Kai Ashford's POV
I come to the gardens to think.
It's the only place on campus where people leave me alone. The benches are worn, the roses are dying, and the air always smells like fresh soil and something softer underneath. But mostly—it's quiet.
That's what I need.
That's what I thought I needed.
Until Sky happened.
"KAIIII!"
I don't even get a second of warning before she flings herself into the grass beside me like she owns the planet.
Hair open today. No bows. No clips. Just a wild, silky black waterfall glinting in the sunlight. And somehow, that's worse.
She lays her head on my lap.
Just—plop. Like I'm a cushion. Like I'm not a man fighting a war inside his chest.
I freeze.
She's looking up at me with those too-happy eyes, cheek smushed into my jeans, bare legs stretched in front of her in that ridiculous sundress she probably forgot to iron.
"Hi," she says, grinning like she didn't just ruin my last two brain cells. "Do my hair?"
"What?" My voice comes out lower than I meant.
"My braid," she pouts. "I like yours better than mine."
"You want me to…?"
"Please? It's open today and I feel weird. You're so good at it! Just a soft one. Maybe with some of those little garden flowers?"
She lifts a strand and holds it out like an offering. Like I won't combust on contact.
I hesitate.
Then I give in.
I always do.
She shifts so her head is still on my lap but facing away now, making it easier for me to gather her hair. God help me, I touch it again. I start weaving it slowly, carefully, because it's her. And she'll know if I rush it.
"You're really just gonna let me sit here like this?" she says softly, voice half-muffled.
"You didn't exactly give me a choice."
"You like it."
I don't answer.
But she's not wrong.
I tuck a sprig of baby's breath into the braid. Then a tiny daisy.
She hums, eyes fluttering shut.
Silence. For once, she's not talking. Just breathing slow, steady, happy. Like this—this moment—was all she needed today.
And I sit there, studying her more than my textbook. Wondering how I got here. Why I'm letting her do this. Why I'm not pushing her away.
Why it feels like I can't anymore.
Because somehow, she's not just under my skin.
She's under everything.
---
I'm almost done braiding her hair.
One more twist. One more flower tucked behind her ear.
And maybe—just maybe—I'll survive this without completely losing my damn mind.
Sky hums again. "You're so good at this, it's not even fair. You sure you're not secretly a hairdresser in your spare time, Ashford?"
I roll my eyes and stay silent.
I shouldn't enjoy this. I really shouldn't. But her warmth on my lap, her perfume mixed with spring and daisies, the way her braid feels like mine now—it's messing with my head.
Then it happens.
"OH MY GOD."
I flinch.
Sky sits up so fast she headbutts my chin. "Ow—what the—?"
"EXCUSE ME?" a voice shrieks. "Is that—KAI? Braiding hair? BRAIDING. HAIR?!"
I look up and see them: Ava, wide-eyed and gleeful, and Alex, staring like he just caught me skinning a unicorn.
"What did I just witness?" Alex stumbles back dramatically. "Sky's on his LAP? There's a braid involved? Someone kill me. I need to cleanse my soul. Burn my eyeballs. Purge—"
"Oh shut up," Ava snorts, whipping out her phone. "I knew something was up."
Sky beams, climbing off my lap like this is the most normal Tuesday ever. "Hi bestie! Isn't he amazing?! Look at the braid! Look at the baby's breath!"
"You had him put flowers in it?" Ava chokes on a laugh.
"Yes," Sky says proudly. "And he did not complain."
"I hate this timeline," Alex whispers, pretending to faint onto a nearby bench.
I stand up slowly, glaring at them both.
"Not. A. Word."
"Oh we're already way past that," Ava smirks, scrolling through her camera roll. "Do you want me to tag you or will you share it yourself?"
"Delete it," I growl.
Sky links her arm through mine like she belongs there. "Don't worry, I'll post it with a heart emoji. He deserves credit for this masterpiece."
I glance down at her, still glowing. Still holding my arm like it's hers.
And the worst part?
I don't push her away.
Not even a little.