Normally Avery would notice she's pushing herself too hard if she wants to keep this pace up for another five miles but her mind is far too occupied to be mindful of her running. More or less flying down the street, she passes by buildings and outdoor seatings in a blur, her earbuds in but with no music on. She had tried blasting one of her three running playlists as usual only to turn it off after barely having made it two miles from her house, the loud thoughts running through her mind far enough of a noise on their own.
She kissed Ethan Taylor.
She kissed Ethan Taylor.
She kissed Ethan Taylor.
She kissed Ethan Taylor.
Scratch that. She didn't kiss Ethan Taylor. No, she participated in a full blown make out session with Ethan Taylor. On the beach. With her friends only a short distance away. And ever since said friends left town one by one yesterday morning it's all she can seem to think about.
She whirls through the south side of the park, the trees lining the gravel path barely a flurry of green in the corner of her eye before her feet touch against pavement again, another row of house facades in soft colors of cream and yellow passing her by as she steers her steps out of the city centre towards the ice hall. Her pulse speeds up as another flare of memory from that night only a couple of days ago flashes through her mind and she lets a deep breath out her nostrils as she circles the ice hall, kicking up speed rather than slowing down as she continues along the beach boardwalk, a draft to the air as she's exposed to the ocean.
She's been going it over in her head ever since it happened. Thankfully, her friends took her occasional zoning out as processing the fiasco of the Orlando trip that wasn't and she happily let them believe they were right, knowing what a storm would arise if they knew what actually lingered on her mind.
She's been turning the events of that night inside out, upside down, untangling every last straw trying to understand how exactly she ended up locking lips with Ethan Taylor.
So far she has nothing.
Or well. She has a lot. But nothing of it makes any sense. There are three things she does know. One, she made out with Ethan Taylor the other night. Duh. Two, despite how many times these past two days she's been trying to convince herself that her champagne induced mind played a part of the outcome, she was nowhere near that drunk – a little bit tipsy at best, just enough to push her over an edge she would have known not to cross while sober. She sighs. Three, she desperately wants to do it again.
It doesn't make any sense.
They've always gotten along – in their own twisted way, between the banter and the quick remarks – ever since that October night sophomore year when she walked into that cupboard door, busting her nose, and the two of them spent a good half hour in the kitchen of Jacob Wilson's house cleaning her up.
And yes, they have been more friendly as of late – the conversation flowing without actually having to insult one another every other sentence. Him helping her get her mind off of the cancelled family trip fiasco. The texting. But kissing him? Making out? With Ethan Taylor?
The soles of her shoes touch against sand, leaving the few Bed & Breakfasts lined along the end of the beach walk behind as she runs along the shore for a short distance before setting off up long the beach trail, whirling past two women in colorful athletic wear hiking the other way.
A trail of goosebumps run up the skin of her arms and neck but no matter how hard she tries to convince herself it has to do with the draft of the salt ocean breeze passing her she's positive it has nothing to do with climate and everything to do with the flash of memory she's desperately trying to suppress from the forefront of her mind.
She takes the uphill slope in quick strides before shortening her step as not to tumble as the trail becomes narrower, more mindful of where she sets her feet among the roots. She swallows at the memory of Ethan's hand slipping beneath her yellow sundress, the shadows cast from the surrounding trees doing little to sooth the warmth running through her veins, splotching her skin.
Taking a left off of the trail, she barely pays attention to her path as she dashes through a series of neighborhoods. Pressing her lips together she wills herself to think about something – anything – else than what has occupied her mind these past days only to find herself back at square one. Overcome by the vivid image of his dark eyes peering into hers, his thumb running along the curve of her lips, she heaves a breath of defeat.
It's not until she passes Nic's house she realizes she's almost through with her lap and as if on cue her senses slowly come back to her – her chest aching as she pushes forward, legs beginning to ache as she runs around the corner. Though she's already pushed herself far more than usual, she pushes into a sprint as her own house comes into view, taking the slight hill and crossing onto the sidewalk before she allows herself to topple onto her lawn.
