As her phone buzzes from in between the couch cushions, Avery takes her eyes off of the pages of her book, resting it between her thumb and index finger as she scoops the device up, lips immediately twisting into a smile at the sight of the notif.
'that god-awful son of my boss'
i'll be at yours in 15
Thirteen minutes later she closes the front door behind her, a warm breeze of early evening air passing through her hair and fluttering the silk fabric of her thigh length skirt as she takes the two step stair in a jump and makes her way down the gravel path to where Ethan's Volvo SUV idles on the street outside her house.
Climbing into the passenger seat, she adjusts her bag – holding her phone and keys – where it hangs across her chest, making sure to smooth down her skirt as it rides up her legs before fastening the seatbelt, tugging at the hem of her cream colored knitted sweater.
Ethan shoots her a glance as she settles back, the leather of the car seat hot against the bare skin of her legs, as if the vehicle's been parked out in the sun all day long. "Ready to go?"
"Yep."
They've barely left her neighborhood before she's swapping between the radio stations. She doesn't miss the way Ethan's lips quirk as she sighs, struggling to find a song in between all the ad breaks that won't give her a headache.
As they slow down by a red light he looks over at her. "You must've been really bored to want to come with me for this. Either that or you're a fan of car rides."
"I don't particularly have anything against car rides," She says and leans back against the headrest, lips slipping into a small smile. "But me coming with you is all because of wanting to hang out with Ella."
Having come home from work a couple of hours earlier, she'd barely taken a seat on the couch to read her book when she slipped into a lengthy conversation by text with Ethan – forgetting all about the words on the page. Now here she is, having decided to tag along to fetch Ella from her soccer practice.
"Ella," He echoes. "Right."
She shrugs, glancing out the window as they get onto the highroad and lets her gaze linger over the blue body of water stretching into the never ending distance. "She's my friend."
"Oh so she gets to be your friend?"
"Mhm, yeah."
Leaning forward, she's fiddling with the radio again before settling back in her seat, letting her fingertips draw patterns on the fabric of her bag.
She flickers her eyes to the road as the chill of the AC leaves a trail of goosebumps up her legs. The cool inside of the car quite a contrast to the otherwise warm day and she pulls at the arms of her sweater to cover her palms, interlacing her hands in her lap as she hums along slightly to the song – already reaching her arm out as it's fading out, ready to swap to the next tune that will do.
She's barely touched the buttons of the stereo before she draws her hand back, a loud ringtone echoing through the speakers as the screen flashes 'Dickhead calling' next to a phone symbol. Her lips quirk up and Ethan simply rejects the call with a smooth click of a button beneath his thumb on the wheel. They only experience four seconds of radio music bliss before the ringtone overtakes the car's bluetooth system again. Avery shifts in her seat, a small cracking to her bones as she rubs her hand over the goosebumps on her right knee, shooting Ethan a glance.
"You can pick up you know."
Again, he rejects the call. "I'll call him later."
'Dickhead' however, doesn't seem to get the memo, as the ringtone immediately fills the car again.
Ethan takes his eyes off the road for a second, catching Avery's gaze. "Do not get me into trouble."
A chortled sound escapes her lips. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Pressing her lips together, she makes a motion with her fingers as if zipping them together. He eyes her once more before accepting the call.
"This better be an emergency."
"We haven't spoken in forever so I'd say it is," A boy's voice booms over the sound system, having both Avery and Ethan wince and the latter quickly dials down the volume. "What's up?"
Avery recognizes the voice almost immediately – the infamous Jacob Wilson. Ethan takes them off the highroad running along the ocean and onto another, narrower, taking them further into this part of town – her school's not too far from here.
"Not much."
"What are you doing right now?"
"Driving," Ethan says and flickers his eyes towards Avery again as the the car slows down further, turning into a neighborhood. "How's life at the Wilson lake house?"
Avery smiles as she spots the playground in between two blocks – Lea lives down the road from here. She leans back in her seat, silently drawing circles on her tanned legs, finger pads gently brushing over the goosebumps.
"Crowded," Jacob groans, the warmth of his voice somehow still managing to come through despite the negative clang to the word. "But fun. So... how's our plan going?"
