Mabel

6

And it is serious.

It's serious when I show up at the dance studio at 10 pm and let out a small yelp. I'm currently contemplating hiding behind a bush as soon as I see Kai because that's crazy, how is he here?

Okay, maybe it's not that crazy to see Talia's supposed dancer friend at the dance studio.

But it is a little weird to see him at 10 pm, just as the place is closing for the night, coming out of the building with the very item that Talia had guilt-tripped me into retrieving.

("How many times have I gone to get your belongings from frat houses after you forgot them in your alcoholic blitz?"

"That's different! You're basically an adopted frat boy"

"I'm a girl, Mabel."

"As I said, adopted frat boy, meanwhile I'm by no means a dancer!")

Kai stops in his tracks when he sees me and I regrettably feel a faint blush creep up and dust my cheeks (stupid fucking face).

Hopefully, it isn't visible in the low-key light of the moon because this is the first time I've seen Kai since my small revelation and I'm definitely caught off-guard.

Mostly because wow, was I right about that physique of his. In nothing but a pair of shorts and a tank-top, it's easy to clearly see the taut muscles of his biceps and forearms, not to mention the suggestion of a nice set of abs from where the material of his top is clinging to him.

I think my brain might've melted a little bit.

"That," I point awkwardly, "That's Talia's jacket."

Kai looks down at his hand, clutching the red cotton material, and then he glances back up at me with a gaze that makes him seem as if he's unsure whether to be condescending or not.

In the end, it's half and half as he says, "I know. I was gonna go give it back to her."

"Couldn't you just have waited until tomorrow?" I ask dubiously now that I'm partially recovered now from my previous thirst. "Isn't it sorta weird to go at this time of night?"

Kai stammers for a second, disbelief flashing onto his face and he says, "I guess, but I have to talk to her about the rout—hey, wait!" he exclaims all of a sudden, and I can't help but chuckle a little at his frustration.

"You came all the way here for it. I was already here. Aren't you being weird?"

"Talia made me," I explain with a smirk tugging at my lips. I watch as Kai lets out a quiet 'oh' sound, shoulders untensing as he does.

He holds the jacket out to me, and I cross the few feet between us to get it, grabbing it with a firm 'thank you,' shrugging it on which seems to amuse him, judging by his expression.

I get ready to question what exactly it is that he finds amusing when my gaze drops down to Kai's feet.

"Your ankle," I say, examining the bandage-less stretch of skin below his shorts (he has good legs, too. Both to my delight and misfortune). Kai follows my line of sight and nods, though I didn't even ask anything, just pointed out a part of his body like a dumbass.

"Yeah, it's... all better. Wasn't a big deal, but thanks for your concern," He says, meeting my eyes when he looks back up with one of those smiles I've taken a liking to.

This one, somehow, seems just that little bit more genuine than the previous ones, though. Even if that's just placebo.

He's adjusting his bag on his shoulder, shifting his weight slightly to the foot that wasn't injured when I blurted out, "That's alright. I had fun buying you coffee."

"You did?" He asks, eyes shooting to me with something akin to surprise. I laugh at that, and tell him I had a lot, actually, and watch as Kai grins. Properly.

I feel lightheaded.

"You said you need to ask Talia about a routine?" I ask to distract myself from the radiance of that smile, dear god. "She's playing Mario Kart with our roommate right now, you can catch her."

Kai laughs kind of shyly at my wording, likely knowing that Talia is elusive if you don't know her like 'that.' And even though I (platonic soulmate duh) know her like 'that'—better than 'that'—I still can't find her half of the time.

"Sure thing..."

He sounds a little hesitant; a little reserved or something. But I'm just glad that he didn't outright reject me this time. And that my first impression of him being an asshole was wrong. Or, for the most part. I mean he did scam me out of a coffee.

It leads me off to wonder why he came off so asshole-ish at first, but I'm gonna put it down to strong embarrassment and the fact that I sort of called him a stalker indirectly several times (and then once directly...).

We don't talk that much during the walk.

Correction: I talk a lot.

Kai mostly just laughs nervously or mumbles a two-word response and the closer we get to the small apartment complex, the more wound-up he seems to get.

I think I'm doing a good job of ignoring it. Instead, choosing to focus on the way Kai's just a tiny bit taller than me (that's a lie I'm a good 6-7 inches shorter, but we'll move past that), and how each passing streetlamp casts his already golden skin in an orange glow.

But there's only so much a person can ignore.

One thing I can't ignore is how Kai stops right outside the dorm building's entrance, I turn around and look back at him with a sense of hesitation because is he okay? He just stopped.

"You know what," Kai says, a sheen on his forehead that I'm pretty sure isn't from dancing, "I'll just text Talia about it... It's no big deal really," he insists when I open my mouth to counter his statement.

He's already backing away, mumbling about how it's "just about a... you know... a step... a-a tiny step. A baby step," before I can so much as tell him that Talia's out of credit (which I only know because she used it all up calling Morin and complained to me when their conversation got cut. I've told her dumbass so many times to get a contract with free calls. Or, you know. Skype, but 'noooo my names Talia and I ignore the wise words of my beautiful and smart friend Mabel because I'm a stupid lovesick idiot').

It's the fourth time Kai's run off on me and I gotta wonder if he was ever taught a proper goodbye as a kid.

I let out an annoyed huff, turning around and swinging open the doors to step inside the building.