Impossible Love: An Unforeseen Destiny Novel Book One (28 page)

Anger boils through my veins.

“Okay, I’m back. What do you mean? Brian’s one of my best friends.”

“Do you dance with all of your best friends?” God, what a stupid question. Of course, she does. She’s a girl.

“You saw the picture?”

“Would you mind explaining?”

She huffs out a frustrated breath, which confuses me more. Why is she acting mad at
me
? She’s the one in the wrong.

“You should be the one to talk,” she says.

“What do you mean?” Wait, how’d the tables get turned here?

“Do you really want to question a picture of me when you posted a picture of you and Bethany? What the hell, Kai?”

“I never posted a picture. On where, Facebook?”

“It’s on your wall. Go look.”

I fire up my laptop and open up Facebook as soon as I can.
Oh hell, no.
My heart plummets when I see a selfie Bethany took of us.

“Babe, I’m so sorry. That isn’t what it appears to be.”

“Yeah, well neither was the dance with Brian. We’re just friends. Besides, I’ve never done
anything
with him. Not even kiss.”

That was a jab if I ever heard one. Shit. I’ve certainly done more than kiss with Bethany.

“Admittedly, I got pretty wasted last night. But Bethany came up beside me, threw her arm around me and snapped a picture before I shrugged her off. I’m not sure how it ended up on my page.”

“Change your password, Kai.”

That bitch. Kamp never liked her, but I always stood up for her. Damn, I was stupid. How could she stoop this low?

“I’m changing it now and deleting that fucking picture. Now, what about you?” I’m not letting her off that easily. The image of them dancing with his hands groping her ass rekindles my anger. “Friends or not, you were dancing pretty close to him.”

“I’m sorry, but it didn’t mean anything.”

“Really? Because he looked pretty content with his hands on your ass.”

“That picture was snapped seconds before I broke away from him.”

“Kayla,” I yell. “You fucking had your head against his shoulder looking all cozy.”

She lets out an exasperated sigh, but I’m not letting this go. She has no business dancing with other men.

“If you really must know, I was missing you terribly. For one weak moment, I fantasized he was you. I laid my head against his chest, yearning to feel your touch. But when I realized it wasn’t you, I broke away. Melinda must’ve snapped the damn pic right when that occurred.”

She missed me so much, she sought comfort in someone else’s arms? That’s totally fucked up.

“I’m not happy that you were dancing with someone else. I don’t think you’d like it if I had done that.”

“No, you’re right. And I am sorry. It won’t happen again.” A beat of silence passes before she asks mildly, “This is hard, isn’t it?”

Doubt creeps into her tone. Damn it. I need to end that thought process now before it spins out of control.

“Don’t do this. Don’t start doubting our relationship. I love you, Kayla.”

“I love you, too, but—”

“Hey, we knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but we can do this. We’ll get through every challenge thrown our way.”
We have to.

“Yeah, I’m just missing you. So much.”

“Babe, I miss you too.”

Chapter
Forty-One

Twelve Weeks apart

Kayla~

Congratulations. We are pleased to announce your acceptance‌…‌

I got in.

Biting my nail, I stare at the opened email. Shouldn’t I be happier? Acceptance is what I’ve worked toward for the last four years. It’s what I want. Dreamed of, even. If that’s true, then why does spending another two years on campus twist my stomach into knots?

Kai. That’s why.

It’s Friday night, the second week in March. Exactly twelve weeks since I’ve felt Kai’s touch, kissed his mouth. We’ve been apart four times longer than being together. When I allow my mind to dwell on the fact three weeks is all we’ve spent together, doubt infiltrates my mind. Which is why I usually shut those thoughts down. But here I am, thinking about our whirlwind relationship and wondering if it’s real. Or the scarier thought‌…‌is our bond strong enough to withstand being apart for two more years? I’m beginning to think it isn’t.

The knot tightens at the mere speculation of him gone from my life. I do love him. That part’s real. Ever since our argument over those pictures, Kai’s been careful not to act jealous. That is when I get to talk to him. Between my hectic schedule and his, communication has been reduced to texting. The time difference can be rather taxing at times, but those butterflies always wake when that deep rich voice slides into my ear. Hell, the damn things take flight just from seeing his text.

