It wasn't but five months after that weekend, with the party and their first date the very next day, that Cinder was packing a bag. She scrubbed a hand over her forehead, staring down at her folded clothes and toiletries.
"I can't help but think that I'm forgetting something," she said, double checking that she had her medications in the side pocket of her duffel.
Iko sat on her bed, watching, swinging her legs back and forth. "You grab your swimsuit?"
"Sure did."
Iko tapped her chin. "Have enough underwear?"
Cinder glared at her.
"What?! You don't want to have to go commando, do you?"
She laughed. "Fair."
"Prosthetic leg cover?"
Cinder sighed, looking pitifully at her bag. "Yeah. I have it."
Iko scrunched her lips. "You know you don't need to be so anxious. He knows you have a fake leg."
She strung her fingers through her hair. "I know. I know. I just... people stare so much."
"It's a private beach. And besides, I know it's easy for me to say, but screw them. No one else's opinion matters. Not even Kai's."
It was easy for her to say.
"I was the one who agreed to go to his parents' beach house for spring break, I guess."
However, she had never been to his actual house.
Peony came out of the bathroom, having been doing her makeup for a party she and Iko were going to later. "You did, and it's going to be awesome! You're gonna meet all those rich people at their get-together. Imagine if one of them offers you a job!" Cinder snorted. "Plus, Kai totally loves you. He won't care."
Cinder hated when they said that. It'd only been five months. They were serious, but she wasn't sure if that meant he loved her.
She was almost sure she loved him, though.
Well, she was completely in love with him. She'd known for a while, but always felt it was too soon to admit it out loud, so no one really knew, unless they had guessed. She wasn't much of a subtle person.
"He's going to be here in, like, five minutes," said Peony.
"Thank you," muttered Cinder, not feeling very thankful at all. All she felt was anxious. She'd briefly met Kai's dad and step-dad during the holidays, when they'd come to collect him for Thanksgiving break, and they'd been lovely. But that was twenty minutes. She was about to spend five days with them.
Kai had been telling her not to worry, that they were more reserved at the first meeting, and only got nicer the better you got to know them.
It was a small comfort, yet her stomach still roiled.
"Okay," said Peony. "I'm cutting you off." She leaned over and zipped Cinder's duffel bag. "You have all of your necessities and then some. Don't make the guy wait."
As if on cue, she heard a knock.
Iko all but sprinted to the door and threw it open with an overly exaggerated gesture. "Kaito!" she shouted. The whole building now knew that he was there. "So good to see you again!"
Kai laughed. "Hi, Iko. How are you?"
"Excellent!" Iko sang. Cinder smiled. "Cinder's almost ready."
She watched him lean past Iko and wave. "Hi, Peony." His eyes shifted to Cinder. "Hey, babe. Need any help?"
"No, I've had plenty. Thanks, though."
She hoisted the duffel bag onto her shoulder and walked to meet him at the door. She turned to her step-sister and best friend. "Bye, girls. Be safe and call me if you need me."
Iko practically shoved her out the door. "We're fine. You'll be on the beach three hours away. Turn your phone off and have fun, for god's sake."
"Love you guys, too," said Cinder, bumping into Kai as Iko pushed her out into the hall and shut the door behind them.
"They were ready for you to leave, huh?"
She gave him an annoyed look. "I almost think they're more excited for this trip than I am. And that's saying a lot."
He said nothing, looking at her. Smiling. "Hi," he said softly.
"Hi."
He leaned over and kissed her. She felt the heat of the sun still clinging to his hair as she ran a hand through it. "Ready?"
"I think so."
He stuck out his hand, but before she could put hers into it, the door opened again. Iko wordlessly rolled Cinder's wheelchair into the hall and then waved her fingers before shutting the door again.
"That might be important," said Kai, folding the chair and picking it up.
Cinder sighed. "Maybe."
The drive felt too short, despite being four hours long due to traffic. She and Kai talked the whole time, and they watched the sunset as they made their way down the interstate.
