Double M is My Man

~ 24 ~

I told her that she owed me for losing the basketball arcade game way back when with Charlie. Avery agreed, telling me she was willing to do anything. So the two of us are now on our way to the nearest French restaurant.

"How does escargot taste like?" Avery asks curiously, never having tried the dish.

I shrug my shoulders. "I ain't tellin'. You're gonna have to find out yourself." I answer, resisting the urge to smirk. I find it so cute that Avery doesn't know what escargot is. It'll be so hilarious to see her reaction when she finds out.

I just hope Avery won't be pissed when she realizes what awaits her. And I'm not talking about the food.

We round the corner where the restaurant is located and enter it. Avery stops before the sign that instructs all potential customers to wait to be seated but I move forward, ushering her to follow suit. Avery is a bit concerned. "Where are you going?" Her eyes dash around, looking to see if there isn't any hostest nearby to yell at us for disobeying the sign.

I don't share her concern. "To our seats," I tell her because our resevations were already made. I walk over to the farthest booth in the dim lit restaurant as instructed through text by my sidekick. Avery hesitantly follows closely behind and eases up when she sees our seats.

The person already occupying our booth was not the one Avery was dreading to see.

I wave at the beautiful blonde lesbian. "Hey Chas. So happy you could come. This is my friend Avery," I introduce and Avery gives Chasity a shy wave then proceeds to sit inside the booth. I patiently wait for her to go in first before I sit down by her. "Avery, this is my friend from school, Chasity."

Chasity takes the lead, dazzling Avery with one of her charming yet warming smiles. "When Zada told me she's forcing a freshman to eat escargot, I just had to come see."

Avery laughs nervously. "Should I be concerned?" Though her posture says otherwise as she's slowly starting to ease up to Chasity.

Chasity and I lock eyes with each other, both of us thinking the same thing:

That escargot is the least of Avery's worries.

Because Operation Bond Renewal 2.1 is in motion.

"Chasity, you won't believe it but the toilet washed my a$$! How crazy is that?" A new voice declares in awe before Cameron comes into view and everything freezes.

Cameron and Avery stare at each other with wide eyes while Chasity and I watch them, waiting for the emotional explosion that is seconds from detonating.

Time around us becomes irrelevant as our now is situated on Cameron and Avery, both of them immobile.

I bite my lower lip in anticipation, bracing myself for impact.

Avery is the first one to blow. "What the hell?" She scowls in disgust. Cameron recoils, flinching at the hate illuminating from his little sister. His hurt-filled eyes flicker momentarily to Chasity and me, instantly connecting the dots about what's going on.

"Avy," Cameron softly speaks, delicately caressing her name as if this is the last time he can say his nickname to her outloud. I would like to say that he's being a bit dramatic but I don't want to ruin the momemt.

Let the emotional rollercoaster commence.

Avery tenses up at the sound of Cameron calling her. By her rigid reaction, I'd say she hasn't heard that nickname in a long time. "I don't want to be here," Avery announces and tries to leave, only to realize that I'm in her way, purposely preventing her from escaping.