Love Game

“Ridiculous,” I murmured, feeling bored and useless in the guesthouse with nothing to do. “He’s not a baby. He’s a grown-ass man.”

But I’d never been good at ignoring my own feelings, and to see Kai’s handsome face softened into concern for me had felt good. A lot good. And made me think of him in ways that overstepped the client/therapist boundaries.

“Don’t go there. Do your job.”

Except I had no job.

Finally, after a week of wandering aimlessly around the guesthouse and taking Keanu down to Lahaina’s Front Street for shave ices and window shopping, Kai appeared one morning at our usual scheduled time.

“Hey,” he said and lay down on my table.

“Uh, hey,” I said, and my silly heart pounded to have him so close to me again. “Wasn’t sure if you still wanted my brand of voodoo.”

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”

He closed his eyes and I had nothing else to do but start.

I closed my own eyes and began with my hands over Kai’s right elbow. When I performed Reiki, I imagined energy as a gold stream of light coming through me and into my client, coursing the channels of their body like blood in their veins.

This time, as it had the last time, the energy drew my hands to Kai’s arm and I felt his warm skin underneath. The powerful muscle. I nearly let myself become distracted and had to refocus. After a short time, the golden light I envisioned was done with his elbow and went straight to Kai’s heart.

I felt my hands move to hover over his chest and then a sigh emanated from Kai. Like relief. The tight knot of pain of his father’s passing was loosening slowly. If he could let it go…

“We’re done here.”

I jerked my eyes open and stepped back. Kai was swinging his legs off the table, his expression hard, almost angry.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Nothing. Feels great.” He flexed his elbow a few times. “Thanks.”

“You were on the table for less than five minutes.”

He shrugged and gave me a steel gaze. “Maybe you’re just that good.”

“Hey,” I said as he turned to go. “Hey.”

Kai stopped, turned.

“What’s going on? Is this about the other night?”

Like a bad actor, Kai’s face contorted into exaggerated confusion. “Huh? What happened the other night?”

“Nothing, apparently,” I said, striving not to sound as hurt as I felt. “Nothing at all.”

He rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Look. This just isn’t my thing. I tried and I don’t feel any different and so…that’s it.”

“That’s it.” I crossed my arms. “You told me it was helping.”

He sighed. “What do you want me to say, Daisy?”

“You don’t have to say anything, but you could keep going. We’ve only had a few sessions—”

“Yeah, and you hardly work on my elbow at all.”

“It goes where the pain is—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, there is nothing wrong with me but some tendonitis and an overprotective agent who’s trying to protect his brand. The rest”—he waved his hand to indicate the lanai, the chair, the incense—“is just nonsense.”