CHAPTER TEN #2
Her steps slowed as she passed a booth run by a pair of sleepy-looking faeries, their brightly colored eyes struggling to focus on her as she approached.
One of them leaned forward, his iridescent wings drooping slightly as he gave her a half grin and gestured to a case containing rows of shimmering cakes before pulling a thumbs-up and slumping back against the wooden cart.
Cadi leaned forward to examine the pastries, chuckling softly when she realized that Dust was likely one of the key ingredients judging by the faerie’s current state of chemically induced bliss.
While she’d never felt the inclination to try the drug, she’d been to several parties in her college days and seen a fair number of attendees that sported the same relaxed look as these stall owners.
She pressed her lips together, seriously considering joining them after the morning she’d had, but quickly decided that was a bad idea.
Maybe on a day when she didn’t have to go back to work.
“Cadi!”
She straightened, her head whipping around in search of the familiar voice calling her name until she spotted Sera’s arm waving above the crowd.
Cadi pushed through the throng until the bustling rows of vendors gave way to an open seating area filled with polished wooden tables.
Strands of lights hung overhead, threading between enormous triangles of strategically placed tan fabric doing their best to filter out the midday heat.
Trying not to look too eager, Cadi picked up her pace, and the tightness in her chest began to unfurl slightly when Sera’s arms wrapped around her shoulders in a warm embrace.
“Hey sweetie!” she said, “how are you?”
Cadi gave her friend an extra squeeze before letting go, surprised at how excited she was to see her, and how her jumbled mind seemed finally able to relax in her presence.
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I’m alive.”
Sera leaned back to look at her, the lines of her face tightening when she caught sight of Cadi’s barely concealed injury. Cadi tried to hide her wince at the look of shock on her friend’s face.
“Cadi, what happened? Are you okay?” Sera asked.
Cadi hesitated, surprised to find that she very much wanted to tell Sera everything. But this wasn’t the time to. Besides, Sera had her own life to worry about, her own problems. So, Cadi clamped her lips together and forced them into a smile instead.
“Yeah, I don’t really want to talk about it,” Cadi lied, “it’s just been a day.”
Sera studied her for a long moment, her hazel eyes sharp and assessing, until, at last, she nodded.
“Okay,” she said, running her hand over Cadi’s arms before gesturing to the open seat across from her. The muscles in Cadi’s back slowly relaxed as she lowered herself down onto the sun-warmed metal, thankful for the lack of follow-up questions.
“How are those?” Sera asked after a beat of silence, drawing Cadi’s attention to where she was staring at her orange-tinged fries with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. “Other than pungent, that is. I swear I smelled you before I saw you.”
Cadi blew a laugh through her lips. “I’ll have you know they are quite delicious. Here, try one.”
She slid the paper tray across the table, letting out another bark of laughter when Sera recoiled and wrinkled her nose.
“I’m good,” she said, holding up her hands. “I don’t trust that the smell will come off me.”
Cadi shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Tossing another into her mouth, she struggled to suppress a cough when a blast of cumin assaulted the back of her throat, and she quickly reminded herself to raid the hospital supply room for some toothpaste before seeing her next patient.
“So,” Sera said, her features softening as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. “How was the club?”
Cadi had to swallow hard to force her last bite past the lump that appeared in her throat. It shouldn’t have been a shock that Sera asked about her weekend, but it still caught her off guard. How could she even begin to tell her how catastrophically wrong everything had gone?
She could just spin some story and tell Sera everything had been great, but the idea of lying like that made her itch. Her eyes drifted to the space between them, suddenly finding herself very interested in the craftsmanship of the table. “It was fine. I left early though.”
The brightness in Sera’s eyes faded, her expression turning serious. “Was it because Elias was there?”
Cadi’s head snapped up. “What?”
Sera dipped her head to the side and pressed her lips together into a firm line. “He mentioned he ran into you. It wouldn’t shock me if the rest of that crew pitched a fit and demanded to leave if they saw him, too.”
Cadi felt some primal part of herself wind tighter in defiance, rearing back at the knowledge that Elias had said anything to Sera about the events of the weekend, even if it was something as innocent as the fact that he had seen her.
