Author's Note: Can be considered a sequel to You Wanna Go...On A Date With Me? However, you don't have to read it before reading this. It just might be slightly more fulfilling since you can see how they ended up in this situation. Not beta read. All grammatical and spelling errors are because of my own failings. Constructive feedback much appreciated! I hope you enjoy it!
After being away for almost three months, Kai Parker was finally able to visit his fiancee, Bonnie Bennett. He had been busy managing the Gemini coven in Portland but he had managed to get away early this morning. The coven leader had been attempting to get back to Virginia to visit Bonnie for weeks and every time he thought he had a break to be able to do so, something else came up.
It was a few weeks ago when he was sitting in his office, jaw ticking as a council member sitting on the opposite side of the desk told him about a matter that needed his immediate attention. When he got all the information he needed, the council member opened his mouth to speak again. Kai glared, clenched his jaw, and pointed to the door. He watched as the council member shot out of his seat and quickly walked to the door and exited. Kai reached for his cell phone but hesitated then spun around in his chair to face the big window behind him. His hands were clutching the arms of the chair tightly. He wasn't looking forward to calling Bonnie and telling her that he wouldn't be making it….again. He had planned on flying out in three days. The first time in months that Kai had been able to book a flight and secure a rental car. Every couple of weeks he would think he would be able to get free and he would make plans with Bonnie, but then he would have to cancel. He's had to repeatedly hear the disappointment in her voice each time he cancelled with her replying, "It's okay, Kai," or "I understand. Don't worry about it."
Kai hated hearing the sadness in her voice that she tried to hide each time. Every time he heard her trying to reassure him, he felt his chest tighten and he felt more and more guilty with each cancellation. He spun back towards his desk and moved his jaw around attempting to relieve the tension from clenching too hard. The coven leader grabbed his cell phone, hit the power button, and typed in his passcode. He went to his contacts and scrolled to Bonnie's name, he had listed her as 'Bonfire' with flame and heart emoji on each side. His finger hovered over the button to dial her number. He tapped the screen on his phone and put it to his ear. Kai rubbed a hand over his face and closed his eyes. When Bonnie picked up, he tried to sound less frustrated than he actually was. He opened his eyes, smiled, and cheerily said, "Hey Bon Bon!"
Maybe if he smiled it would sound more genuine. Maybe he could fool both of them.
He heard shuffling as if she was settling down. Bonnie didn't immediately reply. Kai felt his smile slowly slide from his face then she softly replied, "You're not coming this weekend, are you?"
Kai closed his eyes again and gently said, "Bon, I…" He trailed off, not sure what to say. How he could make this better.
He heard Bonnie clear her throat and she said, "I understand, Kai. It's o-"
She stopped then continued angrily, "You know what, Kai? It isn't okay."
Kai replied levelly, "It's an important matter. They need me here to oversee the-"
Bonnie interrupted him, "Yes, they always need you to oversee this or that. Coven comes first, right?"
As he heard the words he said he would never say or follow, Kai stiffened. He had vowed that the coven would not come before family. She had thrown it back in his face but she was right. He was doing exactly what he said he wouldn't. He wasn't delegating as much as he could because he felt that if he wanted things done right he had to do them himself. He wasn't doing all he could to be with the woman he wanted to marry.
Kai rubbed his eyes and tried to speak calmly, "Bonnie, I'm just as frustrated as you are," when he failed and it came out in a low irritated voice.
When she didn't reply, Kai continued softly, "I promise I will visit you soon. Or I can fly you out here, but like we discussed that wouldn't make sense because I would still have coven duties to attend to."
When she continued to be silent and he heard her sniffle, Kai felt a lump in his throat and said with his voice cracking, "Bonster? You know I love you, right?"
He heard her sniffle again and quietly say, "I know and I love you too, Kai."
Kai said, "I'm so sorry that I can't visit this weekend but I will do everything in my power to visit you as soon as possible. I swear. Okay, future Mrs. Parker?"
Bonnie let out a light laugh and said glumly, "Okay, but I'm keeping my last name, though."
Kai smiled a little.
She spoke again, "I'm gonna go. Good night, Kai."
"Good night," he said.
It was now three weeks later and Kai sat with his personal assistant, Caitlin, as she rattled off his schedule for the day. He was only half listening. He turned to face the young woman and interrupted her saying, "Clear my schedule from tomorrow until Monday."