But I’m drowning.

This balancing act of time between Mom, school, and Kai is weighing heavily on me. I don’t think I can keep the pace up, and the thought of another two years is rather suffocating.

My head snaps to Staci storming into the dorm room. I close the laptop and set it on the bed, along with my worries.

“Did you open your email yet?” she asks.

Her hands clasp together, and she brings her fist to her mouth as if she’s praying. The questionable gleam to her eyes brings a smile to my face despite my inner turmoil.

“I’m in.”

“Squee!” Staci does a little happy dance and springs toward me. Pulling me off the chair and into a bear hug, she says, “We’re going to be awesome Nurse Practitioners.”

“I’m excited,” I lie. “We did it.”

“You bet your sweet ass we did. Celebrate tonight?”

I glance at the clock. Three p.m. is still plenty of time to get home.

“Nah, I was getting ready to leave. I want to surprise Mom tonight, plus I want to be with her. She’s sounds worse each day, even though she tries to hide it.”

“Aw, honey. I wish I could fix this. But she’ll be so proud of you.”

“Yeah, I know. I can’t wait to tell her.”

***

“Mom,” I yell when I step through the front door.

“Kayla,” Mom says in a surprised voice. She starts coughing as she comes from the kitchen. “I wasn’t expecting you home this weekend.”

I hold my response as Mom starts coughing again. As soon as she’s done, I direct us toward the couch.

“Why don’t we sit down? I have some exciting news.”

“You got accepted?” She guesses.

“Yeah, isn’t that great!” I fake my enthusiasm because I know that’s what Mom expects.

“Oh, honey, I never doubted it for one bit.”

I lean over to give her a hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I have a surprise for you.” She tries to get up but gets winded and plops back down.

“Mom, stay. I’ll get it.” I stand and scan the room. “Where is it?”

She points to the hallway closet, coughs some more, and grabs a tissue. I try not to wince at the blood she hacks into the Kleenex. Instead, I step toward the closet, repeatedly blinking my eyes. The last thing she needs to see is me crying. But darn, the time is nearing, and I hate it. Every last bit of it.

Reaching the door, I swing it open and gasp. A cardboard mailer leans against the inside wall.

“Mom,” I say excitedly. I grab the box and beeline to the couch. Ripping it open, I smile wide at the Waimea Canyon‌—‌Mom’s prize-worthy photo made into canvas art. Too bad she won’t be submitting this one. “I knew this photo would be beautiful.”

“You’ll have a piece of art to remember me by.” She winks.

“I love it.” A pang of sorrow hits my gut as I fixate on the gorge. The island feels like home to me, and I realize Kai isn’t the only thing I miss. I miss the land immensely, and I swear during quiet times it calls to me. I close my eyes and visualize the exact spot the picture was taken. I can practically feel the breeze blowing against my face.

“I’ll replace the picture of the trail from Allerton Park,” I say, shaking away my thoughts. I move it over to the wall and exchange photos. Gorgeous. I love when her pictures are made into canvas art. They mimic an oil painting.

“It’s beautiful, Mom. It’s a real piece of art.” The doorbell chimes, and I turn to Mom with a questionable look. “Are you expecting someone?”

“No,” Mom says. “I’m not sure who’d be here.”

“I’ll go find out.” I hurry to the door and throw the door back in surprise.

“Brian?”

“Sorry for the surprise visit, but I worried about you. And I wanted to check on your mom.”

“No, that’s fine. Please come in.” I back away, allowing him entrance.

He sidesteps around me but stops to wait. Turning to shut the door, I frown. Why is he here?

“Hi, Ms. Cannon. I wanted to check in on you.”

“Brian.” Mom smiles warmly at him. “It’s always good to see you. How have you been?”

They talk and catch up. My mom has always liked Brian. But of course, he’s made it a point to get to know her. I always thought that was his sweet demeanor, but now I suspect he was sucking up to Mom.

After a few minutes, Mom excuses herself from the room.

“I’m going to lie down. You kids enjoy.”

“Thanks, Cara. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what you’re going through.”

“Thanks, Brian. Make sure you finish your schooling. I wouldn’t mind having a handsome guy as yourself be my doctor.”

