lifeline ⇾ kai parker

21┃hello cruel world

Mila rolled her eyes at his excitement. "Well, don't worry. They'll be glad to see you."

"I hope so! I missed them! Not more than you, of course. But no one ever likes me. I don't know why. I'm very charming and ruggedly handsome. Add that with my personality? I'm a perfect specimen. Anyway, they did. And I didn't expect to like them, because I thought parents were so overrated, you know? But I liked that they liked me. I think it was your mom's cooking that really won me over, though."

Kai's rambling finally allows that twinkle in her gaze to return, one that is always followed with a slight but genuine curve of her lips. She pushes away the hectic responsibilities that loom over her head and the trauma of everything she's endured. All of that could wait. She could stress over the future later. All that her and Kai had ever wanted was time, and after a lot of ruthless journeys and self-discoveries, they had it. They really had it. Mila wasn't going to waste it.

She leans in closer until their shoulders brush as they walk, letting happiness in for once, because it was no longer attached to the fear that it would be taken away. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's find my car and get going. You can profess your undying love for my mom and dad when we get there."

"It really is undying, huh? I've died a lot."

"Yeah, even took me down with you last time," Mila commented while her eyes were trained on their interlocked hands. Her smile widens.

"That was all you. You had to fall in love with the bad guy, didn't you? What a cliche." He shakes his head, still upholding his own grin.

"Actually, hate to break it to you, but you're not my type."

"Oh, really? Tall, dark, and handsome doesn't do it for you?"

"Nope. Not even a little bit. Sorry, this probably isn't going to work out." Mila shrugged, making her mouth flatten into a thin line, as they continued down the tunnel.

Torches that were magically altered to never extinguish lit the way for them. They could both see the white light at the end of the tunnel, indicating daylight and differing from the orange hues that danced over their skin. Kai turns his head to watch her face, which was set determinedly forward, glow underneath the dim firelight.

With only a few feet to go before they would be out in the open and surrounded by the greenery of the Salvatore School property, Kai impulsively uses his advanced speed to pin Mila to the wall. She doesn't gasp or jump from the unexpected move, because really, it wasn't that much of a surprise. She just blinks up at him, looking at him the exact same way she did the last time they were in this position: with undeniable love.

Kai leans down close. His nose nudges hers, her eyelashes tickle his impressive cheekbones, and he stares into her entranced eyes. He studies how wide her pupils have grown, limiting the amount of green pigment surrounding them, but it's not a black abyss. It holds the same depth as one, but he never gets lost in it. If anything, he's found. He's seen.

"It so does it for you, princess."

"Hmm." Mila hums, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Her hand slides down his chest until her fingers are toying with his belt buckle. "You wanna find out how much?"

With his hands hooked on the underside of her thighs, he easily hoists her body up until she's off the ground and her hips are level with his. Her legs instinctively enclose around him while her arms dangle loosely around his neck. She feels all the familiar sensations that invade her body when there's no proximity between them: shallow breaths barely keeping her lungs satisfied, an almost insufferable ache between her legs, and the tension in her muscles. All because of him and his ability to effortlessly put her on edge.