Caitlin gaped at and stammered, "But Kai, I mean sir, you have meetings with-"
Kai continued to speak as if he hadn't heard her, "Book me a flight to McKinley, Virginia for this evening or early tomorrow morning and a rental car."
His personal assistant opened and closed her mouth.
Kai raised his eyebrows and said, "Is there a problem?"
Caitlin replied quickly, "Yes. I mean no. I just- How am I-"
Kai continued to look at her.
She swallowed and said, "What shall I tell the council and those you have meetings with, sir?"
Kai said, "I'll be gone on an emergency matter regarding- It doesn't matter. Just an emergency matter. It's of utmost importance. Nothing more."
Caitlin nodded, smiled sympathetically, and said, "Of course. I'll book your flight and rental car as soon as possible. I'm sure Ms. Bennett will be ecstatic to see you, sir."
Kai laughed, "I don't know about ecstatic. I'll be grateful if she doesn't slam the door in my face."
Later that day, he had received the details for his trip later that evening from his personal assistant and then began to pack his bags.
Kai had just gotten into McKinley at about 10:15 am. He had boarded his flight around 5:00 in the morning. He was exhausted but excited as he drove the 15 minutes to surprise Bonnie.
Bonnie was sitting on the couch sipping coffee and thinking about Kai. He had promised to visit as soon as possible, but the actual when seems to be continually out of reach. When they had spoken on the phone before they both headed to bed last night, Kai had said he was working on it and he would let her know. She had replied, "Of course. Love you," as she ended the call. He had been saying that he was working on it for almost a month and she was starting to wonder if this engagement was a good idea. Bonnie had refused to move to Portland until they were married stating that she "didn't want to deal with Gemini drama until the last possible second." Kai had laughed and replied, "Fair enough." She wondered now if not moving or maybe the whole engagement was a mistake.
Bonnie frowned into her mug. To get her mind off of her strained relationship, she picked up a book from the coffee table that she had been reading. She scooted into the comfortable couch and sipped her coffee as she read.
Kai had made it to Bonnie's place the first time a little after 10:30, but as he sat in his car, he felt like maybe he should've brought a peace offering to smooth things over a little. He started his car back up and went to the nearest florist. He looked for a bouquet of her favorite flowers. It was now a little after 10:45 and Kai had his duffel bag in his left hand and a bouquet of daffodils in his right as he stood in front of her apartment door. Should he just use the key he had to the apartment or maybe he should give Bonnie the decision to let him in or not? Kai decided the latter seemed safest. He put down the duffel bag, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
Bonnie jerked at the knock on her door. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and frowned. Who is knocking on my door at almost 11 in the morning? She stood up and looked down at her pajamas. She shrugged and headed towards the door. She didn't have a peephole, so she smoothed her hair, unlocked the door, and opened it.
As the door opened, Kai clutched the flowers tighter. When Bonnie saw him, her eyes widened, taking in the sheepish smile on his face. She then glanced down at the flowers in his hand. Kai thought, Alright. This is okay. It's gonna be smooth sailing. When Bonnie looked back up to his face, she was glaring. He felt his smile falter. He licked his lips and said gently, "Hey, Bon."
The Bennett witch crossed her arms over her chest, continued to glare at him, and said, "What are you doing here? You said you'd be busy with coven stuff for the next week."
Kai cleared his throat and said, "Well, I wasn't 100% honest when I said that. I wanted to surprise you!"
He gave a small smile and held the flowers out to Bonnie. Bonnie looked dully at them then back at his face.
Again, Kai's smile fell. He sighed, "Look, I know I've been a shitty, boyfr- fiance. Future husband."
Bonnie nodded agreeing, the warlock guessed. Kai continued, "I'm going to be better. I lost perspective. I let my duty to the coven take over instead of spending time with the person who means the most to me."
Bonnie searched his eyes then shifted and looked away.
"Will you forgive me for being such an asshole?" Kai said.
Bonnie looked back at his earnest face. She reached out and took the flowers from him and brought them to her face. She smelled them while closing her eyes. Her favorite. She looked at him, bit her lip, and teased, "I don't know. Being an asshole seems to be a talent of yours."
Kai visibly relaxed and smiled, "Well, can you forgive me for being an asshole about this particular situation?"
