Aggro - CoraLee June Page 0,93
surfboard charm. It was beautiful. My eyes watered. “Look at the back,” Chase said with a cough. I looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were watery. Flipping over the charm, I gasped at Violet’s name engraved on the board. “She’s with you always, Honeybum. You can enjoy the happy times now. Cause she’s right there enjoying them with you.”
“You both did this?” I asked.
Kai smiled and took the box from my hand, then took the necklace out of the box. I lifted my hair up for him to clasp it around my neck. His presence at my back comforted me during this moving moment. I looked down at the charm and felt a sense of relief. This was the most precious gift anyone had ever given me. “Chase got it engraved for me this morning. The rich fucker made the jewelry shop open at four a.m.”
“Hey, you weren’t complaining that I was a rich fucker earlier,” Chase countered.
Kai circled me and ran a tentative finger along the chain of the necklace, making goose bumps pebble across my skin. He then stopped and spun around to face Chase. “Did you just call my girlfriend Honeybum?”
“Get used to it, lover boy. It’s my new nickname for her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s get going. We have a long day ahead of us.”
We took two cars to the surf shop, Chase’s way of giving Kai and me some privacy before the three of us met my dad. I held Kai’s hand but still felt unsure. I was fine with the temporary pause in our argument, but I needed closure to truly enjoy the day—and that’s what all of this was about, enjoying the day without guilt hanging over my head.
“I’m so sorry, Breeze. I don’t even know why I said that. Violet and I used to fight all the time, you know? And it just slipped out. Like muscle memory.”
I chewed on my tongue while absorbing his words. “I don’t want us to be like that. I want us to have calm conversations. I know that in normal relationships, people fight. It’s natural. But I don’t want you to lump me in with Violet every time we have an issue. I love her, but the two of you had a toxic relationship.”
Kai squeezed my hand. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I was kicking myself all day. I didn’t know what to say.”
“Is that why you didn’t text me?” I asked.
Kai slumped his shoulders. “I didn’t want to apologize over text. I should have called, but that didn’t feel right either.”
“For the record,” I began, “I’m the type of person that needs resolution. It made me sick. Every hour you didn’t reach out was awful. I couldn’t handle it. Even if it’s just something as simple as hey, I know we’re fighting, but I still like you and shit.”
“From now on, I won’t let an entire day go by without admitting that I’m a dumbass,” Kai promised. I smiled.
“Good. And I’m sorry, too. Chase helped me see that you were right. I can’t keep punishing myself.” Kai gripped his steering wheel until his knuckles were white. “What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing the change in his demeanor.
“Look, I’m glad that you and Chase are friends. I owe him a lot for taking care of you while I’m dealing with Lex. I promise to work through my shit with him. I know he’s important to you.”
“So, what’s the problem?” I asked.
“I was a jealous fucker last night when you didn’t come home.” Home. He’d called the bus our home. That statement made me feel a sense of belonging I wasn’t expecting. “I daydreamed about snapping his fingers off for touching you. I know there has been stuff in the past. I don’t want details because I might beat his ass. You’re mine, Little Whisper. He knows that, right? Because I’m not usually a jealous man. But I’d hate to have to tear him limb from limb for crossing over the very firm line of friendship you’ve established. There is no going back now. I won’t be the other man again.”
Seeing this side of Kai made me preen. I liked that he was protective. There was something sexy about a man that didn’t want to share. “I promise you, nothing will ever happen with Chase.”
“Good. And if we’re fighting, you come home. You always come home, okay? I don’t want to play the game like past relationships. No silent treatment. No withholding.” Kai didn’t