to produce any sounds, as he disappears into the bathroom. It’s hard to force my mind out of the gutter as I listen to the sound of falling water and the shower door opening and closing. Ten infinite minutes pass, and then I can hear Kai’s bare feet padding on the floorboards as he heads toward his bedroom.
“Ready,” he announces in a little while as he walks into the living room, shrugging on his leather jacket.
My mouth goes dry as I look at him. I never had crushes in middle school, but I imagine this is what it feels like. My eyes stay glued on Kai. The way his jeans mold around his thighs. The way his white T-shirt is slightly damp because Kai never bothers to fully dry himself. The way his hair is messy because, once again, he has lost his hairbrush and has reverted to combing through it with his fingers.
I know him through and through, and that’s what makes him so unbelievably sexy to me.
“Gray?”
Kai’s voice startles me from my thoughts.
“Yup?”
“We going or what?” he asks.
“Sure.”
Two hours stuck in a car with Kai should give me plenty of time to talk to him and figure out… us. Maybe I’ll even sneak in a wrong turn and prolong the journey. Monica will have my balls, but I’m thinking it might be worth the risk.
Only the moment I’ve finally maneuvered us out of Boston through rush-hour traffic, Kai is asleep in his seat. I turn the music up a notch, but he doesn’t even stir.
I sigh. I guess the talk is going to have to wait a bit.
“Happy birthday, dear Ivo. Happy birthday to you,” we all sing loudly and mostly off-key.
“Make a wish,” Mon says as she pushes the birthday lasagna closer to Ivo. It’s an inside joke nobody except the two of them gets, but Ivo never has a birthday cake. Instead, year after year, without fail, Mon makes a birthday lasagna and sticks five candles in it.
Ivo blows out the candles, and we cheer, clap, and whistle before we start passing the lasagna around the table.
We load our plates, and Kai sends Ivo a shit-eating grin before he starts chanting, “Speech. Speech. Speech.”
Ivo flips him off, but he stands up and looks at the three of us gathered around the dining room table.
“It’s nice you two stopped by,” he says, aiming a look at me and Kai. “Now eat.”
Kai pretends to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. “So moving. Some people really have the gift of gab. I mean, everything about that speech was just profound and quotable.”
“Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I like to imagine what it’d be like if Mon was an only child,” Ivo says. “I always fall asleep feeling happy and have the nicest dreams.”
“Please. If I’d never been born, you’d always feel like there was something missing in your life,” Kai scoffs. “But you could never quite figure out what it is. I bet those sweet dreams you’re lying your ass off about are all actually like remake-with-a-twist versions of It’s a Wonderful Life, where the angel shows you how miserable you’d be without me. Do you often wake up covered in cold sweat, screaming, ‘Nooooo!’?”
“Of course. The moment I wake up and realize my dream wasn’t the reality,” Ivo says smugly as Kai laughs.
Monica shakes her head and smiles.
“How’s the workshop doing?” she asks Kai, redirecting the conversation.
“I’m getting steadily busier,” Kai says. “I have a couple of orders lined up, and I’m thinking about putting out some ads to get the word out.”
“I’ve been singing your praises to everybody I know,” Mon says. “I’m so proud of you.”
Kai flushes and looks down at his hands, and without thinking, I reach for him and link our fingers.
“He’s amazing,” I say.
Kai’s gaze flies to mine for the first time since we left home, and I squeeze his hand. He frowns and looks down at his lap, his eyes widening as if he’s just realized our fingers are linked. The next moment, his hand is gone, and he avoids looking at me at all cost during the rest of the dinner.
“Coffee and pie on the porch?” Mon asks. “It’s a nice evening.”
“We’ll do the dishes,” I offer.
“See, polite people would be all, no need. You’re our guests, but if you were hoping to score polite points without having to actually do anything, you’re in for a surprise. You can absolutely do the dishes while I sit back and