31. Chapter 31
31
I ’m alone when I wake up in Kara’s living room. It’s disorienting at first, the smell of coffee, and the chill on my exposed arms. We didn’t even sleep with a blanket last night, and I assume it’s because there isn’t one to be found here. She might be the only person I’ve met that doesn’t have a designated couch blanket.
I sit up, and examine the mess we left. Open bags of chips and candy that are probably stale and hard now. I instinctively reach for a chip, but think better of it before I do. That’s not what my stomach wants first thing in the morning.
The coffee I smell does seem to be calling for me, despite my usual aversion to it. I follow it to the coffee pot sitting on her counter. There’s a purple sticky note on the machine. I smile to myself.
I know it’s not your thing, but I didn’t have anything else. Help yourself, I’ll be back soon.
Like magic, I hear her key in the door.
“Do you have any creamer?” I ask without looking her way as I pour myself a mug of the still steaming coffee.
I’d rather not tolerate the taste without some.
“In the door of the fridge,” she says in a cheery voice.
Someone woke up on the right side of the couch.
I head for it, turning to give her a quick smile when I notice a bag in her hands.
“What do you have there?” I ask. But I know what it is, I recognize the red logo and the bubbly font on the bag.
“I have reason to believe you enjoy these breakfast burritos?”
Abandoning my task, I run to her and kiss her. We both only freeze for a second when realizing what I’ve done, but it felt right in the moment. I’m not going to regret it.
“You little stalker!” I tease. “Just how often did you watch me from that window.”
“More often than I’ll admit,” she answers with a smirk.
Only when she sets the bag down, do I notice her other arm tucked behind her back. I pretend to peek around her, but she smirks and steps back.
“I had a really great night,” she says.
“So did I.”
“I just wanted to thank you. I know I probably don’t deserve this second chance, but thank you for giving it to me anyway.”
Then she pulls the surprise out from behind her, and holds it in front of me.
I immediately take it from her.
“You got me flowers?” I ask a little breathlessly as I study the blooms in my hand. There are carnations and daisies in the brightest yellow bouquet I’ve ever seen.
It’s perfect. It’s exactly what I would’ve picked out myself if I was in the habit of buying myself flowers. I never have, because I can’t justify it when they’ll wither away in a couple weeks.
Knowing as much doesn’t make me any less happy to see them now, though. I’m giddy.
“Yeah,” she says in a low voice. “These ones made me think of you. You and that stupid shirt.”
“You love that shirt,” I gasp.
“Both things can be true.”
I shrug, wordlessly agreeing to disagree.
“This was really nice of you.”
“I can be nice sometimes, contrary to popular belief.”
I set the flowers down on the counter next to me, and throw my arms around her.
“I must be an outsider, because I already know that.”
“I thought we already knew you were an outsider,” she says.
I don’t even pretend to scoff, because her own arms come up around me and she squeezes.
Hugs are so necessary, I don’t know how anyone lives without them. I could never ever live without being affectionate and touchy, but I’ve recently realized more specifically that I can’t last very long without her touch.
I pull away before I do something stupid, like cry or word vomit all of my current feelings. What a disaster.
“What are you doing today?”
“It really depends on what you’re doing today,” she says, drawing the words out slowly. “I might already be missing class.”
My jaw starts to drop open, but I catch it quickly.
“You didn’t have to miss class just because I fell asleep here,” I exclaim. “You could’ve added that to your note!”
“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to spend the morning with you.”
I’m a melting mess.
I rack my brain for the last time I called out of work, who’s there today, and how much I’ll have to do to make up for it.
I decide it’s worth it, and I text my co-manager.
“My whole day just freed up.”
When I look over at her, her mouth is full of breakfast burrito. My stomach growls as I remember my own, and grab it from the bag.
She shakes her head, but finishes chewing before saying anything.
“Am I a bad influence on you?”
“Maybe. But I don’t care.”
I dig in to my own food, and then remember the coffee I left sitting. I feel like a mess as I bounce around in her kitchen, adding creamer and putting it back. Then I take a trial sip, hate it, and go back for the creamer.
Repeat three times .
Kara silently laughs at me as she continues eating, like she has the best entertainment for her meal.
I’m sitting on Kara’s lap, as we read a chapter together. I’m much slower than she is, so I feel bad for taking so long to turn the pages while she waits.
If only Autumn knew who was reading her book right now. Not only that, but enjoying it. She hasn’t made a single snarky comment since we started. I may have even caught a smile or two on that beautiful face of hers.
Footsteps on the stairs below throw me out of my head. I don’t know who the hell would be coming up here at this time of day on a random Tuesday? I’m not expecting anyone, and I don’t think Kara would approve of our PDA level if she was expecting anyone.
I quickly stand, and the book falls from my hands to the dusty ground.
Ouch, sorry book .
When I look up from bending down to grab it, I see Vic standing at the top of the stairs. She’s got Angeline in a front carrier on her chest, and she looks like those stairs were the workout of a lifetime.
“Who’s your friend?” she asks, catching her breath.
Our close proximity is still a little suspicious. Okay, a lot suspicious, because I’m standing right in front of her, the back of my leg touching her knee.
I take a single step away.
“This is my, um–” Bad time for my brain to freeze up, but it does just that.
“Neighbor,” Kara finishes.
She stands from her seat to approach Vic with an outstretched arm. They shake hands.