The ocean was in view for the last half hour. Though it was dark, the moon was full, and it reflected off of the water and lit up the world around. It was beautiful.
Could this ever become a place for a girl like her?
"How are you feeling?" Kai asked as he turned into a long driveway. She could see a house at the end, the lights on the first floor on, but none on the second. From what she could see, it was exquisite. It was white with a blue door and shutters, and the ocean stretched black just beyond it.
"Nervous," she said. "Excited. I don't know."
She really didn't know.
He rubbed her knee. "It'll be a lot of fun. Dinner should be ready. Dad and Torin will have had a few glasses of wine by now, and they're pretty fun at that point." He parked the car and looked at her. "Don't worry."
She leaned over and kissed him, lingering probably too long. "I'm ready."
Dinner was nice, and Torin and Rikan were even nicer. She had never felt so comfortable in someone else's home, even when they left her and Kai for bed, both of them drowsy from the wine.
She and Kai slipped away to the beach, a small chunk of private land that was all theirs, kicking dark water and sand at each other and dancing (poorly, on Cinder's part) to the sound of Pacific waves.
The stars above were so bright that you could see some of them reflected in the water. A warm, salty breeze was blowing gently.
Breathlessly, Cinder laughed as she stepped on one of Kai's feet again. "I'm so bad at this."
"It's endearing," he said. "You'll get the hang of it."
The ache that had spread from her hips to her thighs protested otherwise. She did not respond.
As they parted, Kai stepped away from her and walked to the edge of the water, where the waves had created a sort of hill in the sand, and sat down on the crest. He looked at her and patted the spot next to him. She took the invitation, her head resting on his shoulder.
"This is wonderful," she said.
She could hear the content in his voice when he replied, "It is."
And because it was beautiful, and because she was happy, and because Levana had finally backed off and everything just seemed right, Cinder tilted her head to kiss his cheek.
And then she said, "I'm so in love with you, Kai."
And then she felt embarrassed.
Kai didn't say anything for a long moment. He didn't even look at her, electing instead to stare at the bright moon hanging over the ocean.
She wanted to disappear. She had said it too soon. Surely, she had said it too soon and it would be her fault if she ruined their trip.
Finally, Kai turned his head to look at her. She found it a bit easier to breathe when she saw the look in his eyes. Then, he reached over and cupped her cheek, kissing her harder than he ever had before. He tasted her lips, ran his fingers through her hair, made her feel electric, like her nerves had been replaced with wires instead. Pulling away, he pressed his forehead against hers. "You have no clue how happy you make me."
She stared into his eyes, illuminated by the silver light glinting off of the water. She was still unsure of how she felt about what she'd admitted.
He kissed her again, his mouth working with hers, and it was briefer than the first. "I love you, Cinder."
She sat up straighter. "You do?"
"I do."
He did.
Only one time in Kai's life had he ever not thought of himself as the most fortunate person in the world, and it was the day his mother's cancer had finally taken her from them.
The greatest equalizer, his father had called it.
It had been hard, but it didn't take long for Kai to remember just how lucky he was. Despite what he'd lost, his life had always been full of love, security, and support, and he knew that that was more than a lot of people could say.
Cinder was a nice reminder of his fortune, too. Every day that he woke up with the knowledge that she was his was a good day.
Today, he woke to an empty bed. Last night was the first time they'd ever shared one, and having her next to him was something he wished to always have.
He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, wondering if she was downstairs, though the clock told him that it was just after 6:30.
He stood and headed to the bathroom. As he passed the French doors that led to the balcony overlooking the beach, he caught a glance of Cinder, wearing a guest robe and sitting in her wheelchair.
He brushed his teeth, slipped a robe over his pajamas, and stepped into a pair of slippers.
When he opened a door to the balcony, Cinder turned her head.
"Good morning," she said softly. "I hope my being gone didn't worry you."
He hadn't even thought to be worried, wondered if he should have been. "No, it's okay. Good morning." He pulled a chair up next to her. She looked back at the ocean. There was a sail boat in the distance, dolphins near the shore. "How long have you been up?"
