Previously: Hilary and Kai take engagment photos.
I'm hanging by a thin thread and he's got the scissors
I wake early. Too early. Picking up my phone, the time reads just before four a.m. I try to ignore the scratchiness at the back of my throat but it's persistently dry. Groaning, I throw back the covers and put my feet on the soft carpet, thankful it's not the cold tile of the living room.
After we're finished with the shoot, there wasn't much left to talk about. Kai disappeared to his side of the suite while I prepared dinner for myself with Rei's leftovers before preparing for bed with a soak in the tub. There's a peacefulness to my routine that allows me to process everything that's been happening. For instance, I was able to put away any rising notions of romance that Kai inadvertently evoked.
In search of water, I shuffle to the kitchen in my guest slippers, forgoing any lights this early in the morning. I fill a glass with the cool water from the fridge, drinking it greedily until my thirst is more than satisfied.
"You're up early,"
I jump, startled by the lights flicking on and his deep voice from behind me. Turning, I try to smile and return his greeting but words instantly leave.
I squint at Kai comes around to stand on the other side of the fridge while. He's shirtless and in loose shorts, rubbing his wild hair with a towel. He motions towards the fridge with an empty bottle in his hand.
"Oh," I back away, allowing him access. "Sorry. Didn't realize you were there."
He fills the bottle and then takes several large gulps, almost finishing it off before filling it again. I advert my eyes, exceedingly aware of his lack of clothes and of my pajamas. This kitchen is freakishly clean and there's not much to look at so I end up staring owlishly at the island countertop.
"Why are you up?" I ask, my voice high-pitched even to me.
"I always work out in the morning," he says. My eyes shift safely to his feet, where he is indeed wearing running shoes.
"This early? Don't you ever sleep?"
"Occasionally," he chuckles as his feet turn away.
Thoughtlessly, bated by his joke, my gaze jumps up where I'm immediately confronted with his back. "Occasionally like once a month or is it less often?" I ask once I'm sure I can speak without choking.
"I get enough." He takes a seat on one of the stools by the island. There's a slight smile there but it falls to a neutral line once he sees me staring. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," I shrug, thankful he's sitting down. He's less distracting that way.
"Fine is a placeholder for something else,"
The urge to point out how often he uses the word is strong, but I fight it back.
"Romero's helpful," I say instead. "His plans give me a direction to go in, something to do. Your family still makes me nervous. Did I tell you Salima called me?"
He shakes his head, shadowed eyes watching me closely.
"It was just the other day. She wants to have lunch next week."
"You should go,"
"I thought you said not to trust them."
"Yes, but we want them to believe that you'll be a part of the family. Avoiding them will do no good."
"And you want to see if I can find out any information on what her parents are doing?"
Kai smirks, pleased despite getting caught. "Now, you're catching on."
I agree to call her back and set something up. "Though, I'm not sure what I'm looking for," I say lightly, hoping he'll catch the hint.
"Just listen for anything that sounds interesting. Salima's not stupid; she won't come out and reveal any secrets, but that doesn't mean she hasn't said anything." His eyes catch mine carefully. "You're good at reading between the lines."
"Or you can just tell me what you're after,"
"This is more of a fishing trip than an investigation. We'll catch what we catch. Besides, where's the fun in telling you what to look for?"
My eye twitches. Kai's lucky there's an entire island between us. "The fun will be when I don't smother you in your sleep for driving me crazy."
He finds my threats amusing but doesn't push me any further. In the silence that follows, I take to pondering my water as an alternative to looking at him. A drop slides down the side and pools at the bottom.
I place the glass in the sink. With my back turned to him, he can't read my expression. "Is Salima's birthday the event you mentioned before? The one that we're waiting until after to announce our break-up?" I try to sound less interested than I am, though I know it's useless.
There's a brief pause before Kai answers. "Where did you hear that?"
"Salima mentioned it at the dinner," I turn back to him, leaning against the counter to give us more space. "Her twenty-first birthday. That's a big day," My smile is big, as though I have any reason to be rejoicing for her. "I suppose you didn't want to ruin it."
"That's not it," His casualness drops, his tone becoming curt, firm as stone as he denies any good intentions on his part. My smile falls as he drops the act. "I couldn't care less about ruining her party. It's what she's going to do at the party that I'm interested in," he continues.
