Twist (Off Balance Book 4)

by Lucia Franco

  I placed the card back in the envelope and placed it to the side. "You didn't need to give me anything, you know. You're giving me a freaking organ."

  "Yeah, but I wanted to."

  I smiled, feeling grateful.

  "This is for when surgery is over," Avery said as I pulled out the first gift wrapped in tissue paper. "You have to wear it."

  "Promise," I said without even looking at it.

  I unfolded the shirt and read the bold block letters. STRAIGHT OUTTA TRANSPLANT SURGERY. It had two little kidneys next to the wording.

  I let out a belly laugh, and grinned from ear to ear. This was the first time in months I felt like I could breathe again, like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and I owed it to my bestie. It was surreal.

  "I love it! Leave it to you to find a shirt like this."

  I reached into the bag again and pulled out another tissue wrapped gift. I held up the green shirt, the color associated with kidney disease, and read the white lettering. KIDNEY THIEF.

  Avery poked her head around the side. She beamed with happiness. I loved that I could see her like this again but felt bad that it was only from being a match. But that was Avery. Always going above and beyond to make someone else happy.

  As I pulled out yet another shirt, she said, "And this one is for now. There's two. One for you and one for me."

  KIDNEY BESTIES FOR LIFE.

  My lips parted. "This is what you said to me at the doctor's office today."

  "I know. You didn't catch on to anything," she joked.

  I couldn't laugh, though, not when I was crying again. My head fell into my hands and I burst into tears at her thoughtfulness. Avery reached over and pulled me into a hug, holding me tight as I cried softly on her shoulder.

  "I love you, girl," she said, sniffling. "I know we had our first—and last—most epic fight ever, but that doesn't change a thing between us. I would do anything for you, like I know you would for me."

  Damn it all to hell, she wasn't helping, but she was right. If the roles were reversed, I would do whatever I could to help her.

  "Thank you, Avery," I said, pulling back. "Two words just don't seem adequate enough for what you're giving me."

  "Stop," she said and wiped away the tear underneath her lash line. "If I didn't want to do this, then I wouldn't have been tested." She grabbed my hands in hers and scooted closer. "I want to do this for you, okay? I don't want you to feel like you have to say thank you all the time or that you have to try and find something to give me in return. That's not what this is about. I love you and I want to help you."

  I nodded and dug my teeth into my bottom lip as I struggled to fight the tears. One day I would repay her, I just wasn't sure how yet. I'd find a way, though.

  Reaching into the bag, Avery handed me something a little heavier. "This is the last one."

  I unwrapped a mug and turned it around.

  I got 99 problems but my new kidney ain't one.

  "Oh, my God." I laughed again. "You really went to town with the kidney stuff." I smiled again, loving each gift so much. I had no idea where she’d found any of it, but it was so thoughtful and funny, and I'd cherish it forever. "I can't wait to use it."

  She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. But it was. It was a very big deal.

  "Figured it was better to try and turn it into something fun rather than depressing. This is a good thing and we shouldn't be crying or sad about it." She handed me one of the matching shirts. "Put it on."

  As I pulled the shirt over my head, there was a knock on the door.

  "Are you expecting someone?" Avery turned to me.

  I shook my head. "No."

  I walked to the door and opened it.

  "Kova," I said, a little surprised. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

  His eyes softened. "Ria, may I come in?"

  "Is that Kova?" Avery yelled, and ran up behind me. Placing her hands on my shoulders, she leaned over me. "Hey, handsome. You're looking mighty fine."

  Kova shot an uneasy glance at me. My cheeks flushed and I mouthed sorry. While Avery knew everything about Kova and me, Kova didn't know that. I imagined he was panicking inside.

  "Come in," I said.

  He ran his hand through his hair and I shut the door. He seemed anxious.

  "I will not stay long. I just wanted to bring you this," Kova said, then lifted his hand to reveal an iconic teal-colored gift bag.

  "Oh-em-gee," Avery drawled, rubbing her hands together impatiently. We both looked at her, and she looked back at us. "Ah, I can step out to give you guys some time," she said, then turned and walked to my room. I heard her plop down on my bed.

