Before I can think it through, I drop the whisk. My hand grabs the front of his muscle shirt, pulling him toward me with more force than I meant to, but it's like I don't care. I need him close, and I need him now.
Noah's eyes widen for half a secon...
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Arjun hits another curb, the car jolting.
"What the fuck do you mean he doesn't have a driver's license?" I smacked Kairo upside the head.
"It means exactly that," he laughed, turning back to look at me with a smirk.
I shifted my gaze to Arjun, gripping the wheel like he was on a GTA joyride. "If you kill us, I'm gonna fuck you up," I warned, clutching the edge of my seat.
Arjun let out a deep laugh that echoed through the car. "Relax, I know how to drive."
"I couldn't tell, with the way you're hitting these damn corners, bro."
I sank back, clutching my seatbelt like it was the only thing keeping me alive. I stopped counting how many red lights he ran after the fourth. It's like he didn't know red meant stop. Somehow, though, we made it to Target in one piece.
Inside, Kairo took the cart, and I hopped onto the front like some little kid. Arjun tossed bags of candy in as we passed each aisle, his focus darting back and forth.
"My cousin's bringing the booze. Anything you and Noah wanna drink at the party?" he asked.
"No," Kairo said.
"Smirnoff Apple," I threw in.
Arjun nodded, his thumbs flying across his phone screen to add it to the list. Kairo pushed the cart slowly as we trailed Arjun, who was now tossing in bags of chips, dips, and rows of cookies. In the bakery section, we watched as he piled in boxes of cupcakes, his arms practically overflowing.
Kairo nudged the cart along and glanced at me. "You've been hanging out with Annabeth a lot."
Ever since that project for class, we'd just fallen into this easy rhythm. Talking with her felt natural, like there was no effort involved.
"Well she's a cool chick."
Kairo doesn't say anything, just pushes the cart forward whenever Arjun moves to the next aisle. And it's there that he starts ignoring me, talking to Arjun more than me. If I say something, he barely reacts, like he's upset or something.
When we finally get to the costume aisle, it's slim pickings. Most of the racks are bare, with only a few random costumes clinging to hangers like afterthoughts. I knew we should've got ours weeks earlier, instead of waiting until the last minute. Kairo stops in front of a Ninja Turtle costume, studying it with his brow furrowed. I stand close beside him, stretching my pinky out so it barely brushes his, just hoping he'll look my way.
"I guess we aren't going to dress as Buzz and Woody?" I asked as I locked my pinky with his.
"We can dress separately." He murmurs as he steps away from me to look at the PAW patrol costume.
I stood there, watching him. It's rare for Kairo to get upset with me, but when he does, it's serious. I grabbed a random costume off the rack and tossed it into the cart, letting it fall with a dull thud.
