Chapter 15: Quelle Douce Fille
"Avery Carine Toussaint!" Avery heard as soon as she stepped through her front door. She looked up after she wiped her boots on the welcome mat. The light snow from the weekend had somewhat melted and turned to sludge on the streets, leaving her boots dirty and wet. Her mother stood in the doorway of the kitchen, hands on her hips in her traditional scolding style.
"Maman?" Avery's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, removing her boots and coat so she could step towards her mother.
"Why did I get a call from your school saying that you left campus this morning and never came back?" her mother's eyes narrowed as she looked at her. Avery's heart rate quickened and she looked to the floor. She and Alex had gone out for frozen yoghurt and the brunette drove her to a scenic spot on a hilltop where they just sat and talked.
And kissed.
But only a little.
They had never meant to miss the whole day of school, only a class or two, and now Avery was left wracking her brain for a reasonable excuse.
" Dîtes-moi," her mom pushed. Her tone was stern and the freckled girl couldn't bear to look her in the eyes and face the disappointment that could be there. She wasn't one to get in trouble regularly- if at all. {Tell me}
In order to get her mother off her case, she felt herself blurt out, "I had an anxiety attack at school and I wasn't feeling so well afterwards. I left school to try to calm myself down. I just couldn't go back, maman. J'suis désolée." {I'm sorry}
She had never lied about her anxiety before and she almost felt horrible about it, but she was somewhat still walking on clouds from her time spent with Alex. Her mother's stance relaxed and her facial features contorted to one of concern and she rushed forward and enveloped her daughter in her arms.
"Oh Doux-Doux, why didn't you just come home?"
"I was with my friend. She was concerned for me so she stuck with me," Avery's lie continued. She seemed to be doing a lot of lying lately.
Her daughter's confession brought Mrs Toussaint to lift her head and look at her daughter, "Which friend?"
"Alex. Remember you met her when we got Milo."
"Oh. The tall, pretty girl with the very long hair?"
Avery fought the urge to blush and instead rolled her eyes; Alex's hair really was amazing. It was a pity she didn't wear it down more often. She couldn't help but wonder if Alex would wear it down if she asked her to.
"Maman, you've only met two of my friends."
"You have others?" Her mother half-joked.
"Yes," the freckled girl said, but it came out more like a question. She wasn't sure if she'd consider Marigold a friend and she had only just met Kaden and Jason. Mrs Toussaint only rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject, "Je ne t'ai pas vu prendre tes médicaments ce matin. Take them and then go shower." {I didn't see you take your medicine this morning}
If there was one thing that Avery's mother was good at, it was disciplining her child. It came as second nature due to her Congolese upbringing but unlike her own parents, she knew where to draw the line between dictator and confidant. Avery was able to grow up knowing not to get herself in trouble while also knowing not to fear her parents.
"D'accord."
The curly-haired girl headed up the stairwell when she felt her phone vibrate. She bit the inside of her cheek when she read the name of the sender and almost tripped on the way to her room. After closing her room door and greeting Milo, she flopped down on the soft bed that seemed to have been waiting for her, the small dog jumping up as well to lay on her chest.
Avery unlocked her phone hastily and went to her conversation with Alex.
Alex: Did you get home safe?
It was just a question but somehow it meant the world to Avery and she felt her face break out into a wide grin. She had read all sorts of books, including cheesy romance novels, but she had always assumed that the authors were exaggerating in the ways they described falling for someone. She was starting to learn that that wasn't the case.
A: I did. My maman was a bit upset at first but she's good now. How about you?
Alex: I'm still on the road... at Jason's house.
Alex: What did you say to her? Does she hate me even more now?
Avery knew that Alex was referring to Mrs Toussaint's attitude towards her when they had first met. It was understandable why the brunette would think that her mother hated her, but she was always overprotective and never had been good at first impressions.
A: Oh hush, she doesn't hate you. I told her I had an anxiety attack and had to leave and you followed me to help calm me down. She seemed happy with that.
A: Also she says you have nice hair.
Alex: Oh, lying to the 'rents now are we?
The freckled girl could somehow feel Alex's smirk through the phone, but she didn't know how to respond. She knew the brunette was only teasing but she couldn't help the guilt that nipped at her once more.
A: It was a one-time thing.
Alex: Okay.
