Jules's pov
I stood still with my hands deep in my pockets. The air was a little chilly and I began to regret not bringing my jacket along, but it was too late to turn back around because Kai was currently jogging towards me.
After he had suggested we hang out together, I had been tongue tied at first, until a nudge from Taylor prompted me into agreeing right in that spot. It wasn't until I got back to my dorm that I began to regret not declining the offer. Although, it didn't sound that bad and Kai had been nothing but nice to me the two times we've spoken to each other, so I guessed it couldn't hurt to meet up with him.
I made sure to grab my phone and the card which Andrian had loaded with more than enough money, along with me. Back at home, instead of making use of cards like this one, we had an easier way of paying for things. As the son of a king, I almost never had to pay for anything myself, and the few times I had to pay for something, I usually just put it on my mother's tab and she'd end up clearing it out later.
Kai stopped beside me, panting a little but still managing to look extremely collected. A smile was dancing across his face and I noticed a dimple at the side of his cheek.
"Hey there." He breathed out, eyes twinkling and I shifted my weight around as I waved my hand a little while biting on my bottom lip.
"Hi." I shyly mumbled in response as I blinked up at him. His scent easily blended with the evening air and I noticed how his hair fell into his eyes softly.
"It's not all that far, we could trek, or do you prefer we don't?" He inquired and I shook my head.
"Trekking is fine." I reassured him, even though that was the complete opposite. Trekking wasn't fine in any way, only a few minutes after we started and I was breathing embarrassingly hard.
Kai didn't take long to notice.
"You okay?" He asked and I nodded my head in response. I could feel my knees wobbling and I had a feeling it was because now that my powers had been locked away, my body was practically weak and useless.
On a normal day, I could do a whole lot of things without getting weak, but now, I had barely trekked far and I felt like my legs were about to give out from underneath me.
We thankfully arrived at the coffee shop after a little while. A long, relieved sigh eased from my lungs as I hurriedly flopped into a seat while trying to stop myself from panting too hard.
We put in our orders and once we were left alone, Kai asked if I was sure that I was alright and I cleared my throat before responding.
"I am, thanks for asking."
It felt like Kai was curious and wanted to ask a lot more questions but decided against it because he really was a gentleman.
After our coffees and desserts arrived, I dived straight into mine because I was yet to eat anything throughout today, mainly because I was still yet to get my full appetite back. Kai regarded me every now and then without saying anything. Perhaps he was already weirded out by me and couldn't wait to be rid of me.
Once we were done with the coffee and desserts, Kai insisted on paying and I gave in after a few back and forth. We were still seated around the table which was close to the window when Kai asked if I was okay once again and I hurried to reassure him that I really was fine.
"So… how do you see our school so far?" He asked after a little stretch of comfortable silence and I snorted.
"I'm very certain you already know what my answer is gonna be, I mean, you're the one who helped me to the infirmary after I almost got drowned in the pool." I reminded him and this time, he breathed out a little laugh, one which was as beautiful as his face.
"You do have a point. I'm sorry that happened to you."
I shrugged and shifted in my seat, he sounded quite sincere and that made my heart ache a little.
"It is what it is." I ended up responding.
We ended up exiting the coffee shop after a few more minutes.
"Should we trek back this time, or…?" Kai asked and I nodded my head, not wanting to appear like someone pathetically weak to him.
After he had helped me to the infirmary, of course he's gonna be seeing me as someone weak, which is why it's now up to me to either let him keep living with that perspective or change it into something else.
"Let's trek. The evening weather is beautiful after all." I responded and Kai grinned, clearly pleased. "You're absolutely right, it really is."
We fell into step after that. It felt like heading back was even further than I remembered it being. Sweat was pouring from every pore of my body and my legs felt like they were on fire at a point. Despite that, because I was determined, I still pushed forward, ignoring the wobbling of my knees and the darkening spots behind my eyes.
I wasn't sure of what actually happened, but when I blinked my eyes open, Kai was crouched over me, hand cupped around my face. I noticed a look of relief on his face as soon as my eyes opened.
"You aren't really alright, are you?" He asked and I bit on my bottom lip and glanced away. I wanted to lie and reassure him that I was okay but I wasn't sure he'd believe me right now, especially after what had just happened.
"You're weak, your joints… I don't think you should push yourself if you're not strengthened enough." He murmured and I felt a scowl form on my face.
"I'm not weak." I blurted out. His eyes widened at once.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that there's clearly not enough strength in your bones for strenuous activities." He paused for a moment then leaned forward to sniff the air around me, causing me to stiffen.
"You said your wolf is dormant, right?"
He didn't wait for me to respond,
"You don't smell like a regular wolf though. You smell softer… and sweet?" A confused look was on his face as he regarded me closely. I hurriedly scrambled to my feet as panic shrugged through my heart at the thought of my cover being blown.
"But, I guess it's because your wolf is still dormant, that's probably why you feel weak." He murmured as he hurried to steady me with a grip around my bicep because as soon as I got to my feet, I almost fell on my face.
"I'm fine." I mumbled, heat stinging my cheeks as I pulled away and tried to continue walking. Once again, I ended up falling.
Kai was there to catch me, his hands wrapped around my waist and my head landing on his chest. I was beyond embarrassed at this point and wished I could go up in flames. I had wanted him to no longer see me as weak, but that's clearly not gonna be happening anytime soon.
"Let me carry you back." He offered. I hastily declined but he refused to budge and after a few minutes, I was on his back, my arms around his shoulders and his hands firmly gripping my thighs, as he walked back the road leading to my dorm.
As he kept walking, I kept wishing I could disappear into thin air.