  "Don't worry," I said when I noticed the unease written on his face. "Avery is like a vault. I swear on my life she'll never say anything to anyone about us. I promise."

  "Does she know…?"

  I nodded. I wouldn't lie. "She does."

  He expelled a deep breath. "If you say so, then I believe you. I will not take too much of your time since you do not see her often. I just wanted to bring you a birthday gift."

  My eyes widened as he handed me the bag. "You knew it was my birthday?"

  "Yes, of course."

  "Really?"

  Kova nodded and my heart beat a little faster for him. I wasn't one to broadcast my birthday, so the fact he knew without having to tell him moved me inside when my family forgot half the time. Stupid, I know, but I guess it's the little things in life.

  "You didn't have to get me anything."

  Kova stepped closer to me and I could smell his cologne. His tantalizing scent swirled deliciously around my head. He brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear and cupped my jaw. Tipping my chin back, he gazed into my eyes something fierce.

  "You mean the world to me, Ria. I wanted to give you something special to show you that." He leaned in and his lips brushed the shell of my ear. "I really want to kiss you, but I will not with your friend here."

  Turning my face toward his, I tenderly kissed his cheek without a sound.

  "Thank you for stopping by," I whispered.

  As he turned his face, I pressed my lips to his and snuck him a quick kiss. Kova swiftly grabbed the back of my head and pressed his lips harder to mine, inhaling through his nose like he was breathing me in.

  "Please," he said against my mouth, "open your gift."

  Pulling back, my cheeks heated as I grinned up at him. He moved to stand behind me and watched as I removed the square box from the bag. I placed the bag on the counter, then pulled the white satin bow loose. Kova played with my hair, moving it to the side to drape over my shoulder. I leaned back against him, falling into the heat of his body as he wrapped his arms around my stomach. My heartbeat rocketed but everything shifted into place in his arms. Inside the velvet box was a soft rose gold bracelet. It was double chained with an infinity symbol.

  Lips parting, I removed it from the box and placed it in my palm. I drew in a gasp. My finger grazed over the thin chain to the charm in the center. Kova didn't say anything without thinking it through. He was terrible at exposing his feelings. But when he actually did both, they meant something, and something told me he’d put thought into this specific gift. I knew the meaning behind an infinity symbol. All I could do was focus on the delicate piece of jewelry and feel the tears well in my eyes. Damn it, I cried so much these days.

  "It's so beautiful," I said under my breath. I lifted it to him. "Put it on me, please?"

  Kova clasped it under my wrist. He laced his fingers through mine and lifted our joined hands to his mouth to press a kiss to mine. The outside world had no idea how sweet he could actually be.

  "There is one more thing."

  My brows angled toward each other. I didn't realize there was another box in the bag. Letting go of his hand, I reached inside and pulled it out, then opened it.

  I stared unblinking at the dainty matching necklace. It was stunning and delicate and so damn pretty.

  "Kova, you gave
me too much. This is…it's beautiful. Thank you so, so much."

  "There is no such thing as too much when it comes to you."

  Forty-Eight

  His words tickled my neck.

  I was very close to telling him I loved him.

  Kova placed the necklace around my neck. Turning around, I grabbed his jaw and pulled it to mine. Inhaling, I kissed him. Kova's strong arms wound around my back. He lifted me up and placed me on the counter and stepped between my legs, kissing me back with the same intensity. I loved when he did that. I loved when he gave back ten times harder. Like we were proving who loved each other more.

  "I love you, Ria," he admitted only for me to hear.

  I licked my lips. "Ever since my secret came out and we talked about it, you tell me you love me all the time."

  "Life is too precious. We take it for granted. I realized that when I found out how sick you were. I told you I do not want to hold back from you anymore. I want you to know how I feel all the time."

  I smiled softly at him. "Thank you," I whispered. My fingers twirled the hair around his neck as we stared at each other.

  "Can I come out now?" Avery yelled from my bedroom.

