AllFreeNovel
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“One of us has to file an initial complaint. That’s this.” She handed me part of the stack. Ugh, it looked complicated. “I’ll fill that out and get it notarized and that’s the first step. It’s almost $300, but I’ll cover it.” I winced. That was a lot of money.
“No, I’ll chip in half. We should share it,” I said. She sighed and took the papers back from me. I’d gotten chocolate on them. Of course.
“I’ll print new ones,” she said in a quiet voice. I pulled up my phone and sent her $150 for my half. Her phone made a noise that she’d gotten the payment.
“Cal, you didn’t have to do that.” She hardly ever called me Cal. I always liked it when she did.
“Yes, I did. And don’t you dare try to send it back because I’ll just keep sending it to you.” She made a frustrated noise and I laughed and tucked some of her hair behind her ears. It was always perfect and shiny, as if she had a stylist with her at all times.
“I’ve had chocolate and now I need cuddles,” I said, holding my arms out. Emma and I had always been affectionate and physically close since we were kids. I’d hugged her more than my own parents.
Emma hesitated for a second, but then I pouted and she gave in.
“Mine, mine, mine,” I said, squeezing her until she made a little yelping noise.
“Can’t breathe,” she said, and I reluctantly loosened my stranglehold on her. I inhaled the scent of her hair and it made my heart do a little flutter. For as long as I could remember, Emma had put orange essential oil in her shampoo and conditioner. It was as much a part of her in my mind as the indefinable smell of her skin. Pure comfort.
Emma pulled away from the cuddle too soon and I sighed, but let her go. She pulled her feet up on the couch and leaned next to me, which was almost as good as snuggling.
“You ready?” she asked, grabbing the remote. There was a new episode of our favorite show out and I’d been dying to watch it, but hadn’t until we could do it together.
“Yes,” I said, making sure I was comfortable. I’d forgotten my fidget cube, but Emma had extras for me in the drawer of her coffee table. She handed me one. I always had to be doing something with my hands when I watched TV, and this was better than constantly cracking my knuckles or picking at my cuticles. Sometimes I crocheted or did origami, but the cube with the little buttons and rollers was ideal for something I really wanted to pay attention to.
“Do we need drinks? Do you need to pee?” she asked. I rolled my eyes at her and grabbed the remote.
“I’m fine.” I hit play.
As the show wore on, I snuggled closer to Emma, eventually leaning my whole weight on her instead of the arm of the couch. She didn’t seem to notice, but then I kept seeing her hands clenching and unclenching. I wanted to give her my cube, but my hands were busy with it. This show was stressful. Emma paused it when there was a lull, saying she had to pee. When she came back, I had the blanket from the back of the couch wrapped around myself like a robe.
“You gonna share?” she asked, and I lifted one corner.
“Only if you cuddle with me.” I lifted the corners of the blanket like wings to envelope her.
“What is it with you and cuddles tonight?” she said, but she slid next to me and leaned into my chest with a sigh. I liked the sound of that sigh. It meant she was relaxed and content. Not going to lie, I was a little smug that Emma only made that sound when she was with me.
“I have a quota of cuddles to fill and I’m very behind. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.” She looked up at me, her eyelashes fluttering. Emma didn’t even need mascara. I had been jealous of her lashes since we were eleven.
“You makeallthe rules, Callyn,” she said. She rested her head back on my chest and I dropped the cube and put my fingers in her hair. Even better. A little moan of satisfaction escaped from her mouth as I ran my hands through the strands of her hair and massaged her scalp, especially at the base of her neck where she stored all her stress. I knew her body almost as well as my own.
“Mmmm, that feels good,” she said, pressing her head into my fingers.
“See? The cuddles come with benefits for you, Em.” She hit play and resumed the show and I fiddled with her hair, enjoying the silky texture of it against my fingers.
We both groaned when the episode ended on a cliffhanger (as it always did). Emma sat up and spun around to face me on the couch.
“I don’t want to go back to my place. It’s crowded and gross there,” I said. “Don’t make me go back there.”
No one but me was concerned about dishes (even though we had a dishwasher?), so I always came home to a sink full of them, and overflowing trash, and dust on everything. I refused to clean more than my share because we were all adults, so the place got grungy, fast. If I wasn’t so fucking broke, I would have hired a cleaning company. Maybe when I got a new job I’d do that. If I could get a better-paying job.
“You can stay if you want.” Emma had a second bedroom that she used as an office slash library slash extra closet that had a small daybed for guests. I considered it my room since I was the only guest who ever stayed over. I even had clothes and everything else I could need here. Sometimes we talked about moving in together, but Emma said she liked to have her own space, and I couldn’t afford the rent here, even if I was splitting it with her. Someday. Someday I wouldn’t be broke as fuck.
“Thanks. I just can’t deal with them tonight,” I said.
We watched a movie we’d seen before and could quote effortlessly, and then I took a quick shower while she cleaned up. When I came out of the guest room after putting on my pajamas, she was standing there with two bowls of ice cream.
“You are my favorite,” I said, taking the bowl from her. It was rocky road covered in rainbow sprinkles, my favorite. Emma hated it, but she kept it in the freezer for me. She was more of a mango gelato girl, so that’s what she had in her bowl.
She joined me in the guest room and we sat on the bed while we ate our ice cream, trying to avoid getting brain freeze and failing. At least I failed. Emma and I used to have freeze pop eating races in the summers and I always won because I could grit my teeth through the excruciating pain, and she would give up about a third of the way through.