"About an hour. I don't sleep well in unfamiliar places, not at first."
He frowned, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't noticed. "You could have woken me."
She turned to look at him again. She was smiling, but there was a sort of tension in her eyes. "It's okay. You were so peaceful that I just wanted to let you sleep."
"What's wrong?"
She looked away quickly, back at the grey water and dolphins. "Just having some pain. It's okay, I took my medicine and I'll probably need my chair all day." She dropped her head, looked at her lap. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to go swimming."
She looked so sad, as though she was convinced that she'd ruined his day. "It doesn't matter," he promised. "We have plenty of days left to go swimming. The forecast is clear all week. As long as you're here, I don't care what we do."
He hoped that she believed him.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I'm not ready to go inside just yet."
He rested a hand on her knee. "Enjoying the view?"
She looked at him. Grinned. Blushed. "I am."
He smiled back and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Me too."
In the kitchen, Kai's dad and Torin were moving about, grabbing pans and a carton of eggs out of the fridge.
"Morning," said Kai as he wheeled Cinder's chair to the breakfast table. "What's for breakfast?"
Rikan looked over and beamed at them. "Morning, you two. We weren't expecting you to be up so early."
"We're making eggs, bacon, and toast. Hungry?"
Kai looked at Cinder, who looked at him before responding. "That sounds great. Thank you."
"How about coffee?" Rikan asked the both of them.
"Please!" said Kai.
"Yes, please," Cinder said timidly.
"Cream and sugar for me. I'm sure she'll take it black."
She chuckled, nodding. "Thanks."
As he brought mugs to them, Rikan asked, "Any plans today?"
Kai glanced at Cinder. "I haven't asked her yet, but I was thinking that it might be nice to go into town today. Go to Jenna's."
"Jenna's?" She was giving him a quizzical look.
"Best ice cream in all of the US. You'll love it."
Torin agreed with a nod. "We might have to stop there later. We'll be grocery shopping to get ready for the dinner tonight. Will you be joining us? Just a few of our friends coming."
Kai looked at Cinder. She shrugged in a 'doesn't matter to me' kind of way. "We will be there."
Cinder rested her hand on Kai's, which was on her shoulder. "Going into town and getting ice cream sounds really nice," she said, sipping her coffee.
Kai was happy that she liked the idea, and only grew happier when they were in town, enjoying the weather.
Cinder had approved of the ice cream and even more of the quaint little vacation town where Kai had spent so much of his childhood.
As they walked down the street, Kai planning to surprise her by taking her to the custom dress shop that his mother had gotten all of her dresses from, he saw a familiar face in the distance.
Of course, it was the dog he recognized first. A golden retriever with a white and orange harness denoting it as a service animal, walking next to a white cane that was sweeping the ground before it.
He leaned down next to Cinder. "Remember my friend Thorne that I was telling you about?"
She nodded.
"That's him."
As they got closer, Kai stopped and said, "Hey, Thorne."
The man paused. He turned his head in the direction of Kai's voice and lit up. His dog took in the situation before sitting quietly.
"Kai? Is that you? I didn't know you were going to be in town!"
"Of course! It's Spring Break. Cinder's here, by the way."
Impossibly, Thorne grinned wider. "Cinder! I've heard so much about you." He cleared his throat, looking around. It was almost a joke for him - he knew it didn't help, but he did it anyway. "Where are you?"
Cinder leaned forward. Kai put a hand on her shoulder so that she wouldn't feel like she had to stand. "Hi, Thorne. I've heard a lot about you, too!"
He turned toward her voice and stuck his hand out for her. Because it was a little too high and close for Cinder to shake it without it being awkward, Kai casually rolled her chair back enough so that she could. She shot him a meaningful look that said "thanks".
"How long you guys in town for?" Thorne asked. He folded his cane in his hand, having decided to lean against the brickside storefront that they were stopped in front of. His guide dog did not take its eyes off of him.