She kicks her legs out long as she stares up at the sky, chest heaving – heart drumming – with her rapid breath, as she concludes that even though the run might have taken all physical strength out of her, it sure hasn't made her any wiser.
♡♡♡
He's there when she sets foot in the offices of T.H Publishing on the Monday following her week off from the internship. Stood by Anna's side he glances up as soon as she walks through the door, the left corner of his mouth lifting into a cross of a faint smile and a smirk.
"Avery! It's so good to see you!" Anna beams, looking up from the stack of papers where she's sat at her desk. "How are you?"
"I'm good," Avery nods, shooting a greeting Violet and Eric's – another of Anna's employees she met briefly before he left for vacation her first week on the job – way as she crosses the room to her desk, setting her bag down on the table top. "Good to be back."
"We're glad to hear that," Anna says, smiling as she spins her chair around to look at her son, a padded envelope in her hand. "Will you mail this on your way out?"
Avery watches the interaction out of the corner of her eye as she sits down in her chair, busying herself with rolling a pencil over the table as she waits for the computer to start. She lifts her gaze just in time to catch Ethan's dip away, his eyes flickering to the envelope as if it's the first time he's ever seen anything like it.
"Yeah. Sure... Absolutely."
"Great," Anna presses the envelope into his hand. "Bye then. See you tonight."
"Bye."
Again, Ethan's eyes flit across the room and Avery lifts her hand in a weak wave before watching him leave, smile faltering – pretending like nothing won't be easy when he's seemingly always around. They have to talk, and she's pretty sure she won't get through one simple task before it's done.
Desperation is what follows and as her mind kicks into gear it seems to work at a much quicker speed than she is. It's Monday.
Tapping her foot against the floor, she waits for the tab to load. Come on, come on, come on. She drags her bottom lip against her teeth, scrolling down the calendar as it slowly makes it way onto the screen, pointing coming to a pause over today's date. Bingo.
The chair almost topples over as she gets to her feet. Anna glances up from her computer screen – so does Violet and Eric and Avery wrenches her hands together, flickering her eyes between the three of them before settling on Anna. She's beginning to think maybe this isn't the best idea but well, here she is.
"There's book club today, right?" She asks, clearing her throat as she hears how weak her tone is as the words leave her lips. "Should I go pick up the cakes?"
Anna looks slightly taken aback but satisfied at her initiative and Avery has to hold back the urge to release a breath of relief as the woman nods with a smile. "Yes, that would be great," She says. "Tell them you're with us and the rest should sort itself. When you get back we'll go over this week's itinerary, sound good?"
"Sounds great," Avery flashes Anna a smile, clutching the debit card the woman hands her in her palm. "I'll be right back."
More or less stumbling over her feet, she sprints down the three flights of stairs and out the street door, blinking as her eyes are hit by the bright sunlight. She whips her head to both her sides until she spots him a distance away, seeing the back of his dark t-shirt as he walks down the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
"Hey!" She launches into a run. An angry horn blares after her as the driver of the car coming down the street, having to put the brake through the floor as she crosses the street. "Wait up!"
Ethan whirls around then, lips twitching as she slows down. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," She pauses in front of him, holding one of her fingers up as if to tell him to wait as her other hand clutches her hip, panting. All those runs these past days and this is what knocks the air out of her. "Hey."
"Hi," He says and as she straightens up she catches the amusement flickering over his features. "Did you just chase me down the block?"
"Don't flatter yourself," She removes the case of her phone to slip the debit card into it before releasing another heavy breath. "I'm headed to With Sprinkles on Top and simply happened to notice you're going in that direction too."
"Right," He rolls his lips together, cocking his head to the side and she's quick to fall into step alongside him as he begins to walk again. He clears his throat. "So."
"So." She echoes.
"How was the rest of your week?"
She tries to think back to the everything but the constant loop of thoughts that have occupied her mind ever since Friday night. She's gotten a lot of running in. And ever since her mother got back from the city Saturday morning, only hours before her friends left one by one, she's spent quite some time with her too. She did, eventually, manage to make her way through at least one of the awaiting books on her shelf – though she did have to put it down numerous times because of said thoughts she's been trying her best to disperse interrupting her focus.