My curiosity stirs within me, like a beast being roused from sleep by a tasty treat. I wait with anticipation at what's to come.
Kai takes his sweet time deliberating before he finally comes to a decision. "I suppose it won't hurt to tell you now. Salima plans on leaving the family after gaining access to her inheritance."
"What?"
"Her party isn't on her actual birthday, it's a few days after. She'll inherit a small fortune when she turns twenty-one, and after that's all final, she'll announce at her party that she's leaving the family. It'll draw attention, which my grandfather absolutely hates. He'll be distracted saving face from the fallout, so it's the perfect time for you to slip away and for me to return to being a recluse bachelor."
"Couple that with Romero's plan, the media won't know which way to look,"
"No," he agrees. "And Salima doesn't plan on going quietly. By the time people notice that you're gone, it'll be old news."
I consider this, envisioning the scenario. Salima with her wild, flaming hair, denouncing the family name and - the scene glitches, coming to a halt.
"Why?" I ask.
"Why?"
"Why is Salima leaving?"
The sound Kai makes is a cross between a snort and a chortle. "You've met the Hiwatari's and you ask why? Isn't it obvious?"
The memory of his grandfather in my living room flashes and yes, I understand. That was clearly a tactic he's used before and I doubt he has any problem bulling his family in the same way. Though, that is not answer. "But, why?" I persist, "and how do you know all this?"
"Salima's got her reasons," He shrugs, standing to leave. "And I have my ways."
Obviously, the sharing portion of the morning is over. "One of these days, Kai, you will regret not sharing important information with me," I say to his back.
"How about I decide what's important when it comes to my family, and you just understand that some things are best undisclosed."
I glare at his head while he retreats from the kitchen. Before he leaves, he pauses, his back still turned to me, and says, "I'll have Spencer drive you home this morning."
Spurred by his sour attitude shutting our conversation down, I follow after him. He goes down the hall on the other side of the living room, turning down the hall that leads to his domain. I come up to where the hall begins, unwilling to go to where I haven't been and where I wasn't invited. No doubt, Kai intended for that. The hall seems to stretch on timelessly, daring me to enter and follow Kai around the corner. I lift my foot to crossover, thinking I'll find him and force him to explain.
I put my foot back down. And then step back. I take more and more steps away from the hall, retreating all the way to the guest room and closing the door. Leaning against the door, I can feel how flush my face is, though I don't know why exactly my heart is racing as it is. I wasn't doing anything wrong. If he didn't want me in that part of the apartment, he would have said as much. I chalk the erratic beating up to the run back to the room and leave it at that.
In the window, the sun peeks just over the horizon, lighting up the skyline. I estimate it's been about an hour since I left my bedroom so there's no use in going back to sleep now.
My nerves don't calm down much as I go through my morning routine to prepare for the day. Once I'm dressed, I head back to the living room, my stomach still doing somersaults.
Kai is nowhere to be seen. There's a part of me that's happy not to have to face him again this morning. Yet, I also feel dejected. We've made a lot of progress these past few weeks in trusting each other. The way this conversation fell apart so quickly feels like taking two steps back.
Alone, I make myself an omelet and eat it slowly at the island before washing the items I used and returning them to their places. All the while, Kai remains withdrawn from the common areas.
At seven, Spencer messages me to let me know he'll be in the garage in thirty minutes. I gather my belongings slowly, taking my time in case I hear Kai in the living room. When the last item is put away, I have to admit that I probably won't be seeing him again today. As I wait for the elevator, I stare at the wide, empty space, mulling over his defensiveness and what he told me about Salima. It's becoming exceeding clear to me that there are few, if any, boundaries that Kai won't cross to get what he wants. That in itself should terrify me, and yet I feel sorry for him and eager to help. My moral compass spins and spins. The elevator dings, doors opening and closing behind me. As I descend to the bottom floor, I can't help but think of Kai as a lonely king, hiding from the world.
