by Jessica Yeh
“Oh.” Kadence paused, hoping to remain impassive. “I guess I’ll just…”
“You want to go to see Avery?”
Kadence shrunk in her seat, wishing to disappear from under her sister’s searching gaze. She braced herself for another blow involving her distaste for Avery.
“Make her drive you home.”
It was closest to her admitting that Avery wasn’t all that bad. Maybe it would be the closest thing to Melody admitting she was slowly coming around to tolerating Avery’s friendship with her baby sister. That wasn’t to say she wouldn’t still be ridiculously protective of Kadence, but it was progress. And progress, Kadence had recently learned, could be a good thing.
Chapter Eighteen
AVERY MUNCHED ON A bland piece of toast, a bowl of soup resting on the coffee table. She was still recovering from being sick.
“So, your dad is the one who got you into canned spaghetti?” Kadence asked, nestled on the couch across from Avery.
Avery nodded, pushing the bread aside and moving to the soup. “Whenever he was too busy, it was faster to eat that than make something from scratch. On most days, he didn’t have enough time to eat lunch at work or couldn’t step away from monitoring the chemicals in the lab, so he would just eat it cold. I picked up on it when I was younger.”
Kadence laughed. “You are so unbelievably sentimental.”
Avery set her spoon in the bowl to shoot Kadence the most serious expression she could muster. She tilted her chin in defiance, but quickly broke into a pearly white grin when Kadence copied her gesture.
“Don’t tell anyone! I have a badass image to uphold.”
Kadence snorted, rolling her eyes. “Sure.”
“I do.” Avery’s pout made Kadence laugh again. Avery really liked the sound of her laugh.
“I don’t see it.”
Avery gasped in fake offense before glaring with furrowed brow. “You know some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.”
Kadence tilted her head in confusion. “Is that a quote?”
“Maybe…”
“What’s it from?”
Avery rubbed at the back of her neck, scrunching up her face. “The Land Before Time.”
“You mean like the children’s movie?”
Avery’s cheeks grew warmer.
“Oh, my god.” Kadence burst out laughing. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were cool.”
“Hey, don’t judge. Those movies were a pivotal part of my childhood, thank you very much.”
“I watched them, too.” Kadence held her hands up in surrender. “They were my favorite.”
“You did?” Avery couldn’t help how much her voice betrayed her bafflement.
Kadence paused to study her. Avery felt her cheeks brighten under Kadence’s emerald gaze.
“God, no,” Kadence deadpanned, the straight face only lasting milliseconds before she broke into a breathtaking smile that had Avery melting. She was a complete puddle once Kadence started giggling.
“That was cruel, Cooper.” Avery tossed a pillow in Kadence’s direction, though she was unable to harbor any sort of resentment. Nimble fingers caught the object with ease, propping it behind her back. Kadence’s shift caused their feet to touch but neither of them made any attempt to draw away.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Kadence challenged, leaning even farther into Avery’s space.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Avery managed to think on her feet fast enough to retort, though she didn’t have anything up her sleeve at the moment. Kadence was close enough now for Avery to get a whiff of her perfume and suddenly, everything was much more dizzying.
“I would. That’s why I asked.” Kadence’s lips tilted dangerously to the side, morphing into a smirk. “Clearly.”
“Okay. Just for the sass. I’m not gonna tell you.” Avery attempted to shuffle back, but her spine was pressed against the arm of the couch. Her sudden movement made her foot brush against Kadence’s.
“You’re all talk,” Kadence acknowledged, nudging back with her own foot. She sat up, slowing moving until her knees were pressed to Avery’s shins. “Don’t act so high and mighty.”
Shit. Are we really doing this? “You have no proof,” Avery shot back, swallowing the nerves bubbling in her stomach, acutely aware of just how close they had been.
“Don’t need to. Your eyes give everything away.”
“What? No, they don’t.” Avery flushed red as a tomato.
“They do.” Kadence wedged her lower lip between her teeth. “They always have, it’s endearing though.”
“I...what? No. I’m not endearing. Take it back.” Avery was beyond flustered.
