It was 5.40 in the next morning when Scott stepped outside the apartment complex he and Mitch lived in. He was tired. So tired. Yet, he knew that the day would be very exciting, it definitely worth getting up for.
Avi pulled up next to him only a few minutes later. Scott opened the door and smiled at Avi. "Morning..." he mumbled.
Avi grinned. "Good morning."
"Urgh, how are you so happy and... awake early in the morning?" Scott replied.
Avi shrugged his shoulders. "Long and important day coming up. Also... here." He handed Scott a thermos mug. "Tea. Good and strong."
Scott took the mug. "Thank you. But you didn't buy this thermos mug just for me, right?"
Avi laughed. "No. I didn't. I have so many of them scattered around everywhere" he explained and took a sip from his own mug. "If you get hungry, I have some leftover quesadilla from last night.."
Scott shook his head. "How are you so kind?"
Avi checked the address in his GPS once more, before he looked at Scott. "No offence, but you don't really seem like the kind of guy who is perfectly prepared for such a long day with no coffee shops near the place where we'll shoot..." He then looked around before he drove off.
Scott took a sip from his tea mainly to hide his blush. "Guilty..." he mumbled. "I mean I packed some food. Like... a few bananas and crackers to get me by until catering, but quesadillas are much better."
Avi smiled at him. "Well then, I'll trade some of the quesadillas for a banana and some crackers. Might as well throw some tomatoes and mini cucumbers into the mix, fresh from the garden..."
"Thank you..." Scott said. "I'll get back to you in an hour or so, I am very bad at having such an early breakfast."
Avi smiled. "I get that. I feel the same which is why I always have something with me when I haven't eaten at home." He steered the car out onto the highway.
"Mmhm..." Scott just hummed and then fell silent. He looked out of the window where the sun was rising slowly.
There was soft music in the background which Scott didn't know, but which he liked a lot. It was music which was similar to the kind of music Avi made, but still, he liked Avi's music more. The silence was comfortable but after a while, Scott just needed to do something so he wouldn't fall asleep. He looked over to Avi, who was focused on the street but still hummed to the music every now and then.
"What is it, Scott?" The bearded man asked after a moment. "Getting tired?"
Scott nodded. "Yeah..." he said and sat up a little straighter and took a sip from his tea. "It's still way too early."
Avi chuckled. "Well..." he began. "I really like the morning. The sunrise, the clear air, the quiet. I've written a lot of songs in the morning..." he said.
"I will never understand morning people..." Scott replied.
Avi shrugged his shoulders. "I am not necessarily a morning person. I like sleeping in, too. But still, there is a certain kind of magic surrounding the morning. When I was a child, I used to stargaze with Esther and Joshua, my brother, we fell asleep outside and ever so often I would wake up from the first rays of the morning sun. It always fascinated me."
Scott noticed that Avi smiled when he mentioned his siblings. "I didn't know that you have a brother, too..."
"I do" he replied. "He's amazing, but I don't see him that often. He moved to Israel after his studies and found his love, so he stayed there. I miss him a lot, but then again, I am happy that he found his happiness. And he'll come home and finally see me play live on tour."
Scott smiled. "That's cool. I love that your family is so important to you... I mean Esther works with you..."
Avi sighed. "I need my family. They are the most loyal people in the world" he sighed softly.
"What is it, Avi?" Scott wanted to know.
"It's just... I lived my whole life in Visalia, then came here for college, which was nice, but stressful. Then I started with music and... all I ever wanted to do was make music and play it for people, but now that I have this record deal and success, everything is just getting too much. This is why I have Esther as my main manager and Kevin as my main producer. Esther's main job is to coordinate everything so I can focus not only on my music but on myself, too" Avi explained.
Scott listened closely to the musician and suddenly a lot of things made more sense to him. "Is this why you didn't want me in the studio?"
"I never said..." Avi stopped there and sighed. "Yeah. I struggle, Scott, a lot. Especially when it comes to social contacts. I need time to get to know people and at first, I just didn't like the idea of you being there. I am sorry if I made you feel unwelcome."
"I had some ideas that there was more to it. I somehow knew that you weren't mean just because" Scott replied. He stopped for a moment, wondering if he should ask more. "Does it have a name? Your struggles, I mean."
"The doctors call it social anxiety," Avi said. "I think it developed when I left home. I have been living in Visalia close to forests and nature and everything and then I came to the city. It was just a lot and I started missing my home, the forests and everything. I thought I could do this for the duration of my studies, but then I got the record deal and stayed. Everyone had these great expectations of me and I just had issues dealing with it. I started doubting everything. It felt like the only people who were truly there for me were my family and Kevin. When she saw how much I was struggling, Esther got herself the job at Fantasy. Without her... I wouldn't be here now."
Scott furrowed his brows. "Here as in your career or..."
Avi took in a shaky breath and Scott just knew. "Avi..."
"You just- you have to be careful, Scott. Especially in the music industry. I've been to parties where people swallowed pills and other substances like m&m's and goodness, the day after almost didn't exist. I thought I had to do it too, you know? To belong to the group, to be accepted, to impress people with big names. I desperately wanted to work with them and it almost ruined my life. Esther spent whole nights on the edge of my mattress to make sure I'd see the sunrise and still, after all these years, I'm embarrassed and so sorry for how I acted and for how I treated my own sister" Avi said softly.
Scott didn't know what to say. "But... but she forgave you, didn't she?"
Avi chuckled. "Of course she did. She didn't want apologies either. She just wanted me to get better. So I went to doctors did therapies, got myself a secluded cabin in the woods for when I need to really get away and started working exclusively with Kevin. I don't need all the big names and fame. Right here is where I want to be. Making music and playing it for people. I wouldn't say that my life is perfect, I am still struggling. There are nights I can't sleep because of my anxiety, my thoughts are running wild and keeping me awake. But it's not every night anymore and that's good. My life is good right now..." he explained.
"That's the most important thing, Avi. I don't understand what you went through, but I am glad that you're feeling somewhat better now..." Scott said.
Avi smiled at him. "Thank you for listening, Scott. And thank you for coming today. With Esther at the doctor's and Kevin on this short vacay, I am glad to have a friend there with me today."
Scott smiled. "Of course, Avi. And if you ever need anything, be it here today or whenever, just let me know, okay? I know it's just an empty phrase for most people, but for me, it is not. I care about you, Avi."
"I know" Avi replied. "And I am very thankful for that." He took a deep breath. "Now... all this emotional talk has made me hungry. Mind getting quesadillas out?"
Scott chuckled. "Not at all."
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A/N: A huge thank you goes out to StandingbyAvi who helped me write this. I actually took about 100 words she sent me via text and copied them without changing anything, that's how on point she was!
By the way, definitely go and check out her work. She writes Scavi, too (and has completed a very nice smut story featuring them). I can definitely recommend everything she has written. Currently, she is writing
Darkness - in which an accident leaves Avi blind and he has to adjust to his new life with help of a special someone.
Castle - which is Kavi, but so good. It's about a mysterious man who lives in a castle and hasn't been seen in years. And Kirstie wants to meet him. Give it a try, it's so worth it!
Potions & Charms - in which Avi is the potion master at Hogwarts. The story has just begun, but the introductory chapter takes you right there!
That's it from me. New update probably on Sunday :)