Avery's hands fell from their previous position where they once held her phone up as she typed. She let them flop down beside her with a sigh and her phone slide out from her fingertips. Milo yipped at his owner as if he could sense the shift in her mood. With light steps, he came off of her chest and walked over to her head, sliding his tongue up her cheek in an affectionate kiss.
"Hey, Milo," Avery giggled before flipping over to her stomach, scratching the puppy behind his ears. She spent a while playing with the pup and rubbing his belly before she figured it was time for her to go take a bath. Grabbing her essentials, including a bath bomb, from her drawers she headed over to her bathroom.
She didn't have an ensuite, though she had begged for it multiple times, yet she was lucky enough to have a bathroom that was situated right next to her bedroom. Plus, being an only child meant she had it all to herself.
Avery placed all her things on the flat area by her bathtub and turned on the water. She let it run, occasionally testing to see if it was warm enough. When she was satisfied with the water level, she dropped in her bath bomb and afterwards slowly lowered herself into the inviting water which was now a mint green colour. The only thing she was missing now was music.
She reached over and opened her phone, turning on a custom-made Spotify playlist and allowed the smooth music to fill the room. Avery's music taste had always leaned toward more soft and relaxing music, sometimes acoustic and sometimes with low beats. After she had scrubbed herself with a loofah, she closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the warm water, letting it wet the hair that was now down to her shoulders.
Avery was almost asleep when she heard her mother's voice call her from downstairs. Startled by the sudden noise, she sat up quickly and knocked some of her bath gels into the tub in the process.
"Avery, quelqu'une est là pour te voir!" Mrs Toussaint yelled from downstairs. {Someone is here to see you}
Avery groaned long and loud as she dipped her head under the water, wanting to get back to the state of peace she was in only seconds ago. Who would come to visit her at her house?
Her blood ran cold at the realisation of the only person who came to mind. She knew she couldn't turn Carson away, because that way he would know for sure that something was going on. Then he'd be suspicious because Avery had never avoided him before.
With a shaky voice, Avery called out, "Send them up, maman!"
"Merde," she cursed to herself, getting out of the bathtub and quickly drying herself off with a towel. What would she say to him? How would she explain why he hadn't seen her in so long? (Long being relative in this context).
Avery wrapped the towel around her body and let the water drain from the sink. She gathered the things she had brought to the bathroom and slipped on her fuzzy slippers before opening the door.
When she stepped out, she scurried into her room and closed the door quickly, letting out a sigh. She squeezed her eyes closed and felt her mind swarm with scenarios and multiple outcomes of how her encounter with Carson might turn out.
"Um," Avery heard a voice say and she let out a scream as her eyes snapped open. All her toiletries fell to the floor and she nearly lost hold of her towel because sitting on her bed with Milo in their lap was Alex Rivers.
"C'est quoi ce bordel?" she groaned, once her heart rate slowed down to the pace it was at before. {What the fuck?}
"Hi," Alex said awkwardly, averting her gaze with a blush. Her hand went to the back of her head where she rubbed her neck sheepishly. Avery couldn't help but think that that was such an adorable habit she had whenever she felt nervous or awkward. Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Avery cleared her throat and clutched her towel even tighter.
"Hey Alex. What are you doing here?"
Though she so desperately wanted to look, the brunette kept her stare on the floor in order to give Avery the privacy she needed. "I wanted to apologize for what I said on the phone. I didn't mean to sound insensitive."
A moment of silence passed between them as Avery observed the tall girl. Finally, she spoke, "So let me get this straight. You left your friend's house to come to mine because you thought that something you texted sounded insensitive?" Avery felt her heart melt. If it was somehow possible, she felt she would have turned into a puddle at that moment when Alex nodded, eyes still trained on the floor.
"Mon Dieu, je t'adore beaucoup," Avery whispered to herself as her heart pounded in her ears. Her stomach was almost nauseous with butterflies. {God, I like you a lot}
"Moi aussi," Alex responded. She was a puddle. The freckled girl definitely swore she was a puddle at this point. {Me too}
"What?"
"It means 'me too'-" Alex started to explain nervously, almost on the verge of rambling before Avery cut her off. She loved seeing her this way. Knowing that the well guarded and badass popular girl could let down her walls around her.
"I, obviously, know what it means. But, how do you know what it means?" Avery asked, walking towards her, forgetting all about the fact that she was in a towel. In fact, the brunette almost forgot too as she glanced up at the shorter girl and looked back down.
"I started learning French thanks to Duolingo," she replied with a small chuckle.
"I could just kiss you right now. Who knew Alexia Rivers was such a romantic?"