Romero apparently doesn't know that weekends are supposed to be for rest, I discover later that night as I curl in bed. After the week I had, I enjoyed the day of relative (Kai excluded, of course) peace. A woman on the TV, which I moved from the living room since that couch wasn't created for actual use, moves across the screen in shadows, eyes shifting about. I snuggle deeper into my cocoon, bringing the blanket up to my eyes. The lights are turned down, leaving me in a shadows fitting the suspence thriller that I'd shifted over too when the rom-com got too much like real life. Just as the door squeaks open and the woman gasps, my phone buzzes with a new message and attachment.
I scramble to pause the movie and settle my heart.
He's sent me a full schedule for the next two weeks, includes lunch with Salima that I didn't tell him about. That is both horrifying and reassuring at the same time. At least someone out there is handling the things I don't want to do. There's some volunteer work where I'll be reading to a children's group at the local library, a day at the spa, and yet another fitting with Olivier. This is for the engagement party, which he scheduled for two weeks from now. Even though it's only been two weeks since our first announcement, Romero insists that we're late holding the engagement party. I think he's overreacting.
There is also a few hours blocked off tomorrow afternoon and for the rest of the night that isn't labled with anything.
I message back and ask him if the spa day is really necessary and about the mystery time.
He doesn't respond.
I know this is just the start of the hurricane the next few months will be. There's the bridal shower, the bachelorette party, the welcome party (I argued that he made that one up. Romero explained that it's appropriate when guests are coming from out of town. Apparently, the Hiwatari guest lists include an abundance of international visitors. No surprise there), the rehearsal dinner, and finally, the wedding, all of which we have to plan for and perform as if the wedding is actually happening. I nearly passed out just from hearing about it.
It's a lot to fit in over the next five months. Amongst all of that, I should still be prepared for bombs from the Hiwatari's themselves. Kai said his grandfather has been held off for a while, but no doubt he'll be back around again. And then there's his aunt. And Salima, whatever her deal is.
By morning, Romero still hasn't answered so I text Kai about the mystery time to see if he knows why it's blocked off. I nibble the corner of my lip as I watch my phone, unsure of what to expect at this point. I want to expect the best, but my better judgement tells me I won't get the answer I want that easily.
His message pops up. 'Don't worry about it.'
No. Today, I'm in no mood to justify his actions. He's not getting away with this again. Instead of texting, I call. It barely rings once before he answers. Upset as I am, he's not even though the first word before I let loose on him.
"It's not right to keep me twisting in the wind. I'm wasting time trying to figure out what's going on while you hoard all the information, dangling it over my head like a cat toying with a mouse."
He's silent on the other end.
"Kai, I thought we were through all of this already. I'm supposed to trust you, but how can I?"
There's a low huff. "Is that how you see yourself? As a mouse?"
"That's not the point," I clench the phone in my hand to keep from throwing it. "All I'm asking is that you treat me like an equal and tell me what's going on."
"Since you asked so nicely," he sighs. Alarm quickens my pulse as I think of the various jobs he could have lined up for me. "It's a surprise party. Your cousins have been planning it since last week."
My heated anger is immediately doused. "A party?" There's a quiver to the question.
"Max told me. There was supposed to be a rouse to get us both up there, and then to your parents' house, but he knows how I feel about surprises."
"They planned it for me?" Normally, the three of them planning anything would have warning bells ringing. Despite this, I'm flattered by the thoughtfulness. I never expected it, especially when Emily wants all the attention to be on her.
"For us," he emphasizes, cheekiness coming through, "and our engagement."
"And you're okay with this - visiting my family?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Kai asks. I'm thankful there's a note of concern there, an honestly confusion. I don't know how to take it.
I shake my head. "I did promise my parents that I'd bring you for a visit. I just didn't think you'd be up for it."
Kai leaves me in silence while I think it out. "Okay," I agree cautiously though my excitement is growing by the second at the prospect of seeing my parents. I've always been so busy before that our visits were limited. And a party where I'm in the spotlight? After everything I've done, I think I deserve a little positive attention.
"Are you happy now? You've ruined all the work she's done to make this special for you." Kai asks before he disconnects. Despite the roughness of his words, there's a hint of approval. I smile, feeling the achievement of Kai's approval in my bones.
That afternoon, I practicaly skip to the car, meeting Spencer with a hearty greeting and allowing him to open the door for me. My excitement for the event has grown substantially as the day's gone on, leaving me with more energy than my body can contain. Sputtering laugher erupts when I see Kai in a pair of slacks, a button-down shirt, and a matching jacket. Although it is nice seeing him dressed again.