Brows dipping together, Avery straights up in her seat as she keeps her gaze out the windshield. Ethan slowly drums the pads of his fingertips against the wheel, and out of the corner of her eye she sees him purse his lips together before saying, "Hey I just pulled up to Ella's socc–"
"Ella doesn't get off practice until six on Mondays," Jacob counters and Avery can't help the twitch of her lips, her smile only widening as Ethan's drumming picks up speed, a flash of defeat crossing his face and her curiosity increases, halfway turning in her seat to look at him. "Just answer the damn question. Have you held up your end of the deal or not?"
"Kind of."
"What does that mean?"
Ethan shoots Avery a sideways glance, his lips falling into a tight line as he realizes she's intently listening, but the left corner of his mouth soon lifts into a faint smile. He opens his mouth to speak as another voice, female this time, booms through the speakers.
"The only reason he's so determined to put the spotlight on you is that all his attempts have been epic fails," The voice laughs. "You should've seen him with this one girl the other night–"
"Okay. Thank you Faye, you can leave now," Jacob says and lets another beat of silence pass before asking, "What does kind of mean? Have you hooked up with any girls or not?"
A loud snort escapes Avery's lips but she bites back the laugh threatening to slip her tongue as Ethan shoots her a glare, her lips twisting dangerously as she again makes a motion of zipping her lips together.
"No. Well yes. But..." He trails off and Avery twists further in her seat, raising her brows as she wonders where exactly this will go.
An impatient sigh bursts through the speakers before Jacob speaks again, "Since the chick in Atlanta?"
Avery's lips fall into a tight line and Ethan's fingers pause in their drumming as he presses his own lips together, not taking his eyes off the road for even one second. "Yes."
"How many?"
"One."
"That wasn't the fucking deal."
"Because you're living it up with your number of zero."
"Go away Faye."
"In my opinion you're both ridiculous."
"Yes, okay, go away now," Jacob urges before returning his attention to Ethan. "Out of towner?"
Ethan flickers his eyes to Avery as if considering what to say and she narrows her eyes, waiting for him to speak. "No."
"Yawn. Who is it then?"
Ethan's words are a bit too quick out of his mouth. "You don't know her."
"I don't know her? Bro. I know everyone," A beat of silence passes and Ethan resumes drumming his fingers against the wheel as Avery sinks back into her seat, mindlessly smoothing out her skirt. Then, sounding as if he's mid-chewing, Jacob asks, "Is she hot?"
"Jake."
"Is she?"
Ethan clears his throat, coughing a few times as if having choked and Avery doesn't miss the glance her shoots her way as she straightens up in her seat, a spike of warmth running up her neck as she averts her eyes to the road ahead, biting down at her lip as her fingers play with the strap of her seatbelt. Another impatient sigh is heard through the speakers before Ethan clears his throat again, coughing out a strangled sound.
"Definitely."
The two boys continue their conversation but their voices are nothing but a light buzz to her ears now, background sound drowned out by her rapid heartbeat. She presses her lips together, swallowing as she pulls a clammy hand through her hair, feeling the stickiness lingering on her skin as the pads of her fingertips graze against her hairline. It sure is humid in this car.
Her boney fingers tap again the door-armrest, itching to push the button that'll slide the window down. Her heart continues to drum in her chest, skin growing so warm she'd rather crawl out of it – the cold chill of the AC a long forgotten issue. She leans forward, one of her palms held out in front of the AC vents as the other turns the dialing knob back and forth to find the place where it kicks into maximum force.
It's not until the window – followed by the sunroof – slides open that she realizes Ethan's hung up the phone. She lightly presses three of her fingers to both her cheeks as she settles back in her seat, swallowing as her skin burns beneath her cool fingertips. Dropping her hands to her lap she shoots him a glance, lips still tightly sealed as a flare of irritation crosses her chest. He, unlike her, doesn't seem phased in the slightest, facial expression as serene as ever.
Willing her heart to calm down and for her clammy skin to not grow redder but to return to it's cool state she runs her palms over her silk skirt, keeping her eyes ahead as they turn into the parking lot.
Ethan kills the engine as he twists in his seat and she turns her head to look at him, eyes narrowing upon noticing the smirk that's begun to pull at his lips. He gestures to the four open windows and sunroof above.
"You seemed a bit desperate for air."
