Chapter 6 KAI

For a second, I forget where I am. The mattress is too soft. The room is too quiet, no creaking springs, no distant coughing, and no volunteer flipping on the lights before sunrise. The silence welcomes the faint sound of waves through the open window. This is paradise.

I lie there staring at the ceiling until yesterday crashes back in. The gala, the cameras, the kiss--- I kissed a guy. Not because I was forced to but because I wanted to. And kissing him never felt so wrong in the right way.

I groan and drag both hands down my face. "What the hell have I done?"

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand. The floor is warm beneath my bare feet, courtesy of the woolen carpet flooring the room. I could stay here for ages and be content from the comfort alone. But... I'm on a job, and I'm not sure if sleeping in is allowed.

After a quick shower, I pull on a clean t-shirt, faded jeans, and my least worn sneakers. They looked normal yesterday. In this room, they look like they belong to somewhere else. I leave before the thought gets louder.

The hallway is empty and endless. Sunlight spills across polished floors and paintings that just like everything else, look ridiculously expensive. I pass a library with floor to ceiling bookcases and rolling ladders, a sitting room that looks like it has never been sat in, and what appears to be a room just for coats. I shake my head and keep walking.

Then I see him. Sebastian steps out of a door further down the hall wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, his hair still damp from the shower. Yesterday, he looked untouchable in a tailored suit. This morning, he just looks... different but still mesmerizing. It takes me a second longer than it should to look away.

Not helpful, Kai.

He glances up. Our eyes meet for half a second. His expression tightens, but he doesn't say anything. Neither do I, simply because the words don't come to me. The memory I've been trying to ignore slips back in before I can stop it. His hand at my waist. My mouth against his.

I'm not gay. I have never looked at another guy twice in my life. So why does that kiss keep replaying in my head?

He passes me by the stairs without a word, close enough that I catch the clean scent of his soap. I'm suddenly far too aware of how close he is. I keep my eyes ahead this time.

Get it together, Kai.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I kissed him. I pushed it, thinking I was just trying to piss him off but ended up questioning my own motivations.

After a moment's hesitation, I follow. The smell of breakfast reaches me before the dining room does, fresh bread and coffee filling the hallway as I make my way downstairs. Someone in this house knows what they are doing with meals.

The dining room is quieter than I expected. Mr Whitlock is doing something on his tablet, Mrs Whitlock stirs coffee slowly, a little girl, I'm guessing is Sebastian's sister sits at the far end of the table with headphones around her neck, scrolling on her phone. It's the first time I'm seeing her. Then there is Sebastian.

He doesn't look up when I enter. His eyes are fixed between his plate, cutlery, and bacon. He wants to act like I'm invisible. Well, two could play the game but I'm not interested in that. Not even close.

"Good morning family," I greet loudly, pulling a chair beside Sebastian because of course that's where a boyfriend should sit.

"Good morning, Malakai," Mrs Whitlock says warmly. "I believe your first night here was satisfactory?"

"Very," I say. "I'm not sure if it's the warm and cozy reception here or maybe the fun I had last night," I add, now looking at Sebastian. His hand pauses on the plate, his jaw locking. Still he doesn't look at me. I finish anyway. "It's a great environment for my job. I love it."

At that, even Mr Whitlock lowers the newspaper. He looks at me, then at his wife who just smiles and ushers me to the breakfast buffet laid out on the table.

"Eat something then," she says. "You have a busy day ahead."

I grab a croissant. Then another. Halfway through buttering the second one, I notice the table has gone strangely quiet. Mrs Whitlock is watching me with mild surprise.

I pause. "Too many?"

A small smile tugs at her mouth. "Not at all. Help yourself."

I nod and keep eating. Nobody else touches the pastry basket. Rich people are really weird.

The silence that follows isn't awkward. Everyone seems to know exactly how breakfast works in this house. Mrs Whitlock is the only one who breaks it now and then, asking the occasional question that never quite turns into a conversation. Mr Whitlock doesn't touch the breakfast in front of him, only sipping his coffee as he scrolls through something on his tablet.

The girl at the far end of the table, who I assume is Sebastian's little sister, barely looks up from her phone.

"Evie," Mrs Whitlock says gently. "Phone away, please."

She sighs like she has heard it a thousand times but slips it into her pocket anyway. Sebastian doesn't look up once. He just keeps eating like he would rather be anywhere else.

Then I notice the bruise along his jaw. It looks darker this morning probably because he didn't bother concealing it.

"Does your jaw still hurt, Sebastian?" I ask before I can stop myself.

He doesn't even look at me. He places his napkin beside his plate and stands. "I'm heading out."

Mrs Whitlock looks up. "Where are you going so early?"

"I have plans."

"Well, I need you to changed them." Her voice is calm but firm enough to say she isn't requesting. "Kai needs a full wardrobe fitting this morning. Clothes, shoes, personal effects-- everything suitable for the occasions you will be appearing together."

Sebastian's expression doesn't change. "He can go with a driver."

"He is your boyfriend. He will go with you."

"He is not--" he starts to protest in frustration, stops halfway through and sighs heavily. "No."

"It wasn't a question," she says. "On top of that, anything else he wants, snacks or entertainment, make sure he gets everything."

Anything else he wants. My mind catches on that last one. I don't think I have ever lived in a world where wanting something was reason enough to have it.

I glance at Sebastian. Somehow, I'm the one getting that look, like I marched in here and demanded a personal shopping assistant. He lets out a slow breath then he turns and walks out without another word.

"Should I leave now?" I ask, pointing behind me with a thumb.

Mrs Whitlock calmly reaches for her coffee again. "You should finish your breakfast. He will wait."

Around me, breakfast carries on as though nothing has changed. This is my life for the next three months. I take another bite, already dreading whatever "wardrobe fitting" actually involves. Something tells me it's going to be a disaster.