i-Spy | A Stalker Romance

Chapter 35: Stalky McStalkerface

Stella's P.O.V.

The ride back was wrapped in a comfortable silence, the hum of the engine a soothing backdrop to my thoughts. I found myself sneaking glances at Kairo, my curiosity piqued about the kind of childhood he might have had.

"Did you rescue any of those kids there?" I couldn't help but ask, my voice breaking the quiet.

His lips curved into a small, bittersweet smile, and his eyes glistened with some distant memory. For a moment, I could almost see the scenes playing out in his mind, the echoes of past struggles and triumphs.

"You'd be surprised how cruel this world can be for children," he said softly. His words hung heavy in the air.  He didn't directly answer my question, and I didn't press him for more. But his expression gave it away. He had saved those kids. He had rescued more than one of them, hadn't he?

The silence returned, but it was different now—charged with the weight of what he had shared, or rather, what he had chosen not to share. I could feel the strain of those memories in the set of his jaw and the way his grip tightened on the steering wheel. This world had shown him its darker sides, and he had fought back against it in ways I was only beginning to understand.

"Is Dylan one of them?" I asked after a moment, my curiosity once again getting the better of me.

Kairo took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling in a way that seemed to bear the weight of the world. He chuckled roughly, a sound filled with both humor and pain.

"Dylan is—" he started, then sighed, searching for the right words. "Let's just say he reminded me of myself." His grip on the steering wheel tightened even more, and I tried not to let my eyes linger too long on his flexed forearms, a tattoo peaking out from where he had rolled the sleeves. 

"All those kids there, they are my family. And the one that I built... I just want them to have a better future and... just... protect the remaining bits of childhood they have," he said, his voice thick with emotion. It was clear how difficult it was for him to talk about this. The strain in his voice, the slight crack that he thought he had masked but I had heard it all.

I let out a deep breath myself, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. I reached out and placed a hand on his thigh in reassurance. Kairo stiffened at the touch, his eyes darting between my hand and my face, before he relaxed, the tension easing slightly from his body.

"I'm sure they'll grow up to have a good life," I said softly, offering him a smile that I hoped conveyed my belief in his efforts.

He met my eyes, his face softening into a tender smile that mirrored mine. Then he chuckled and turned back to the road, his eyes bright with a mix of amusement and something deeper.

"You're definitely giving mixed signals here, Stella-mia," he teased, gesturing to my hand. I withdrew it immediately, a faint blush creeping up my cheeks.

"You're insufferable," I scoffed, rolling my eyes in an attempt to hide my embarrassment, which only made him chuckle again.

He immediately reached for my hand and placed it back on his thigh, his fingers lingering over mine.

"I like them better this way," he smirked.

And there he was. The Kairo I knew. 

The one who could switch from vulnerable to infuriatingly confident in a heartbeat. His smirk held that familiar mix of arrogance and charm that both annoyed and fascinated me. It was a defense mechanism, I realized—a way to deflect from the pain he had just revealed.