Page 15

Chapter fifteen

Keala

W hen Keala got back from practice the next evening, she was met with the smell of curry powder and something spicy. Chowder stared daggers at her from the couch, even after Keala made a silly face at her. Resigned to the fact that the little devil would never like her, Keala dropped her dance bag off in her room and headed to the kitchen.

She was surprised to smell anything cooking, since Ikaika exclusively ate what the facility provided them, and was shocked further when she saw her cousin sitting at the island, Landon stirring a pot on the stove in front of him. When their eyes met, Landon smiled knowingly, like they shared a secret.

Which she supposed they did.

“Hey, Keeks.” Ikaika jumped up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Practice go well?”

“Yep. Since you guys are away for the next couple of weeks, we get to work through new choreo a little slower than when you’re at home.” She paused, taking in the dishes on the counters. “What’s up?”

“Landon has decided that I need to ‘learn what real food tastes like,’ a comment which Mom won’t take too kindly to.”

“Woah.” Landon pointed at Ikaika with the silicone spatula. “I’m not insulting anybody’s cooking. I’ve just been with you almost every day for the last fourteen months and haven’t seen you eat anything but facility food. So I’m making yellow curry.”

That was oddly…sweet.

Maybe she was reading too far into it, but she knew the Sentinels’ food budget was absurdly large, which meant their food was very high quality. It sounded to her like Landon was trying to make Ikaika a home-cooked meal.

She was definitely reading too far into it.

“You hungry?” Ikaika asked.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ve got some food in the fridge already.” Keala shared another look with Landon, his smirk only slightly less annoying to her than it had been a few days ago. “Plus, I’m tired, so I’ll probably shower and sleep.”

“I’m making plenty if you want some for tomorrow.” Landon chuckled. “Or if you get hungry in the middle of the night.”

“Why is that funny?”

“I don’t know. I’m just picturing you in your Vipers pajamas, prowling through the hallway, trying to be quiet while you heat up food.” There was a smile on his face as he joked, but something in his eyes made her feel warm.

Keala scoffed. “Don’t picture me in my pajamas.” She couldn’t respond to the other part because he wasn’t far off. When she hadn’t been able to fall asleep a few nights ago, she’d gotten out of bed, made herself some popcorn, and watched a strange movie about aliens.

Ikaika tried to suppress a laugh, which was confirmation that he’d heard her the other night.

“It’s not my fault Ikaika’s such a light sleeper.”

Ikaika laughed harder. “I don’t know if I’d call it prowling. For someone who’s so nimble and graceful when they dance, you’re surprisingly loud walking from your room to the kitchen.”

Keala’s jaw dropped. “How…how dare you. I will not stand for this abuse. Good night!” she called over her shoulder. She disappeared into the hall, their laughter only intensifying as she left.

Thursday evening, they tried a Smash tournament, which ended with a lot of yelling and a spoon flying over Landon’s head. Keala did not apologize.

By the time she returned from work and practice at Zoe’s on Friday night, the guys had already left for Los Angeles.

The next week, they fell into an easy rhythm. When Keala came home from wherever she was—dance most nights—she found Landon and Ikaika on the couch, sometimes eating food Landon made, more often eating food from the facility, and almost always watching football or playing video games. She usually joined them after a shower, careful not to wear her Vipers pajamas for fear it would lead to a heated glance that would then end in some serious self care.

Which she was embarrassed to admit she’d been needing more of the longer she spent around Landon.

After her shower, she pretended to care about the teams that were playing, or that she knew what she was doing in the video game they’d chosen for the evening. Often, she found herself falling asleep on the couch.

Thursday night, right around midnight, she woke to the hallway light on, her legs across Landon’s lap, Ikaika nowhere to be found. As she carefully extracted her legs from his sleeping form, his eyes opened drowsily, and the slow, easy grin he shot her made her stomach tumble.

“Good night,” he mumbled. Keala felt his eyes on her as she walked away.

She was glad they were already on the way to New York when she got back from work the next night, thankful to have some space from him.

The week after seemed to drag. Their Sunday home game against Arizona meant practices were longer and more intense, and she barely got to see Ikaika, let alone Landon.

Friday morning, she tried starting her car but heard it sputter and then die. Noting her battery light was on, she called Ikaika.

“Hello?” he answered sleepily.

“I’m so sorry. I think I need a jump.”

He said something quietly, and when Keala asked him to repeat himself, he said, “Chowder’s lying on me. I don’t want to move. I’ll send Landon down.”

Before she even had a chance to respond, Ikaika hung up the phone. A few minutes later, Landon entered their private garage using Ikaika’s fob, a Sentinels sweatshirt hood pulled over his head.

Keala popped the hood of her car while he grabbed jumper cables from Ikaika’s, then she sidled up to him while he got to work. “You’re up early,” she murmured. Keala had planned to go to a workout class at five thirty since she and some of the girls were only doing a run-through at Zoe’s after her shift. But now she guessed she’d be taking her car to the shop.

“I exclusively wake up for damsels in distress. I shot awake moments before Ikaika called me.” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Haven’t been sleeping as well as usual. I guess it may be a product of wanting to do well during games. It’s a new experience.”

“Landon Beaumont gets anxious? I’m shocked.”

He grinned, done attaching the cables. “I know. Tell no one. I like you too much to have to dispose of your lovely body.” Landon glanced down appreciatively at the workout set that hugged her curves. “Your very lovely body.”

“You’re hopeless.” Still, her stomach did that dumb tumble again.

“Hopelessly ready for you to finally say yes to finishing what we started.”

“Landon, it’s five in the morning. And if you think getting my car working means I’m giving you anything, you’re out of your mind.”

His face morphed to a look of disgust. “I would never expect something out of you for giving you a jump. My god. Who do you think I am?”

“Someone who shamelessly flirts with me before the sun rises.”

Landon walked to the driver’s side of Ikaika’s car. Before he ducked down to start it, he glanced at her. “You’re telling me I can shamelessly flirt with you as soon as the sun rises? Buckle up, Keeks. You’re in for it now.”

She snorted. “Just start my damn car.” When he didn’t move, she rolled her eyes again and sighed. “ Please .”

His lips twitched. “Is begging not included in the flirting category?” Her eyes narrowed, and he ducked into the driver’s side.

When her car was operational, he pulled the cables off and tucked them back into the trunk of Ikaika’s car. Coming up beside her, he pointed to her dashboard. “Might just be your battery, but it could be your alternator.”

Keala nodded, having assumed as much. “Yeah, I’ll take it in so they can check it out.”

“Do you want me to follow you to the shop? I can take you to work. Or wherever.”

Here he was again, shocking her. Being sweet. It was unsettling.

“It’s probably best if I find another way. With any luck, it’ll just be the battery. It’s so early that they might be able to get me in and out before work.”

Reluctantly, he nodded. “See you tonight. Be safe.”

They shared a look that lasted a beat longer than it needed to, and then she was on her way, shaking thoughts of him out of her head.