Bend for Me by Jessica Yeh

Author:Jessica Yeh [Yeh, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781948327312
Publisher: Desert Palm Press
Published: 2019-06-28T17:00:00+00:00

***

They arrived at the custom print shop to pick up the wedding order. Kadence combed through the list while Avery assisted with verifying each quantity—invitations, thank you cards, personalized envelopes, and gift bags with Jordan and Melody scripted on the handles. Once everything was accounted for, they made their way back to Kadence’s apartment.

Unfortunately, the return paled in comparison to the journey there, literally. On the way to dropping Kadence off at her place, they hit traffic. Within minutes, the blaring of sirens emerged. White knuckles gripped, no clung, to the steering wheel. Kadence’s pupils darkened and eyes glazed over as she tried to ground herself.

“Kadence?”

Kadence’s jaw locked, biting back tears of hysteria. It wasn’t until she felt a warm pressure around her wrist that the sound of Iris’ scream stopped echoing in her head. She startled to find Avery rubbing the stiffened joint, speaking in hushed tones. Slowly, the muffled words became clear enough for her to comprehend.

“Kadence, I’m here. You’re here. We’re present. We are present.” As Avery repeated the soothing mantra, she never ceased to let go of Kadence’s wrist. “Can you count with me? One…two…three…”

On four Kadence’s trembling voice joined in.

“Five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten.” They counted together. After a few moments of repetition and coaxing, the swelling in Kadence’s throat relaxed. But her embarrassment escalated as the seconds ticked on. A tear fell down her cheek, plopping into her lap.

“Hey, Kae.” The way Avery spoke her name felt like a pair of warm arms and Kadence wanted nothing more than to fall apart in them. “Do you know where you are?”

Kadence blinked and swallowed. Avery allowed her a moment to breathe before answering. “W…we’re in DC. Off I-95, heading to my apartment.”

Avery nodded. “Good. That’s right. Do you want to pull over? I could drive if you’d like to take a break.”

After a shaky exhale, Kadence shook her head. She needed to pull herself together. What would Melody think if she knew she’d had another panic attack? “I think I’m okay now. Thank you, though.” She turned to face the road. Neither brought it up, sitting in silence until the traffic sped to a crawl.

Kadence couldn’t spare a glance at the wreckage as they moved beyond the scene of the accident.

“Looks like everybody’s okay,” Avery announced. “The cars took the brunt of the damage.”

“That’s good. They’re lucky.” Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat, masking it with an exaggerated cough.

“Kadence?”

Here it comes.

“Yeah?” She summoned all of her energy into speaking the single word.

“Can you please pull off at the next exit? I forgot that I need to grab something from the craft store.”

With a wooden nod, Kadence flicked the turn signal. Avery directed them to the parking lot of a small shopping complex and Kadence killed the engine. Kadence unbuckled her seatbelt, but Avery stayed put, shaking her head. Kadence cocked her brow.

“Let’s just sit here and breathe for a second,” Avery said. “Like yoga.”

Kadence hesitated. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Avery released her seatbelt, making herself at home. She cracked the windows and leaned back in the seat.

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