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Chapter Three
Tokyo
I can’t keep my anxiety down sitting here in this house that reeks of leather, grease, and smoke—him. The scent clings to every inch of the room, suffocating and intoxicating all at once. I thought I was over this ridiculous crush on my big brother. Scoffing at myself, I kick my feet up on the battered black coffee table. Dust clouds puff up from the surface, disturbed by the impact. It’s littered with the remnants of bad habits—a shattered ashtray, weed roaches crushed into the grooves. My heart pounds like a war drum, echoing in my chest before sinking into my stomach. I avoid his glare, though the weight of his stare is impossible to ignore.
“Hey, see you tomorrow then?” the blonde says in a soft, uncertain voice. She’s trying to sound casual, like she’s not embarrassed or hurt. But as a woman, I know that must’ve stung.
I shouldn’t have come back here, but I didn’t know where else to go. This place, this man, felt like a fortress where no one could find me—not him, not anyone. But who am I kidding?
“Sure,” Kai says, his voice low and even, soft in a way that feels foreign on him. But his eyes? They never leave me. I don’t have to look his way to confirm it. I feel their heat, scorching, unapologetic.
“Okay, well... then, see you,” she says, trailing off like she’s uncertain whether to wait for more. She doesn’t, though. Instead, she closes the gap, wrapping her arms around his neck in a bold move that twists something ugly inside me. Her lips brush his, staking her claim like she has the right.
I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t care about this bimbo trying to mark my brother as hers, not after I left. But the bitterness rises and coolness fades the moment she tries to shove her tongue down his throat. It’s a gut-punch of reality that tears down whatever pretense I was trying to hold up. I’ve been gone for five years, but fuck it—he’s still mine.
The table groans as I shove it hard with my boot, making it skid noisily toward them. Both of their heads snap toward me, but I’m already sitting forward, elbows on my knees.
“I need to talk to my big brother. Leave.”
Kai sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose before grabbing her hand. I watch as he leads her toward the door. She clings to him, shooting glances over her shoulder, testing her power, but I don’t flinch.
When he opens the door, she steps over the threshold, pausing just long enough for her narrowed eyes to meet mine. I smile sweetly, tilting my head in mock innocence.
“Night night,” I say with a little wave.
Kai doesn’t wait for her to reply. The door slams shut, the lock clicking into place with finality.
He turns, and his stormy footsteps crash toward me, shaking the tension loose like a brewing storm.
“You in trouble or something?” Kai asks, his pierced nose flaring as his restraint teeters on the edge. His whole body radiates tension, like he’s seconds away from bending me over this couch and punishing me. My core warms at the thought, and I take him in—jaw clenched, brown skin, his hair longer and curlier now, dyed a navy blue.
“I like the new look,” I say, my voice light, teasing. “All tatted, longer hair... blue suits you.” I wink.
Kai rolls his eyes, brushing off the compliment as he sits on the coffee table in front of me. His voice sharpens. “Who did that to you?”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “None of your business. It was a mistake to come back.”
His chuckle is low and dark, sending shivers up my spine. He leans forward, his nose flaring, his glare sharp enough to cut. Fury swirls in his expression, but so does something else—need, raw and primal. He’s holding back, and I know why. This is my punishment.
“You leave for five years and then just show up,” he says, his tone biting, “with a fucking black eye and a busted lip. Knowing you... you’re running. But from what? Or should I ask from who?”
Fuck me. He’s asking all the right questions, and I’m about to give him all the wrong answers.
“I’m not running,” I lie, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “Maybe I wanted to come back. Maybe I missed you.”
It slips out so easily, and it’s not completely untrue. I did miss him, but not in the way he thinks. He’s not the reason I came back—he’s the reason I left. Being around him makes me feral, makes me sick, makes me want things I shouldn’t. But when we met, I had my demons and those demons had a strong hold on me, refusing to let go. Even coming back here, I’m sure it was a mistake; yet, I couldn’t help myself.
Even though I didn’t know he fucking existed, at first, those three years together meant everything. I was the center of his world, and he was mine. Then we had to cross that fucking line. My core tingles at the memory, the feel of him the first time, and I hate myself for it.
“Yo.” Kai snaps his fingers in front of my face, breaking the spell.
“This is your house as much as it’s mine,” he says, leaning back. “I don’t know what you’re running from, but we’re family. So, make yourself comfortable—or don’t. Do what you want. But I’m not playing games with you, Tokyo.”
With that, he stands from the coffee table and walks away. Before I can say a word, I hear his bedroom door slam shut, shutting me out.
I sit on the couch a moment longer before finally getting up. My footsteps echo in the hallway as I stop in front of my old bedroom door. A smile tugs at my lips as I open it, taking in everything.
It’s all the same. The pile of clothes on the floor, the pink sheets on the bed, the photo collage of pictures I took at the races. My vision blurs, and I whisper, “Fucking Kai,” as I close the door behind me.
Moving toward my desk, my fingers trace the last sketch I made—the image of Kai driving us to the beach to scatter his... well, his father’s ashes. That day changed everything. We got drunk, we got high, and things got too intense. That intensity drove me away, the same intensity that led me back here. Maybe I was more afraid of love than I was of him .
I could’ve stayed away. I could’ve kept dancing, drinking, fucking my twisted feelings into oblivion. Keeping him safe and away from my demons. But I had to see him. Not that my life was all roses. My ex had a thing with anger, and sometimes, it got physical, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Anyone was better than Alec, but I’ve come to understand there’s no escaping a man like my ex. Not even my abusive piece of shit father came close. All of this felt like punishment for committing the ultimate sin.
Our last fight was the excuse I needed, the reason to run back here, back to this toxic house and the man who makes me sick with longing.
I unclip my overalls, letting the denim fall to the floor, when the door bursts open.
Kai freezes mid-step, his eyes scanning me. His gaze lingers on the new ink on my thighs, then on the way my body has changed. I’m thicker now, curvier.
“Like what you see, big brother?” I say, feigning innocence as I step out of the overalls, leaving them pooled near my feet. I stand in just my tube top and black cheeky boyshorts, daring him.
“I wanted to check on you,” he says, his voice low and steady. “But I see you’re making yourself at home.”
“Anything else?” I ask with a teasing smile.
He steps closer, and for a second, I think he might kiss me. The tension is palpable, electric. But instead, he tucks a pink strand of my curtain bangs behind my pierced cartilage, his fingers lingering for a heartbeat.
“It’s good to see you again, little sis,” he says softly. “I like the pink.”
And just like that, he turns and leaves.
With a sigh, I sit on the corner of my bed, leaning down to grab my phone from my overalls pocket. Logging into TheSpace dating app, I scroll until I find the name I’ve been itching to see.
Ghostfacepussykilla
Lovergirl666: Hey.
The typing bubbles appear instantly. My heart skips a beat as I kick my feet up, falling back onto the bed.
Ghostfacepussykilla: Hey.
Lovergirl666: Guess what?
Ghostfacepussykilla: Tell me.
Lovergirl666: I’m back.
The bubbles appear, then disappear. They come back, only to vanish again. No reply.
I clutch the phone to my chest, a smile tugging at my lips. It’s okay. We have time. I’ll keep playing our little game. I’m back for good, and I’ll set things right.
But first, I need sleep.