Consumed » Kai Parker

Fifty Seven

"Keep in mind that you signed up for this, okay?"

I regard Kai with unmasked wariness, but excitement runs through me like an electric current.

We're sitting in his parked car just outside of the apartment, about to embark on the twentieth-birthday adventure he relentlessly swore I needed. His body is angled towards mine from the driver's seat, hands in front of him clasped together with the intent to placate his slightly nervous girlfriend. Needless to say, it only puts me further on edge.

"Right," I reply slowly. "Why do I feel like I'm signing a waiver?"

He smirks, the mischievous gesture doing little to aid in reassurance. "Well, now that you mention it, I probably should print one up–"

"Kai," I state, but give into a laugh that ruins the attempted sternness.

"Hey, listen, I gave you the option of picking what you wanted to do, like the selfless boyfriend I am, and you said you didn't know." He leans back, with an arm perched on top of the steering wheel. "Which means you've left the decision-making for our destination tonight up to me. Deal with it."

I raise my hands in mock surrender. "I'm not complaining. But can I set down some ground rules?"

"You can't–"

"Nothing illegal," I say with finality.

He glares at me. "Great. You just narrowed down my to-do list by a lot. Hope you're happy."

I balk. "Do I want to know what options I got rid of by taking illegal things off the table?"

Kai's answering, secretive smile makes me exaggerate a shiver and I shake my head.

"Never mind. Definitely don't wanna know. Anyway, another thing–"

"What was it you said to me in the apartment? Oh, yeah..." He leans toward me over the center console. "Adventures don't have rules."

"Okay, but–"

His hand comes up to firmly pinch my lips between his thumb and index finger. "Shhh. Shut up. You're ruining the ambiance of this whole surprise."

"Ambiance?" I repeat in amusement, but the word comes out muffled due to his fingers still holding my lips together. I swat his hand away and he lets it drop to his thigh.

"Yep. Now, by getting in this car with me, you're agreeing to trust me with your belated twentieth birthday night out. Are you ready for that type of commitment?"

I suck in my lips to control a smile itching to split my face, scanning his serious face. "I think so."

Looking sufficiently satisfied, Kai nods and reaches into the backseat, rifling for something unknown. I crane my head to try and see what he's looking for.

"What are you..."

I trail off suddenly when he returns to his seat, waving a plain black tee-shirt triumphantly in the air. My trepidation only increases, as my eyes flit questioningly between the fabric and Kai's bright smile.

"Um...you're gonna change?" I wonder, a little disappointed by this since I was a fan of the outfit he changed into just before we left: a buttoned black pull-over with a matching tee and fitted gray jeans. I'm convinced that he last-minute added the black beanie slouching over his dark hair just because I've expressed my vivid approval of the accessory a few times before. Something about it makes him look so endearingly casual and downright adorable, to the point where you'd forget the ingrained darkness he harbors inside of him.