"Quite good," She nods to herself, tongue pressing to the roof of her mouth and she forces herself to release a breath. "Yours?"
"Good."
"That's... good."
She doesn't miss the quirk of his brow as he shoots her a sideways glance, lips twitching at her lack of a vocabulary. As her lips slip into a mirroring, somewhat uncertain, smile he seems to relax and a shared small – on the edge of awkward – laugh fills the silence.
"So," Avery says, holding back the urge to roll her eyes at her own repetitiveness. Now she's here – time to talk, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. She forces herself to speak as they turn the corner onto another street. "Friday was..."
She trails off again, biting down her lip.
Ethan rubs a hand through his hair. "... Yeah."
"Might not have–"
"I think maybe we shouldn't–"
They cut themselves off, lips pulling into smiles as they realize their timing of having spoken at the same time. Ethan gestures for her to go first. Here goes.
She hesitates, flickering her eyes to the blue ballet flats adorning her feet. "I think maybe we shouldn't do that again."
"I agree," He says and her heart plummets to the pit of her stomach at the very same time as she releases a breath of relief, leaving a strange bittersweet taste on the tip of her tongue. He catches her gaze as she looks his way, a sheepish smile on his lips as a rosy tint comes to his cheeks. "I mean don't get me wrong. It was–"
"Fun."
He considers her, nodding once as if agreeing on the word. "Fun. Yes."
She drags her lip between her teeth. "But also not that smart."
"Exactly." He agrees.
"We got caught up in a moment. With the bonfire and...," She trails off, racking her brain as she once again finds herself at a loss of words – she's not used to it and she'd rather not have it become a habit.
His lips quirk and she swears the faintest hint of a smirk lingering on them as he speaks, "The champagne."
"Right, that's... exactly,"
She comes to a stop as they reach With Sprinkles on Top Bakery – hand lacing around the knob of the see through door, next to it colorful patisseries line the window front, allowing a gaze into the quaint shop. She turns to fully look at him, lips pursing as she focuses her eyes on his.
"Let's agree to forget it ever happened?"
A chortle escapes his lips as he runs his hand through the dark mess of hair atop his head and she forces the memory of her fingers sprawling through the soft curls to the back of her mind. So much for forgetting.
"Easier said than done," He says and she holds back the dry laugh lingering on the tip of her tongue because yeah, no shit. She didn't exactly kick her own ass running again this morning to strengthen her stamina. "But – figuratively – yes."
Swallowing back the lump of disappointment in her throat she reminds herself that this is a good thing. This is what she had decided needed to be done while tossing and turning, wide awake, all night long. Yes, Friday night was fun. And even though she wouldn't be completely opposed to it happening again – it simply cannot happen again. It just can't. The only possible outcome of it happening again is a row of complications she doesn't even want to begin to touch upon.
No matter how right his lips felt on hers in that moment, it's just not worth the risk. There are other great kissers out there, and that's that.
She twists the door knob, beginning to push the door open. "Back to normal then?"
"Non-friends?"
She rolls her eyes as her lips crack into a ridiculously wide smile, agreeing. "Non-friends,"
Turning her head over her shoulder, she catches sight of the blackboard sign stood on the checkered linoleum floor – 'We're trying out new flavors. Taste some cake!'
She tilts her head to the side as she turns back to look at him, skin creasing around her eyes as she regards him. "Does that mean you have time to join me for some cake tasting while I wait for them to pack up my order?"
"As if you have to ask."
♡♡♡
Avery throws her head back, eyes fluttering shut as a near-silent moan escapes her lips.
"Okay, this is the one," She announces, opening her eyes as she turns sideways on the swivel chair, smile widening as she catches sight of Ethan's amused expression. "I could die for this cake. You know what? I would give up ever having any other cake again if it meant I could have this whenever I wanted. If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be this cake. This is one of the three things I would bring with me to a deserted island."
He shrugs. "It was okay."
Drawing her hand to her chest, Avery gasps in mock offense. "We are so not friends anymore."
"We're not friends to begin with, remember?"
