Leave Me Breathless

Chapter 15

I do not own any clothes to wear to a semi-formal casually stylish dinner to meet the sister of the boy I might like. Which means that my current situation finds me sitting on the floor with the contents of my closet all around me and I'm quite sure I'll break into tears any minute now.

"Dude why are you so stressed out, just be yourself, he likes you like that doesn't he?" Shay questions me from the doorway.

"Well I don't think band tees and converse are going to help me out here."

"What about this?"

I stare at the charcoal strapless maxi dress I had all but forgotten about. It's cute and won't seem as if I'm trying too hard but also not as if I'm not trying at all. I smile at Shay and lunge for her causing her to topple onto the heap of clothes on the floor.

"What would I do without you Shay Bae?" I laugh at her.

The restaurant is cosy and not at all what I expected I think with pleasure as Demetri leads me to the back and pulls out a chair for me. Before I can sit down he looks over my shoulder and a smile lights his face but changes instantly. He tenses and I turn to check what has darkened his mood so hastily.

I can't believe my eyes and a flood of nausea overtakes me. I look back to Demetri and all the similarities finally dawn on me. The golden hair, perfect skin and Greek names. I'm now struggling to see how I didn't see it. That's not what has Demetri seething though and I plaster a smile on to my face as the couple reaches us.

"Noah?!" Athena does a double take.

Kai quickly manages to cover up his surprise and stops behind me. A sexy as sin smirk crosses his face and I feel strong hands wrap around my bare upper arms as Kai places a kiss on my shoulder, which in the manner that he does it, is totally inappropriate.

"Noah, it's good to see you." his face and posture present a poised and calm façade and only I know by the huskiness in his voice that it belies what he is trying to portray.

"Kai, Athena, it's good to see you too." It really isn't and I can't help but remember the last time I spoke to Athena was when I told her I loved her boyfriend.

Kai seats himself next to me and I cringe at the sight of the tick in Demetri's jaw, who up until now has not said a word, not even greeting his sister. Twin sister let me add.

"Demetri," Athena greets softly as she comes around to give her brother a hug.

Kai does the gentlemanly thing, stretching his hand out in greeting yet still maintains that killer smirk.

"I'm Kai, Demetri is it?"

Demetri shakes his hand and manages a grunt in his direction. He must be so pissed off.

"So how do you all know each other?" Demetri asks, the cut in his lip more prominent as he draws his lips together in a thin line.

Before anyone can answer the waiter is at our table ready to take our drinks order. Not wanting to prolong the agony that this dinner will definitely turn into, I suggest we place our food orders as well. Kai and I both end up getting steak dishes and I can see Demetri's knuckles whiten as Kai and I just so happen to order the same wine as well. I place a hand on his and smile at him hoping this will calm him down. Our drinks come and thankfully Athena starts talking animatedly about her internship coming up and also scolding her brother for the fights she knows about, but doesn't really know about.

"The first rule of fight club..." he actually playfully smirks at her and she punches his chest.

Kai artfully drapes his arm along the back of my chair and I turn to give him a withering stare but he smiles in that way that makes my knees weak and I hate myself for it.

"You guys haven't yet told me about how you all know each other." Demetri asks again.

Our food arrives and while I know this would be the perfect time for me to change the subject I go all in. Screw it. I'm done playing games.

"Kai and I were actually dating, for about a year, am I right Kai?" he sits back in his chair with that smirk that makes me feel as if all I'm doing is giving him a good laugh as he forks my salad off my plate. I do the same but take his potatoes. We've always swopped salad for potatoes. I hate greens, Kai does too but he humours me and pretends to enjoy it.

"She even has a toothbrush at my house." He shrugs then leans forward, "but I do love that she still sleeps in my t-shirts."

I feel like slapping that damn smirk right off his face ignoring the 'she even has a toothbrush comment'.

"Then he went on national tv and said he was single. And if that's not a break up then I don't know what is. It should actually go into the record books as the most embarrassing break up ever." I smile sweetly.

Kai has the decency to blush and Athena stares down at her plate. Demetri maintains eye contact.

"Is that why you guys still eat off each other's plates, because that could complicate matters. I'd hate to have to take Kai to dinner with us tomorrow night?"

Smiles simultaneously break out onto our faces.

"I'd hate that too, but I would love dinner?"

How is it this boy says all the right things at all the right times and I still can't seem to commit to wanting to be with him.

"So what happened to James?" Demetri asks Athena.

I remember him. Cute brown haired kid I met in the bar.

"Yeah, he broke up with me and now it's sorta complicated."

"You're dating someone else. I think I can safely say it's over and not complicated."

"Yeah about that," Athena looks up at me and I swear I see tears in her eyes. What the fuck did Kai do to this girl.

"I told him he never gets angry when guys flirt with me which means he'd never fight for me. He told me he trusts me and that it didn't matter if guys flirted with me. I called him weak and he broke up with me. Only after did I understand the amount of trust he must have had in me to feel that way. And that takes much more strength than fighting someone."

Now I was sure I saw a tear slide down her cheek and she blinked the rest away quickly.

"I thought that maybe if I made him jealous he'd come back to me. I enlisted Kai and he agreed to help me out. I'd find out where James was going to be and we'd go there and make sure he either saw us kissing or dancing or flirting. It didn't work. I pushed him away even further." This time she broke down and Kai moved to take her into his arms as she sobbed.

I have no words and my grip on Demetri's hand could all but explain the waves of emotion going through me right now.

I remember Athena's words... 'There are things about Kai and I that you don't know.'

Kai... 'You know nothing Noah.'

Oh God.

"This doesn't change a thing." I say to whoever is listening and leave the restaurant.