  My smile widened, and Kova and I started laughing together.

  "I love seeing you laugh," I told him. Then I angled my head and yelled, "Yes!" to Avery.

  Avery showed no shame and came bouncing out of my bedroom.

  "Show me the goods."

  Shaking my head, I lifted my wrist and picked up the necklace to show her. She came up next to us and Kova scooted a little closer to me.

  "Oh, you did good, Coach," she said as she examined the jewelry, then turned to Kova. "Do you have a brother?"

  I chuckled and Kova side-eyed me in confusion. Avery was a whole lot of personality to handle if you didn't know her.

  She patted his arm. "I'm just playing. I don't do brothers anymore," she said, then walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

  My cheeks flamed, but God, did I love my best friend.

  "So I have heard," Kova responded.

  My gaze snapped back to him and I took note of his face. My lips twitched. He wrapped an arm around me again, laughter highlighting his eyes.

  "You told him!” she yelled at me, lifting her arm. Her gaze was accusatory but I knew she wasn't truly mad.

  My jaw bobbed. "Sorry?"

  "You're lucky it's your birthday and you're my bestie." She took a sip of water. "It's cool. I'm over it."

  Kova let go of me and stepped back. He looked from me to Avery. I followed his gaze, trying to figure out what he was looking at.

  "Why are you two wearing the same shirt? Is that a bestie thing?"

  I burst out laughing over him saying bestie. It sounded like he’d eaten something sour.

  Then he read the words. And he looked back and forth between us again.

  "You didn't hear?" Avery said.

  "Did not hear what?" Kova’s eyes snapped up to mine.

  "Tell him, Aid."

  I bit into my lip as he stared at me. His chest rose higher and faster, and I swear I could feel his heart pumping. Kova watched me, waiting, looking hopeful.

  "Ria?" he asked slowly.

  I averted my gaze and hopped down from the counter.

  "Well…" I began, and walked over to Avery. "I haven't really had a chance to tell you and honestly, I wasn't sure how I would." I wrapped my arm around the back of her neck and tugged her to me. She hugged me back, dropping her head to my shoulder and hooking her arms around my waist. I could see from the corner of my eye she was smiling softly at Kova.

  "This birthday has been the best birthday of my life. Not only did you surprise me with a meaningful gift, but Avery, well, she…"

  Shoot. Emotion hit me faster than I could stop it from happening. Tears filled my eyes and my jaw trembled. Trying to say I had a kidney match proved to be harder than I thought.

  Avery lifted her head off my shoulder and looked at me. A tear slipped out of my eye and down my cheek. I still couldn't believe what she was going to do for me.

  "For Adrianna's birthday, I surprised her too." She looked toward Kova. "I'm her match. Well, we already knew that." She joked with a playful roll of her eyes. "I'm a kidney match. When the time comes, because I know she's stubborn and won't do it now, I'll be giving her a kidney. I got these shirts for us since we're kidney besties for life now."

  I watched Kova's face shift through a handful of emotions. The color in his cheeks drained and he stood stone still, like he was in shock and didn't know what to say. His Adam's apple bobbed. Lifting his hand, he ran it over his mouth and looked at the floor. Then, he walked toward us and surprised us both.

  I thought he was going to pull me into his arms, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled Avery into his arms and hugged her.

  My jaw dropped and my eyes widened as I watched his face twist into a blend of heartache and relief. Squinting, I caught the subtle shaking in his arms.

  Avery looked to me for guidance. All I could do was shrug my shoulders because other than when we were alone, or he was with Katja, I never saw Kova show an ounce of emotion, let alone touch anyone. Right now, he was pouring himself into her.

  Eyes twinkling, Avery went with it. She wrapped her arms around Kova's back and ran her flat palms ever so slowly up and down from his shoulders to his hips. Her eyes floated shut and she smiled from ear to ear.

  "My, Kova, what a strong back you have," she said.

  I laughed.

  Kova pulled back, his lips twitching. "Thank you, Avery," he said. His voice was hoarse.

