Breaking the Grid

Un

As soon as Kimi bursts through the door, I barely have time to react before I'm tackled into a tight hug. "Blair!" he shouts, his voice filled with excitement as he plants a big, exaggerated kiss on my cheek. I groan, pushing him back playfully, but he clings on, making kissy noises just to annoy me.

"God, Kimi, you're so sticky," I mutter, trying to peel him off. "Why are you like this?"

He grins, tightening his grip for a second longer before finally releasing me. "What? You didn't miss me? I've been gone for three days!" His Italian accent, as always, makes everything sound more dramatic.

I roll my eyes but laugh. "Missed you? Yeah, like I miss a headache."

Kimi chuckles, giving me another quick kiss just to irritate me one more time. As I shove him away, I hear Katie snickering from the couch, watching the entire spectacle with obvious amusement.

I narrow my eyes at her. "Why are you always at my house, Katie? You have your own place, right?"

Katie leans back, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Yeah, but your place is more fun. Plus, free entertainment," she gestures to me and Kimi, still laughing. "Watching you two is like reality TV."

Kimi immediately jumps on that. "Oh, can we be like Love Island?" he asks with fake enthusiasm, wrapping his arm around me again. "Blair and Kimi, the island's power couple!"

"Get off me!" I say, laughing as I shove him away. "This isn't a show, and you're making it worse!"

Katie raises an eyebrow. "But is it worse though? It's kinda sweet, seeing Blair 'the Ice Queen' Becks getting attacked by affection."

I shoot her a dark look. "I'm seriously considering changing my locks."

"Sure, sure," Katie says, waving me off like she doesn't believe a word. "But you'd miss me too much."

Before I can come up with a comeback, the door opens again, and Leah walks in with Caitlin. They're deep in conversation, talking so intently they barely notice the chaos in the room. Leah looks up, her expression serious as she finishes a sentence. "We got Alessia and Lia sorted, but Kyra was being picky."

I immediately grab my phone from the table, unlocking it quickly, hoping maybe she's replied. But nothing. The same unread messages stare back at me, and I sigh, locking my phone again and setting it down with a bit more force than necessary.

Katie, of course, notices everything. "What's going on?" she asks, her voice nosy but laced with genuine curiosity.

I shrug, trying to keep it light. "Nothing, just... she hasn't replied yet."

Leah, who had been across the room, hears me. She turns around, looking confused. "Who?" she asks, walking closer with Caitlin trailing behind.

I hesitate for a second, but there's no point in lying now. "Kyra," I mumble, feeling a little embarrassed under Leah's questioning gaze.

She rolls her eyes before turning around, exasperated. "You keep talking about her," she says, walking closer with Caitlin trailing behind.

She waves her hand in the air as if to dismiss the whole thing. "You're overthinking this. She was fine earlier when we were out shopping," she says, her tone casual but a bit tired, like this has been a constant topic. "You just need to chill."

"You were with her?" I ask, trying not to sound too eager.

"Yeah, we were all together—Alessia, Lia, Kyra—getting dresses" Caitlin adds, not fully aware of the storm brewing inside me.