Chapter 10
Nico snuck down the hallway of their apartment, tip-toeing over the loose floorboards. They had just returned from their morning Gym run, and they only wanted a shower and a nice hot tea. Jerry had added more to her ‘thesis conspiracy’, they were pretty sure they saw “human remains?” scrawled in Jerry's scratchy writing across the top of one of the lists. The abandoned “Professor Sigrid” board was covering the coffee table, she must have added a category the night before to each of her boards.
Their phone dinged. ‘Hey Nico, I know that you and Gemima aren't able to come down for Pride this year, so I'm sending up your new quilts can you keep track of your mail?’
Nico looked at the text and smiled, ‘Yes, Ma’am!’ they watched the small bubble appear and disappear before a picture of a tracking number showed up. They liked the message and slid their phone back on its charging dock before ripping their hoodie off. They caught a glimpse of their body in the mirror and paused.
Skin.
Curves, hips, broad shoulders. They stared at a freckle on their shoulder. Why were they so wide? They felt too big for their skin and too small for their skeleton. Too wide for their frame and too short for their height. They could hear every breath.
Inhale and exhale. It was so loud.
They threw their hoodie onto the mirror.
Not today.
They took a shower, massaging the shampoo into their hair, it was getting longer, and they would need a haircut soon.
‘But what if it makes you pretty’ their brain asked.
“Shut up,” they mumbled, closing their eyes to finish their hair routine. They wrapped a towel around their hips and carefully laid one across their shoulders, draping the ends over their chest before walking back to their room, dripping water from their hair.
They pulled their phone off its charger to check the time, 5:38
‘You need more sleep, Nico.’
‘I'll sleep after closing, love you Mrs. Yazzie.” they loved Jerry's parents, especially her dad. When they had run from home, he defended them from their bio-parents and helped them get jobs and move out.
They dried off as much as they could and pulled on shorts and a green sweater, pulling the sleeves over their hands and smiling. They flipped their hands around, making sweater paws before having a shimmy boogie. The sweater went halfway down their thighs over their shorts.
They slid in mismatched sock-covered feet past Jerry's door; they could hear her snoring and padded into the kitchen. They started the coffee maker, two shots of espresso for their favorite person, and a green tea for them.
Fifteen minutes later, they heard an alarm sound, followed by a heavy thud and a groan.
Jerry crawled dramatically out of her room, inching along the floor in her quilt. “Is it daylight?”
“Toast and coffee is on the counter.” they grinned, leaning their hip against the table.
“I love you. So much.” she scrambled up, grasped the oversized latte, and chugged.
As a friend. Nico's brain supplied,
‘Shut up,’ they thought back.
“D’y’nd hlp atthecafetdy?” Jerry munched her toast, blinking one eye at a time.
“If you have time this weekend, that would be great. Im staying open late for the pride parade today.”
“Mm,” Jerry nodded, watching Nico refilled her coffee cup. Nico usually made two cups of coffee in the mornings.
“Im gnaclthelb.”
“Let the lab know you're taking the weekend to not go in, which you’re allowed to do, little workaholic.”
“Mmhmm.” Jerry was staring off into space. Nico loved how she would stare at the wall, solving problems they could never understand.
“Jer?”
“Hm?” Jerry tilted her head, pulling the coffee cup to her face.
“I..” they paused, “need the laundry room today; that okay?”
“Mhmm!” she smiled and finished her drink before returning to her room to get dressed for the day. Nico leaned heavily against the wall. Jerry was their friend. Jerry would never be more, it was stupid to think they could ever be more. They shook their head and cleaned the kitchen before padding downstairs to open the cafe.