Chapter 48 Chapter 48

Chapter 48 Chapter 48
Kaelani POV

After I grab my cotton candy, I find a bench and sit down for a minute before getting back on the rides. My stomach could use the break after Liam spent the last hour letting Kaia drag us onto anything that spun, dropped, or flipped upside down. I pull off a piece of cotton candy and let it dissolve on my tongue while I watch everyone else catch up.
Liam walks over with a stupid grin on his face.
“Having fun?” he asks.
I pop another piece of cotton candy into my mouth. “So much fun. Best distraction ever,” I say. I hate to admit it, but he really did know exactly what I needed tonight. I haven't thought about Mitzy's or Stephanie in at least twenty minutes, which has to be some kind of record. “I would say mission accomplished,” I add.
“Yeah, I would say Liam—one, Kieran and Zaire tied at zero,” Kaia says.
Caelum outright laughs, and Sebastian tries to hide his behind his hand. Liam's stupid grin gets even wider while Kieran and Zaire both look like they're considering throwing Kaia onto the nearest ride without a safety harness.
I smack her arm, trying to hide my own laughter.
“You are not helping,” I say low to her.
She shrugs. “My job as your best friend is to cause chaos and make them all uncomfortable.” She looks entirely too proud of herself before turning toward Kieran and Zaire. “Is it working?”
Kieran glares at her. “Yes, it is. I almost wish you two weren't always together,” he admits.
I look at him. “Interesting,” I murmur, taking another bite of my cotton candy while I watch him over it.
“Well, unfortunately, we are attached at the hip,” Kaia says.
“Don't remind me,” Zaire murmurs.
“Hey, I tried to help you the other day. What's happening right now, sir, is because of yourself,” she retorts.
That wipes the annoyance right off his face.
He opens his mouth to respond but closes it again. Kieran looks away to hide his smile, and even Liam lets out a quiet laugh.
I shake my head and change the subject before Kaia decides to make things worse.
“I want to go on the Ferris wheel.”
Of course, being the chaos demon she is, Kaia opens her mouth.
“Oh, that is perfect! It's a four-person car. Lani, you and your guys, and I'll take these three losers.”
“Hey,” Caelum says.
My head slowly turns toward her. She doesn't even have the decency to pretend she didn't do that on purpose.
I roll my eyes.
“What are you doing?” I link her.
“Causing chaos and maybe fixing relationships,” she replies.
“There is nothing to fix.”
“Oh please, Lani. The tension between the three of you is so thick everyone in this carnival can feel it.”
“She's dramatic,” Nyra says, amusement filling her voice.
“The most dramatic.”
“Why are you like this?” I ask Kaia through the link.
“Because I want to see you happy, and unfortunately—or maybe not—those three dopes make you happy.”
My head snaps toward her so fast she immediately starts smiling.
“It's me, bitch. I knew,” she says before closing the link and standing.
I narrow my eyes at her. Of all the things she could've picked up through our friendship, apparently knowing exactly when I'm lying to myself had to be one of them.
“Okay, it's settled. We're getting on the Ferris wheel,” she announces, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the line.
“I hate you,” I link her.
“Love you too.”
She doesn't even bother looking back at me when she answers, which only makes me want to trip her.
My heart starts beating rapidly in my chest as we get closer to the front of the line. Not because of the height. I was perfectly fine with the rides that practically launched us into the sky ten minutes ago. It's the four-person car waiting at the end of this line that's making me nervous.
“How long is this one? I'm actually afraid of heights,” Caelum says.
Kaia snorts. “Are you serious?”
He looks at her like she's crazy. “Yeah. We're wolves, but that doesn't mean we can't die if we fall from a certain height.”
As if his body wants to prove his point, a car passes over our heads and he visibly trembles.
Kaia and Sebastian both burst out laughing.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Kaia murmurs.
“Please don't scream,” I say, rubbing between my eyes.
“Can't make any promises,” he says low.
The line moves again, and Kaia looks back at me with that same knowing smile. I immediately look away. She better enjoy this because I'm going to make her pay for it later.
We get to the front of the line, and my stomach is literally in knots.
“How many?” the ride attendant asks.
“Eight,” Kaia answers.
“Four to a car.”
Of course it is.
Kaia and the guys climb into the first car. She looks back over her shoulder at me right before the attendant closes the door and gives me two thumbs up. I glare at her until their car starts moving.