She clicks her tongue, slowly shaking her head with a smile at his remark, already feeling more at ease than these past few days. She's gotten used to his presence – the jokes, the back and forth, that little fluttering sense in her chest when she manages to bring an annoyed gleam to his eyes only to dispel it the next by making him laugh. The silence that stretched between them this weekend hadn't only been noticeable, but unwelcome too. There's an easiness to talking to Ethan. Of being with Ethan. And there's no reason to add any more complications to that. Their one time kiss, okay make out session, best forgotten.
"Whatever," She says, scooping the rest of the cake piece onto her fork, devouring the taste as it hits her tongue. "Best. Cake. Ever. What?"
"You've got some on your face."
"What? Where?"
Seeming entertained by her struggle he regards her, eyes glimmering as his smile spreads wider. "Just above your lip. The other side."
Avery lets her thumb fall from her face, tilting her head to her side. "Is it gone?"
"No." He laughs, propping his elbow up on the counter as he leans forward and she immediately inches away, having to grab onto the countertop as not to fall backwards.
"What are you doing?"
"Just be still."
Her eyes flicker to his thumb as he runs it along the curve of her lip and she freezes, breath hitching, at the familiarity of it. She swallows, eyes flickering over his face as he pauses in the dip of her dimple, his brows furrowing together as his lips purse together.
"There," He breathes as he drops his hand back to his side and she drags her lip between her teeth, trying to shake the sense of warmth running through her as her chest heaves with a flutter beneath her cardigan. "All gone."
"Thanks."
He parts his lips as if he's about to speak but closes them again, jaw clenching as his eyes flicker back to her lips before leaning back into his seat. She runs a palm down her skirt, scrambling for something to say – anything that'll bring them back to their previous conversation – but her mind blinks blank.
"There we go!"
Startled, Avery draws her hand to her chest as she whirls around on the swivel stool as a pristine white paper bag is set down on the counter in front of her, carrying two boxes of cake.
The woman working the counter beams their way. "I hope it'll do."
Avery, still slightly discombobulated, manages to shoot a smile her way, taking hold of the bag as she jumps off her stool. "It sure will," She gestures to the selection on the paper plates stood on the counter. "And don't get me started on these. Amazing."
Ethan pushes his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he lets the door fall close behind them, weighing back on his feet.
He throws a thumb over his shoulder. "I'm parked this way."
"Oh, right," She nods, adjusting her grip on the bag, careful to be delicate as not to mess up the edible art pieces inside the cake boxes. "I should get these to the office."
Another be at of silence passes between them and he rubs a hand through his hair, bringing a smile to her lips as a few of the curls fall into his eyes.
"Friends, right?"
She presses her lips together as a grin pulls at them, a puff of air leaving her nose in a silent snort.
"Non-friends," She corrects him and as he smiles too a sense of relief settles in her chest. "I guess I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, see you Waters."
♡♡♡
"What about this one?" Callie says, twirling in front of the laptop before placing her hands on her hips, peering at Avery through the camera. "Does it say future congresswoman?"
"I would vote for you," Avery smiles, pulling her knees to her chest. "Actually, I already did."
"But is it right though?"
Avery switches phone-holding hand, stretching her fingers out. "Calliope, in all the years I've known you you've never not known how to dress for the occasion. Trust yourself. Besides you're going to make a great impression no matter what you wear. You're made for that internship."
The two of them have been on the FaceTime call for a bit more than an hour now – tending to Callie's next grand adventure for the summer. Or more like Callie's agony about what is next for her this summer.
"You think so? I will be far from the only intern and I don't want them to take one look at me and write me off as 'senator Montgomery's granddaughter' and assume that's why I am there – oh look it is the girl who's grandpa pulled a few strings," Callie sighs and sits down in front of the screen again, pulling her long ginger hair to the back of her head. "Up or down?"
"Half-half?" Avery suggests. "And yes I really do think so. This is all you've ever wanted to do."
"Be an intern?"
"Embark on your political career. Between this and student government you'll be in The White House by January. Come on, enjoy it."
Callie rolls her eyes with a soft snort. "I know I know, I'm letting the stress get to me. I just... I want them to like me."
