Chapter Seven
Five weeks later
Most of the time, Kennex enjoyed the adrenaline rush of hunting down criminals and the satisfaction of helping people as a cop. But the unpredictable and long hours weren't always easy. For example, he'd had to cancel his last two dates in a row with Ava because of work. He and Dorian had been tracking a serial killer who had been choosing women based on their online dating profiles then raping them before he killed them. But now that the case was done, Kennex wanted to spend some time alone with Ava. He walked towards Maldonado's office and knocked on the glass door. She raised her head and then motioned for him to come inside.
"What can I do for you, John?" his boss asked once he had closed the door behind him.
"I want to use some of my personal time to take next Friday through Sunday off," he explained.
"Why? It's been a long time since you took personal time," Maldonado observed.
"Yes, but I wanted to go away with Ava to a cabin at Upper Saranac Lake to celebrate the New Year," Kennex replied.
"Are you sure you're not rushing things?" asked Maldonado. He wasn't sure if she was asking as his boss, as his friend, or as a combination of the two.
"I won't make the same mistake twice. By this point in my relationship with Anna, I'd asked her to move in with me. Ava and I haven't even spent the night together yet," he told her.
"Even so, you've been calmer then usual since you started dating so I think your girlfriend is good for you. I'll give you the three days off but just be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt again," Maldonado told him.
"Thanks," Kennex said.
On Friday afternoon Kennex met Ava at the airport for their flight to Albany, New York. There was electricity and heat in the cabin he'd booked but also tech that blocked the satellite signal of his phone which ensured that they wouldn't be disturbed. He knew Dorian would be able to track his location chip, so he'd turned it off before he got to the airport.
"Hi, Ava. Ready to go?" he asked as she approached him.
"Yes I am. Patrick is staying with Heather and I'm looking forward to having you to myself this weekend. Tell me, John, have you ever been in a canoe before?" she asked him as they sat in the departure lounge.
"Can't say that I have," he admitted.
"Amelia owns a canoe and the two of us would take it out on Lake Michigan every summer. Though right now the lake will be frozen over. Speaking of water, do you swim?" she replied.
"I know how to swim but my synthetic leg doesn't like being underwater or in the shower," he informed her.
"I don't swim well but I do cook. I hope you like my meals this weekend," Ava answered.
"I didn't know that you cook. Are you any good?" he wondered.
"I haven't had any complaints so far. But cooking is as far as I go when it comes to domestic chores. I hate cleaning so I've hired a cleaning company to come and clean my house once a week. I also don't know how to fix anything more complicated than changing a battery or a lightbulb. My neighbour, Mrs Sampson, loves to garden so I pay her to tend to my flowerbeds and mow my lawn," she admitted.
"I don't mind cleaning or fixing things around the house but I don't have much time for either. As for plants, I don't have the time to take care of them," John told her. The conversation came to an end there as the plane began to board. He remained quiet during the flight and Ava read a book on her tablet beside him.
Once they landed in Albany and retrieved their luggage, John rented a car from the airport. Ava suggested they stop for groceries on the way as the cabin had a basic kitchen. He agreed and pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store.
"What do you like to eat besides noodles and toast?" Ava asked as they entered the store.
"I drink a lot of coffee," he informed her.
"That doesn't surprise me. Tell you what, I'll pick what to eat for this weekend. If you want something else, let me know," she told him. He nodded.
They were soon on their way to their destination. Kennex kept up a conversation about current affairs, which he discovered Ava followed even more closely then he did. 'I knew that she was smart,' he thought with admiration. It was late by the time they reached the cabin so they quickly went inside. The place had an old fashioned key lock rather then a more modern biolock. The cabin had one bedroom with a double bed, a restroom, a small kitchen, a living room with a cabinet and a futon, and a small front closet. In the back yard there was a deck that overlooked the lake.
"This is cozy," Ava observed as she set her suitcase beside the futon. She yawned and then turned to him.
"It's been a long day. Why don't you take the bedroom? I'm fine with the futon," she continued.
"The bed looks big enough for both of us," he suggested.
"It probably is. But how often do you have nightmares?" she asked. He looked at her in surprise.
"How do you know that I have nightmares?" he wanted to know.
