. “When were you planning on sleeping?” He shrugged. His gaze like he was hypnotized, fixed on the damn screen like it gave him life.

Billie refused to let it show, but she was vexed. He couldn't even look up at her to give her proper response while she was speaking to him. It was demeaning. It was infuriating.

She stepped inside, arms crossed to contain an outburst as her irritance itched to scream out at him. She stood before him, lowering the screen of his laptop. He was unfazed.

“I was thinking about tomorrow.” Kai still didn't look up at her. What he did do was hum once again. In a way that told her to continue. Her jaw locked. Billie exhaled, letting out the agitation in one huff. “I was thinking we take a short break from work? Maybe do something fun in the afternoon and then get back to it in the evening.”

“You mean procrastinate.”

She shrugged. “Call it as you will.” Billie more of preferred the forbidden word, date, but she would not let herself be the one to recommend it.