The Falling (Brightest Stars, #1)(80)

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE




“Sorry, Kare. Next time, dinner’s on me.” Austin gave me a hug and said another quick sorry against my ear.

He was out the door before I could respond. I waved goodbye to Gloria as she left carrying Julien. Elodie double-kissed me and gave me a puzzled look before opening her umbrella and following Gloria out of the house. As their voices trailed off, Kael shut the door, locking not only the main door, but the screen door, too. Just like that, the kitchen was empty.

“Are you keeping something out or locking me in?” I asked him, sarcasm coating my voice.

He laughed and brought his gaze to meet mine. I nearly squirmed when he focused in. “Both.”

I couldn’t move the smile from my face, and Kael’s doubled in size, bigger than I’d ever seen. Finally, a level-ten smile from Kael Martin! I won. I didn’t know what, but in my head there were buzzers going off and neon signs saying !!WINNER!! and I knew that something special was mine. We stood there for a few seconds, taking each other in, the rain outside filling our silence. Kael’s eyes went from my scalp to my socks and back up to my face before he spoke again.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” I smiled a smile that was so big that I couldn’t close my mouth, even when I tried.

“How are you?” he asked, nudging his shoulder to mine.

“I’m okay. How are you? You seem pretty happy for someone who got smoked today.” My brows drew together. I nearly apologized for my brother again, but Kael’s voice in my head stopped me.

His smile stayed as he replied. “It’s done now. I needed the exercise anyway.” He laughed, and I felt relief and guilt at the same time.

“Kael, I’m—”

“If you say sorry, I’m going to . . . well, I don’t know what I’ll do exactly, but don’t apologize for your brother,” he told me in a voice so patient that I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

His face was freshly shaven, and his thick eyebrows were perfectly wild above his bright eyes. He was still grinning. Something about him felt different, lighter. I was confused, but so happy to be this close to him.

“Did you have a lot of meetings today?” I asked, shuffling my soft socks against the tile floor.

“I did.”

“And played taxi?”

He nodded. “A lot of driving. How was work?” he asked, turning the conversation back to me.

“It was okay. Same as always,” I told him, feeling the floodgates open in my mind. I tried to hold them up, but knew it was a lost cause.

“I was bored, honestly. I’m starting to feel a little . . . distracted at work.”

Kael’s brow lifted. “Distracted? How so?”

I felt my cheeks flush and my heart began to pick up speed. You! You distract me!

“Just life.” I told half the truth.

Kael was good at reading me, so I looked away from him and stared at the boiling water on the stove. I had wasted my time cooking for my brother. Typical.

“What were you cooking?” Kael changed the subject. He was looking at the skillet of food on the stovetop.

“Kitchen-sink pasta, my specialty when food in the fridge is about to go bad.” I waved my arm in the air. “For Austin, but he left, so I might as well not even finish it.”

Kael took a step toward the hot skillet. “I’m starving. I didn’t eat anything today because I was too busy.”

“Oh, you don’t want to eat my cooking, trust me. Didn’t you want to get dinner somewhere?”

He shrugged. “I’m easy. I’m good with staying in, if you are. And this smells really fucking good, honestly.”

A tiny compliment and my confidence was soaring. I pointed to the simmering pasta sauce. “Why don’t you try it first?”

“It can’t be that bad,” he teased, grabbing the ladle from the counter. He dipped it into the sauce and managed to make such a simple act insanely attractive.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I confessed.

“I’ve eaten MREs.”

I remembered my dad bringing home a spaghetti-flavored MRE for my brother and me to try after his first deployment. It was such a novelty to see food made out of powder, and Austin and I got so excited. For years I tried to hold that fond memory with my father as close as I could. I almost told Kael about it instantly, but I didn’t want to bring down the mood by talking about my dad.

I smirked as he brought the spoon to his lips for a second time.

“It’s really good. Let’s eat this?”

“If you’re sure”—I shrugged and turned off the burner—“after the day you’ve had.”

“Who said I had a bad day?” Kael asked, stepping closer. He put his arms on both sides of me and leaned in. His face was inches from mine.

Would it be weird if I kissed him?

Will he remember kissing me when he’s back in his hometown, beginning his new life? Would he miss me? Would he remember me at all? The thoughts hurt me.

“I—” I couldn’t recall what he had just said to me. I was too distracted by how close he was.

“I’ve been smoked before; everyone has. I’m taking this as a farewell from the Army. Plus, look how my day has turned around.” He licked his lips, and I mirrored his action without a thought.