Stories Unknown

She Loves You

The fifth and final continuation of the Netflix and Chill shot mini series

Kai stared up at the blue sky through the thick canopy of trees above him, the leaves shimmering green and gold in the gentle breeze. He watched as soft, puffy clouds shifted across the sky, taking their sweet time. Everything felt sleepy and warm— the perfect day.

Cinder let out a sigh and Kai glanced down at his sleeping girlfriend. She had her head laid on top of his chest and her body wrapped around his. Getting out of the hammock would definitely be a struggle, but for the time being Kai couldn't be bothered to think about anything so trivial as letting Cinder go. He would never do it if he didn't need to.

With one leg on the ground, Kai pushed the hammock from side to side, humming old Beatles tunes in his off-key sort of way. He had learned from previous times of holding Cinder that his lullaby renditions of his favorite rap songs didn't exactly put her to sleep. But for some reason the genius of John, Paul, George and Ringo did.

He had both of his arms wrapped around her, with one hand playing with her hair while the other rested firmly upon her back. He loved the feel of her hair and the way that Cinder always leaned into him whenever he caressed the locks.

A lot had happened in the past little while, and it was these moments between the two of them that Kai cherished more than most others. When Cinder's sister had died, the whole world had seemingly fallen apart, leaving Cinder with next to nothing. She moved in with their friend Scarlet and her grandmother the second she turned eighteen and spent all her time working and trying to get her grades up in order to graduate. After all the stress of her sister's illness, Cinder had fallen massively behind— but with Kai's help and the aid of the rest of their friends, she'd caught up and managed to graduate.

And then of course she'd seen a lot of Kai— and not just as a study buddy. A blush colored Kai's cheeks just thinking about both the conversations his father and Mrs. Benoit had given him in regards to Cinder— and that wasn't even to mention Thorne's obligatory big brother "I'll kick your ass if you hurt her" speech that he'd given Kai the second he'd discovered that the two were dating. But Kai wasn't scared of any of them— he never planned on hurting Cinder in the slightest as long as his life lasted.

But now they were all free; graduation had happened nearly a month ago, and Kai and Cinder had plans to attend college together in the fall. He planned to have a double major for political science and journalism, while Cinder wanted to follow something within the realm of mechanics. They balanced each other out in that way, with Cinder dominating math and sciences while Kai preferred English and history. Opposites in many ways, yet the same in others. Kai was just glad that they were sticking together— he never wanted to be parted from her.

Kai inhaled deeply, breathing in the sweet air around him and catching a hint of motor oil and flowery shampoo from Cinder as he did so. He smiled, turning his neck so that he could look at Cinder. Her face was so peaceful and serene in sleep. For a time, right after Peony's death, Cinder had only been able to fall asleep with Kai right beside her, ready to comfort her after she woke from the nightmares. But now, months since her sister's death, Cinder could sleep easier— though she still claimed that she found slumber a more accessible companion with Kai by her side. He didn't mind in the slightest— he would hold her until the end of time if that was what she wanted. He held no care as to how outrageous any of her requests were so long as he could be with her. For years all he had wanted was to love her, and now that he could, he wouldn't stop.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, breathing in sync with Cinder. He could feel the thrum of her heart against his chest— or perhaps it was his own. No, their hearts beat in sync with one another, slow and steady and forever constant.

Kai continued to rock them gently, taking care not to move an inch and wake Cinder. He started to sing softly rather than hum, letting the simple lyrics spill over his lips and into the breeze. The words to She Loves You, his all-time favorite Beatles song flowed into the air somewhat flat and many beats slower than the original version. It sounded almost sad as Kai sang it, though the song didn't feel that way to him.

"She does love you," Cinder whispered a few moments after the final "yeah" left Kai's lips. His eyes flew open at the sound of her voice— well, and because of her words.

"What?" Kai asked, his heart skipping a beat.

"I love you," Cinder said into his shirt, her voice sleepy. She hugged Kai tighter to herself and let out a sigh. "I love you, Kai Prince."

"I-I," Kai gasped, his eyes stinging as his heart just about exploded with happiness. Of course he kind of already knew that she loved him— he knew that he loved her— but hearing the words aloud. He'd waited, not saying them himself so as not to force her into anything she didn't want. But she'd said them. She'd really just said them. "I love you too."

Cinder let out a happy little hum and then nuzzled her face against Kai's shirt, as if warding off an itch. Moments later, her breathing evened out in that slightly puffy way it only did when she slept. Kai couldn't fathom how she could fall asleep after what words had just passed between the two of them— she loved him. Cinder Linh loved him.

"She loves me, yeah yeah yeah," Kai whisper-sang. "She loves me, yeah yeah yeah. She loves me yeah yeah yeah yeah yeahhh."

"You're a dork," Cinder yawned, though Kai could feel her smile against his chest. He twirled a strand of hair around his finger, letting it tickle his palm.

"But you love me," Kai grinned.

"That I do," Cinder breathed. "That I do."

"Love love me do-"

"Don't push it," Cinder grunted and Kai let out a chuckle.

So he hummed Something instead, and rocked Cinder to sleep once more. He let the beating of their synchronized hearts be the drum, and the whistling wind be his symphony. And with that simple love song he knew that nothing could ever tear them apart. For he loved Cinder, and she loved him. And as a wise man once said, "all you need is love."