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By the fourth weekend of Ameline’s visits, I’ve settled into a sort of routine. Every Friday around six, Cedric drops her off and then vanishes for the entire weekend, leaving me and Johnathan to look after his sister. She’s low maintenance, but I can’t leave her alone the whole time.
Surprisingly, she’s actually taken a liking to the classes with Aunt Ainsley. I’m the one who drops her off early on Saturdays, and Lyric brings her back in the evenings. Usually, John orders pizza, and we all hang out. It’s simple, but nice.
Today, however, is different. Johnathan’s off to a concert with his girlfriend, and they plan to stay at her place. The apartment feels unusually quiet without him.
“You should go out,” Ameline suggests, rummaging through the fridge, pulling out eggs, butter, and milk.
I lean against the counter, watching her. “And miss the one-month anniversary of you moving in with us?” I tease. “Never.”
She glances up at me, her expression mock-annoyed as she sticks out her tongue. “Dad should be back next week, hopefully. I really need him home because Helen’s getting annoyingly obnoxious, and I don’t think I can handle her anymore.”
Wanting to distract her from thoughts of the ‘wicked witch,’ as she calls her stepmother, I ask, “What are you making?”
“Cookies. Lyric gave me the recipe for the snickerdoodles she brought last weekend. She mentioned something about using them to make ice cream sandwiches.” Ameline pauses, eyeing the freezer thoughtfully. “When I told her we had ice cream at home, she gave me the idea.”
That sounds like something Lyr would suggest. I’m actually surprised she didn’t turn this into a slumber party, inviting all our cousins. My sister is a social butterfly. She has the habit of befriending everyone. While I’m glad she’s making Ameline feel welcome, a part of me is uncertain about their friendship. It’s supposed to be temporary, after all.
The moment her father is back, I don’t think we’ll see her again. Once Cedric is no longer my roommate, she’ll be a thing of the past. And, somehow, the thought of that happening nags at me. It’s an odd, unsettling thought—her absence. I realize, maybe for the first time, how accustomed I’ve grown to her.
Shaking off these thoughts, I focus back on the moment. “But what about dinner?”
She meets my gaze with a nonchalant shrug and a teasing smile on her lips. “I think cookies and ice cream might just be enough, don’t you?”
Her simplicity, her way of finding joy in small things is . . . refreshing? Is that even a thing? Or maybe it’s me trying to avoid thinking deeper about how I feel. Though, I can’t help but wonder if she could visit a few more times. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t mind this temporary arrangement lasting a bit longer.
“Let’s see if we can find something more substantial than ice cream and cookies,” I suggest, glancing toward the pantry.
“No, I’m good,” Ameline insists, her focus on the ingredients.
I roll my eyes. “You need to stop hanging out with my sister,” I say in mock-warning. “Lyric is a bad influence.”
Ameline waves off my faux concern. “I doubt that. She and Aerin are pretty cool,” she says, bringing up Lyric’s best friend, who’s also attending Aunt Ainsley’s classes.
I don’t know how to feel about her becoming connected to a part of my family, though. Cedric, her brother, is barely around, yet Ameline has seamlessly become more of a presence in this place than he has ever been.
“Let me whip up something, so you don’t dive into a sugar coma,” I say, moving to rummage through the fridge.
“You just want some of these cookies,” she accuses playfully, a knowing look in her eyes.
“Guilty as charged,” I admit with a grin, pulling out ingredients for a quick meal.
As I start cooking, there’s a sudden knock at the door. Wiping my hands on a kitchen towel, I walk over and open it.
On the other side stands Archer, one of my best friends. I take a step backward, an uneasy feeling creeping up on me. “Is everything okay? I thought you were in New York.”
“Nah, I had a last-minute—” After he begins, he’s cut off mid-sentence.
“Hey, Cee! I didn’t know you were coming,” Ameline interrupts Archer, her tone squeaky but somehow happy thinking her brother is here.
Archer raises an eyebrow, a grin spreading across his face. “We have a visitor, huh? I can’t wait to meet her.” His eyes dart to Ameline, but then he shoots me a glare, giving me a ‘what the fuck is wrong with you’ look.
“Oh, you’re not Cedric,” Ameline says, disappointed.
“Nope, I’m Archer St. James. His best and only friend,” he introduces himself, his grin returning. “And you are?”
Before she can answer, I jump in. “She’s my roommate’s sister and I have more friends, asshole.”
“So you babysit on weekends?” Archer teases. “Nice.”