"You don't need to be so formal," I comment, displaying to my jean shorts and flowery top.
"It's my first time meeting you're family. I want to make a good impression,"
I'm smiling too much but I can't stop. "While I'm touched, it's not necessary. They won't care about your clothes as long as you act like you care about me."
He stares, unphased. I give a half shrug. "Suit yourself," I say, and then laugh at my own joke.
Rick side-eyes me from the front seat alongside Spencer, but I can't bring myself to care. I wonder for a moment why Kai needs them and then let it go, too buoyant in my joy. It's about an hour out of the city to my old town, which means I'm about an hour from my parents and a party entirely focused on me. I know this comes off as self-centered, but so much of my life has been about serving other people. It's nice that for just an afternoon, I'm the one everyone things about. It's about time I got the recognition I deserve.
I quickly see that my energy does not match the quiet mood of my companions. To avoid becoming a nuisance of myself, I use the time to enjoy the scenery that I'm usually too distracted or haggard to bother with. When I glance at Kai, it's with the expectation he'll be on his phone as always. Instead, he's looking out his own window, profile sharp against the blur outside.
As I watch, I can't help but think Salima's leaving must bring up memories of his parents. From my research, I know they got married young – his father only nineteen. His mother wasn't anyone to note, much like me. I added that piece together with the various remarks his family has made to form another picture of Kai. I thought it was sweet his father married for love despite his Soichiro's negative opinion. In the same way, his parent's marriage came seemingly from nowhere. One day, Susume Hiwatari was just a college student and heir to the Hiwatari fortunate, the next he was a happily married man. Whatever pushed him to make such a sudden decision must have been drastic.
It wasn't Kai though. There's no mention of a baby Hiwatari until Ralf a few years later and by that time, Susume and his wife had disappeared from the spotlight altogether. Then the news breaks out of nowhere. The first week of August brings a flood of articles regarding Susume's son. And just a sudden as Kai's birth hits the news, all mention of him disappears. From there, Kai isn't brought up much until his arrival in London. At that point, there's a steady stream of articles documenting his various academic accomplishments: captain of the debate team and the track team, graduating top of his class; all the things we'd expect to hear. His parents are never mentioned, only his grandfather. Whatever happened, they're no longer in the picture after deviating from the Soichiro's plans. I haven't found any solid evidence, such as an obituary, but I have strong suspicions that Kai's parents might be dead. They're absence from the news since Kai's birth; his refusal to talk about them; his sudden appearance at a boarding school; the fact that they aren't even considered in the wedding plans. It all has to add up to something, and it can't just be a soured relationship. Whenever I think of it, apprehension floods my viens. How close is Kai getting to being in the same position as his parents by involving me?
Without warning, Kai speaks, interrupting my ponderings.
"Who do you expect to be there?"
"We're a small bunch," I say. As we slow, the scenery outside becomes familiar and I recognize the route we're taking is the same one I used to take to go to school. "Just my parents, Emily and the Twins, and they're parents."
"No grandparents?"
I shake my head. "My father's parents died when he was young and my mom's mother passed a few years ago, after her husband."
He nods in understanding. I wonder if I tell my dad about my thoughts on Kai's parents, if maybe he can be of some help. Perhaps they can bond of a shared experience.
"We're here," Spencer says as we pull up in front of my childhood home. I'm out of the car before Spencer can even turn the engine off. It's been such a long time. Kai and I are already halfway to the door before I realize Spencer and Rick aren't following.
"They're fine, Hilary," Kai says, reading my expression as he drags me along. "They do this all the time."
I glare but allow him to do what he wants. He's the one paying for it.
"Did Emily think this through," Kai complains as he rings our doorbell. "It's going to rain,"
I roll my eyes. It's barely cloudy. "My parent's house is sort of a hub for the family; someone's always here. And you don't have to knock." I say, opening the door and walking in.
Hello! A big thank you to all the silent readers and the reviewers! You guys are the best. This chapter was originally almost 8k in words so I had to chop it in half. This means you'll have to wait one more week to meet Hilary's family.
If you're up for it, please let me know how the story is going for you or just how you're doing! Please be safe until next week, when I hope to see you again. - Konix