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 Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:08 pm
Kayden had never straightened her apartment quite so quickly before. Of course…she had never been so nervous and excited to have someone over either…but then again…she had never been told over the phone that she had a completely forgotten a night that would have been rated NC-17 so…
Perhaps she had every right to be worried.
When the house smelled more like lemon and less like…whatever she had gone nose blind to, Kayden set to cooking, browning some chicken and boiling some pasta before setting everything to simmer in some nice cream and mushroom sauce…it smelled fantastic, and though she might be a little biased…
Her head snapped up when there was a knock on the door and she made her way over, opening it and grinning at the sight of Zenner. “Well, I know that I’ve seen you within the last ten years, but I obviously have no memory of it, so it’s time for the obligatory, holy s**t you’re not twelve anymore, and I love your hair.”
Without pausing to think about it, she opened her arms and gave a slight grin, and an almost apologetic shrug.
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:18 pm
Zenner had to give up and use her cane halfway there, but she got to Kayden's without much trouble. She folded up her cane and stuck it in her bag before approaching the door. She straightened her clothes and walked up to the apartment, knocking firmly on the door. When Kayden opened it, a goofy smile spread over her face at the sight of her, disheveled and a little sweaty from working over a stove. Whatever she was cooking, it smelled incredible as the cool draft from inside flew out of the now open door. "Kayden, you flatter me. I haven't been twelve for a long time now." She stepped forward and hugged the other woman tightly. "It's really good to see you again"
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:28 pm
“I mean, I haven’t been seventeen in a long time either but, you’re the one with the memories of meeting up again and I’m over here just…living in the past.”
She hugged Zenner tightly and then drew her into the apartment. “So the food will be ready in about ten minutes, have a seat and relax, and I want to know everything...even if you told me before, if you wouldn’t mind telling me again I would love to listen this time and actually take it in.”
It was…really nice to be seeing Zenner again. The feeling of seeing an old friend…even one that she hadn’t really…enjoyed being friends with…but still.
She was very glad that she hadn’t simply deleted the number in her phone.
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:48 pm
Zenner went inside gladly and sank down on Kayden's couch. She put her bag down by the arm of the couch and leaned back, resting her left foot on her right knee. Her knee ached as it bent, but it was better than resting her legs the other way, and she didn't want to just kick up her feet on Kayden's coffee table the moment she sat down. "Okay. Basically, my parents moved us here for work and we lived here happily for a few years. When I was 16, I got in a really bad accident and my knee was crushed. I had to have surgery and everything and even that barely helped. My parents took the next flight home and then it crashed and no-one survived. I didn't want to live in foster care so I started living on the streets. Those were some pretty dark times, but now I've got a decent job and an apartment of my own. It's just a studio, but I still love it." She ran her hand through her hair, smoothing it and then mussing it up again. It was a nervous habit of hers, but she couldn't help it. Watching Kayden while she listened to her, really being present in the moment and actually listening, she found herself feeling very vulnerable. Though, as she reminisced on their last encounter, that wasn't always a bad thing. "What about you? How have you been? What have you been up to? I didn't really get much talking out of you last time, at least not anything that made any sense"
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:58 pm
Kayden wrinkled her nose and frowned, watching Zenner for a moment before she snorted and grabbed a cushion off of the couch and put it on the coffee table, giving the younger woman a pointed look. “That’s…pretty damn intense and I’m glad that you pulled yourself out of the dark times, I’m glad that we get a chance to reconnect…again, and if you don’t put your feet up right now I’m going to do it for you, and I really don’t think you want that.”
There was some kind of vague memory with Zenners words, like the feeling of deja-vu or something similar, so perhaps everything wasn’t as completely forgotten as she had thought. “I’m going to assume you heard my tragic backstory too, about how I ended up in this city, well…ended up sleeping with a guy named Jack, somewhere between meeting you the first time and now, and he…was kind of a freeloader but. He satisfied my needs so. It was…good. Sobered up a bit with him here, but then he left and it…was pretty bad again.”