Her lips part, heart catching in her chest but she soon gathers herself, eyes narrowing further. The nerve of this guy. Clearing her throat, she shoots out a silent hope her voice won't fail her as she pulls at the hem of her sweater, trying not to grimace over how clammy it feels stuck to her skin. She feigns a small smile, trying to suppress the warmth flushing her cheeks, overcome by the eagerness to wipe that smirk off of his face.
"Yeah well," She says, pausing as she glances out the window towards the soccer fields. The voices of the many groups of children crowding the space carries through the air and into the car. "I am hot."
♡♡♡
The silence filling the thick air of the vehicle dissipates the second Ella yanks the door open, her backpack falling to the floor with a thud as she lunges it across the backseat before climbing in herself, already talking their ears off at such a rapid speed Avery's surprised the words even have time to form. She releases a small breath of relief as the girl's energy fills the car, taking her mind off of the silence that stretched between them in the long five minutes they've been sat in this parking lot.
She twists in her seat to look at Ella as she rambles on as Ethan puts the car into drive, taking them out of the parking lot and back down the same streets they just came, heading for the highroad. Ella pauses mid-word, chugging the entirety of her water bottle before leaning forward to grab the banana lying in the middle console, ripping it open before launching into another string of words. Avery smiles as she listens to the chipper monologue recounting today's practice.
Eventually she turns back around, turning the volume of the radio up on Ella's request as Ethan slides the windows back up with a swift motion of flicking the buttons. Avery relaxes into her seat, the previous awkwardness almost having run off her entirely as she unzips her crossbody bag, fishing out a pack of fruity gums. Popping one into her mouth she reaches her arm back, extending the pack to Ella before glancing out the windshield. Blowing a bubble, she lets her gaze flicker over the sky – shades of pink and yellow melting together in the horizon as the sun sets over the ocean water, the dark blue reflecting the two in a glowing shade of red. The evening air leaves a cool breeze through the open sunroof and as the radio goes into ad break she reaches out, swift changing to the next channel before leaning her head against the headrest, humming along.
She doesn't realize she's begun singing until a soft chortle escapes Ethan's lips and she flickers her eyes to him for the very first time since leaving the soccer fields behind. He shoots her a quick glance, lips quirking up and her chest empties the last sense of heaviness lingering from before, smiling too as her lips twitch with a small inquisitive dip of her brows.
"You really are an awful singer."
Her lips pull back in a smile at his words as she rolls her eyes, returning her gaze to the fiery sky as she blows another bubble of her gum.
♡♡♡
"Honey?"
Avery bats her eyes open at the sound of her mother's voice, a yawn escaping her lips. She finds Sarah smiling down at her and she blinks as she lets her eyes gaze over the room – the screen of the TV, which Avery is fairly certain was in the midst of playing a romantic comedy the last time she had her eyes on it, is black. The coffee table is wiped clean from their movie snacks and drinks, the tea-light trio in the center of it extinguished. She yawns again, limbs heavy as she forces herself into a seat, her left cheek feeling more or less numb from having been pressed into one of the decorative throw pillows.
Sarah's voice grows even softer as she places her hand on Avery's shoulder, gently prodding her to get up from the couch. "Let's call it a night, shall we?"
Avery nods, yawning as she sits up straighter, digging her hand under the cushions lining the backrest until her fingers grip the cold steel of her phone, clutching it in her hand as she lets her mother pull her up to her feet.
Sarah disappears into the kitchen while Avery slowly take the stairs two steps at a time, glancing down at the screen to realize she's been dozing on and off for at least half an hour – which was when she received the notification of a text staring back up at her. She wipes it off the screen, attempting to suppress the guild immediately flooding her chest. She can have a look at whatever her father has to say tomorrow, she's already half asleep now anyways.
She's just brushed her teeth and gotten into bed as there are three gentle taps on her slightly ajar door and she smiles as her mother pops her head into the room, expecting them to exchange their regular words of 'goodnight, see you in the morning' but Sarah doesn't stop at the door, instead crossing the room and sinking down to the edge of the mattress. She leans over with a smile on her lips, pressing a soft kiss to Avery's forehead, only having Avery's lips pull up further. It reminds her of when she was younger – of the days when her mother used to tuck her into bed every night.
"It's really nice to see you so happy these days," Sarah says and she feels a warmth rush to her cheeks but she can't wipe the smile off of her face as her mother gets to her feet again. "Goodnight honey. Sweet dreams."
"You too."