“Oh! That’s right,” she says like that’s the most normal thing. Then I watch as it hits her, and her expression switches to confusion. “I forgot someone new moved in. It’s nice to meet you.”
Vic’s a good friend, and a good actor apparently. She listened to me complain a lot . She is not a fan of the woman in front of her.
“You too.”
Kara doesn’t say more than that, considering her lack of interest in most socializing.
Vic awkwardly nods a couple times.
“Sit down, babe.” I motion to the seat I wasn’t occupying in the first place. “I know she’s heavy.”
“She fell asleep while I was walking up the stairs. She always falls asleep when I wish I could.” Vic sticks her bottom lip out in a pout, but she starts smoothing down the hair on Angeline’s head. Baby hair is the best. It’s so soft. I’m a little jealous.
“What a little angel,” I say. How appropriate, Angeline the angel.
“That’s the whole point,” Vic coos in a little voice that’s meant for the baby. The sleeping baby who can’t hear her.
Vic has the most adorable mom mode.
Kara is still standing, and I can tell she’s in flight mode. When we make eye contact, I shake my head subtly. I don’t want her to leave yet, and I doubt sitting here for a couple minutes is going to expose anything we don’t want exposed yet.
Not that we’ve had that conversation, but I feel like we’re on the same page.
“This is my best friend, Vic. And that’s little Angeline.”
She nods slowly.
“Nice to meet you.”
“What was your name?” Vic asks.
“It’s Karissa,” she says, taking me by surprise.
I don’t think, I just react.
“What the hell? That’s your name?”
Before Vic looks up in confusion, I catch the roll of Kara’s eyes. The sight of it makes me want to wrap her in a hug and plant kisses all over her face. I’m so attached to that attitude.
“You don’t know her name?”
“She calls me by a nickname,” she says quickly. For the best, so I don’t blurt anything else out.
But I’m dying to know if she’s lying because she’s worried about Vic knowing who she is, or if I’ve gone the last couple months without knowing her actual name. Both answers irritate me for reasons I can’t explain.
“Reya does like her nicknames. She’s been trying for over a year to convince a friend of ours to call her Rey. As if her name isn’t short enough already.”
“I don’t have to try anymore, he’s leaned into it,” I tell her. “I think he secretly likes that he’s the only one that gets to call me that.”
Vic laughs.
“Yeah, I’m sure Miles feels really special.”
Kara tenses at the mention of his name, and Vic clocks it. She looks between us.
“What’s your nickname?” she asks Kara.
I swear she’s sweating, she’s so nervous.
“Uh—“
“Babe, can you give us one minute? Sorry, be right back.”
I ignore both of their shocked, uneasy expressions and yank Kara into her apartment. I accidentally slam the door behind us and wince.
“What are you doing?”
“We didn’t get to go over what to do in a situation like this! You don’t have to tell her your name, I can change the subject when we go back out there.”
“Would she know about me? Past me?”
“She would. Our little friend group? We’re talkers. All of us know everything about everything.”
“Who’s to say—“
There’s a knock on the door right behind us. Before I even open it, I hear Vic’s voice.
“If it’ll save you some time, I know exactly who you are.”
We both freeze.
“And if you’re panicking, you can stop. I came here to see my friend, not hang out on her porch alone. Get out here.”
I look to Kara to see if she has any clue of what she wants to do, but she shrugs.
“What do you mean you know who she is?” I ask through the door.
Vic throws the door open instead of answering and almost hits me with it. She looks exasperated.
“Get out here, and stop being weird.”
We do as she says, stiffly shuffling outside again. I let the two of them sit, and I stand nervously near Kara’s side.
Vic rolls her eyes.
“I’m going to say this one time, so hear it.” She looks Kara dead in the eye. “I’m not going to crucify you for being Miles’ ex-wife. There might be some explaining to do at some future point, but I don’t care for it today.” Her gaze lands on me. “You absolutely have some explaining to do, but again: not today. Fair? We good?”
The two of us quickly nod.
And then we all get swept up in conversation, like it’s the least weird thing ever that she is who she is.
“Oh, please!” Vic shouts with a laugh. “Autumn is the least confrontational person we know.”
It’s her response to Kara seeming worried that Autumn might discover we’re all doing this right now, and it’s the truth. Autumn wouldn’t be thrilled, but she wouldn’t do anything that Kara should worry about.
“I gave her ideas to get back at Justin,” I tell Kara. “She had so many opportunities, but she thought karma was doing its job just fine.”
“I love her for being the bigger person, I really do.”
“It’s precious,” I add. “But sometimes someone just needs to have their food sneezed on.”
Kara’s hand flies over her mouth, but I hear her laugh.
“You didn’t.”
“We both did,” Vic says with a smirk. “Amelia kept inviting us over for dinner, being none the wiser. Between you and us? We had some things to share with her, too. I always flipped her toilet paper rolls the other way, and guess who she blamed it on?”
“I’m hoping it was Justin.”
The answer is our shared grins.
It was childish, sure, but it was fun. It felt good to get a little revenge for our best friend’s sake. She still has no idea, and I have been wondering if I should deliver the news of all of our little tricks as a birthday present. Maybe a cute little journal where I draw and detail them all.
She can’t be mad now , we’ve been on our best behavior for months. Honestly, that family has grown on me a lot, and I feel good about it.
I feel good about it because of our shenanigans. Don’t think I’d be able to say the same if I hadn’t been the sole reason that every single one of that woman’s houseplants died.
“Good for you guys.”