"And they will. You're great. You will do great at this job. The outfit's great – duh," Avery says, smiling. "Now – from one intern to another, and keep in mind my office is far smaller than yours. Heels is a no. If you do wear heels make sure you can actually walk, or run, in them without breaking your ankle. There will be coffee runs, delivering folders last minute, running from one end of the office to the other in less than a second – if there's anyone I trust to dress accordingly it's you. Paper cuts are now part of your life, get used to them–"
Callie's lips twitch in amusement, clearly entertained by Avery's monologue. "I thought your job was to read all day long?"
"Book publishing turns out to be a violent career path," Avery laughs. "The other day Anna brought me along to this convention thing and it was exhilarating, heaven on earth and horrifying all at the same time."
"Sounds like you're... glad to be back?"
"It's so much fun. And Anna's the best," Avery gets to her feet, crossing the room to her closet. "Oh, right. Remember that they chose you. You truly do belong there."
"Thank you," Callie's tone of voice drops a level, and she presses her lips together. "I needed to hear that."
"Well, mom was the one who told me the same thing – so really you should be thanking her – but I'm happy to forward some of her wisdom to you."
"Tell her thank you," Callie laughs. "Actually, tell her thank you on Nonna's behalf too. I've been a mess stressing over this ever since I left yours Saturday and I think she even considered shipping me back to Acebridge for a moment there."
Grabbing a pair of runner tights and a tank top, Avery sets them down next to a stack of paperbacks on the tabletop of her desk before dropping herself onto a seat on the desk chair. She props the phone up against the books, looping her arms around her legs instead.
"I wouldn't be opposed to that. I already miss you."
"I miss you too. And the Macadamia Brittle."
"I'm pretty sure they have ice cream in D.C Calliope."
Callie pulls her hair up into a bun on the top of her head, an errant strand of red hair falling out of it and into her face. "Yes but it just doesn't taste the same," She sighs. "It's decided. I'm coming back."
The corners of Avery's mouth twitches. "What about your internship?"
"Shit. Right. Oh god I am going to throw up."
"It's going to be great," Avery reassures her friend. "Remember? They chose you."
Callie swallows, nodding as she presses her lips together, repeating the sentiment, "They chose me."
"You can do this."
"I can do this."
Sarah glances up from her laptop as Avery peers her head into the kitchen a few minutes later. "You going out for a run?"
"Yeah," Her lips pull into a lopsided smile. "You want to tag along?"
"Oh god no."
Avery laughs. "See you in a while."
♡♡♡
Returning from work on the Wednesday afternoon, Avery finds her mother sat on the top step of the wooden stairs leading down into their back garden.
"You know," She says, looping her arms around Sarah's shoulders from behind in a hug. "T.H Publishing has a book club."
Sarah looks up from the pages of her book – one that's been on the bestseller list for ages and ages. "Okay?"
"You should join!" Avery releases her grip, instead walking past her mother to take a seat cross legged on the grass. She smooths out the skirt of her dress as it rides up her thighs, tugging at the hem. "I saw the members come into the office today – they were going to have the meeting up on the roof – and they seemed like very nice people. It's not pretentious or anything. They read for fun just like you! And there's cake."
"And you think I need a book club why?"
"Because it's fun! And... to make friends."
"I have friends!"
"You have Tammy. And then you have colleagues. In New York. Here," Avery hands her mother the bound book she brought with her from the offices. "This is what they're reading right now. I told Anna you might come to the next meeting."
"Avery."
"She was very excited to hear so! And you don't want me to look bad in front of my boss do you?"
♡♡♡
It's an abnormally cold July morning – small puffs of air visible as they leave Avery's lips where she follows the beach trail and she's beginning to second guess her decision to get into her runner's gear upon waking up this morning. Maybe she should've just stayed another hour in bed.
She leaves the trail for the boardwalk, soles of her shoes slapping the pavement along the beat of the music blasting through her earphones, just quickening her step as a wolf whistle sears through the pop song and she slows down, brows dipping together as she tears one of the buds out. A split second later someone calls her name – her last name.