Acid rose in her gut, dissolving the sense of ease she had felt only seconds ago. Was that why Sera had texted her? Because Elias had suggested it? Because they didn’t think she could take care of herself? Well she could. She was fine, and she definitely didn’t need an emotional wellness check.
She was fine.
But when she looked across the table, the hissing creature inside her softened.
There was no judgement or condescension on Sera’s face; instead, she just saw her friend whose only aim in that moment was to make sure that she was okay.
And as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, maybe she wasn’t actually as fine as she thought she was.
Cadi shook her head, forcing out a hollow laugh. “No, it wasn’t that. It was actually kind of the opposite.”
Sera stayed quiet, giving Cadi the space and silence she needed to continue.
An overwhelming need to speak, to divulge everything, clawed behind Cadi’s ribs.
She blinked hard, forcing back the sting that had returned along the edges of her eyes as the tears she had denied earlier came back to claim their right.
When the first one announced its arrival, tracing a line down her cheek, she quickly swiped the heel of her hand across her face. But the damage was done.
Sera’s eyes went wide, and her hand moved to grip Cadi’s with an evenness that made her throat clench. “Babe, what happened?”
Cadi leaned forward, pressing her free hand into her eyes, trying and failing to stem the flood of emotions that she had been holding back. “I’m sorry,” she sniffed, “you invited me for lunch and I’m fucking ruining it by turning into a whiny mess.”
“Sweetie, no,” Sera said, running her thumb against the skin of Cadi’s hand. “I’m your friend. When things get heavy, I’ll always be here to help you carry it.”
Cadi let out a soft sound, though she couldn’t begin to tell if it was a laugh or a sob at the way her defenses cracked beneath the weight of Sera’s promise.
The words poured out of her. Celine, Damon, Zoe, how all of the bullshit seemed to be coming back on her.
Through her tears, she almost didn’t notice the softness that slipped into her voice when she recounted the way Elias had stepped in, helping her not only in that moment, but in her apartment after.
“Fuck,” she breathed, rubbing her fingertips against her forehead. “I am so sick of crying over those people.”
Sera’s grip tightened around her fingers, urging her to look up. Cadi’s breath came out with a small tremble. Undeniable pain stared back at her through her friend’s expression, but beneath that was a flicker of righteous anger.
“Sweetie, I am so sorry that happened to you,” she said, “and I’m so fucking proud of you for standing up for yourself.”
Cadi tried to return Sera’s comforting look, but even faking it felt monumental, the muscles in her face adamantly protesting the lie.
“Also,” Sera continued, “just say the word and I will gladly hex that smarmy fuck.”
A laugh burst from Cadi’s throat, the offer surprising her with how easily it lifted her spirits. She didn’t know exactly what Sera had in mind when she said “hex,” but a grin spread across her face at the thought of Damon with a permanent rash or premature baldness.
“Thanks,” she said, wiping the residual dampness from beneath her eyes. “But that won’t be necessary. I’m planning to strongly suggest to my supervisor that Zoe and I no longer work on the same floor when I get back and I … I can’t be involved with the Order anymore.”
She paused, waiting for any sign of protest from Sera, and when none came, she pressed on.
“I was really only there because I wanted to keep my word to Zoe that I would give it a shot, but with all of this shit, it just doesn’t feel worth it anymore.
Not while there’s still a chance of running into … ”
Her words trailed off, and Sera nodded slowly, the softness in her eyes easing a bit of tension that had begun to creep into Cadi’s chest as she spoke.
“I completely understand,” she said, leaning back against the chair.
A spark of confusion flared to life when Sera’s shoulders loosened and the lines of her face relaxed slightly.
Cadi had expected to see sadness or maybe disappointment when she broke the news that she was planning to step away from the Order, so the look of relief that currently shone across Sera’s face was a surprise.
A rhythmic buzz cut through the quiet, derailing Cadi’s curiosity as Sera’s phone danced across the table, the vibrations amplified through the wooden surface. Sera looked down, tipping the screen toward her to read the incoming message.
“Ah, looks like someone’s ears were burning.”
Cadi lifted her eyebrows in question, her confused expression pulling a low chuckle from Sera.
“Elias,” she explained, “I told him where we were meeting and he invited himself along. The man has an unhealthy obsession with the grilled cheese stall.”