Closest I Get

Chapter Two

Early June

Tori shifts her attention between the envelope and Jade.

"What?" is all she manages to spit out.

"This," Jade taps with her index finger, "is your mail. It got put in mine accidentally."

"What?"

"Yeah, I live across the hall. Right there," Jade points gestures with her other hand behind her.

"What?" Jade rolls her eyes because, honestly.

"Vega, I will cut your tongue off if you say 'what' again."

Before Tori has a chance to dumbly repeat herself, Jade steps forward past her, looking particularly confused. She sniffs around for a second before they make eye contact again. "Are you trying to cook your kitchen?"

Tori's eyes widen in panic as she jumps from the shock of Jade's surprise appearance to the realization that she left the stove on. She runs to the kitchen and finds her chicken marsala on fire. She screams in horror before throwing the water – and in sheer panic, the water pitcher – at the stove.

"Nooooo!" She groans in frustration for the demise of her ruined attempt of dinner. She doesn't even notice Jade filling the space beside her and inspecting the rest of her kitchen.

"You could do with more charring over there."

She glares at Jade. But the irritation is short lived when she remembers that she has nothing to eat. Petulant, she whines. "That was my dinner."

Jade laughs. "It's not the end of the world, Vega. You also look really pathetic pouting like that."

"That was dinner and I am so hungry."

Jade rolls her eyes. "Jeeze. What are you, five? Come on, we'll get you some food. Some better food than this mess."

Tori slumps dejected before throwing the dishtowel on the kitchen sink, her official sign of defeat. It's only when she turns around and away from her kitchen that it dawns on her. "Wait, you're being nice."

Tori follows Jade's form as the other woman meanders through her apartment. Jade is scanning the photo frames lining the table behind the couch, mindless in her exploration around Tori's home. She carries on with the conversation not once paying any such attention to Tori as if it's a common occurrence between them. "Yeah, to myself. Because no one wants to listen to you whine." Tori meets Jade's eyes when she shifts her gaze from a photo frame on the table. "Least of all me."

Tori doesn't get a chance to say anything else because Jade has abandoned the photographs and makes her way to the door.

"Are you coming or are you going to eat your burnt bird?"

The noise emitting from Tori's stomach is enough motivation to leave her failed endeavor behind. She plucks her purse off the table and crosses the length of her apartment, joining Jade at the doorway.

/

Jade can't recall any other time in her life that she has been as happy to see Tori as she is tonight. She doesn't idle with the thought knowing she's just purposefully invited Tori to dinner.

/

They travel about two blocks away from their building with Jade about a step ahead each time. Tori doesn't complain about how far she's walking because her mind is much too preoccupied with the idea that Jade West lives across from her. That Jade West has, in fact, invited her to dinner.

She has yet to stamp down her shock that Jade is with her now, of all places. They're seated by a young woman who seems to already be acquainted with Jade.