Wrong Quarterback | ✓

31 | family reunion

There's no need to confirm the man in question is her father. While on first glance most would think of Avery as a replica of her mother – blonde hair, similar figures, the same bounce in their step –, stood next to her father it's clear as day where most of her features stem from. It's in the purse of her lips, the faint bump on the slope of her nose, in the color of her eyes seeming to shift between green and blue depending on the hour. Not to speak of the one dimple passed along from his pair.

She presses her lips together as Robert raises his brows, his voice dry as he looks between the two teenagers. "The friend, I presume?"

Still awaiting some sort of explanation to why her father's here. Still attempting to make sense of the conflicted feelings jumbling her thoughts, Avery's eyes narrow at the condescending tone of his voice.

"Boyfriend, actually," Surprised at the flare of annoyance in her chest, she finds herself crossing her arms over the dark green sweater and looks between the two. "Dad meet Ethan. Ethan – my dad."

Her teeth press together as she watches them greet one another. Ethan's "Nice to meet you sir." Carries the tone of a question rather than a genuine statement and Robert only grumbles through his frown as the two shakes hands. Happily retreating their hands, Robert shoots Avery a look of disapproval as he's back to leaning against the counter.

"You've never mentioned a boyfriend."

Her lips part ever so slightly and for one flickering second she's overcome by the want to ask him exactly when and how she would have been able to do that. The times they do speak on the phone he's the one carrying the conversation, barely leaving room for her to tell him anything about her at all. Instead of voicing those thoughts, both out of desperately wanting the curl of disapproval on his lips to disappear and because it's how she's always handled her father, she lets her lips fall into a pleasant smile instead. Her mind's still busy trying to untangle her thoughts – afraid to let the sense of slight happiness over her father's arrival loose while simultaneously attempting to tamper down her frustration regarding still not knowing what he's doing here in the first place.

She wills herself to keep the note of hope out of her tone as she asks, "So, you're in town?"

Robert nods, searching through the cupboards – also having been rearranged in the past years. "I've got some work to supervise here," He says, helping himself to a glass of water. "Thought I'd take the opportunity to come see how my oldest daughter is doing while Im at it,"

Nodding as the words sink in, Avery doesn't miss the way Ethan's gaze continues to flicker her way. He's pointed his finger to her skull with the words "What's going on in there?" Enough times to tell her mind's spinning. She casts her eyes to her hands as she rips off a flake of nail polish, her tongue pressing to the roof of her mouth. Her heart both drops heavier into her chest while beating faster in annoyance simultaneously as Robert's eyes turn on Ethan again, though his question is clearly directed at Avery.

"Does your mother know you have boys running around the house while she's not here?"

She knows how to keep a conversation with her father over the phone. She's good at keeping a conversation with her father over the phone. She knows how to tackle the occasional accusatory tone of his voice, knows how to offer up lightheartedness even though her lips may be in a frown. It's harder in person. Harder to read his features along with his voice, harder to control her own.

Attempting to drop her tongue from the roof of her mouth, she gathers herself to respond but as she's about to speak she's cut off by the sound of a key twisting in the lock of the front door. Automatically, a small breath of relief escapes her as her mother's voice echoes through the house.