The smell of something warm and spicy hit me when I got near the kitchen door.I peeked inside first, not ready to really face Paxon head on.Seth was by the stove, stirring a pot in a slow and lazy movement.Paxon sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island, elbows resting on the counter, hands wrapped around a glass of water.
“—I’m just saying,” Seth was speaking, his tone amusing and exasperated all at once.“If you kick the ball that hard at Calvin again, he’s going to quit playing with you altogether.”
Paxon’s laugh came in response, low and easy, the kind of laugh I hadn’t heard from him in months.“He asked me to go easy on him but if he’s going to try all those flashy moves he sees on TV, then I’m going to show him why an amateur needs to keep practicing the basics.”
“You’re nearly six feet tall of solid muscle,” Seth countered, stirring the pan.“He’s a seven-year-old twig with a soccer ball.Maybe learn what ‘go easy’ actually means.”
“He needs to toughen up.Besides,” Paxon said, mock offense in his voice, “I didn’t even score on him.I missed on purpose.”
“Sure you did.”
“I did!”
“You hit the garage door, man.”Seth chuckled, shaking his head.“Your dad probably thought the house collapsed with that noise.”
“He texted me after,” Paxon admitted, grinning faintly.“Said if I dented it again, he’s making me repaint it myself.”
Their laughter was so natural, so unguarded, that for a second, I almost didn’t want to interrupt.
It hit me how easily they talked, how their rhythm hadn’t been broken by months of weird distance or confusion.For them, life moved on like normal.For me, it hadn’t.
I lingered just long enough to listen before forcing myself forward.They had to know I was already there so I couldn’t stand around and do nothing indefinitely.
Seth looked over at me first.“Hey, Cadence.”His tone was filled with warmth that always made me feel like I could breathe again.“Was starting to wonder if you got lost.”
My cheeks heated as I forced a smile.“Just had to wrestle Bebe for control of the hallway.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Paxon’s mouth twitch, like he wanted to smile too but stopped himself halfway.
Seth chuckled.“Grab a seat.I was just about to tell Paxon about how my crew is still trying to kill me.”
Paxon leaned back on his stool, the corner of his mouth lifting.“They really aren’t trying to kill you.”
“They could’ve fooled me,” Seth said, setting the spatula aside.“I swear every day they find a new way to almost drop something heavy on my head.”
Paxon snorted.“That’s not murder, that’s bad coordination.”
“Feels like murder,” Seth shot back.
Their laughter filled the kitchen again, easy and warm, while I slid onto a stool at the far end of the island.The stool squeaked against the tile, the sound too sharp to my ears.
“So,” Seth said, glancing over his shoulder, “you’re really here for tutoring, huh?”
The question made me pause.I glanced at Paxon, briefly wondering how much Seth knew.I played with the strap of my bookbag as I tried to feign casual.“Yeah.Principal Calgary thinks I’m slipping and is worried my grades will drop too low.I need to catch up in physics.I’m fine in the other classes.”
“Principal Calgary thinks everyone’s slipping if they miss something because they blink too much.”Seth smirked, but then he turned to face us completely, his expression softening.“But honestly, it’s a good idea.You’ve had a lot going on.”He crossed his arms, forearms flexing as he leaned back against the counter next to the stove.“And Paxon’s a solid choice.Smart, patient.I mean, unless you count the garage door incident.”
“Hey,” Paxon protested.“I rarely do that.”
“Often enough.”Seth gave him a teasing look.“But seriously, this is good.The two of you spending time together again.”
My muscles in my shoulders tensed at what he was suggesting.“It’s just tutoring,” I said, maybe too fast.
“Tutoring,” Seth repeated with a knowing tone, turning and flipping off the burner.“Right.I’ve done somejust tutoringbefore.”
I narrowed my eyes.“You’re enjoying this too much.”
He held up his hands with a grin.“I’m just saying, I think it’ll be good for both of you.You can’t fix things if you keep dodging each other.”