  He turned and looked at me, almost making my heart stop. Raw love and affection filled his eyes. I knew he loved me, he told me often, but this time it was different. His love rendered me speechless. This was a side of Kova he never exposed to the outside world, for obvious reasons, yet he was allowing Avery to see it. It made me fall for him even harder.

  "From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Avery," he said again, blowing out a heavy breath. He was struggling with the news the same way I had. "I cannot imagine my life without Adrianna."

  We both stared at him in astonishment. Kova followed up with a few things in Russian, though I didn't ask him what they meant. Something in my gut told me to just give him a minute.

  Avery recovered and pretended to dust her shoulders off. "Now that I made it so you guys can fornicate for the rest of your lives, show me her mark." Kova looked confused. I didn't know what she was talking about until she said, "Adrianna told me about the A, and I want to see it. Take your shirt off."

  I covered my mouth. "Ave," I said, trying not to laugh. She was so unpredictable.

  She looked at me like it wasn't a crazy request. "What? It's the least he can do for me. I want to see it. I think it's so sexy and sweet." Avery had a wistful look on her face that made me laugh even harder.

  "No," he said, shutting her down.

  Her jaw plummeted to the floor. She looked at Kova like she was offended. "What? Why not?"

  "No."

  "Okay. Fine. Don't take your shirt off, just lift it so I can see."

  Kova turned to me for help. All I could do was offer him an apologetic look.

  "No."

  "What?" She huffed and looked at me. "Help a sister out."

  "Just one peek?" I asked him, hesitantly.

  He shook his head. "That is for Ria and I only."

  "Aww, that's so adorable." Avery leaned into me and cupped her mouth next to my ear while looking at Kova. "Get a picture while he's sleeping," she whispered loudly for him to hear. "Don’t be afraid to take a few and send them to me. I promise not to tell anyone."

  Shaking his head, Kova's sexy smile curled around my heart. I shot a glance at Avery, and I could see she felt his charisma too by the way she watched him with a twinkle in her eyes. I wanted to kiss those lips again but I held back.

  Walking up to me, Kova pulled me against his body. "Ya lyubuyu tebya navsegda," he said, then kissed
the top of my head. "I must go. Happy birthday, malysh."

  "Just one look," Avery pushed as Kova walked toward the door and opened it.

  "It will never happen. I am just as stubborn as Ria. Ask her." Kova paused right as he was about to leave and looked over his shoulder at me. "I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow."

  I nodded and he left. Turning to Avery, she looked like she was going to liquefy into a pile on the floor. I chuckled. She was finally starting to see what I saw.

  "I hope you marry that stupid Russian one day," she said dreamily.

  Forty-Nine

  "Shit," I whispered under my breath.

  I blinked, hoping the pink tinted toilet water was something I was imagining.

  It wasn’t.

  Ever since I’d started training at the rate I was over a year ago, my period had been inconsistent. Sometimes I got it in four weeks, other times almost seven weeks would go by with no sign of it. Sometimes I had heavy periods, other times I would spot for three days. My body underwent a tremendous amount of strain, which caused it to mess with my cycle. With everything going on lately, it slipped my mind, so I hadn’t been thinking about it.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This would happen to me. Not only did I wake up with a raging headache and my stomach tossing around from nerves, I was in Scotland preparing to compete at an international competition, and now I needed tampons.

  Quickly, I pulled down my leotard and wrapped a towel around my body. I opened the door and stepped into the room I shared with Holly. Sarah hadn't qualified, and Reagan declined the meet due to not having the funds for it, so it was just us this time around.

  "Holly?"

  She looked at me from where she sat on her bed texting on her cell phone.

  "Do you happen to have any tampons with you? I just got my period and I don't have anything."

  She gawked and immediately stood. "You don't bring them as backup? I always just leave them in my suitcase."

  "I wasn't thinking, I guess."

  Holly handed me a bunch of tampons and I looked at them in horror. "What size is this?"

  "Ultra. My flow is always really bad and heavy. Sorry, I don't have anything else."