Wrong Quarterback | ✓

30 | party of five

The girl places a cutting board next to her, raising her brows. "Either help out of move out of the way."

"Geez Calliope." Avery says with a chortled breath, jumping off the counter as Nic laughs.

The pasta water fogs his glasses as he leans closer to the stove, shooting Avery a sideways glance. "You should know not to mess with Cal when she's hungry."

"I'll set the table," Lea offers, placing her test on the kitchen table as she leaves the bay window behind. "Where do we eat?"

"In front of the TV? The dining room? In here?" Callie lists her suggestions before shrugging. "I don't know."

"Let's do dining room."

Nic gets a cabinet open to fetch cups as Lea balances a stack of plates in her hands. "I'll help."

             The two leave for the dining room down the hall as Luke sidles up next to Avery, eyes surveying the counter as if to see what he can do to help. He reaches across her to steal half a cherry tomato out of the salad bowl and she pauses with the knife against the cutting board as she turns her head to look at him.

"Don't."

Despite pressing her lips together her smile widens as she feigns innocence. "I didn't say anything."

♡♡♡

Callie's humming along to the music enveloping them in the upstairs living room, gently running a make-up brush over Avery's cheeks. From where she lies with her head propped up in Callie's lap, Avery smiles up at her friend as she peers down at her upside-down.

"You're pretty."

A soft chortle escapes Callie's lips. "So are you. Now close your eyes."

She's about to do as she's told but has her attention taken elsewhere as Luke asks, "Do you think I can eat this in under a minute?"

Turning her head to look at him Avery realizes he's regarding the piece of chocolate mud cake on his plate and Lea's quick to catch on, glancing up from where she's propped up on her stomach in a sea of decorative throw pillows. The color pencil in her hand hovers over her drawing as she sighs.

"Please don't try."

Avery rolls her eyes as she hears Nic counter-bet Luke, turning it into a competition, before settling back into Callie's lap while closing her eyes. Her lips slip into a smile as she lets herself be pampered, listening to Callie sing along to the boyband songs slipping through the speakers.

"Okay, I know bought it but I have no idea how to even begin to apply this thing."

Avery bats her eyes open, peering up at Callie to find her holding a tube of eyeliner. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Lea reach her hand out for her phone, snapping a quick picture of her two friends before she puts it back down next to her pencil case and abandons her drawing to crawl over to them.

"Here," She says, holding her hand out for the tube as she nudges Avery in the shoulder. "Sit up."

           Avery pushes herself up into a cross legged seat, twirling around as she twists her hair into a bun. She reaches for the somewhat condensed pint of strawberry ice cream stood to their side, barely having run the spoon along the rim before Lea's eyes narrow.

"Excuse me," Lea drops the tube to the rug, inching closer to tug down the collar of Avery's black knitted sweater and Avery pauses with the spoon against her lips as they twitch into a sheepish smile. That's why she was supposed to keep her hair down. Lea's lips set in a somewhat impressed smile. "Well well well, Ms Avery Jane Waters look what we have here."