Page 12 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Hey, Zoe,” I said, stepping close to her while she was busy drying her hair with a towel.

“Hey,” she answered back half-heartedly, looking rather annoyed.

Okay, then…

“Do you know where Kai is?”

“Don’t know and don’t care,” she snarled, throwing the towel into her gym bag and zipping it.

“Did something happen between you two?” It was the first thing I asked because, the last I knew, they were fine. More than fine. They were happily in love. Yeah, Ash, that’s a way to make yourself feel better. And while I didn’t want Zoe to get hurt, since she was still a friend, I wouldn’t be sad if they broke up.

“He pushed me, Chief.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t all that giddy about their supposed breakup.

Kai did what now?

“What do you mean he pushed you?” My brows pulled close because what she said was out of character for him. Kai would never be violent toward a woman, especially his girlfriend.

Looking around to see no one was standing too close, Zoe sighed, then returned her eyes to me. “We went to the movies on Saturday, and after we got to our seats and all, he pulled out a bottle of scotch. I was like, ‘What the actual fuck, Kai?’ because why would he bring booze to the cinema?” While speaking, she began pulling up her hair into this messy bun on top of her head. “Anyway, I got angry with him and went back to the car when he followed me. We got into a fight, and I tried to take the bottle away from him. He then got really pissed off.” She paused and pressed her lips together. “Chief, I’ve never seen him so angry. I swear to God, he looked like someone else. But, whatever, he got pissed off and pushed me. After that, I grabbed my things and drove off. He hasn’t called to apologize since, and I doubt I’ll take him back. I want nothing to do with a drunk.”

A drunk?

What Kai did was incredibly wrong, but he wasn’t a drunk, just drunk. Whenever things got rough with his parents, Kai would go out and party to release some steam. That was his way of coping. His folks were never happy with him, no matter what he did, and always tried to push him into a box that didn’t fit. Sometimes, he told me he felt like a dummy in the making. His parents pushed and pulled, forcing him to act the part and follow their lead even when it didn’t fit his character. They never saw him for who he was, and that typically was why he’d snap. Having said that, as angry as he got, Kai didn’t have violent outbursts.

So, while I did feel bad for Zoe, I’d still have to give Kai the benefit of the doubt until I heard what he had to say about this.

Parked outside Rob’s restaurant, I was ready to get out of my truck when my phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, I nearly dropped my phone but got a hold of myself beforehand and answered the call.

“H-Hey.”

“I was beginning to think you gave me the wrong number,” Soren said, his voice as smooth and sexy as I remembered.

“No, no,” I chuckled nervously, my eyes focusing on the car’s dashboard. “Sorry I didn’t text back. I was just busy.” Soren had texted me over the weekend, but I was too caught up with Kai to even consider talking to someone else.

“They sure do keep you busy in Economics if you don’t even have a minute to text back.”

Good thing he said that because I’d completely forgotten my lie.

“Yeah… They work us hard.”

Soren chuckled, but it was more of a tired drawl than an awkward laugh like my own.

“You sure know how to keep a man hanging,” he said, causing my skin to heat up.

“Y-You think so?” I asked while pushing random buttons in the car to keep myself busy.

“Oh, for sure.” He paused for a second. “I have no doubt you can bring a man to his knees without even trying.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and my breath caught. On the one hand, he was so suave and composed, while on the other, he said things that set my body on fire.

“And you know what the sexiest part is?” he asked, his voice dancing on my eager nerves.

I blurted a weak no.

“The sexiest part is you not even realizing what you’re capable of, Ashton. It’s absolutely mind-blowing.”

A flutter ran through me, and I fought hard not to giggle because, holy shit, he was saying such bold things. Me being sexy? Come on. I was an awkward kid who spent most of his Friday nights binge-watching old movies with his mom. Not to mention, I was a virgin whose experience was limited to his right hand. So him thinking I knew how to bring a man to his knees was simply outrageous.