by Jessica Yeh
The first week, Avery would come to Kadence’s apartment, switching positions to allow her into the driver’s side. But after a few inefficient days of Avery picking her up, accompanying her to every meeting, and dropping her off at her apartment, Kadence decided they needed a new plan.
Every morning thereafter, Kadence gathered her clothes into a duffle, packed two sets of lunches, and slung her bag on her shoulder before hopping the subway to Avery’s apartment under the guise of convenience.
“You don’t need to bring me fancy food,” Avery joked. “I’m one hundred percent okay with canned spaghetti.”
“That stuff is awful for you.”
“The only awful is it is awfully delicious!”
Kadence had smiled then. She had a feeling there was an underlying meaning behind Avery’s fixation with the canned food. If it even qualified as that. That was something she started to pick up on as she chipped away at Avery’s exterior. There was always something deeper, and Kadence was growing increasingly more invested in discovering what those things were.
In actuality, she found herself spending more time with Avery in general, not even taking wedding preparations into account. It just seemed easier to spend her days at Avery’s apartment. After all, the artist’s studio was quite comfortable. It, like its owner, had its own messy charm that with time, Kadence grew rather fond of.
***
On Friday morning, the second since their new driving arrangement, Kadence had a yoga class to teach. She had just finished showering to find she had one missed call. The voicemail crackled before the sound of Avery’s voice resounded off the bathroom tiles.
“Hey, Kadence…” Avery’s voice was rough and scratchy. Kadence paused, hairbrush frozen in place above her part.
“Look, I know I promised to ride along with you but I’m not feeling well.” A lull followed by a fit of distant coughing tore through her lungs.
“Sorry, that was so gross.” Her apology was followed by a congested sniff. “I don’t wanna throw off your schedule, but you should probably take the car without me. I’ll leave the door unlocked. The keys are on the counter as usual. I’m sorry.” There was another strangled sound, then a fit of harsh, miserable coughs before Avery groaned and the message ended. Kadence frowned before scrolling through her contacts.
***
Kadence arrived at Avery’s apartment and slipped off her shoes. Her ears detected the soft buzz of voices coming from Avery’s room. She padded to the bedroom with a bottle of water and her bag, knocking on the doorframe.
“Avery?”
“Kadence?” Avery sat up. “Shit. Did I forget to put the keys out?”
Kadence chuckled, shaking her head. “They’re there.”
Avery eyed her bag. “Is everything okay?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“I’m fine.” Avery’s reply would have been more believable if she didn’t fall into a coughing fit as she said it. Kadence hustled to her, rubbing her hand against Avery’s back. “Really. I’m fine. It’s just a cold.”
“Mmhmm.” Kadence raised a brow in challenge before nodding to the bed. “May I?”
Avery shook her head. “I don’t want to get you sick. I’m germy.”
“Hey, Germy, I’m Kadence.” Kadence suppressed a smile as Avery scowled at her comeback. At least she wasn’t too ill to lose her sass.
“You worry about your body, I’ll worry about mine.” Kadence gave a playful nudge. She could feel Avery’s eyes focus on her figure at the mention of her body. She resisted the urge to snort.
“You’re not dressed for class.”
“No, I’m not. Thank you for noticing.” Kadence rummaged through her bag, withdrawing a bottle of water, cough syrup, and variety of over-the-counter medication, lining them up on the nightstand.
“Geez, Kae. Did you bring the whole pharmacy with you?”
Kadence ignored her. “What have you taken today?”
Avery looked overwhelmed at the vast collection of medication. “Umm, nothing. I was gonna ride it out.”
Kadence clicked her tongue, finding the jut of Avery’s pink lips rather kissable. Wait…Kissable? She shook away the thought, focusing on pouring thick liquid into the small service cup. “Here.” She held the cough syrup out to Avery.
Avery had scrunched her nose as the liquid gooped into the container. Kadence would have found the stubbornness sort of adorable, had Avery’s health not taken precedence.
