Page 30 of Delayed Penalty

Don’t forget the Jalapeno cream cheese…

Trevor

Whatever you do, Harris… don’t forget the cream cheese…

Promise

Trevor texts me outside of the group chat right after I sent that… this time a little more serious in his wording for me “to not forget the fucking jalapeno cream cheese if I knew what was good for me… or anyone else around the hormonal pregnant Ellie”.

I chuckle, imagining him typing this while sitting three feet away from her, as happy as can be, but I can imagine her being pregnant and having cravings can be pretty intense.

Me

Just don’t forget the cream cheese next time and maybe you won’t have such intense fear of someone forgetting it.

Trevor

*middle finger emoji*

Getting in my car, I put the address in and make the drive to her sister’s house, a drive that takes nearly an hour with it being lunch time, but damn, it’s far.

Jeez, I can’t imagine her making this drive to work five days a week if she’s still living here when she goes back to work in August. I wish she would have considered my offer of living with me until she can get herself back on her feet. I’m so much closer, I obviously have more space if she’s having to share a room with her sister.

But I get it… it’s probably weird to live with an ex… especially an ex you spent a wild night having sex with before crashing for an hour only to wake up and go another round… or two, barely even a month ago. Yeah, I can see why it might bea littleweird.

Pulling up to her sister’s building I’m lucky enough to snag a parking spot right outside the door. Grabbing the food and the drinks I picked up at the corner store to help her get some fluids and electrolytes, I make my way inside and ring their apartment.

“Hello?” I hear a female voice come through the speaker that I don’t quite recognize. It must be Kelly.

Pushing the button, I hope for the best. “Hey, it’s Harris. Sorry to just drop in like this but I have something for your sister.”

It’s quiet for a moment… okay, a few moments and I’m worried that they’re just going to ignore me, leaving me down here by myself, but thankfully, I hear the buzzer and know they’re letting me in. Checking the apartment number, I quickly hop in the elevator. When I get on their floor, the door is already open and I can see Kelly standing there with a smirk.

“What do you have there?” she asks, obviously amused.

“Uh, I was at my friend’s bakery, and they have chicken soup and the best bread ever so I grabbed some for her because she said she wasn’t feeling well.”

She watches me for a minute, her eyes crinkling as she assesses me.

“You’re not at all what I expected,” she finally says, taking a step back though she lets me in where I’m met face to face with Avery who’s covered head-to-toe in a quilt, looking more like a blanket mound than a human.

It’s cute.

“Please tell me that’s from Stella’s,” is all she says, her eyes so hopeful. “I heard you say fresh bread and chicken soup and hers is the best in the entire freaking state. I will literally die if that’s what this is,” she says, gesturing toward the bags.

“If it’s going to be the reason you die, I’ll just take it home with me.”

“Don’t you dare,” she growls, her eyes widen as she waddles her way over to me and grabs the bag, immediately pulling it back into her blanket.

“Thank you,” she grumbles. “But how… and why?”

“Um. My friend Stella owns the bakery, and I was there and remembered you mentioned you weren’t feeling well. Whenever I’m sick I always eat this, and it makes me feel so much better, so I thought I’d bring you some since I had some time before I had anywhere to be.”

I don’t have to be at the shelter to see Luna until four, so I knew I had plenty of time to come drop this off, obviously just a ruse to get to see her again, but who cares if I’m being nice and she’s the one who gets to benefit.

“Well, thank you,” she says quietly, and I can tell she’s not feeling well, at all.

“Why don’t you go eat and get some rest, I’m going to head back.”

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