"After what you've seen and experienced as a cop, I would be surprised if you didn't have trouble sleeping sometimes. But there's no shame in that. I had nightmares for the first two weeks after my kidnapping. That's why I went to see a therapist offered through Victim Services," she told him.
"I'm taking weekly anger management classes myself," Kennex admitted.
"Are they working?" she wondered.
"My boss, Captain Maldonado, thinks they are, which is what matters," he told her.
"I see. Good night, John. You can sleep in if you want. I'll wake you up once I finish making breakfast tomorrow," she offered.
"Good night, Ava," he replied. They shared a brief kiss then Kennex headed toward the bedroom.
Next morning, Kennex woke up to the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen. Once he attached his leg, went to the restroom, and got dressed, he entered the kitchen. As he walked closer he also saw a bowl of berries, a bowl of sugar, a small jug of milk, and a bottle of real maple syrup on the table. Ava stood by the coffee machine.
"Morning, Ava. This looks good. I hadn't eaten pancakes since I was a kid. You're not drinking coffee?" he wondered as she approached the table with two mugs full of hot liquid.
"Morning, John. No, I acquired a taste for tea during my year in Japan. Here's your coffee," she replied then gave him one of the mugs. She sat the other mug down by her plate and then sat down. He did the same. Kennex put one spoonful of sugar in his coffee as Ava served herself.
"This is good," Kennex commented after he had eaten his first pancake.
"Thanks, but it was just pancake mix and fresh fruit. It's hard to wreck that," Ava replied.
"You're speaking to the man that has burned ramen," he admitted. She smiled slightly at that. Dorian had once told him that he had a tendency to eat with his mouth open. Ava hadn't mentioned it so far but perhaps he should try and swallow more often, Kennex thought. He didn't want his girlfriend to think he was a pig when it came to food. Once they had finished eating, he helped her to clear the table and load the dishes into a dishwasher. Once that was done Ava turned to him.
"I'm going to take some pictures outside on the deck. Do you want to join me?" she asked.
"It's far too cold out there," he objected.
"Then you don't have to come outside," she said. He nodded. But he soon grew tired of waiting for Ava to come back inside so he put his own coat and boots on and joined her on the deck.
"It's peaceful out here isn't it?" Ava remarked as she took another picture with her camera. Kennex noticed that the area around the lake was forested. The cabins themselves were clear enough to see through the trees while the winter sky was clear.
"Yes it is," he admitted. She turned her head to look at him.
"Even so, part of you wishes that you were chasing down a suspect in some dark alley right now, am I right?" she wondered.
"It's nice to have a weekend where no one is shooting at me for a change," he replied.
"Only a cop would say that," she responded.
"Well, you can take a cop away from their district but you can't remove their training and instincts," Kennex told her.
"Fair enough. Tell me when you want to go back to the cabin for lunch," she changed the subject.
"You can take pictures for a little longer," he remarked. She nodded then turned to look at him.
"Do you mind if I take a picture of you?" she asked.
"Of course not," he replied then went to stand by the railing around the deck. Ava took his picture a few moments later.
"One more. Oh, and this time smile," she urged him. He did so.
"Thanks. You can take a picture of me if you want," she offered.
"That's all right. I don't need a picture of you to remember this weekend," Kennex replied. He remembered how long he'd hung onto the pictures of Anna he had after the coma. But he had no desire to document his relationship with Ava in the same way, he thought.
"Fine. Let's go inside," Ava suggested. Once they had returned to the cabin and removed their coats and shoes, Ava gestured towards the couch.
"Have a seat. I'll make us some lunch. How does grilled cheese sandwiches and salad sound?" she asked.
"That sounds good," remarked John.
"Bon appetit," Ava said as she sat down the food on the kitchen table a short time later. Kennex looked at the food.
"The last time anyone told me that it was immediately followed by me eating a slug," he recalled.
"Why did you eat a slug?" Ava wondered as she served herself some salad. Kennex reached for a sandwich.
"Dorian ordered the slug in Japanese without me knowing, then he told me it would offend Nori if I didn't eat it," Kennex recalled. But he'd gotten Dorian back for that later, he remembered.