“Open.”
“No! That stuff tastes horrible.”
Kadence rolled her eyes. “You’re on the brink of a fever, Avery. You have to.”
Avery flat out whined. It was nothing like the cocky, confident woman when they first met. That woman was easy to get to bend to her will. The memory sparked an idea. Cocking her hip and lowering her gaze, Kadence leaned down, lips hovering at the shell of Avery’s ear.
“Please, Avery. For me?”
Avery gasped and Kadence slipped the contents of the cup between her parted lips.
Avery’s eyes widened as she choked the liquid down, flailing dramatically. “I’m dying. Actually dying. Holy shit.” She knocked the rest of the table’s contents onto the floor as she pretended, she had chugged half the bottle.
Kadence resisted the urge to laugh at Avery’s performance as she replaced the items. “You’re so extreme. You’re not dying. You shouldn’t joke about that.” She placed a hand on Avery’s shoulder.
Avery leaned in, the warm press of heat tingling against her skin before she pulled away. Kadence cleared her throat, eyeing the time on her phone. “I’m going to make us something to eat. You haven’t eaten breakfast…or lunch, have you?”
Avery’s guilty pink cheeks gave away her answer.
“I want the rest of those meds taken by the time I get back.”
***
Kadence busied herself in the kitchen. It startled her just how natural it felt walking in and finding her way around. She returned to the bedroom to find Avery’s enraptured, droopy eyes glued to the television screen. A blonde girl with an ornate headpiece was running through an animated city.
“Hey.”
“Shh,” Avery hushed her, a dopey grin plastered on her face as she placed a finger on her lip, askew. “Cartoonsareon.”
From her slurring, Kadence realized Avery had mixed the daytime and nighttime pills that had spilled onto the floor. She pried the remote from Avery’s hands with ease, pausing the program.
“Food first. Then you can go back to watching.”
Avery frowned at the tray of food in front of her; a sandwich, soup, and more water.
Kadence held up a hand and withdrew an aluminum can from behind her back.
“For me?” Avery asked with a smile wide enough to split her face in half. Kadence giggled at the childlike expression. Drug befuddled Avery was elated.
“Yes, Avery. For you.”
She placed the spoon inside the bowl before nudging Avery’s knee. Avery wiggled, sliding so Kadence could join her, backs against the headboard. They resumed watching the anime reruns while Avery ate. She made it through half of the bowl of chicken noodle soup before her head started to bob, leaning into Kadence’s side. Kadence welcomed the weight.
“How about you take a nap?”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Despite her stubbornness, Avery yawned.
“You do.” Kadence shifted off the bed, no longer supporting Avery’s body. She fell to her side and into the pillows with a whimper.
“Come back.” Avery kicked out her legs with a huff.
“Baby,” Kadence teased, giving Avery a push under the covers. “Take a nap. I’ll come back after I wash these dishes, okay?”
Avery sighed, eyes drooping as she faced Kadence.
“What?”
“I like when you call me that,” Avery said with a lazy smile. “Baby.”
Kadence’s heart stumbled. She tamped it down, gathering the tray of dishes and making her way t
o the doorway. “Go to sleep, Avery.”
“Hey, Cooper?”
“Yeah, Bennett?”
“Will you come back?”
“Sure. Anything you want.” Kadence chuckled, hand hovering at the door handle. “Whatever will get you to sleep.”
“I don’t want anything,” Avery mumbled through her exhaustion. “Just you.”
Kadence’s stomach whirled.
Her fingers coiled around the doorknob as she calmed herself. When she looked back, Avery’s eyes had closed and her chest rose and fell with congested breaths. Probably better that way.
***
Kadence wasn’t sure how she had fallen asleep, but she woke to the sound of the front door closing. She blinked at the light, sight coming into focus. At the door, a giddy Emma was pinned to the wall with Danny tethered to her lips. Kadence cleared her throat to make herself known. The lovebirds flew to opposite sides of the room.
