It's All Relative(126)

April alternated her gaze between the two of them. “What are we thinking?” Her dark eyes flicked down to Jessie’s odd outfit. “Hey, you get lucky today, Jessie?” Then her gaze locked onto the name of the center where Kai worked, embroidered on the front of the polo. “Hey, isn’t that where…?” Her voice trailed off as her attention was diverted by something behind Jessie.

Jessie wanted to close her eyes and disappear, but instead she twisted to look at what—or who—had stolen April’s attention. Kai was walking down the hallway, dressed only in his slacks, since Jessie had stupidly put on all of his shirts. Given the fact that he’d just left Jessie’s bedroom, given the fact that Jessie was wearing the other half of his outfit, and given the fact that most of Jessie’s clothes were strewn about the living room and hallway, April should have immediately understood what was happening. Oddly enough though, the first thing she commented on as Kai stepped up to Jessie’s side was his tattoo. Biting her lip, she murmured, “Nice tat, island boy.”

With an annoyed grunt, Harmony smacked her shoulder. “April, God, concentrate.”

Taking a deep breath, Jessie reached down and laced her hand together with Kai’s. That maneuver seemed to finally snap the pieces into place for April. In rapid succession, she pointed at their hands, their semi-dressed bodies, Jessie’s shirt piled on the floor by the end table, Jessie’s bedroom, and then back at them. Her mouth dropped as wide open as Harmony’s had. “Holy shit! Were you two f*cking?”

“No! God, April.” Even though technically April was right, what they’d done couldn’t possibly be classified as crudely or simply as she’d put it. Not in Jessie’s head anyway. Fucking implied a lack of feeling. And between her and Kai, that was never lacking.

April looked lost. “Well, why does it look like you were, and why are you two…doing that.” She waggled her finger at their laced together hands.

Jessie sighed as Harmony raised an expectant eyebrow at her. Jessie was about to say something when Kai spoke up. “We’re in love.”

April scoffed. “Well, duh, you’re family. Of course you love each other.”

Kai raised his hand and shook his head, but Harmony beat him to his explanation. “That’s not what he said, April.” The incredulity on her face was evident, so was the disgust.

April started to turn toward Harmony, but then she stopped and stared at Jessie. “Oh… You’re…in love.” April gasped in surprise, then her eyes softened. Shifting to Kai, she asked, “She’s the girl from your past, isn’t she? The one you couldn’t get over. The one you couldn’t be with.”

Kai nodded as he looked over at Jessie. Squeezing his hand, Jessie gave him a small, sad smile in return. Being forced apart had hurt them both so much. Harmony closed her eyes and raised her hands, like she was trying to ward off the vision of their tender connection. “Okay, you’re in love, fabulous. But I really don’t want to hear the details of this freaky incest thing you’ve got going on here. If you’ll excuse me, I have…somewhere else to be.”

Harmony started leaving, and Jessie dropped Kai’s hand to grab her arm. Jessie thought April would be the one most upset, but she was simply staring at Kai with speculative eyes. “Wait, Harm, it’s not like that. We’re not family.”

Harmony paused and both girls shifted their eyes to Jessie. Harmony looked like Jessie had just told her she was really a man or something. “What? You said he was your cousin? I’m so confused…”

Looking back at Kai, his half-naked body distractingly alluring, even in the middle of this awkwardness, she murmured, “We thought he was. He just…”

She let her voice trail off and like he knew Jessie didn’t want to spill his secrets without permission, Kai filled in the blanks. “It turns out my mom wasn’t entirely faithful to my dad, and the man I thought was my father my whole life…Jessie’s uncle…” His eyes flicked to Jessie, then back to Harmony. “Well, it turns out he isn’t my father. My biological father lives here in Denver. I’ve been working for him this whole time and didn’t even know it.”

Harmony seemed completely floored as she looked between Jessie and Kai. Jessie was torn between giving Kai a supportive hug and keeping a firm grip on Harmony, so she wouldn’t take off on her. “You’re not related?” Harmony asked slowly.

She turned back to Jessie far enough that Jessie finally felt like she wasn’t going to bolt, and she dropped her arm. Smiling, Jessie shook her head and returned to Kai’s side; they simultaneously slipped their arms around the other’s waist. “No, we’re not related.”

Harmony compressed her lips as she took in their affection. She still seemed to be having a little trouble absorbing this new reality, but she didn’t voice any more objections. Shaking her head, April suddenly said, “He’s Ricardo…isn’t he?”

Jessie closed her eyes and hung her head. She’d really been hoping none of them would piece together that this wasn’t the first time she and Kai had had sex. Sure, technically this entire time they hadn’t been related, but she and Kai hadn’t known that…and they’d done things anyway. A little surprised April had figured it out so quickly, Jessie lifted her eyes to her beautiful friend. “Yeah, he is.”