The Year I Became Isabella Ande - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,25
from Kai.
Kai: U haven’t sent me any pics yet :( At first I thought maybe it’s because u forgot all about your cute, sexy neighbor next door, but then I realized how impossible that could be and started worrying that maybe something bad happened to u. That’s it, right? Something bad happened to u?
Me: So you’re saying u would rather something bad happen to me?
Kai: Ha! I knew that’d get u to respond.
Me: Whatever. I was never ignoring u, since this is the first time u sent me a message.
Kai: I didn’t want to seem too needy. But then I realized it wasn’t about me. It was about your wellbeing.
I roll my eyes. I can almost picture Kai smiling as he texts me, totally amused with himself.
Kai: So where’s my pic?
“You should probably send him the one we took at the top of the Eiffel Tower. You looked amazing in it,” Indigo says, reading the message from over my shoulder. “But first, you have to explain to me who Kai is.”
“He’s Kyler’s young brother who loves to annoy me,” I say, sinking down on the bed.
She coils a strand of her hair around her finger. “Annoy you, huh?” She seems wistful about something. “Because from what I read through the text, he seems like he’s flirting with you.”
I laugh so hard I almost pee myself. “Kai isn’t flirting with me. Trust me. He’s just made it his life mission to annoy the crap out of me.” I start to send Kai the pic Indigo suggested, but then stop myself.
I don’t fully understand why. Part of me whispers that my hesitancy is that I don’t trust him. But the other part of me whispers that I’m just not ready to take these moments overseas—this fantasy world I’ve been living, where I feel like I can be anyone and do anything—and share it with my old life.
Me: Don’t have any cool pics yet. Sorry.
I leave it at that and put my phone away. He doesn’t reply. I don’t know why I’m surprised or a tiny bit disappointed, but I am. The sucky part is I don’t know what I’m more disappointed about—Kai’s silence, or the fact I was too afraid to send him a damn photo.
I shake the feeling off, though, and focus on tonight. I focus on my next life experience, because that’s what I should be doing.
FOUR HOURS LATER, Indigo and I get in line to ride the London Eye, a ginormous Ferris wheel with oval passenger pods that are covered in windows that are supposed to give you a great view of the city. Indigo and I met Peter just before we got in line to get on, and Peter just happened to bring along his friend, Nyle. Although, I don’t think it was by accident. This is a setup. I get that. What I don’t get is what I’m supposed to do with this cute British guy who keeps looking at me like I’m adorable.
“You want me to get us a drink or something before we get on?” Nyle asks, seeming almost as nervous as I am.
I try to smile like Indigo does all the time, whenever she’s flirting. “Sure. That sounds great.”
He smiles before stepping out of the line to head over to the concession stand.
Indigo gives me this knowing look and I have no idea how to react. Just what exactly does she think is going to happen on this fun-filled Ferris wheel ride of ours?
I shake my head at her then take in the sights around me, the bright lights, the soft music from the street performs, and the energized buzz in the air.
“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Nyle asks when he returns to the line.
I tear my attention off the starry sky and catch him checking me out. He smiles sheepishly at me as he hands me a bottle of Coke.
“Yeah, it’s really pretty here.” I twist the cap off the bottle and glug down a few swallows, giving myself some time to figure out what to say to him.
It’s not that I’m shy, but I don’t feel as comfortable around him as I do with people I know.
We spend the next ten minutes in awkward silence before we make it to the front of the line and get onto the Ferris wheel. While Indigo chats with Peter about New York, Nyle gets a nervous energy boost and starts babbling to me about himself. I try to listen. I really do. But his