“Uhh, hey, Kadence.” Emma’s cheeks were brighter than her hair as she waved. “I thought you and Avery were going to be out.”
Danny ducked his head, bolting into the kitchen to avoid the awkward situation.
“Avery wasn’t feeling well, so I canceled yoga.”
“Oh, no.” Before she could speak further, Emma hustled down the hall. Kadence followed in pursuit.
“Kadence?” Avery rasped as Emma propped open the door. Avery reached into the empty distance between the bed and doorway. That little tug returned to Kadence’s chest.
“No, it’s Em. But Kae’s right behind me.”
Not wanting to let her heart get out of hand, Kadence busied herself with preparing another dosage of medicine.
“What happened, Avery?” Emma cooed, placing the palm of her hand against Avery’s forehead. “You were fine when I left this morning.”
Avery turned to her side, clutching her stomach and burying an incoherent mumble into the pillow.
“Sorry, what was that?”
Avery’s lips rose a millimeter above the fabric. “SmellslikeKadence.” Her eyes pinched shut before her head flopped back into the sheets. “My head hurts. Where’s Kadence?”
Emma turned to Kadence and tilted her head toward the sickly blonde. “Maybe you should take it from here.”
Kadence tried not to flush at the wink Emma shot her before exiting the room.
“Hey, Avery,” Kadence whispered, settling to her side. “I’m right here.”
“Fix me,” Avery whined.
Kadence combed away the baby hairs clinging to Avery’s sweaty forehead. “I’m trying, Avery. I’m trying.”
Avery released a heavy breath, relaxing under Kadence’s gentle touch. When she finally fell back asleep, Kadence exited to find Danny sitting in the kitchen alone.
“Where’s Emma?”
“Ran out to buy food,” Danny said. “Apparently Avery was supposed to get groceries this afternoon but that obviously fell through.”
“Oh.” Kadence frowned. “You didn’t go with her?”
“No.” From the way he smiled, Kadence knew she was in for an earful. “I wanted to talk to you. Since when do you cancel yoga to take care of Avery?”
Kadence bit her lip.
“What’s going on between you two?”
Kadence hesitated to reply.
“Calm down.” He chuckled. “I won’t tell Melody, don’t worry. I know how she gets. She is my best friend, after all. Or Emma.”
Kadence found it weird how interlaced the people in her life seemed to become. Her sister’s best friend just so happened to be dating one of her students. And that student’s roommate just happened to be…What was Avery?
A few weeks ago, or even a month ago, she would have said Avery was nothing more than a friend. But she was a friend that made her laugh, tried almost too hard to make her blush, caused her to roll her eyes, and feel so many emotions she forgot even existed, forgot she was capable of feeling.
On top of that, they had shared a kiss, one Kadence ran from after witnessing Avery’s blinding rage. Yet, she grew to understand that heartbroken pain after Avery offered herself so selflessly to get back into her good graces.
“Kadence?”
Kadence shook the thought away. “Sorry, what?”
Danny grinned. “You like her.”
Maybe, but admitting it this early is too risky. “I’m not sure how I feel about her. It’s complicated.”
Danny nodded, holding up his hands. “Emma mentioned you getting into a fight. It’s not my business. I don’t like getting involved.”
“Thanks—”
“But if I were to get involved…”
Spoke too soon. “Danny—”
“Hold on!” He laughed. “Don’t get defensive just yet. I’m just saying, everybody deserves a shot at happiness.”
She was quiet so he continued.
“Remember Cat?”
She resisted the urge to cringe.
“Yeah, I know,” Danny scoffed. “I was so hurt by her, but if I didn’t let another person in, I wouldn’t have found Emma. I’m not saying that you’re in love with Avery, but you could give her another chance. Things have obviously changed between you two. And this could be really good, if you let it.”
Kadence swallowed the bubbling in her chest. “Thanks, Danny.”