"And who knew Avery Toussaint was so bold?" Alex teased back, correctly pronouncing Avery's last name this time, which the freckled girl took notice of. She also noticed that Alex didn't correct her when she called her Alexia.
"You're rubbing off on me," Avery spoke before grabbing the back of Alex's head with a free hand and bringing it to hers. Her fingers weaved through the taller girl's hair as they kissed sweetly.
"You probably shouldn't say that while you're only in a towel, love," Alex smirked when they parted.
"Perv," the freckled girl said with a laugh.
Alex allowed her eyes to glance up and down Avery's body teasingly, "I mean, can you blame me?"
Avery took a step back, a blush and sheepish smile on her face, "I'm gonna go change."
The brunette looked up from one of Avery's books with a smile once the shorter girl re-entered the room from her closet. One needs not to point out the irony in the situation.
"I like this outfit," Alex commented appreciatively before she dropped the book, tugging Avery's hand as soon as she got close enough. She had changed into a black long-sleeved shirt underneath a green pinafore. The taller girl placed a small peck to her lips once she sat next to her on the bed.
"Only because this is your favourite shade of green," Avery responded, gesturing to the emerald green of her pinafore. She and Alex had very different senses of style. The curly-haired girl usually stuck to more preppy clothing while the brunette wore more laid-back and sometimes edgy clothes.
"Not necessarily. I always like everything you wear," Alex said nonchalantly, now lying on her side, head resting on her palm. Her fingers laced themselves with Avery's and played with her fingertips.
"Thank you for coming over," Avery sighed happily, her free hand playing with Milo.
"Go out with me," the brunette blurted abruptly, cheeks and nose pink. "On a date."
Avery's head turned slightly to look Alex in the eye, eyebrows set in confusion. Her green eyes shone beautifully with desperation -something Avery wasn't sure if she'd ever seen in Alex's eyes before.
"We went out earlier today," the curly-haired girl reminded, not understanding what Alex was trying to ask.
"That was just us spending time together. Nothing official."
"Isn't that what a date is?" she teased, almost immediately sobered up by the brunette's unimpressed look. "I'd love to go on an official date with you," she admitted, bringing a smile to Alex's face that reached her eyes. She placed a chaste kiss on her lips.
"I've got to go," Alex noted after her eyes caught the analogue clock that was hung up on the wall of Avery's room.
"Already?" the freckled girl's head lifted from the bed head as she sat up.
"This was supposed to be just a quick visit, but you're too hypnotising," Avery's cheeks heated at the comment. "I have to do some stuff for my mom and step-dad before they get home."
The brunette got up from the bed and placed a kiss on the top of Milo's head. The puppy had certainly grown on her.
"I'll see you on Wednesday at seven. I'll pick you up, wear something casual," she then placed a kiss to Avery's nose.
"Wait, but that's two days away," Avery said hurriedly. Alex's leaving was so abrupt she felt like she was in a rush to keep up with her. "Let me walk you out."
Alex placed a kiss to her lips, longer than the kiss they had before, evoking a content sigh from Avery. The two exited the room and walked downstairs.
Mrs Toussaint rose from her seat in the living room sofa once she saw the two young women appear. Just like Alex and Milo, the brunette was starting to grow on her too. She saw that she had been there for her daughter when they had bought Milo, when she brought Avery home after her panic attack and how she comforted her daughter when she left school earlier today. She also paid attention to the spark she put in Avery's eye and how the freckled girl had seemed to come out of her shell a little bit more. Mrs Toussaint assumed that the reason Alex had visited their home was to check up on Avery after this morning and that gave her yet another point in her book.
"Bonsoir, madame," Alex bid goodbye to Avery's mother, giving her a handshake after she took notice that the woman was not necessarily fond of physical contact from those who weren't her immediate family.
"Bye, Freckles," the brunette smiled warmly at the shorter girl, giving her hand a gentle and reassuring squeeze before they parted ways.
Mother and daughter stood by the doorway, watching as the tall girl got into her car and headed out the driveway. Once the cold air had nipped enough at their feet, Mrs Toussaint closed the front door and turned to Avery.
"Quelle douce fille," she commented to the freckled girl who was in somewhat of a trance as she thought about Alex. The visit was way too short for her liking and left her head and heart in a dilly. {What a sweet girl}
Avery nodded absentmindedly in agreement and spoke what had meant to be a thought, "I like her so much."