“Make me,” Kadence said, leaning just a little closer.
Fuck. She smells good.
They were pushing the boundaries of their friendship. Though the banter had always come easily for them, this was far beyond platonic. Amber eyes darted to Kadence’s lips just as the front door opened and Emma strolled in. The pair flung apart, guiltily trying to calm the rapid fluttering in their chests.
Emma raised a brow, eyeing them with a suspicion. “Am I interrupting something?”
“N…no.” Avery’s reply was unsteady. “I was about to show Kadence something in the studio.”
“You were?”
Avery shot to her feet. “Yup. You ready?”
Kadence nodded, sharing a confused look with Emma before chasing the speeder down the hall. She took her newly accustomed seat in the beanbag chair in the studio corner next to John’s painting.
“You know, we never talk about your parents,” Avery said.
Kadence’s face fell.
“Sorry. Forget I—”
Kadence held up her hand, shaking her head. She inhaled slowly.
Avery braced herself.
“My parents passed away when Melody and I were just kids.”
“Shit. You must think I’m such a brat. I sound so selfish for—”
“You’re not selfish.” Kadence shook her head with a sad smile. “You had someone that meant the world to you taken away from you, too.” Kadence’s finger trailed along the edge of the canvas. “Unfairly and unexpectedly.”
Behind her sultry facade, Kadence would occasionally let the sadness of her past seep through the cracks. And as Avery chiseled away at her exterior, it made her heart ache for Kadence. She knew how irritating it was when people offered sympathy when her father passed. So many ‘sorry for your loss’ and ‘he was a good man’ comments always seemed contrived. Instead, she collected Kadence’s wrist in her hand, smoothing patterns on the bone.
“Avery?” Kadence’s voice wavered. “What are you doing?”
“I’m proud of you for being so strong. That’s all.”
“I…” Kadence seemed at a loss for words, but Avery just widened her smile.
“Will you paint for me?” Kadence requested after a moment.
“Of course.”
The first time she had worked on the portrait of Melody with Kadence present, she was a bundle of nerves, but slowly, that vulnerability evolved into a certain level of trust and she allowed Kadence to sit and watch her work. And Avery wished that maybe, someday, Kadence would feel the same way.
***
A few days later, Avery’s wish was granted. But not in the way she had hoped. She had just gotten in the shower after an exhausting day of sculpting a series of busts for a new project. Her body was sore and ached from bending at the worktable. Her neck was stiff, and her hands were cramped. Both arms were caked in dried clay and plaster, and her hair clumped into unflattering strands.
After drenching herself in the scorching spray, Avery climbed out of the shower, fingers wrinkled and pruned. She was about to climb into bed to binge-watch a season of mind-numbing television when she caught a glimpse of her phone. She had one missed call and a voicemail. She pressed play, taken aback by the lazy drawl in Kadence’s voice as she spoke into the receiver.<
br />
“Hey! Come here. I have wine and no one’s here,” Kadence singsonged before hanging up abruptly.
It was vague and somewhat out of character, but who was Avery Bennett to object to spending more time with Kadence Cooper?
Avery Bennett: Sorry. Was in the shower. Do you still want me to come?
Her phone buzzed almost immediately with a single word—hurry.
It wasn’t until she arrived at Kadence’s door, finding it already unlocked, when the possibility that this was a booty call crossed her mind. Should she have changed into something more appealing than just her skinny jeans and V-neck? Before she could second guess it, she heard a crash from the kitchen and immediately followed the source of the sound.
The sight was one she’d never forget and hoped to never see again. Kadence lay with her head in her hands, blearily eyed as she grasped for the wine bottle, red liquid and shards sloshed at her feet. Avery rushed to Kadence’s side, coaxing her uncoordinated body away from the broken glass.
Kadence whimpered. “They’re all gone.”
Avery’s heart broke when fresh tears tracked down Kadence’s face.
“Gone. Gone. Gone.” Kadence slurred, shaking a second, empty wine bottle clutched in her hands.