Whirling on her feet she spots Ethan down by the shore, swarmed by a group of children, his hands cupped around his mouth and as his gaze catches hers he lifts one of them in a wave. She hesitates, weighing back on her heels as she wipes a bead of seat off of her forehead, suddenly feeling self conscious about her current state as a sweaty mess. It's quite the contrast from that night at the beach.
A night they have both agreed to forget, she reminds herself before recalling how he's already seen her like this before. They've run together before. There's no reason not to go say hello. They're friends. Non-friends. It's fine.
She lets her lips slip into a smile as she leaves the pavement, crossing the sand dunes in a small jog just as he bids the group of children goodbye. He watches them take off toward their parents and awaiting post-swim snacks and warm clothes, turning around just in time for her to slow down her step.
"Well this is cruel," She says, releasing her blonde waves from the tie keeping them in a ponytail. She runs her fingers through them to comb them out as they fall over her shoulder in an attempt to look at least a little less awful. "Forcing the kids into the water in this freezing cold."
He pushes his hands into the pockets of the fit fleece jacket zipped to his collar. "Tell me about it."
She flickers her eyes away from him to the awaiting group of children taking seats in the sand, recognizing his co-coach, Flora – her dark hair in two braids and a fleece jacket just like Ethan's zipped up to her chin – from that night at the beach. She's stood just to the side of the circle of kids, chatting with them and a few of their parents.
"Shouldn't you be working?"
He shrugs. "I have a few minutes before we begin."
She flickers her eyes towards the group again. "Do you do this every morning?"
"Mondays to Thursdays. New group every other week all through June and July. Ages 4 to 10."
"Sounds like you rehearsed that off of a pamphlet."
"The certificate coursework actually."
Her lips quirk up. "Do the people who put you in this role know you have a habit of hurling unsuspecting sweet souls into the water for the hell of it?"
"That was fun."
"I almost died."
A soft laugh escapes his lips as he shakes his head. "The first thing we teach the kids is to not swallow the water, so you pretty much brought that one on yourself," He pokes his finger into her shoulder to prod another smile out of her. "What on earth are you doing out in this cold?"
"Sea-glass hunting."
His grin only widens at the tired look she shoots his way. "You know, I'm still waiting for us to run together again sometime."
"You can't even keep up with me."
His eyes narrow slightly, as if he's about to disagree but then he shrugs.
"I'm surprised you even heard me – you're like a gazelle," He says and she purses her lips together. The comparison rings ironically true – she seems to always be running from something these days. "If I hadn't glanced up the moment I did I'm pretty sure you would've blurred by before I even noticed you."
Out of the corner of her eye she sees Flora go through the presence list, pen perched between her fingers as the kids sit in a huddle to keep warm. "You should go help out."
"Yeah I should."
She pulls her hair back up in a ponytail and his lips twitch as he reaches out to tuck a fallen strand of blonde behind her ear, causing her lips to mirror his smile as warmth flushes to her cheeks despite the freezing weather. Wrapping her arms around herself she watches the kids drop their robes and towels to the ground, walking over to the shoreline with Flora in nothing but their swimsuits.
"They're all gonna end up with a cold," She says, a pout coming to her lips as a shiver runs down her own spine from having been stood still for too long. "Don't you have a pool to use?"
"It's 'learn to swim in the wild' day."
"Bad fucking choice of a day," Avery mutters, and her lips widen into a bigger smile than she would've liked them to at the chortled sound her words get out of him. "Okay, well. I better get going or I'll end up being late to work."
He unzips his fleece, dropping it to the ground and she tries to keep her eyes fixed on his face rather than let them trail down his suntanned body where he's now stood in nothing but his swim shorts. He wrenches his hands together, jumping a bit on the spot to keep warm.
"Want me to put in a good word with the boss on your behalf?"
She rolls her eyes with a small shake of her head, lips still in a smile as she puts her earbuds in. "Bye Taylor."
♡♡♡
Avery listens to Lea – who's she's spent the past half hour speak to on the phone while sat up on the roof – as she flies down the stairs. Rounding the corner of the stairwell to take on the next she glances up just in time to slide to the side to prevent herself from crashing straight into Ethan, almost stumbling over herself into the wall instead.
