Stuck With You

Chapter Twenty Nine

Iliana's POV

A month and a few weeks has gone by since everything happened. My ribs have healed good and I'm finally getting the wrist cast removed next week. I can't wait to get this thing off.

I took Kai's advice and started seeing a therapist some weeks ago. It has not been easy not at all. The first session was hard, I didn't want to talk about what happened. I didn't want to relive it. It took a lot of patience from my therapist but she managed to slowly break through me until I finally told her most things - I wasn't a pretty sight, I was a total mess that day. I haven't told her about everything that I went through yet but it feels good to talk about it and get it off my chest, it's just not easy.

Then there's Kai... I can't even begin to say how much she's helped me. How much I appreciate her. She has stayed by my side, even after how I treated her; sometimes I think I don't deserve her. The start of our relationship wasn't the best, if anything it was disastrous, the spot we were put on out of nowhere made our relationship rocky and complicated at first. Maybe if we had met on our own in a different situation... maybe things would have been better, simpler... maybe.

If I'm sure of something is that despite everything that happened I wouldn't change meeting Kai for anything. There's just this way she makes me feel everytime I see her, everytime we kiss and even think of her. I don't know what it is about that green eyed dumbass that makes my heart flutter. These feelings I have for her are not new I'm just no longer repressing them. Kai has always made me feel some type of way it's just that for a long time it was clouded by irritation.

Our relationship has changed. I have changed. Kai has changed, not in a drastically way though, she managed to do it and remain the same crazy girl I've come to adore.

"What's taking you so long?" I felt arms wrap around me from behind.

"Sorry I just kind of doze off for a moment."

"That's fine but we gotta go now, our friends are waiting for us at the beach." Kai kissed my cheek and let go of me.

"Right, let's go before they throw a fit," I grabbed one of Kai's hand - while she carried a bag on the other and we walked out of the room.

Today we are having a beach day with our friends. Well our two friends. I haven't seen April since I was in the hospital but that's not her fault. I didn't want to see anyone, I needed time to be by myself and think but I was never really alone since I had Kai who made sure I didn't feel lonely.

The thought of the caring girl besides me makes me look up warmly at her.

At the beach we found April and Alex and to my surprise someone else who I don't know was there accompanying them. We got to where they are and as soon as they saw they stopped their conversation and went to greet us.

"Lia!" April exclaimed and threw herself at me.

"Hi A," I said returning the hug. I missed my best friend and by the looks of it she missed me too.

"We have so much to talk about." I glanced at the tattooed brunette who couldn't take her eyes off my best friend.

"I'm sure we do." April finally backed away from the hug and gave me a big smile.

I turned to the usually rude brunette, "Hey Alex."

"Nice to see you Barnes. How is it going?"

"It's going better. You?"

Alex looked briefly and quickly at April and then back at me. "It's better."

I know Alex is still head over heels for April and that she got rejected over a year ago. April gave me just a vague excuse the first time I asked her, she went on about how she didn't like girls, the second time the answer was that Alex was too much of a player and didn't want to risk her heart. I understood that and respected it so didn't push the subject anymore. Now I wonder if something has possibly changed between them.

I nodded and looked at the last person who I don't recognize. A tall light brown skinned girl with wavy hair, she's gorgeous and she's talking very animatedly with Kai.

I cleared my throat and grasped Kai's hand in mine. "Babe aren't you going to introduce us?" I asked Kai who seemed confused for a moment but then chuckled.

I saw April at the side with surprise showing on her face and Alex by her side trying not to laugh. What's up with them now?

"Of course. Blondie this is Emma, she's a... good friend of mine we met years ago in one of my trips to Australia."

It was brief but I caught Kai's hesitation on telling me who the girl was to her. I'm not going to jump into conclusions but I already know. I know Kai, she is - or was a player and she wasn't afraid to say it or make it obvious back then. But I'm not going to fight about that. I don't have a right to.

I looked back at the girl now known as Emma; she was looking at me with a strange expression, not a bad one it was just... strange.

"It's good to finally meet you Iliana. Kai has told me a lot about you," Emma said.

She has an aussie accent? Fuck she even sounds hot. I mentally groaned.

Emma extended her hand and waited for me to shake it and I did.

"It's good to meet you too," I said hoping my niceness was convincing. But glacing back at Kai I could tell she didn't buy it. Probably none of them did.

Oh well.

Emma's hand stayed in mine for a moment too long. When she let go I felt Kai put her arm around my waist and pull me to her.

"Well now that's done with. Why don't we get this day started already." Kai said and started to follow Alex to the spot where they had their stuff on before we got here.

Since I hadn't seen April in a long while I decided to walk with her. "Babe I'm going to walk with April," I might or might not said it loud enough for the girl I'm pretty sure Kai fucked at some point to hear.

"That's cool blondie, I'll just talk to Emma and Alex while you catch up with April."

With that said I leaned on my tip toes and captured Kai's lips with mine in a short but passionate kiss and then went to my friend - leaving the girl that made my heart skip a beat standing there frozen.

Maybe I'm being petty but I don't care.

April was standing there waiting for me with wide eyes. Right she doesn't - didn't know about the positive shift in my relationship with Kai.

"We have so much to talk about." April said.

I chuckled, "Yes we do."

-

A/N - Okay so since this was gonna be a long chapter I decided to break it on two parts. So this is beach day part 1 lol. This is more of an insight to Iliana, next part will be more entertaining.

Also sorry if you saw that notif I posted the chapter by accident.