“Hey, Kadence,” Avery urged, pulling the swaying girl. “I think maybe you’ve had enough.” Avery took the bottle away before Kadence could cause herself any more harm and led her to the kitchen table, pulling out a chair. She gently pushed Kadence back until her knees hit the edge.
“Stay here, Kadence. Can you do that for me? Stay here?”
Kadence sniffed, nodding as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Avery searched for a mop and broom but came up empty handed.
“Kae, do you have an old towel or a T-shirt that I can use to wrap this stuff in before I throw it out?”
Kadence simply blinked before lifting the hem of her shirt.
“Whoa!” Avery rushed to her, quickly pulling it down, hands accidentally brushing against Kadence’s abs. The drunk woman let out a small moan, causing Avery’s eyes to widen. Fuck. Don’t do that. She ground her teeth. Maybe it would be best to relocate Kadence to the couch. Once there, she switched on the television and placed the remote control in Kadence’s lap. “Here, Kae. I’m going back to the kitchen.”
“No,” Kadence cried, green eyes wide with confusion and panic. She reached for Avery’s hand with a rough tug. Avery came crashing down on top of her with a grunt. The lord is testing me. Avery scrambled to her feet, distancing herself.
“Please, Avery. Please stay. Everyone always leaves me!”
Avery frowned at Kadence’s sobs. What was it like for Kadence to always be so alone? No family to speak of? An ex-girlfriend who (stupidly) left her? And a sister who was about to move to another country?
Kadence shook her head, whimpering becoming her only way of communicating.
“I’m here. I’m not leaving you,” Avery promised the devasted woman, taking a seat on the couch. Kadence climbed into her lap, resting her head against Avery’s shoulder, small puffs of hot breath hitting her neck as she cried softly.
Avery hesitated before wrapping her arms tightly around her. “Kadence, why are you crying? What’s wrong?”
“Everything. I shouldn’t.” Kadence hiccupped her thoughts incoherently. “I can’t. I’m scared.”
Scared? “Of what?” Avery pressed her palm against the small of Kadence’s back.
“If I love someone they leave. I can’t love any more people.” Kadence’s bottom lip trembled.
“Hey, you don’t have to love any more people,” Avery assured, hoping to prevent another round of tears from falling from those brilliant emerald eyes. “No one is making you do that.”
Kadence elevated her head, grasping Avery’s face with both hands, eyes unfocused before she whispered softly. “But I want to.”
Avery was at a loss for a reply. Luckily, Kadence let her head fall back onto Avery’s shoulder, hand bunching up the fabric at the bottom of Avery’s shirt, grounding her to Avery. They didn’t speak. Soon, Kadence’s eyelids grew heavy before finally falling closed.
Avery sighed, as she rubbed at Kadence’s back, trapped underneath her weight. She was just about to fall asleep herself when the door opened and Melody strode in.
“Hey Kae, I stopped by to get some…” she called out, arms full of bags blocking her view of the pair. It was only after she situated them on the counter that she noticed. “What are you doing here?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure I know.”
Melody placed her hands on her hips, surveying the kitchen floor. “What happened? Is she okay?”
“She called me earlier and asked me to come, so I did. When I got here, she was drunk and crying.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.” Avery held her hands up in defense. “Honest.”
Kadence whined at the loss of body contact, which caused Avery to blush in embarrassment. “Ok. I mean. Not nothing. I’ve just been holding her. She was upset. But I didn’t do anything like that. I would never. I was going to wait for her to fall asleep then clean up the mess.”
Melody stared at her, and Avery wasn’t sure if she was about to get murdered or not.
“Or, uhh, I can leave if you —” she tried to say, about to lift Kadence off her lap.
Melody jerked her head. “No. You stay. I’ll go. She called you for a reason.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did she tell you what day it is?”
Avery shook her head.
“Interesting.” Melody hummed cryptically. “Give me your phone.”
Avery scrambled to retrieve the device from her back pocket, handing it to her. At the shift in movement, Kadence clung on tighter, burying her face into Avery’s hair.