"So that's why you dislike live food. You know, during my birthday when I was in Japan I got so drunk on sake that I eat a live eel after a dare. But once I remembered what I had done the next morning I resolved never to drink alcohol ever again. If I'm going to have a fun time then I don't want it to be mixed with regret," Ava told him. Ava didn't seem like the type of woman who would agree to a dare but alcohol changed the behaviour of almost everyone. Kennex couldn't really think of a response to that so he fell silent for the rest of the meal. After they had finished eating they sat down beside each other on the couch. Kennex stretched his arm out on the back of the couch. To his surprise Ava rested her head against his chest and placed a hand on his knee. When he remained silent she moved her head to look up at him.
"You don't mind do you? I don't want to make you uncomfortable," she stated.
"I'm not uncomfortable, just surprised. I'm not much of a touchy feely person," Kennex remarked. He didn't tend to hold women in bed and he rarely hugged people. But he privately admitted that the warmth of her body beside him did feel nice.
"Patrick is always lying down on my couch with his head and front paws on my legs," Ava told him.
"Then why don't you move him?" wondered Kennex.
"Because an 120-pound dog can't be moved easily. Besides, it's comforting to have him there. Does that sounds pathetic that I find the affection of an animal soothing?" she explained.
"No, I can understand that. My mom had a rabbit when I was a child which she named Fluffy. I was sad for days when he died," Kennex recalled.
"I understand," Ava replied. Neither of them spoke again for some time. It was nice just being alone here with Ava, he thought. Kennex appreciated that Ava didn't feel the need to fill every silence between them with conversation like some women would. 'Be careful, Kennex, don't give your heart away so easily again,' he warned himself. A few moments later he excused himself to go to the restroom. Once he returned to the living room it was to find Ava kneeling in front of a cabinet.
"What are you looking for?" he asked.
"I was trying to find this board game," she replied as she stood and held up a box which was labelled Scrabble.
"I haven't seen that board game since I was a kid. Would you like to play?" he suggested.
"You're on," she challenged him.
"I take it you don't like to lose," Kennex noted as she set up the game on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Not if I can help it," she remarked. Much to his chagrin, Kennex lost both the first game and the second one. It was clear that Ava's vocabulary was more extensive than his own.
"That was fun. Do you mind putting this away? I have to go to the restroom," she remarked. He nodded. Kennex found that there was a chess set, checkers, and dominos also in the cabinet. He pulled out checkers. Ava held up a hand when she returned to the room and saw the game on the table.
"Oh no. I'm horrible at checkers. I'll freely concede right now that you'll win," she replied.
"Come on. You can't be that bad. Why don't we play just one game?" he suggested.
"Oh, all right," she conceded. To his surprise Kennex swiftly beat her in 5 minutes.
"See John? I'm not good at everything," Ava told him.
"Well we can't all be perfect chromes," he remarked as he put away the checkers.
"Yes and thank goodness for that," Ava remarked as she sat down on the couch.
"Do you have some bias against chromes?" Kennex wondered as he sat beside her again.
"No I don't. It makes sense that those with lots of coin or cash would make sure that their children were genetically engineered to have the best life possible. But it does create three classes of citizens. It sets apart chromes, naturals, and synthetics," she remarked.
"I can understand how chromes and naturals are different. But how can you call synthetics citizens in this society? They're property and machines," Kennex argued.
"I agree with you but there are some people who think that synthetics should have more rights. I know a colleague at the university who teaches robotics who is a member of such a group," Ava told him.
"I didn't know such a group existed," Kennex replied.
"Their views aren't popular so they keep a low profile. They have no desire to get arrested by the police for demonstrating but they will share with you what they think if you ask them," Ava told him.
"How did you know about this synthetics rights group in the first place?" Kennex wondered.
"Remember that I told you that Heather had set me up on a blind date before I liked your online dating profile? The man she had chosen was someone who worked in robotics at City University by the name of Trevor. That was the longest date I've ever endured. The only silver lining was that he didn't try and kiss me at the end of the date but just dropped me off at my place and then drove away. Now if you'll excuse me I should start on dinner. Are tacos OK with you?" Ava told him.
"That's fine," Kennex replied. It seemed that he wasn't the only one to have a bad date recently, he thought. But he was glad that he'd now found Ava. She wasn't perfect but at least she hadn't holo-blocked him, he reflected. After they had eaten dinner and set aside the dishes, she turned to look at him.
