But he still avoids the obvious.
“So you did it instead,” I say quieter.
Finally.
It’s out.
Anger and hurt are swirling so powerfully inside me that I want to wipe this island off the face of the earth. With Kai. And Archer. And all the memories of the past.
But Kai’s face changes. And it’s not what I expected.
He shakes his head, frowning. “What?”
“Soyoudid it instead,” I say quieter, afraid of my own words. “Took advantage of me that night.”
I want to sound confident, but the words are the most embarrassing confession.
Suddenly, Kai pushes off the wall and rakes both hands through his hair. His eyes widen. There is shock on his face, and I don’t understand it.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he whispers, gaping at me. “Are you. Fucking. Kidding me, Callie?”
I swallow hard. His beautiful eyes glare at me with an almost murderous intent.
“But…” I want to say something, but the words get stuck in my mouth.
His reaction is not what it should be. I’ve thought about this for so long. I expected fury, submission, or guilt on his face. But not this.
His chest is rising heavily. “Are you for real right now?”
“But you did, didn’t you?” I whisper.
My world is shifting. It’s sliding sideways, doubt pulling the ground from under my feet.
“You think Irapedyou?”
The word is like a razor slicing through my heart. It’s quiet coming out of his mouth but deafening. I stare at him, and I can’t breathe.
“I woke up naked,” I explain, barely audibly.
It’s my only argument.
Kai slowly descends onto me. Like a predator finally trapping his prey. He is so close that I am squeezed between the door and his broad chest hard as concrete.
“I brought you to my room,” he says in a hiss that seems louder than a scream. We stare at each other with the hate from all the memories and clashes like an invisible grenade between us. “You threw up all over yourself. So, yeah, Callie, I undressed you. Because I didn’t want you to sleep in your own puke. And I went to sleep in Trevor’s room.”
And I am free-falling.
How can it be?
How could I be so mistaken?
It’s a roller-coaster that makes my vertigo go nuts. My throat closes.
I want to scream and cry at the same time. But I am dumbfounded. And weak. If I wasn’t pinned against the door, I would’ve slid down to the floor. Because the world as I know it is crumbling once again. And my memories do with it.
Kai cups my face, and for a moment, at the feel of his touch, my body trembles with anticipation, because I think he might kiss me. The thought is brief and out of place and illogical.
But his grip is too strong, almost hurting me. And there is a tremor in it. I can feel it.