"Until Sunday," said Kai. "Dad and Torin are heading out Wednesday, but we'll be here all week. What about you?"
Thorne sighed. "School starts back Monday, so I'm going back tomorrow."
"Where's Cress?"
He grimaced. "School. MIT doesn't have break until next week. She's coming to stay with me, though, so at least I get to see her at all." He chuckled at his own irony. "Anyway, I'm supposed to pick up the dry cleaning. Dad and his Air Force buddies are having a huge get together tonight and you know me, I'm expected to be there. You know, sometimes I'm glad I got in that accident. Now he doesn't expect me to follow in his footsteps."
Kai clasped a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't unlike Thorne to make such comments - he and his father had never really seen eye to eye on anything."Try and enjoy yourself tonight. Go to the beach before you have to leave for Minnesota again."
Thorne shuddered. "Aces, it's cold there. I'll catch you later, Kai. And Cinder?"
Cinder, who had been quiet during the entire exchange, jumped slightly. "Yeah?"
"It was nice meeting you. Take care of Kai. He needs it."
Kai laughed, and Cinder joined him.
"I'll do that," she replied. "Thanks for the advice. It was nice meeting you, too."
The dinner party was in full-swing. It wasn't really a party, more of a get-together. But there were still more people than she was comfortable with.
Despite wearing the gorgeous silver dress that Kai had had made for her, Cinder felt dingy. She didn't wear makeup, and the only hair style options she had were to either let it lie flat or pull it back. She'd chosen the latter.
But the others? They were sophisticatedly beautiful.
Though her dress fell to her ankles, nearly covering her feet while she sat, there was a distinct difference in her legs. Her prosthetic was obvious under the fabric, though would've been less so had there not been the burning pain every time she tried to stand.
Cinder didn't think that Rikan and Torin would be friends with the type of people that would judge or otherwise think less of her for her disability, for her missing limb, but the thing about that was this: you don't know until you know.
Kai stood next to her, a flute of champagne in his hand to match the one she held, introducing her to everyone.
At one point, an older woman who introduced herself as Michelle said to her, "Rikan tells me that you are interested in biological engineering."
Heat rose in her cheeks. "I-yeah. I am. I'm working on my Bachelor's now."
The woman began to dig through her clutch; gold, like her dress. She produced a business card. "My husband works for Andersen Labs. He isn't here, but I'm sure he won't mind my recommendation. Give him a call when the summer starts and I'll make sure he knows to set you up for an internship."
Stunned, Cinder reached out for the card. 'Dr. Logan Tanner' was written on it in glossy black print. "Th-thank you. I'll consider it, but I may need to work, so that could be an issue."
She used her parents's life insurance to pay her tuition, but the rest was put away for her future. Cinder still had to work to survive.
The woman smiled. "I'm sure he can find someone willing to use grant money for a research assistant. But think about it."
Cinder glanced at Kai, who caught her eye and gave an encouraging smile. "I will," she said, looking at the woman, Michelle, again. "Thank you."
Cinder much preferred this kind of get-together over the boozey party she and Kai had begun their relationship at. Despite everything that night had given her, she would never enjoy college parties.
Despite everything that night had given her, it was still pretty uncomfortable all around.
She took another sip of champagne just as Kai bent down to talk to her.
"We already ate, so the rest of this is just going to be everyone chatting until they decide to go home. Want to sneak away to the beach?" he asked.
She looked around at the guests. Everyone seemed occupied enough. She grinned conspiratorially at him. "Is that even a question?"
It was more windy than it had been the night before, so the waves were a bit more restless, but the moon was still bright and the salty breeze filled her lungs with more than just air and ocean.
Kai had stripped his shoes, and she'd joined him, once they got to the sand. Barefoot now, he pushed her along the waterline. It wasn't easy, she knew, with the resistance of the sand, but he did not complain.
Instead he said, "I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Her heart fluttered.
The feeling was mutual.
Author's Note: Why do I ever call anything a One Shot? I don't think I know what that phrase means...