♡♡♡
Avery lifts her gaze from her work as the glass door swings open, rolling her lips together once with a faint smile as Ethan saunters into the offices, flickering his eyes towards her before walking over to the kitchenette.
They're a couple hours into the work day and while Anna's out on an errand, she's sat writing together the note for the publishing house's weekly email newsletter – while also compulsively reading through the ones sent out the past six months to make sure hers meets the same standard. Violet sits at the desk across from her, working on the graphics for the very same newsletter. One of Violet's playlists play softly from the speakers stood across the room and from the way the woman occasionally types with harsh taps on the keyboard, pinching the frame of her glasses, Avery guesses she's momentarily pausing to respond to emails.
Eric's desk – next to Violets – is piling with binders and coffee cups and the man himself disappeared into one of the two conference rooms with another stack of binders under his arm about an hour ago to work away in the silent privacy the room provides.
She glances up again as Ethan walks across the room, shooting a "Hey" Violet's way before pulling out an empty chair, dropping into it next to Avery. She takes her eyes off the computer, walking her swivel chair in a half circle to face him.
"The kids done swimming already?"
His lips twist into a smile as he lowers the water bottle in his hand. "Hello to you too."
She eyes his damp hair before turning back to the draft on the screen, eyeing it as the words seem to melt together into non-coherent nonsense . "So," She begins, "Did you voluntarily go into the pool or did someone push your insufferable ass into it?"
"Flora did push me, actually."
She pauses with her hands hovered over the keys, glancing over at him. "Really?"
He rolls his eyes, a silent snort escaping him. "No. I had to demonstrate," He says, leaning back in his seat as he gulps down some more water. "I think she was tempted though."
"Oh trust me, she was."
"You weren't even there."
"Call it gut instinct."
As he aims a light kick to her shin she narrows her eyes, only to have him grin back at her and she shakes her head with a small smile, returning to the work at hand.
As he slides his chair even closer to hers she presses her lips together, trying to ignore the flutter in her chest as the scent of his apple shampoo reaches her as he hovers over her shoulder. "I need a pen. Do you have a pen?"
"I do," She nods. "Not sure I want an Easter to defile it though."
His lips quirk up further as he leans across her, grabbing one of the pens sticking out of the cup stood next to where her paperback lies. Retreating, he lets his fingers brush gently over the skin of her forearm and she swallows, shooting him a look that's very much meant to say 'are you serious?' before returning her gaze to the screen of her computer.
Out of the corner of her eye she sees him rip a post-it off the pad lying discarded next to the keyboard, and as he fastens it next to the other in the corner of her computer a moment later she can't help the faint smile pulling on her lips at the sight of a stick figure.
"Now they're a pair," He says, nudging their knees together. "What are you working on?"
"The newsletter."
"How's it going?"
She shrugs as she rips a page out of her notebook, tearing it into tiny pieces as to busy her hands and as his knee falls against hers again, this time staying put she doesn't pull hers back. He grabs the screen, turning it towards him but she's quick to yank it back her way.
"Nope."
"Come on," He says. "If you won't let me read it how are you going to deal with all of those subscribers reading it?"
"I don't have to watch them read it."
"So close your eyes."
"Or you could just let me work."
"I'm helping you," He nudges her hand but she doesn't let go of the screen. "Do you even know how many times I used to stay up reading while mom cranked these things out in the dead of night when she was still working out of our home? Trust me I know how it's done."
Her lips pull into a softer smile at the thought of Anna sat in front of a computer, working all hours of the day to make her dream come true, with a pre-teen Ethan refusing to leave her side. Still, she has the screen in a tight hold, biting down on her lip.
"Okay, how about this?" She glances over at him. "I get to rewrite this draft and then you can have a look."
"Deal."
♡♡♡
As Anna walks into the office eighteen minutes later, Avery's still working away at the newsletter while Ethan walks his chair around in circles next to her, pressing the tip of the pen in his hand into the skin of her elbow every time he passes by her before continuing to slowly spin around, waiting for her to be done.
Out of the corner of her eye Avery sees Anna stop in her step, brows knitting together as her gaze flickers to her son but she simply lifts one of her shoulders in a shrug before she continues down the hall.
She returns a short while later, a thick stack of papers in her embrace. She drops them onto her desk, letting her dark hair out of the knot on the back of her head before she pushes the sleeves of her oversized white shirt up, walking over to Avery's desk.
