𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ༊࿐ ᴀᴏɴᴜɴɢ x ᴏᴄ

27.

⋆｡˚⋆ฅ^𓆝୨♡୧𓆝ฅ^⋆˚｡⋆ Aonung POV ⋆｡˚⋆ฅ^𓆝୨♡୧𓆝ฅ^⋆˚｡⋆

Kai'wä surfaces, blinking innocently at Tsireya who had just arrived and is watching her best friend with concerned.

"Yes?" I ask her dully, annoyed.

My fucking sister just had to interrupt just as I finally got to kiss Kai properly.

"I'm here to check on my friend," Tsireya says.

"I'm fine," Kai'wä calls. "Aonung was just taking care of me."

Tsireya shoots me a suspicious look and I wrinkle my nose at her.

"Right," Tsireya says, staring at us suspiciously.

Kai'wä giggles guiltily under her best friend's almost knowing gaze, and I wrinkle my nose at my sister.

"Is there something else?"

"I- no," Tsireya says, her eyes studying my face as if she's trying to understand something, then it dawns on her.

"I can take it from here," I say, turning to Kai'wä, who's already looking at me.

There's a drunken adorable puppy-like look on her sweet face, something confused and delighted and amused and concerned all at the same time.

"I can take care of her."

"Okay," Tsireya says to my surprise, before coming closer to whisper so Kai'wä can't hear. "Just be careful with her."

"What?" I blanch.

"She's drunk," Tsireya says, brows raising. "Just keep her head up and get her some water."

"Oh," I breathe, relieved.

"What did you think I meant," my sister grins cheekily.

"Nothing," I huff. "Go back to the party- I think Lo'ak was looking for you."

"Bye!" Kai'wä calls happily as Tsireya leaves, before stumbling in the water.

"Come on," I sigh, walking over to help her up.

Slowly, I lead her out of the water and to the sand, her grip tight in my hand, and her wet hair cascading over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles. "I shouldn't be drunk after we just had our first kiss."

"We've kissed before," I point out as we sit in the sand.

"This was different," she shakes her head drunkenly.

"Yeah," I say thoughtfully, glad she can't see the stupid little smile on my face. "Yeah, it was."

She looks up at me, her blue eyes all large and sparkly in the pale moonlight.

"I have to tell you something," she mumbles.

"Yeah?"

"You're really pretty," she whispers, then giggles shyly.

"Yeah?" I grin, enjoying her tipsy looseness.

Kai'wä nods fervently, biting her lip slightly before returning my grin.

"I always thought you were really hot," she confesses. "But you were always with other girls too."

My heart thumps a little- and I wonder hotly how even in her drunk state how she still manages to make me this nervous.

"You were a dick," she adds.

True.

I was- am.

"But you're sweet too," she whispers. "I don't know why you always act like you aren't."

"Aren't what?"

She shrugs, eyes meeting mine again as she turns to stare at me.

"You don't let anyone see how cute you can be- you're trying so hard to be tough and mean to the Sully's, and you never really cared that much about a lot of people."

"Well," I swallow hotly. "I'm meant to be Olo'eyktan."

"Tonowari's sweet," she shrugs. "You're more like Ronal- cold and gorgeous."

Surprised, I laugh.

Kai'wä blinks before lying back in the sand and looking up.

"They're proud of you, you know."

"Are they?" I ask, quite skeptical of that.

"Yeah," she sighs.

"How do you know?"

"Just because I'm parentless doesn't mean I can't tell when a parent loves their kid."

Her voice is quiet, and I don't know what to say.

Kai'wä and Rotxo never talk about what happened, and no one else knows except probably Kamari.

I know their mum died when they were really really young, but I can also remember their dad too.

Very faintly, because I haven't seen him in years.

He was tall, unlike both of his kids. I can't remember what his face looks like, but I distinctly recall a strong build and several dark tattoos across his arms, chest and face.

"That's not what I meant," I say quietly, slowly looking over at her.

Kai'wä's still lying against the sand, face determinedly still and expressionless as she gazes up at the stars.

She doesn't say anything.

"You can talk to me," I add. "If you want."

She finally turns to look at me, her eyes blank with forcibly suppressed emotion.

But she doesn't speak about that, she just smiles slightly and says,

"Ronal is proud."

"She's just happy about you," I say.

"What?"

"She's been wanting us to be together for years," I confess, knowing that at Kai'wä's level of drunk, she probably won't remember any of this tomorrow.

She doesn't say anything.

She's asleep.