If Ever (COMPLETED - EDITING)

Chapter 8 - Ella/Kai

Ella

He grabbed my hand, he moved like a bending branch letting me hold him again. He put one arm around my shoulder. I tried tucking my phone in my pocket, he just pulled it from my hands and shoved it in his pocket. OK easy peasy. "Are you ignoring the question, Sunshine?"

"No, I just think we have more pertinent things to get to right now, like fixing your face. Please, can we talk about it later, Kai?" He stopped dead.

"No. Tell me now." He looked down at me, I heaved a huge sigh. He was so infuriating.

 "Ella!" His tone was so serious. Though Ella was the second shortest version of my name he always managed to drag it out. Like "Ellaaaa" when he was angry or giving me his best warning tone. It was cute.

"Is this really important right now?" I looked up at him, he nodded. It was like his eyes could see though my shit.

"If it's not that fucking important, tell me now. Are you seeing that piece of shit, Sunshine?" It was the most sober he had sounded in the hour we had spent together. He did not sound happy. In fact, his tone was quiet and more menacing than before.

"No, Kai, I'm not seeing him."

"Are you sleeping with him?" There was no judgement, only anger.

"No, of course, not. I'm not sleeping with him." I sighed.

"Did he kiss you?", "No, Kai, no on has been kissing me. I don't usually like being touched. So, all of this is kinda moot, ok?" He stared at me a long minute.

"I'm touching you now. In fact, I've touched you several times tonight." I laughed poking him in the ribs, "Don't say it like that, sounds so wrong." He grinned and then frowned, I straightened his forehead gently, "Don't frown."

"And yes, I know."

"Are you ok with this?" He indicated his arms around me.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"How come?" I shook my head, I didn't have an answer. "I don't know, Kai, I don't have an answer for that. Okay? I'm fine when I hug my uncle, Owen. But I can't let Mel touch me, I don't know why." He looked at me for a long time again. Finally nodding.

"Ella, did he try to kiss you?" I shook my head. "No. He just tried holding me and I kinda recoiled so, I think he got the message. Okay? Are we done with 20 questions? Can we please go?"

"Then why the fuck is he calling you a million fucking times?" The anger resurfaced.

"Kai, can we talk about this when we get you home? Please, you are pretty busted up."

"NO, Ella you will tell me now." He was looking down at me and I was looking at my shoes. He put a finger under my chin and pulled my face up. "Talk to me, Ella." But I realized Kai was Kai and he wouldn't relent. I sighed.

"He was pissed I came back to thank you, he warned me off you and offered to drive me home, I told him I didn't need a ride back." He smiled, I poked his side again. "Don't get any ideas. I wasn't going to get in his car while he was that drunk." His smile widened. But then vanished once his drunk brain caught hold of what I'd said.

"Are you fucking serious? He asked you not to talk to me?" He turned back to the party. I pulled him back using his t-shirt. I was tired. I was close to shutting down.

"Kai, no. Please, I'm tired, I can't right now. And you're drunk and you're hurt pretty bad and they're not small cuts, please, let's just get you home. Ok? Just let it go, please."