Not As Advertised by Violet K. Avery

Author:Violet K. Avery [Avery, Violet K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

The trip to LA had me missing my weekly girls’ night with Indie and Emery. Other than a few text messages about the basics of arriving home and being tired, I’d been too nervous to put anything about Aiden in writing.

Despite being a college town, Amado was not just a city full of bars with a party scene. I appreciated the calmer, quieter choices of the many independent cafés and restaurants. Since it was my turn to pick the venue, I’d chosen a cat café where the owners fostered rescue cats until they could get adopted. It was halfway between Appeal and Almaden University, so I’d decided to walk to give myself time to think.

Distracted by my meeting with Ethan, I hadn’t thought about what I was going to actually share with my friends. I knew Aiden insisted that everything between us be kept private, but I didn’t want to be alone in thinking through the consequences of pursuing a romantic relationship with him.

He might be able to compartmentalize his emotions that way, but I wasn’t built like that. If one part of my life was out of balance, all the other parts were affected. I didn’t want to shoulder all this pressure on my own. Indie and Emery would never disclose what I shared with them to anyone else.

Before Aiden came into my life, they were the only safe space I could count on.

When I arrived at the front door of the café, I couldn’t help but smile at the cat trees behind the windows, each with a dozing cat or two enjoying the late-day sun.

Leaving the office a little later than usual meant that Indie and Emery had already beaten me there. I could see them through the café’s glass door as I pulled it open and went inside.

Making my way to the table, I saw Emery’s sunny smile, joined by Indie’s disgruntled expression.

As I sat down, Indie kept up her ruse. “Why do I want cat hair in my coffee again?” She slid me the third cup of coffee that was already on the table.

“It gives it extra flavor.” Emery laughed. “Hey, Abs.”

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.”

We both knew Indie was just making a fuss for the sake of it. While not a sucker for animals the way that we were, Indie did like them deep down.

“I’m just saying, Mew is going to know what a traitor you are when you come home and he smells all this on you.” She waved her hands in a sweeping motion to encompass our surroundings. “I’m glad he won’t be smelling any of his feline competition on me.”

I smiled. “Thank you both for checking on him. Especially for feeding him every day, Indie.”

“You’re lucky I stopped her at one outfit,” Emery replied.

“Listen, just because I downloaded a few patterns off Etsy does not mean I was planning to dress him up all week.” Indie sniffed.

Indie totally would have had an outfit per day for him if I’d had more notice of the trip.

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