She shrugged and plopped down on the couch next to Zenner, hesitating for a moment before she rested her head on her shoulder and sighed. “Ended up meeting up with this super rich guy who offered me a job and told me I should clean up my act, and I’ve been mostly doing pretty good. So that’s been nice. Working on trying to build up a life again instead of simply having an existence…it’s harder than it should be, honestly. But…of all the people in the world, I figure you’d understand.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 9:13 pm
Zenner chuckled and propped her left leg up on the pillow that Kayden placed down for her. She had to admit, it was nice having someone care about how she felt. Her breath caught for a moment when Kayden sat next to her, but she leveled herself out before her head landed on her shoulder. There was the briefest moment of hesitation before she rested her own head on top of Kayden's. "Yeah, I get it. It's like building a house of cards. One little thing goes wrong and it all becomes dust in the wind. Every time you gain something, you get a little more afraid of the whole thing toppling over on top of you." Well, if she was gonna do this, she might as well go all out. She reached over and grabbed Kayden's hand, interlacing their fingers and resting their hands on her leg. "I'm really glad you're doing better. I was worried about you for a while there. I'm sorry things didn't work out with Jack, but I'm glad it got you to sober up for a while. And just look at you now. Cleaning the apartment, having someone over, cooking dinner, and you look incredible doing it. You're doing better than you think you are."
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2023 11:22 am
Well damn. If this was how Zenner was going to be, it was no wonder Kayden had succumbed to her charms while she was drunk off of her a**, but.
“That’s a great way to describe it…and makes it sound even worse than it is. I’m not really sorry they didn’t work out with Jack, but I’m not sorry that things with him happened either. It…was just the start of me getting better, so. Just a step in the plans I suppose.”
Her thumb gently moved across the back of Zenner’s hand and she fell quiet for a few moments, just thinking.
It did all happen the way that it was supposed to, and now look at where she was. Zenner was right, she was doing better, having a friend over, cooking dinner…those were things to be proud of.
“We’re both doing pretty damn good, and I know I’m biased, but it’s true.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2023 5:52 pm
Zenner shrugged. "Eh, I'm doing okay. Better than I was, that's for sure." She took a moment to look around the apartment, really take it in. It was small, but homey. Kayden had clearly taken her time making this apartment feel like her home. She traced patterns on the back of Kayden's hand with her other hand, just enjoying a nice moment with someone she cared about. "How long have you lived here? It's a nice place. It's small, but it's nice in here. Cozy. And whatever you're making for dinner smells incredible."
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2023 6:06 pm
“I’ve lived here…oh gosh. It’s been going on…I moved to the states back in twenty sixteen and lived with my cousin for a while…but…I think I got here about a year later or so? It’s been a good long while now. Long enough that it has become a home rather than just a place to live.”
Oh, speaking of dinner. With a sigh, Kayden pulled away from Zenner and flashed an apologetic smile. “If we don’t want dinner to burn, I should go and take care of it, I guess. It’s a super easy dish and I’m happy to share the recipe with you, or I can just make it whenever you want…which honestly, might be more fun and beneficial for the both of us.”
Grinning slightly, Kayden slipped into the kitchen and gave the food one last stir before plating some up for Zenner and herself. “Dinner is served, Zenzen.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2023 7:16 pm
Zenner groaned a little when Kayden got up, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face as she let her go. She watched as the other woman busied herself in the kitchen, just taking in the sight of her. Yeah, Kayden definitely wasn't seventeen anymore. She had grown into herself over the years and she was gorgeous. Zenner watched as she plated up food and got up to get her plate. She tried not to limp, but her body betrayed her as she took her first step. She picked up her plate and laughed at the old nickname. "Zenzen? I can't believe you remember that old nickname. You're gonna make me feel twelve all over again." She sat back down on the couch and propped her leg up on the pillow again as she took her first bite of food. "Wow. If this is what I'm in for, I'm glad you called me up again. This is delicious."
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2023 8:28 pm
“I’m not going to lie I had absolutely forgotten the nickname but it really just decided it wanted to crawl out of the recesses of my brain and here we are.”
Kayden took a moment to get comfortable and balanced her plate on her lap. “If you’re only going to come over for my food, so be it. I’m going to withhold the recipe, I’ve decided. You’ll just have to come back.”
Maybe she’d learn more things to cook…and they could start doing this somewhat often...
That sounded…honestly?
Amazing.
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