“She trusts you,” Melody noted, keeping an eye on her sister as she typed something into Avery’s phone.
“Me?”
A faint buzz echoed from Melody’s purse before she handed the phone to Avery.
“In case she asks for me.” Melody’s eyes softened at the sight of her sister, before locking with Avery’s. “But something tells me I won’t be hearing from you.” She stalked to the kitchen to retrieve one of the bags. “These are some of her favorite foods.”
Melody brushed a lock of Kadence’s hair behind her ear. Kadence drunkenly batted at her sister’s hand. The strand fell a moment later and she sighed.
“Kae, stop. Melody’s just trying to help,” Avery said to the sleeping brunette, attempting to tuck the strand back in place. This time, Kadence let her do it, sighing in her sleep.
Melody half-smiled. “I’m clearly not needed any more.”
“Melody, I wasn’t—”
“Don’t fuck it up this time,” Melody said, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips as she approached the door. “We’ve only ever had one another. We take care of one another. Now I have Jordan, too. But Kadence, well...” Melody paused, chewing the inside of her cheek for a long time.
Avery was almost certain she was going to end the conversation there, but the words finally spilled from the tight line of her pressed lips.
“Maybe she could have you.” Melody’s hand hovered at the handle before she turned, offering a final word of advice. “She likes when you play with her hair.”
The older Cooper slipped across the threshold. Avery stared at the now closed door, trying to process what had just happened. What did Melody mean by what day it was? What happened today and why did it make Kadence so upset? She had so many questions, but judging by Kadence’s intoxicated state, they would have to wait.
“Kadence?” Avery whispered, combing her fingers through Kadence’s waves. “Kadence, let’s eat something, okay?” Avery shifted her off her lap to gather the bag off the coffee table. She needed to find something to soak up the alcohol in Kadence’s system.
“Nooo,” Kadence whined incredulously.
Avery barely managed to get he
r to eat a sandwich and down a bottle of Gatorade. By the time the floor had been cleaned, Kadence was in a more sober state.
“Come on,” Avery urged, pulling Kadence to her feet. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“No. No.” Kadence stumbled after Avery, grasping the bathroom door, almost causing the two to fall. “We need to take our pills and count.” She pointed at the medicine cabinet.
Pills?
“Ok. Hold on. Let me go see.” Avery ushered Kadence down the hall, opening the cabinet to find a small prescription bottle. To be taken for anxiety and minor depression. Her eyes widened as she realized Kadence was not the person she thought she was. She was just lonely. Avery had always been self-focused, but for the first time, she wanted to focus on someone else. She wanted happiness for Kadence and even more importantly, she wanted to be the source of that happiness. The thought caught her by surprise. Now is not the time, Bennett. Sort it out later.
Kadence waited, palm outstretched, but Avery knew mixing medication with alcohol was not a good idea. Forcing a smile, she shook her head.
“No pills tonight, Kae. I’ll be your happy place.”
Kadence frowned. “I don’t deserve to be happy.”
“Of course, you do.” Avery met Kadence’s gaze in the mirror. She placed her hand on Kadence’s wrist. Kadence stared down at their hands for a long time, thoughts whirling in her head. Avery waited for her to speak again. And when she did, it was meek and dejected.
“I’m alive. It’s not fair.”
“What do you mean?”
Green eyes stared back at her, hooded and turbulent. The sight left Avery hypnotized, yet terrified.
“Iris deserved better.” Kadence sobbed, body shaking with physical evidence of her emotional pain.
“What?” Iris? Didn’t she dump her? She’d have to have been a real moron to leave someone like Kadence. Kadence is the type of girlfriend you would die for. Avery’s stomach dropped.
Now it all made sense. Kadence’s insistence on the seat belt, her anxiety when it came to driving, the strange moments when she would freeze up from something Avery hadn’t even realized was a trigger. She had always thought Kadence and Iris just had a messy breakup that left Kadence scarred after she left. It hadn’t crossed her mind that Iris had died. A car accident must have brought their relationship to an untimely end.