Bonnie tapped her chin and said, "I suppose so."
Kai's smile widened then he stepped closer and picked her up. Bonnie laughed and wrapped her legs around him. He peppered her with kisses on her neck, face, and lips. Bonnie finally had to pull his head back from her and grinned down at him saying, "Let's get your stuff inside."
After Kai had gotten settled in, Bonnie asked him how he managed to get time away from the coven. Kai smirked had shrugged and said, "I'm mega powerful, remember?"
Bonnie had rolled her eyes and asked how long he was able to stay.
Kai had stretched out on the couch and laid his head in her lap, he was playing with her hair and looking into her eyes. He said, "Well, I told them I would be back in six days," he scanned Bonnie's face, "but I'm sure I can figure out how to take more days off if that's what we decide."
Bonnie smiled, leaned down, and kissed him. After that, they both showered, separately on Bonnie's insistence. She recommended they head out for brunch with plenty coffee considering how drained Kai looked. She continued, "I mean really, Kai. You look wrecked."
Kai replied, "You sure know how to boost a guy's ego."
Bonnie snorted, slid on her flip flops by the door, and said, "As if you need your ego stroked anymore."
Kai grabbed her around her waist pulling her close. He leaned down to her ear and said gruffly, "I know something that needs stroked."
Bonnie sighed in exasperation. She pulled away and slapped his shoulder saying, "Put your shoes on. I'll be in my car. Lock the door."
Kai smiled as he watched her grab her keys and purse then head out the door.
Several hours later, Bonnie and Kai were putting groceries away.
Bonnie had finished emptying the bags she had carried. She then turned to face Kai who was putting cans high in a cabinet that she could only reach if she climbed on the counter. She said, "If you're up for it, would you want to watch some Netflix for a little while?"
Kai was digging in a grocery bag for the last can, so Bonnie continued, "I mean I know you're really tired…"
Kai put the last can in the cabinet and shut it. He leaned against the counter and gave her a small smile, "Sure, Bon Bon, we can watch Netflix for a bit."
She smiled, walked towards him, and kissed him tenderly. Bonnie then left the kitchen and went to the living room.
By the time Kai had followed her, Bonnie had Netflix set up on the TV screen and was seated on the couch. Kai flopped down beside her and laid his head back against the couch, he said, "Bon, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can watch anything too long. I may crash."
Bonnie nodded and said, "That's okay," she continued, "Are you up to watch another episode of Parks and Recreation? You said you haven't finished watching that yet."
Kai rolled his head to look at her and replied, "No, I haven't finished it but can we watch something more…entertaining?"
Kai realized he had said the wrong thing as soon as the sentence left his mouth. He saw Bonnie's brow furrow and her mouth open to speak. He quickly tried to amend, "I mean Parks and Rec is awesome! It's just a little slow."
He saw Bonnie frown and he groaned and said, "I'm making this worse, aren't I? I just meant-"
Bonnie cut him off, "Oh, I get what you meant. My favorite show, which you said you were excited to watch and were enjoying, is now not entertaining and is slow."
Kai said, "I didn't mean that. I'm just tired," he tried to collect his thoughts and speak more clearly, "What I meant was I'm exhausted and I need something that's more stimulating with action like…I dunno The Flash, Daredevil, or-"
"But you're all caught up on those shows, aren't you?" Bonnie asked.
Kai nodded replying, "I am but you aren't. So if I do accidentally conk out, I won't miss anything."
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. She then spoke, "You have been promising to visit for months-"
Kai rolled his head back and closed his eyes.
Bonnie continued, "And now you don't want to watch my favorite show with me? The one you assured me that you liked?"
Kai wondered how long he was going to suffer for not visiting sooner. He relented hoping that it would cut the punishment short. He turned to face her, and said, "You're right, Bon. Let's watch Parks and Rec."
Bonnie smiled and pulled up the next episode they were to watch. They both stretched along the couch with Kai on the inside holding Bonnie to his chest as she laughed. He had no clue what was going on in the show because he had his face buried in her hair but he laughed along with her enjoying how much she was enjoying herself. As he began to drift off to sleep while inhaling the vanilla scent of her hair, he thought about how he would never make the mistake of putting Bonnie, his family, second again and how he was excited to have her at his side as his consort to the Gemini coven in the future.