"Okay love," She says, placing her palms on Ethan's shoulders. "Time for you to go."
He tilts his head back to glance up at his mother. "What's that supposed to mean?"
A sweet smile curls on her lips. "You're banned from the offices for the rest of the day."
Avery snaps her head up as Violet snorts, followed by a trail of coughs to hide the laugh slipping her lips. The woman purses her lips together, a small shake coming to her shoulder as is she's trying to contain the laughter taking over her body, and Avery averts her eyes back to her desk – trying not to ponder over whether or not the warmth coming to her cheeks makes itself known in color as well.
Ethan shoots his mother a look of disbelief. "You're kicking me out?"
"I'm kicking you out." She says it so matter of factly Avery has to bite back a laugh and when Anna begins to push the chair Ethan's sat in through the row of desks towards the door her lips twitch even further. He throws a glance over his shoulder.
"Waters."
This time a small laugh does escape Avery's lips and she takes her eyes off the screen entirely, a small gleam brightening her eyes as she says, "Don't look at me – I'm working." And she's happy to see Anna's mouth twist into a satisfied smile at her words.
As the door falls closed behind Ethan, Anna whirls around on her heels and dusts her palms together before sliding her phone out of the pocket of her high waisted denims.
"Avery?"
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking you can sit in on the editorial meeting this afternoon – bring questions. Oh! And Thursday you should come with me to meet some prospective authors, sound good?" She asks and Avery nods, lips cracking into far too wide a grin to be considered professional. "But for now, what do you say? Is it too early for some cake?"
Violet, still seeming to struggle to hold herself together, clears her throat to smother a strangled delayed laugh and Anna shoots her a quizzical look. The woman straightens up. "No, no. Definitely not. It's never too early for cake."
Anna turns back to Avery, raising a brow and she nods eagerly again, already making sure the document on her screen is properly saved and backed up. Anna walks over to the kitchenette, yanking the refrigerator door open to get out the book club's leftover cake as she calls,
"Eric! Cake!"
Three seconds later he appears in the main area, stretching his arms over his head before cracking his knuckles and together the four of them make their way out of the offices, beginning the trek up the stairs to the roof.
Avery glances over her shoulder as Violet pokes her in the back and she feels her chest tighten, hoping the woman won't comment on whatever she thinks she just witnessed between Avery and Ethan but Violet simply shoots her a friendly smile as she gathers her curls into a bun at the of her head.
"Wear comfortable shoes tomorrow, you'll be shadowing me and we're doing errands all over town."
Another wave of relief washes over her at the words – she does love the days when she gets to work one on one with Violet, but after several sessions playing around in the different applications the woman uses for her graphic work she's come to the conclusion that she's still not an artist. Even Ethan's stick figures could beat any of her efforts by a mile. Running around town sounds just fine.
♡♡♡
Avery draws a circle with her finger in the warm sand while Ethan draws patterns over her bare shoulder. The lolling sound of the waves washing onto the shore seem to grow more serene with every second of the sun setting over the sea – hues of blue, green, pink and orange melting together in the horizon until they've all turned into pitch black darkness. Aside from the faint moonlight glittering in reflection on the surface of the dark body of water, the only source of light comes from the windows of the houses in Ethan's neighborhood lined along the seafront. Even here – far away from everyone and everything – Avery can hear the soft murmur of voices from several of the porches, families and friends sat outside enjoying the late July night.
She lets Ethan draw patterns across her arm and her hands – the pads of his fingertips gently tracing the lines of her palms, as they fall in and out of light conversation where they're sat in the sand a bit further up the shore. They've been here ever since the sun begun to set hours ago, eyes gazing out over the dark body of water seeming to stretch into infinity.
A slight ocean breeze passes them by, lifting her hair in a flutter and exposes her to a whiff of vanilla and coconut from the skin of her neck and as the wind leaves a trail of goosebumps up her legs and forearms she pulls her knees close to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Lips twisting into a soft smile as she leans her chin upon her knees, she glances over at Ethan as he lets his finger trail the skin from her neck to her shoulder. Her smile only widens as he leans closer, poking his pinky into the indent of her dimple.
They've been sat in another beat of comfortable silence, Avery having returned to drawing a sun in the sand as she speaks the two words aloud, to no one in particular, gaze locked on the sand beneath her.