He quickly reaches his hand out, latching onto her elbow to steady her and a silent laugh escapes her lips as they pull back into a small smile. Carefully removing his fingers one by one he quirks a brow and she rolls her eyes, making a show of being able to keep her balance as she hums a sound of affirmation to Lea – who's busy chatting away – on the phone.
She holds her finger to her lips in a hushing motion before gesturing for him to go ahead and continue on upstairs.
"That does sound like it would be amazing." She agrees with Lea as she continues down the stairs.
It's not the first time Lea proposes the idea of the five of them spending time together in her family home back in Silves, Portugal. After having listened to her friend's musings of her past days ever since she flew in from D.C at the beginning of the week Avery can say she wouldn't be opposed to it. Who knows? Maybe one day they will.
She leans against the wall of the stairwell as she reaches the ground floor, humming words of affirmation as Lea daydreams aloud about the five of them traveling through the country. Her lips twitch into a smile, applying some chapstick she finds in her crossbody bag, as she listens to Lea switch between English and Portuguese for a split moment while speaking to her father before she returns to the phone call, painting Avery a vivid mental picture of a Mediterranean summer.
Her attention is caught by the sound of footsteps. Turning her head to the side she sees Ethan come back down the stairs and she pushes away from the wall.
"Hey Lea?"
"Yeah? No, don't tell me you have to go."
"Sorry," Avery's lips automatically pull into a consoling pout. "But at least your phone bill will be glad."
"Talk later?"
"Definitely," Avery nods even though her friend can't see her. "And don't forget to send me a postcard!"
As she hangs up she drops the phone into her bag, zipping it shut as her eyes flicker to Ethan. "Hi."
"Hey."
She lets her hair out of the clip holding it together on the back of her head. "Do you have plans right now?"
"Waters," He feigns a note of being touched, drawing his palm to his chest. "Did you wait around for me?"
Narrowing her eyes she aims a soft kick to his leg. Yes, she did but he doesn't have to make a thing out of it – it's not a thing. "Answer the question."
"No I do not have plans right now," He says, grin only growing. "Why?"
"Well, not that we're friends or anything–"
"Of course we aren't."
"But we did say we were going to hang out again," She says, thinking back to the day she ran into him at Beans & Bagels the very day before Luke decided to come surprise her. Back before that week – and that Friday night. "Before... you know, the thing."
He cocks his head to the side, considering her as his dark eyes gleam with a tint of amusement. "What thing?"
She rolls her lips in, cheeks tightening as the corners of her mouth twist up. "So?" She asks. "Do you want to come with me to get ice cream or something?"
♡♡♡
"Cold, cold, cold, cold," Avery sings, water splashing up her legs as she runs up to the shore, wrapping her arms around herself. "Bad idea. Bad idea."
Ethan laughs as he comes to her side a second later. "Your idea."
"Well, that doesn't particularly mean it was a good idea," She says, rubbing her palms over her arms as he picks her dress up from where it lies discarded in the sand, handing it over to her. "Thanks."
She doesn't waste any time slipping into it, dampening the peach fabric but anything's better than the trail of goosebumps lining the skin on her stomach and arms from the soft ocean breeze. He laughs again as she shivers, continuing to rub desperately at her upper arms as she slips into her flats.
"I mean I knew you're cold blooded but this is over the top," He says, slipping his t-shirt over his head as she pulls her wet hair into a bun at the back of her head. "It wasn't even that bad. Dramatic much?"
Her lips part, eyes narrowing but instead of countering his remark she turns on her heel, saying, "I want an iced chai."
"Because that's gonna help."
She presses her lips together, attempting to suppress the smile lingering on them and as soon as he's caught up with her, falling into step next to her she slides her leg out in front of him to trip him, a loud snort escaping her as he tumbles forward.
"Klutz."
"You did not just–"
She's only gotten ahead a step or two, a loud squeal escaping her lips as his fingers lace around her ankle, pulling her down with him. Not being able to hold back her laughter she squirms out of his grip, rolling over on her side to push herself up to her feet only to have him try and beat her to the punch. Taking a hold of her hand to heave himself up he causes her balance to falter and they both stoop back onto to the ground.
