Love Me Sweet - SEQUEL (A Kaimelia - Kai Bartley/Amelia Shepherd - fanfiction)

Part 3

AMELIA

I swear, every time I order food, they forget something. This time I decided to treat myself with some sushi since Scout didn't want anything anyway so I didn't have to pick kid-friendly options. I did make him have a snack at least, mostly so I wouldn't feel like a bad mom.

But of course, they forgot to add the soy sauce. And this never happens when Kai is the one ordering. I'm apparently cursed.

I try to move quietly as I'm rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. Scout wanted to sleep some more so I already put him down for the night although it's only 7pm. Which means that he'll probably wake up super early, but oh well. At least we'll have a nice long night to ourselves. If Kai gets back, that is. They've been gone for about an hour and although I initially wanted to wait before eating, my rumbling stomach disagrees.

So here I am, on a chair, looking through the upper cabinet that holds some extra condiments and other stuff we rarely need. I swear, everything in this apartment is Kai-sized, meaning that I can barely see what exactly is in the cabinet. They did offer that we could get our own place once it was clear that the research project was going to be my main focus and I was to move to Minnesota. But that felt like such a huge step to take so I opted for moving in with them instead, at least for the first few months.

And here we are, almost a year later. Then again, I do love it here and am not in a rush to find a new place. Maybe we could just lower the shelves or something..

My hand touches a glass bottle and I grab it victoriously, being certain that this must be it. But as I lower my hand, I see that it's instead a bottle of scotch. We don't have any alcohol at home, a sacrifice Kai was glad to make. So either this was given to them recently or by the amount of dust on the neck of the bottle, it's probably been there for a while, forgotten by everyone.

I look at the bottle from all sides, already imagining the taste. It would be so easy to just have a small glass. Something to break the tension that I'm constantly feeling now that the project is evolving faster than we all could imagine. I feel like I'm just waiting for something to go wrong, because it still hasn't hit me that this could actually be possible. That all these diseases could be cured. By us.

I sigh heavily, giving the bottle one last look before putting it back into the cabinet. Turns out that the soy sauce was right next to it, made evident by the small clink of glass when I push the scotch back. I grab that instead and hesitate for a moment, my arm still stretched out. Biting my lip, I finally take both bottles and step down from the chair.

--

Kai has been gone a little over an hour and a half by the time I finally hear a key turn in the lock. I look around, seeing Fiddle get up at the sound to go and greet them. My eyes stop on the alcohol bottle that's on the kitchen counter for just a second before I turn my attention on Kai as well. "All good?" I ask, turning around on the couch so I can get a good look. Something's off. I can see it in their eyes.

"Huh? Oh.. Yeah. The machine is working again, it was a fairly easy fix thankfully," Kai nods, seemingly distracted. I don't question it yet though, instead moving aside when they come to take a seat on the couch next to me. "Ooh, you ordered sushi," they say happily. I obviously got enough for the both of us so there's still plenty left over.

"Yeah, Scout didn't have an appetite so I figured I'd take the chance to," I nod, smiling at Fiddle who comes and lays down on the floor near our feet. Kai doesn't allow him on the couch and I'm not gonna tell them how we still cuddled on here together while they were gone. Our little secret. But it seems that Fiddle knows the difference between his two parents, because he doesn't even try to get up here with Kai around.

"He's asleep?" they ask, looking around the room. Scout has a bed in our bedroom, which is also one of the reasons why we should probably look for a bigger place. He is only here two weeks out of the month, as is stated in our custody schedule with Link. But during those weeks, we have to get creative with Kai. Which is also kind of fun actually. Not a surface in this apartment that hasn't found alternative use.

"Yeah, for a while now. But his fever is still down so that's good," I nod. Thank god for infrared thermometers. It's very handy being able to check his temp without waking him.

Kai nods as well and then gives me a kiss on the cheek, getting up from the couch. "I'm grabbing juice, do you want any?" they offer, heading towards the kitchen. I just shake my head no, trying to pick a flavor of sushi to eat next. Not that I'm hungry anymore, but the food just looks too good.

"Um.. Amelia?" Kai asks and for a second I'm confused before I turn my head and see the bottle in their hand. Luckily it's closed and even sealed so there should be no questions about my sobriety. They just look genuinely confused at the sight of alcohol in our home, which further makes me wonder how long that bottle has been there.

I could've easily drank it and Kai wouldn't have even known it was gone. Surely, I would've smelled like alcohol, but I could always pretend that I got called in for a surgery and just leave.. The thought process scares me so I shake my head gently and focus on the situation at hand.

"I found it while looking for soy sauce. Didn't really want to put it back there, because I feel like I'd constantly think about that one hidden bottle then," I shrug, not really knowing how to best explain it without seeming like I'm a fragile mess one step away from going on a bender.

"I honestly didn't even know it was there, I'm sorry," Kai says, making me furrow my brows. It's nice that they care so much about making me comfortable, but something about the situation just rubs me the wrong way.

"It's fine. It's not like I've been eyeing it and craving it this whole time," I shake my head and go back to the couch, sitting down and shoving one more roll of sushi in my mouth just so I wouldn't have to continue this conversation.

"You could've poured it out," Kai says, their tone now more gentle. They then uncap the bottle and proceed to pour the whole thing down the drain. I try my best to ignore the faint smell that comes with that and instead take a sip of water, stopping my inner self from wishing that there was something stronger in my glass.

"And waited for you here with an empty bottle of alcohol? I think that would've looked very wrong," I smirk, already imagining it. Kai finding the bottle in the trash, us having a fight.. Although we don't really fight. They're too calm and collected for anything to really turn into a big fight. We just talk it out and move on, which is a very refreshing approach.

Kai doesn't say anything at first, throwing the bottle out and washing their hands to get rid of any smell of alcohol in the sink and on their hands. I sense the familiar smell of peaches instead when they join me on the couch, pulling me into their arms and giving me a kiss.

"I trust you and I know that if a relapse happens, you'll tell me," they say, soothing the bad thoughts in my head. I simply nod and relax into their arms, feeling grateful for how easy everything is with Kai.