"Atlanta, huh?"
Her eyes flutter shut as soon as they leave her lips. She wasn't going to bring that up. She's been thinking about it these past two days, more than she'd like to admit, but that was supposed to stay between her and her brain.
Opening her eyes, she flops down on her back, keeping her gaze at the dark sky, rolling her lips together. She swallows as Ethan falls back next to her, determinedly keeping her eyes anywhere else than letting them flicker in his direction, already feeling the mortification creep onto her cheeks in warmth.
"You caught on to that, did you?"
She opens her mouth to respond only to close it again, settling for a shrug as her mind brings her back to the passenger seat of his car, replaying the conversation she overheard in bits and pieces as she tries to push it back out. She flickers her gaze to the moon, willing time to turn back to their serene night – to the words of sweet nothings, her tracing her fingers through the sand and him tracing fingers over her skin. But in the midst of her wishing and hoping, Jacob's – or well, Jake it seems – words echoes through her mind and one part she's barely recalled until now has her lips quirk up, her mortification clouded by slight curiosity.
"So," She says airily, a gleam of amusement coming to her eyes as she watches the dark sky above. "This deal of yours..."
As Ethan groans her lips quirk up further, cheeks tightening with her smile as she glances over at him.
"What exactly does that encompass?"
"You're really making me do this?"
A chortled breath leaves her lips. "Oh I most definitely am."
♡♡♡
The sigh of exasperation leaving Ethan's lips only has her falling into another fit of laughter, clutching her stomach as she leans over herself in her seat, trying to physically force air into her lungs.
"Oh come on," She breathes out between laughter, glancing back over her shoulder where he's still lying in the sand, pressing her thumb to the crease between his brows. "Turn that frown upside down."
His lips fall into a pout and she coughs, trying to gather herself as she senses another fit of laughter push up her throat. She's having way too fun of a time relishing in his teenage boy antics to admit they don't hit too far from home. If someone were to find out about all the different deals – such as shaking hands on taking risks or having gone to a party with a vow to not leave until they've all been kissed – she's made with Callie and Lea through the years she would gladly let the earth open up and swallow her whole. But right now her foolish deals aren't put on display, his is. And she's enjoying it.
They've more or less gone back to the serene calm that enveloped them earlier as another wave of amusement washes over Avery, filling her chest as she gazes out over the ocean, voice casual as her lips part,
"So, who's the better kisser? Me or Miss Georgia?"
Her lips widens into a smile at the surprised laugh escaping his lips, glancing over at him with a raised brow. He sits up, pursing his lips as if he's contemplating which way to sway the conversation but then his lips crack into a grin as they fall to her neck. His words muffled as he presses a kiss to her skin.
"You. Definitely you."
She can sense her cheeks tightening as she tries to not let the corners of her lips pull back even further and her eyes flutter shut as he continues to trail kisses along her neck. It takes every ounce of strength for her to pull back, nudging his head back up as she tries not to melt on the spot beneath his touch.
"Of course you'd say that," She begins, leveling her eyes with his, the dark pools of them shining brightly in the black night. "Or maybe I'd withdraw your lip locking privileges."
A chortled breath escapes him. "Lip locking?"
"This counts as truth hour you know."
"I know."
Her gaze drops to her hand as he interlaces his fingers with hers, swallowing back as she asks, "So?"
"So?" He echoes, tugging gently on her hand to bring her closer. "I already said it's you."
She believes him. Her lips quirking into a smug smile as he brushes his lips over her jaw and as his gaze flickers over her face he softly rolls his eyes, hooking his free arm low around her waist just as she cups her hand around his cheek, feeling him lean into her touch before she brings his lips to hers.
Her hands are still knotted in his hair as they part, his breath warm on his lips as he speaks, more or less letting the words slip out with his breath.
"That was before you know."
She nods, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth as it dawns on her just how intertwined they've already gotten in one another. "I know. We weren't fri–" She cuts herself off and he grins as she corrects herself. "Non-friends back then."
"No," His thumb brushes gently over the bare skin of her thigh where his hand rests beneath the skirt of her sundress. "No, we weren't."
. . .
hiii, I appreciate every single one of you – so so much. thank you for being the sweetest, ever.
don't forget to follow me here and/or on socials (link in bio) to keep up with my ramblings and updates.
much love, L