"Oh, you're so dead." She laughs, brushing sand off of her dress before lunging towards him on her knees, not having counted on the arm he easily wraps around her shoulders, bringing her onto her back.
His lips crack a grin as he props himself up on his side with the help of his elbow. "Didn't think that one through, did you Waters?"
She shrugs, a smile slipping onto her lips as she lets her eyes flicker over his face where his eyes peer down at her, her heartbeat quickening as everything seems to grow quiet around them, the sound of the waves washing onto the shore fading away, the distant joyful chatter from the main area of the long stretched beach seeming miles away, the victorious exclaims from the beach volley ball court less than background noise. Her smile widens as a damp dark curl falls out of place and into his eye and she lifts her hand, pushing it back.
Her fingers pause in his hair, the pads lightly grazing his hairline as his eyes flit over her face, lingering on her lips a second longer before traveling back to her eyes as he clenches his jaw, a small crease appearing between his brows.
Her lips fall out of their smile, pursing her mouth as she slowly lets her hand fall from his hair, instead latching onto his wrist as she swiftly hooks her leg in one of his – a triumphant chuckle leaving her lips as she succeeds in maneuvering him, having him fall over on his back. She's quick to secure her hold on his other arm too, climbing over him as she raises her brows.
"You were saying Taylor?"
His lips twitches into a cross of a smile and a grimace as a few droplets of water fall from her hair onto his cheeks and she smiles before she lets go, scrambling to her feet.
Extending her hand to help him up she draws a breath in through her nose to try and calm her heart into a slower, more normal pace, attempting a nonchalant shrug of her shoulder as she tries to shake the warmth flushing her cheeks. "Fun's over. Let's go."
"Yeah."
She turns on her heel, biting her lip down as she tries to regain her focus. Iced chai.
Her breath catches in her throat as she's spun back around with a tug of her hand, realizing her fingers are still interlaced with Ethan's, a faint waft of sunscreen reaching her as she finds herself stood so close to him she could probably tilt her lips just an inch to have them brush against his.
She swallows, knowing she should take a step back but instead she lifts the fingers of her free hand to his hair, sprawling them through it before wrapping one of the curls around her pinky, smiling as she watches it fall back into place.
His index finger hooks beneath her chin, gaze flickering over her face and her eyes flutter shut as his thumb brushes over her lips. They peer wide open a split second later though, lips parting as the nerves running along them burn in the wake of his teasing touch and as his eyes meet hers his lips quirk into a faint smirk.
"Ass."
His lips pull back even further and she rolls her eyes at the sight of amusement pooling his, letting go of his hand to loop her arm around his neck instead, her fingers still mindlessly sprawling through his hair. She gazes over his face, her brows dipping together slightly and she lets her fingers trail down to press her thumb to the crease between his eyes to smooth it out but she soon loses focus as her gaze drops to his lips.
The corners of her mouth twist into a small smile as she lets the pads of her fingers graze the curve of his lip the same way his just did hers, continuing on by walking them over his cheekbone before letting them softly trace his jaw.
"What're you thinking about Waters?"
Snapping her eyes back to his, she drags her lip between her teeth. "That... We should get going."
He nods. "We should."
She's not exactly sure who's the first to lean in but as soon as their lips touch together in a kiss she feels his smile and she smiles too only to have him break away. She instantly wants to knot her hands in his hair to pull him back in.
His smile slip into a faint smirk. "I think this whole 'let's forget it ever happened' thing won't work out."
Attempting to feign nonchalance she shrugs but her breath hitches as it melts together with his in the mere inches of space between them and she doesn't speak until she lets her lips brush over his again.
"Maybe we should try it this way instead."
A soft groan of disappointment leaves her throat as he inches away again but then he runs his thumb over cheek, her heartbeat quickening as his index finger lifts her chin to bring her lips closer to his. "What are non-friends for?"
. . .
just popping by to say hello and once again take the opportunity to say thank you for the incredible support so far! <3
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i hope you're all doing well! much love,
yours, L.