When the next one comes to a stop, I climb in with my guys.
My guys.
Can't believe I just said that.
“Well, they are,” Nyra teases.
“Quiet.”
Her laugh follows me into the back of my mind.
My hands begin to sweat as I step into the car. I sit next to Liam, obviously. After tonight, that's the easiest decision I've made. Kieran takes the seat across from me, and Zaire slides in beside him.
Fantastic.
I'm about to be stuck in a closed Ferris wheel car with them for at least ten minutes. Liam, who I'm currently not mad at. Kieran, who I'm trying not to stay mad at. And Zaire, who I specifically told I didn't want speaking to me.
Now I'm wishing I never suggested getting on here.
The car slowly starts to move, and for some reason my nerves are all over the place. I try to focus on the carnival below us instead of the fact that I'm sitting across from two people I've spent the last few days arguing with.
Liam looks over at me. “You okay?” he asks.
I nod slowly.
“So what do you guys think tomorrow's test is going to be?” Liam asks before stretching his arm across the back of the seat and getting comfortable.
“Maybe a spar or a relay,” Kieran says. “After today, I wouldn't be surprised if Connors had us fighting each other next.”
“Please don't put that into the universe,” I say. “My body is already going to hate me tomorrow after that course and all these rides.”
I glance at Zaire, and he just keeps looking out the window, not saying anything. He hasn't made one smart comment since we got into the car, which might actually be a record for him. I know I told him to give me space, but now that he's actually listening, I don't know if that's what I want anymore.
“Okay, this is weird. It's no fun when she's mad at two out of three of us,” Liam says.
“I'm not mad at Kieran,” I say low.
Liam cuts me a side-eye.
“Okay, I'm a little mad at him,” I murmur.
Kieran chuckles under his breath but wisely keeps whatever he's thinking to himself.
The car jerks to a stop halfway to the top, and I grab Liam's leg. My fingers tighten around his thigh before I even realize what I've done.
He laughs. “Scared?”
“No,” I say quickly.
“You're a bad liar,” Liam says.
“Shut up,” I say, and he laughs while Kieran smirks.
Zaire's lip twitches before he goes back to looking out the window.
That bothers me more than I want to admit.
“You literally told him to give you space. Not to speak to you,” Nyra teases.
“I know, and now that he's actually listening, it feels weird.”
Nyra laughs in the back of my mind, clearly enjoying this way too much.
I stare at him for a moment. “Zaire.”
He turns his head toward me immediately. “Yeah, Shorty?”
There isn't a joke or smart remark behind it this time. He just waits.
The way he looks at me makes my heart stop.
“You hurt my feelings,” I say low.
His expression changes immediately, and some of the tension leaves his shoulders.
He runs a hand through his hair and sighs heavily. “I know,” he says low.
“But you didn't owe me anything, no matter how you felt about me,” I say. Even saying it makes my chest tighten because that's the part I've been struggling with since Mitzy's. Technically, he didn't do anything wrong. We weren't together. We hadn't made each other any promises.
“I know that, but guys don't kiss me, and I don't get close enough for them to kiss me. So when I do...” I look down, picking at the edge of my wristband while I try to figure out how to explain something I barely understand myself.
I pause for a moment.
“It matters,” I say quietly.
The car is completely silent now. Even Liam doesn't make one of his comments.
Zaire leans forward, hooks a finger beneath my chin, and gently lifts my face until our eyes lock.
“I'm sorry, Shorty. I know it does, and that's why I'm mad at myself. I knew you weren't like the girls I usually deal with, and I still handled everything wrong. That's why I'm going to give you whatever space you need.”
His hand drops away before he sits back in his seat, and I don't miss the fact that he doesn't ask me to forgive him.
“You see?” Liam says, breaking the silence before it can get too heavy. “I knew we could all be mature, almost-adults and fix this.”
“It's not fixed,” Zaire and I both say.
Our eyes meet.
His lip twitches slightly before he turns away, and this time I can't stop the small smile that pulls at mine.
My chest loosens a little, but I'm still mad. One small conversation on a Ferris wheel won't change that. He hurt me, and I'm allowed to take my time with that.
But maybe being mad doesn't mean ignoring how much I've gotten used to him talking or pretending I don't care when he actually stops.