7 CHAPTER 7

Krane's POV

I woke up a short time later. It was 8pm so I had 30 minutes to fix myself up a little before dinner. I didn't need anything fancy to wear so I just grabbed the first outfit I found.

Since I was already ready for dinner, I decided that I would escort Kayla to dinner. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a romantic person but I knew it would make her smile. So I made my way up the stairs and to her bedroom door. I could hear her humming from inside. I smiled before lightly knocking on her door three times. About 5 seconds past before the door was slowly opened revealing Kayla's beautiful face.

Me: I was wondering if I may have the honor of escorting a beautiful lady to dinner.

Kayla just looked at me confused. It took her a good 10 seconds to realize what I meant.

Kayla: oh you mean me. Sure that would be great.

I chuckled at her adorableness. She stepped out of her room and closed the door before wrapping her arm in mine and following me to the dining room. Josh and Andrew were already seated at the table in the same spots as always. When they saw Kayla on my arm the look I got was deadly. I'm sure they thought I was trying to get close to her before the games. They couldn't be anymore correct. We may be friends but as the fight gets closer and closer the friendship starts to fade. I walked her all the way to the head of the table and took my place on her right side. She was oblivious to the tension in the room between us men. I suppose that is a good thing though. She doesn't need anymore stress than what I imagine she has now. Dinner was a little quieter than normal but you can understand why. As much as we all would like to be friends, by the end of this there won't be enough of us left to be friends and that's the sad reality. I felt jealous that Josh got to spend the first day with her but that is who she picked so I have no say in it. The worst part is that Andrew and I were not allowed anywhere around them tomorrow so they could have "quality time" together. I just have to keep in mind that I will get my day. The rest of dinner just consisted of Kayla telling stories of her family memories and us just smiling at her. The fact that none of us have seen her shed a single tear since she has been here is incredibly surprising to me. I hear most girls have full breakdowns when they get here. The fact that she is that strong mentally only makes her 10 times better. Once dinner was over we all headed to the living room to enjoy a glass of wine, or in my case, a couple. The glasses of wine got passed out to everyone. It only took a few minutes for everyone's glass to be empty and for refills to start. I knew that the wine wouldn't affect me since I was used to drinking strong alcohol. I wasn't so sure about Kayla. It seems as if it had already started affecting her. I could just tell she wasn't as stressed as normal. After a couple more drinks of her wine I knew for a fact she was at least tipsy. I found it funny because every couple minutes I would hear a little giggle come out of her over nothing. We stayed in the living room for another 30 minutes before we all agreed that it was best to take Kayla to bed and retire to our rooms for the rest of the night. I volunteered to take her, of course no one was happy about it, but I did it anyway. I walked up to Kayla wrapping my arm around her waist that I could support her as we walked up the stairs. It took us a couple minutes to reach the top of the stairs, we stopped a couple times for me to get a better hold on her because her balance didn't exist at that moment. After about 10 minutes we reached her room where I laid her in her bed and made sure the covers were around her well enough to keep her warm. Once I knew that she was safe for the night I exited her room as quietly as possible and shut the door behind me. I headed straight to my room and started to get ready to relax, at least for a little while. I was excited to get to spend a full day with her just her and I but at the same time I didn't want this week to come to an end. I could see the emotions and the stress in her eyes every time I look deeply into them. When the day comes I will do whatever it takes to protect her as much as I possibly can. I know, even if I don't win, that whoever ends up with her is the lucky man. With that thought in mind I laid down, closed my eyes, and drifted off into the most peaceful sleep I've had.

Josh's POV

I sat in my room thinking about the fact that McKayla chose me out of all three of us to spend the first day with. I took it as a really good sign and I'm so glad she wanted to start off with someone that truly does care about her. I knew I had a connection with her from the first night when we sat in the living room spending those few moments getting to know who we were deep inside. I will fight for this girl till my last breath, and if I win, I will spend every day of the rest of my life making Kayla happy like she deserves. I don't understand how I could connect with someone in a matter of a few hours. I guess it must be a sign. I know I will sleep well tonight with that image of her beautiful face in my mind. When the morning comes I will get to spend 24 hours with the girl I am literally about to kill for. This might turn out to be our love story. We shall find out tomorrow.