City of Angels - K.L

EIGHT

"It's your birthday in a couple of days! Why didn't you tell me?"
I shrug
"Guess I didn't have reason too. Didn't come up in conversation."
We're walking out of the park now, openly hand in hand. He asks between me and my family
"What have you got planned for it?"
Mum states
"Whatever she feels like. Some meals out, go where she wants to, nothing specific. She is trying to play it down, I can tell. She hasn't mentioned anything."
Kian nudges me
"You have to do something. It's your eighteenth."
I shrug
"I just don't want it to be a huge deal. This is our holiday, I don't want a full day of it to be dedicated to me."
He scoffs
"Zi, you're going to do something and I'm going to make it happen. Mark my words."
"Words have been marked."
He chuckles at me and pauses once we've exited the park. Mum smirks
"Oh the goodbye. You do that and we'll call the Uber."
I roll my eyes
"You don't call an Uber ma."
Kian interjects
"Oh you're taking an Uber? Don't worry about that, I'll give you a ride."
Mum shakes her head
"We couldn't ask you to do that Kian."
He shrugs
"Your hotel is on the way. It's fine. Come on- cars over here."
Mum mutters to him
"You are quite possibly the nicest kid I have ever met."
"Don't mention it, Rissa."

When he drops us off, he gets out of the car. Mum hugs him first
"Good night Kian. Thank you for coming today."
"Thank you for having me today. Night Luke."
He whispers to a half asleep May
"Night night May."
Mum looks between him and I
"I'll meet you inside Zi, say your good nights. Or go hang out for longer if you want to. Fine by me."
She winks and they all head in. I chuckle
"You definitely have the bless-"
I'm cut off by him kissing me, my face held between his hands. I giggle into his lips, and he smiles into mine. He asks, his lips still against mine
"Do you know your plans for tomorrow?"
I shrug, reaching up and tracing his jawbone
"Mum wants to go shopping, so probably shopping. Not a huge day."
He offers
"Well, just call me if you want to do anything."
I smile, kissing him once more
"Sure thing."
He kisses me, his hand in the small of my back and pressing me to him. He then steps back
"Night Zaya."
"Night Kian."
I step back, and we hang on to each other's hands until we physically can't anymore. I head the rest of the way inside. I only just get into the hotel room when my phone starts ringing again. I walk straight through the room and out on to the balcony to answer it.
"Kian? It's been so long!"
He chuckles through the line, going along with my joke
"Right! How's it been?"
"Pretty boreing since I last saw you."
"Awe, I miss you."
I roll my eyes and giggle down the line. He clears his heist and proceeds
"I just wanted to rephrase what I said when I said you can call me if you want to hang out tomorrow. What I really wanted to ask was can we please hang out again tomorrow?"
I reply quickly
"I would be delighted."
"Pick you up at ten?"
"Ten."
He says again
"Right. Night Zi."
I smile
"Night Ki ki."
I blow him a kiss through the phone, and get one back before hanging up.

The next day when he picks me up commences a full day of LA Christmas experiences. We go for brunch and following that takes me to LA Live, where a huge ice skating rink is set up around the base of the stories tall Christmas tree at the centre.
"I'm telling you now, I'm horrible at ice skating."
I scoff as I put on my skates
"Aren't you from Iowa?"
"Doesn't mean I'm good."
I smirk
"You don't have to be good. You just gotta stand up."
On the ice, he holds onto the railing until he's familiar with it again. I skate beside him, albeit teasing him a little. Eventually, he lets go, but grabs onto me. And not my hand like you generally would, my shoulders as I skate in front of him. I freak out, not expecting it, almost slipping
"Kian!"
He chuckles
"You're like one of those little penguins they give kids to hang on to while they learn to skate."
I retort
"You calling me short?"
He smirks
"Well, you are a petite one."
I joke
"I'll run us right into the railing if you're not careful."
I reach up and take his hand on my shoulder, guiding him around until he's skating beside me, holding my hand.
"How's that?"
He nods
"It works. I liked the penguin thing though."
I roll my eyes at him, and kiss his shoulder. The longer we skate, the more confident he becomes. He's skating around without holding my hand now, although chooses to hold it anyway. He takes photos on a film camera of us, and asks people to get ones of us. We're playing too, racing, sling shotting each other along the ice. It's my turn again, and I brace myself considering we're gliding along pretty fast right now. Only this time, he doesn't let go of my hand or stop skating to do it. I yelp
"Kian! Let go."
It's too late, he glides into me and takes me out with him. We land on the ice and roll, hanging onto each other. We stop rolling when he's over me, and he gets up to his knees fast, checking on me and laughing
"You okay?"
I laugh, sitting up and place my hand on his chest
"I'm fine. I've done worse."
As we help each other onto our feet, he tells me
"You're going to have to tell me that story."
I giggle
"Sure, at the lookout?"
He nods
"Let's go get a drink."