“But, if anybody asks, we never had this conversation.” He gave her a wink before ruffling her hair. “Especially Melody.”
His impression of her sister’s scowl only made Kadence laugh harder.
“She scares you, doesn’t she?”
“She scares everybody, doesn’t she?”
***
Kadence Cooper: How are you feeling today?
Avery Bennett: A lot better. Seriously, thank you. The canned spaghetti was the best part. It was like my dad was taking care of me again.
Kadence paused at the mention of John. She had no idea Avery’s fixation, or rather attachment, to the food had been a result of her father. Again, she realized how much more there was to the artist. And to her surprise, how much she wanted to learn about her. A throat clearing caused her to jump. Melody leaned against the doorframe of her apartment with her arms crossed, keys dangling from her pinky finger.
Kadence Cooper: Melody’s here. We’re going to do wedding errands. Talk to you later!
Avery Bennett: Have fun!
Kadence Cooper: Thanks. Get some rest. Feel better!
She clicked off her phone. “Hey, Mel.” She greeted her with a smile before taking in her older sibling’s expression. “What?”
“You’ve been smiling at your phone for the past ten minutes.”
Kadence’s ears burned. “You’ve been here the whole time?”
Melody snorted. “Who were you texting?”
“Uhh…” She chewed her lip. “Avery.”
“Avery.” Kadence studied Melody’s unreadable expression before jumping to Avery’s defense. “She’s not as bad as you think. She has been very helpful, especially with my car situation.”
“Kae—”
“And did you know she plays basketball? I mean, I knew she probably did, considering how many pairs of basketball shorts she has. But she’s also kinda clumsy. So, I didn’t know if she’d be good. But she is.”
“Kae—”
“She plays in the park sometimes with the neighborhood boys.” She recalled the way Avery’s eyes had shone when the kids concluded the game by tackling her into a hug. “They all look up to her. It’s sweet.”
“Kadence,” Melody shouted, startling Kadence out of her monologue.
“What?”
“I literally just said her name. Geez! You just went off with the rest.”
Kadence ducked to hide the pink of her cheeks. “Yeah. I’m just grateful, that’s all.”
“Mmhmm. Whatever you say.”
***
“It’s nice to see you ladies again.” April greeted them as the siblings approached the planner’s doorstep. “How is everything going, Melody
?”
“It’s going.” Melody drew her lips into a flat line, plopping into the chair across from the desk. An unruffled April chuckled, elbows resting on the table as she laid her chin atop laced fingers. “Well, I hope that everything I’ve arranged has been more than satisfactory.”
“It has,” Kadence jumped in with a nod. “Thank you.”
“Now, we still have a few more odds and ends to wrap up. For example, the venue, seating arrangements, DJ, and songs. There’s also…um, traditionally, there’s a father daughter dance.”
Kadence swallowed thickly as she felt Melody tense by her side.
“We’re skipping it,” Melody snapped, clenching her jaw.
The room remained in silence.
“Very well.” April cleared her throat. “Do you have a playlist you want to use for the evening? Your couple’s first dance?”
Kadence zoned out after that. The weight of their parents’ headstones fell across her. The planning process only served to remind her of all the things she was gaining, but even more so, everything that she and her sister had lost. Soon they moved onto seating arrangements. She was still lost in her thoughts when Melody requested to add an extra seat for Kadence’s plus one. She almost missed it. She probably would have, had April not looked at her with confusion.
Who was Melody referring to? Did she mean Avery? Why would I bring Avery? Well, why wouldn’t you?
When the meeting concluded, Kadence lingered behind, turning to whisper quickly in April’s ear.
“You’re sure?” April asked warily, pen hovering at the notebook paper.
“Positive.”
***
“So where to now?” Melody asked, hands resting on the steering wheel.
Kadence shrugged. “I was hoping to swing by Emma’s.”
“Isn’t she with Danny at his place? They spend Saturdays together.”