lifeline ⇾ kai parker

43┃to the bone

Mila shakes off the unsettling, forlorn feeling and steps onto the field. The clanking of the gate closing is what gains Kai's attention. His bat is placed behind his neck, held by both hands, as he studies her hesitant strides towards him.

"I take it you're not here to be my cheerleader? A shame. You would look hot in the outfit," Kai teases, his version of a proper greeting; it's the only thing that gets her to relax despite the anxiety latched to her plan and the many ways it could go wrong.

"Cheerleaders go for the hot quarterback. Not the T-Ball player," Mila corrects with a smile that's somewhat genuine.

"Aw, you must know that I never enrolled in T-Ball as a kid. Good thing, too. I'm pretty sure my family wouldn't have even came to my games. They didn't go to my high school ones."

"That's probably because you aimed for people more than the ball."

"It's not my fault everyone else plays defense while I play offense."

A laugh is expelled from his reply, a shocking reaction to the both of them. "That's a nice way to sugarcoat that you like to maim others with sporting equipment."

Kai's mouth twitches like he's about to smile, too. He doesn't, though, settling his conflicted stare down at the ground where his foot mindlessly drew lines in the dirt. Mila looks away as well, feeling like they were dipping into lighthearted territory they absolutely couldn't cross over into. Not after everything that's happened, not after all the rips to their painting when intending to repair it. There was no clear picture for them, anymore.

Mila suddenly remembers that she's supposed to give Lizzie and Josie a signal when Kai's thoroughly distracted. She dares to glance back over at him, leaning his bat against the half empty cart of baseballs. He moves like every limb weighs heavy on his body. Even when he removes the baseball cap that was settled backwards on his head to toss it in the cart and combs his fingers through his hair, it's done with this exhaustion. She knows that he's dealing with the repercussions of the bursted dam of his emotions. It's as distracted as he was going to get, but right when she was beginning to think of possible ways to formulate a sentence, he speaks up.

"I'm glad you're here, actually. I was waiting for you to track me down."

Her eyebrows stretch inward. "Why?"

"Well, when someone forces your humanity switch back on and then tricks you into drinking their vampire-repellent blood to get you mortal again, let's just say you have a bone to pick with them." His stare settles back on her, now dark and unforgiving. His nose twitches, almost threatening to trigger a grimace.

"Okay, I figured that your switch was back on, but I have no idea what else you're talking about," Mila voices her confusion.

"Your witchy, defected blood cured my vampirism, Mila." His harsh clarification caused her face to drop, arms uncrossing to fall at her sides. "No, don't do that. Don't act surprised. I know you did this on purpose."

"Kai, I would never take that choice away from you on purpose. You have to believe me," she murmurs with a gentle sway of her head.

The recollection of his fangs plunged deep into her neck, his tongue lavishing any dripping blood, burned in her mind. She hadn't been afraid that he wouldn't stop even though she should have been concerned by his tightening grasps and hungry growls. She was too engulfed by the heat of their bodies pressed close together and the enthralling way his searing touch danced to the melody of her hypnotized heartbeat. The moment was so beautiful, and yet now she knew that he was the one facing the consequences of it.