Figment of Dreams
Chapter Twenty: Mine

Later that night, the long hot bath hadn’t helped. My body was still sore as hell from fight training and my left arm was already bruising.

Great, I would not be wearing any sleeveless outfits anytime soon.

Skylark and I went to dinner in the main hall. It was a cafeteria set up but with more style and way more options than I’ve ever seen in a College.

As I was scooping up some more potatoes to go with my steak, Kai appeared to my right. ‘You didn’t text me back today. Are you okay?’ he was worried.

‘I’m sorry Kai. I had that training and then I took my time taking a bath. I did not have much time.’ He was coming in for a side hug like he always did, but it hurt me.

‘Auch…’ I scooted away from him and yelped. ‘Careful I’m bruised from earlier.’

Even though I said it with a smile on my face Kai became white around his cheeks. He quickly tugged up my sleeve and flinched at the sight of my blue arm.

‘No fucking way…’ he shook his head and ruffled through his hair, pulling at the roots. ‘This is a fucking joke.’ He mumbled. I grabbed his hand. ‘Don’t worry, it’s just part of the training. It’s no big deal.’

’It is. Because that’s not normal! You are human. You bruise so easily babe. He should have known!’ he was already glancing around the room. I guess to replace the Biareve twin who did this to me. ‘Don’t tell Jax.’ I quickly added. Because if this was Kai’s reaction, I did not want to be there when Jax found out.

He puffed. ‘Definitely do not tell Jax ever.’ He was still searching the room.

’Let’s just eat, okay? Please don’t tell anything to Ash. I want him to take me seriously, Kai. Please?’

He gave me his attention back and nodded carefully. Seeing that I really needed this from him.

We had dinner in the company of Skylark, whom was still a waterfall of words for the entire meal. Kai grabbed my hand under table and whispered in my ear. ‘Do you want to go out for a walk?’ He kissed my nose and I nodded. We excused ourselves and hand in hand we went to the park on the outskirts of the academy.

The night was brisk and cooling down from the heat of the day. It had been a hot day for spring, or so Oak had told me earlier. We halted at a bench and sat down together, overlooking a small creek and waterfall. The rushing of the water pleasant to my ears.

‘Lux… I….’ Kai was kicking a small stone around. Obviously tiptoeing around something he wanted to say. I grabbed his hand again and played with his thumb.

‘You can tell me.’ I said softly. Both of us all of sudden nervous and not looking each other in the eye.

He released my hand and pulled me closer for one of his hugs. ’I… really… I want…. God why is this so difficult!’ He cursed and kicked a stone away. It clanged loudly against one of the lanterns.

‘Hey…’ I grabbed his cheek and made him turn towards me. ’It’s me your talking to okay… it’s me.’

He took a deep breath, composed his thoughts with his eyes closed and kissed me fondly. ’I want you to be mine.’ He said between soft butterfly kisses. ’All mine.’

’Kai Welkin, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?’ I teased him. Voice syrupy sweet and louder than we were talking just seconds ago.

He chuckled at that. ’I never wanted anything more in my entire life. You are everything Lux. Literally everything. I already knew that but… in those three miserable weeks you were not speaking to me I realised it even more.’ I scooted back a little and he frowned at me.

‘But you are not so sure?’ he asked feebly. I saw the fear seeping into his entire being. He was terrified I was rejecting him.

’I’m afraid to truly let you in Kai… like I… like…’ my voice was a whisper of a thing. All my thoughts were rolling around my head and I was trying to form the words I needed to make him understand.

‘Like you did with Jax….’ He already knew what my biggest insecurity was.

Tears were brimming but I pushed them back down.

‘He took… he took a part of me that I’m afraid will never heal back. It’s just gone and…. I don’t want to give you a broken and not entirely whole heart. You don’t deserve that Kai. You deserve so much more.’

There it was. What I had been wanting to say to him for the last ten months when this thing between us had evolved to more than just friends.

‘I don’t care about that babe. I don’t care, to me you are the most perfect girl I have ever seen. We just work so well together.’ He pulled me to him again, almost frantically. Like I was going to evaporate into thin air at any second now.

’Please don’t. Please….’ He pleaded. He felt that I was not sure and that I was about to leave him there. Leave him.

‘Please babe.’ He kissed me like I was the air he required. With so much more need in there, I could taste it on his tongue.

I looked him in the eye and remained silent for a while. I just played with his hand while the other one was going through my hair lovingly, tenderly.

’I couldn’t….’ I stopped and swallowed, looked away again because he was staring at me with such a combination of longing and hurting I couldn’t take it.

‘I can’t imagine anyone else to be honest.’ I added gently, looking sheepishly in his eyes again. His eyes lit up. The worry dissolving in front of me. He tried to kiss me again but I gently pushed him back a little.

‘I want to be with you.’ Needing to say those words out loud. ’But….please don’t ever push me aside like Jax did. Don’t ever break my heart like that.’

My voice was cracking and he lifted me up entirely on his lap and hugged me. Face buried in my neck. I suspect he was hiding his tears.

He hugged me so tightly my arms began to hurt. And that rib too.

‘Auch… remember my body…’ I giggled. That hurt me too so I quickly stopped laughing.

‘Shit babe I’m sorry!’ He wasn’t smiling anymore and was now ever so gently rubbing over my hurt arm and side.

’But you know what that means right? You being officially mine now.’

He placed kisses all over my neck and I giggled.

‘What does that mean Kai?’

‘That I can now officially kiss you all the time. Hug you whenever I like.’ He whispered in my ear.

‘Like that stopped you before.’ I joked while grabbing his hair and pulling his head back to look at him. He was grinning from ear to ear, like the happiest guy I had ever seen.

‘True…’ he laughed. ‘That’s true.’

’Let’s go back, boyfriend. I’m tired from all the fighting from earlier.’ I jumped off his lap and pulled him with me.

‘Boyfriend, I like it.’ He hugged me from behind and kissed my neck again and together we walked back to Skylark to announce to her that she was right after all. He was my boyfriend and probably had been for a while now.