The pink tinge on his face makes me laugh.

“Yes, ma’am.”

We watch Mom’s slow gait leave the room.

“She’s looking ashen. Do you have hospice lined up?”

“Yeah, they’re starting next week. She’s trying to be tough, but I know she’s in a lot of pain. Plus, her sputum is bloody.”

He cringes and grabs my hand. “I’m sorry. It sucks.”

“Yeah, it does.”

My head snaps to a crashing sound. We both stand as Mom yells, “I’m okay.”

“I better see for myself,” I say.

“You want me to go with?”

“No, I’ll holler if I need your muscle.” I try to joke, but I’m almost out of the room. My phone, lying on the couch, rings. “Can you get that? I’ll just be a sec.”

“Mom, you all right?” I say, breezing into her room.

“I told you I was fine.” She waves me off. “I just dropped my glass.”

I eye the cup on the floor and grab a towel to soak up the spill. Miraculously the glass didn’t shatter.

“That should do it,” I say as Mom settles on her bed.

“Thanks, hun. Now go be with Brian.”

I frown, and Mom tilts her head.

“Go easy on him; I think he’s hung up on you.”

“I will. He knows about Kai, but…”

“It’s never easy.”

“No, it’s not.” I turn to leave. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she says as I trail out of the room.

I waltz back into the living room, and Brian’s holding my phone with an unreadable expression. He lifts it up to me.

“Your boyfriend called. I don’t think he was pleased to hear my voice.”

I winced. “No, probably not. I didn’t think it’d be him since it’s early.”

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You deserve so much more than what you’re getting. Besides, he sounds like the jealous type.”

“Maybe a little, but he’s all right.”

“People get jealous for a reason, Kayla. It’s usually not because they have honorable intentions. Think about that.”

I work my jaw back and forth while I stew his words. Regardless of Kai’s actions or intentions, I still don’t feel anything for Brian. I look over at him. He’s sitting on my couch, brooding about the fact I have a boyfriend.

“Brian, I’m not sure what you expect from me, but you do realize I’ve only considered you a friend. Right?”

He stares at me for a long moment, the beat of silence becoming suffocating.

“I know,” he finally confesses. “I was hoping to change that. I could make it so much easier for you.”

He rises off the couch and steps toward me. I suck in a breath and stare wide-eyed at him.

“It doesn’t matter, Brian. I still don’t have those feelings.”

“Can’t you see how perfect we are together?”

God, I don’t want to do this right now. I need to call Kai. Swallowing hard, I step back. His proximity is making me nervous.

“Brian, I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship, but I’m not harboring those feelings for you. You need to realize that, and I need you to leave.”

“After everything we’ve been through, you’re just going to toss it aside for a‌…‌a pretend boyfriend.”

“He’s not a made-up person.”

“No? Well, he may as well be. He’s not here with you. If it can’t be me, then it should be someone who can be with you. You’re still alone.” He shakes his head. “Fine. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t upset you right now.”

He turns and shoots toward the door, not looking back.

“Brian—”

The slam of the door cuts off my sentence. Shit. My stomach churns. I just tossed away four years of friendship. I can’t handle this right now. Wanting to scream, I race to the couch, grab my phone, and dial Kai’s number. Of all times for him to call early. God, I hope I do a better job calming him down than what I did with Brian.

“Hey,” Kai greets me.

I cringe by his clipped tone and plop onto the couch.

“Sorry that Brian answered. The phone rang right when I had to check on Mom.”

“I understand why he answered. What I don’t understand is why he’s over at your house in the first place.”

“He came over because…” I pause, my voice trailing off. Why did he come over? To see Mom? To check on me? “I really don’t know why he came over. I think he wanted to be here for me.”

“Unlike me, since there’s no way for me to be there for you.”

“Kai—”

“No, I get it. You can’t be alone through this.”

By his cautious tone, I give him credit, he’s trying to understand. Honesty though, relationships shouldn’t be this strenuous. And I’m about to add more stress.

“I got accepted into Family Practitioner program.”

A beat of silence passes and I hear his breath slowly release.

“That’s great, babe. Congratulations. I’m not surprised.”

“Thanks, but you know what this means.” He remains quiet, so I continue, “At least two more years of being apart.”