"It's dark outside now so let me show you something. Follow me," she declared. He followed her onto the deck where there was a clear night sky above them.
"What am I looking for?" Kennex wanted to know. He knew next to nothing about astronomy.
"See where I'm pointing? Do you know what that constellation up there is?" Ava asked as she pointed to a W shape in the night sky. Kennex could see the shape but he had no idea of the name.
"No," he admitted.
"That constellation is named Cassiopeia. According to mythology she was a vain queen who boasted about her beauty so she was punished by being forced to rotate around the north pole and cling to her throne," Ava said as she looked up at the sky. At his silence she turned her head to look at him.
"I'm boring you aren't I?" she realized.
"No. I mean not really," Kennex lied.
"I want you to be honest with me even if you think that I won't want to hear it," she insisted.
"In that case let's go inside now," he told her. A moment later Ava took his hand and led him to the bedroom.
"Why are we here?" Kennex asked. He knew what he hoped would happen between them but he wanted Ava to initiate things the first time.
"I want to sleep with you tonight," Ava replied as she put both of her hands on his waist. Emboldened he placed his own hands on her shoulders.
"You sure?" he clarified. He was eager to sleep with her but he wanted to ensure that she wouldn't regret it afterwards.
"Yes," she declared.
"Have you tested clean recently?" he questioned.
"Yes, and I'm one year into a five year IUD. What about you?" she wondered.
"I'm clean too. But it's been a while for me." he admitted.
"Me too. Do you want to use condoms? I brought some," Ava asked.
"No," he replied.
"OK. John, don't presume that I'm with you out of gratitude. I'm dating you because I like you," she told him. He smiled.
"I like you too," he replied. A moment later he leaned his head down as she raised her head. Soon their kiss took on a life of its own. They separated their mouths long enough so that they could shed all of their clothes. Once they were nude, Kennex guided Ava to lie down on the bed beside him. To his immense satisfaction, he soon learned that Ava was a thorough and enthusiastic lover. In turn, Kennex did his best to discover what Ava liked; what touch or kiss on her body made her gasp or moan in pleasure. After their desire had been temporarily sated by their mutual orgasms, Ava turned her head towards him.
"That was wonderful," she stated.
"Yeah it was," he agreed.
"You're not a big fan of pillow talk, huh?" she observed a moment later.
"Not anymore," he replied bitterly. Kennex realized now that Anna had used sex as a tool to gather intelligence. He had not told her anything at first, but gradually he had talked about his work during the afterglow of their sex. Their conversations had led to the inSyndicate raid that had changed everything.
"That's fine. I won't be offended if you just want to fall asleep. Good night," she stated much to his relief.
"Good night," he responded. He rose from the bed to charge his leg and then returned to lay down beside Ava. When he woke up in the morning, he was alone in bed. Kennex found Ava in the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands.
"Morning, Ava. Why did you leave the bed last night? Was my snoring that bad?" he asked.
"Morning, John. Your snoring didn't bother me. I left the bed because I know that you like your space," she admitted. He raised her chin to look him in the eyes.
"Ava, I don't regret last night. In future, don't feel like you have to leave," he assured her. She smiled.
"Glad to hear it. Now would you like for breakfast?" she wondered.
"Toast and coffee is fine," Kennex declared as he made his way to the coffee machine.
"You should eat more than that. I'll make some scrambled eggs too if you'd like," she offered.
"All right, but you'd better not be trying to have me gain weight with your excellent cooking," he warned her as he made some toast.
"Not at all. After last night you should be well aware that I like your body just the way it is," she assured him. Now it was his turn to smile.
"Do we have time to go for a walk around even part of the lake before we have to drive to the airport?" Ava changed the subject. Kennex checked his watch.
"No, I don't think so. We only have enough time to eat and pack," he told her.
"I see. I had a good time this weekend. This was a great way to start 2049," Ava told him.
"I agree," Kennex told her. They were soon on their way back to the City. During the flight back Kennex held hands with her as they sat beside each other. He admitted to himself that he was somewhat reluctant to let Ava go just yet. But he'd probably be glad to be working again soon enough, he thought as the plane landed at the City airport.