Page 63 of Sorry, We're Closed

“If all goes well, you won’t have this for much longer, sweet,” I whisper as I kiss his forehead. I steal whatever duvet I can before crashing for the night.

I find myself waking up in the same position I fell asleep in, with the same bundle of duvet being spooned. I have never known Sawyer to have an undisturbed night, yet he didn’t wake up once last night, and I would know being such a light sleeper.

I sneak out of my room with a bundle of clothes hanging over my arm, and into the bathroom, I’m not willing to disturb Sawyer. He needs this.

I slip into a white cropped shirt and black high waisted jeans then throw my head towards the floor, catching my wild morning waves in one fist and wrangling them into a scrunchie I found on the bathroom counter. As I swipe a delicate amount of mascara over my lashes, and a gentle sweep of my eyeliner across my lids, I go to swing my cream cardigan over my shoulder, but the fabric refuses to open. This is Sawyer’s cream jumper – he won’t mind. I slowly pull the neck over my head, refusing to mess my hair or make-up, and sneak my way into the living room. Both boys remain in their rooms, as I carefully drag my keys from the bowl and quietly close the door behind me.

Standing outside Pick and Strings, I peer into the window to see Avory and Marcus having created some sort of game with their packing materials. Marcus stands and supports a tube of bubble wrap while Avory is ring tossing the rolls of Sellotape in his direction. As I grab the door handle, I stifle my laughter since Avory completely misses and the roll hits Marcus’s face instead.

Gwenifer, pull yourself together. This is for Sawyer.

I exhale as I push the door open, a familiar ringing filling my ears. That ringing causes a slim yet tall figure to rise from packing boxes and turn to face me.

“Hey there, I’m sorry but most of our stock is—Gwen?”

His forced smile for customers fades and turns genuine. He steps towards me as he speaks. “What are you doing here?”

His smile remains as he cocks his head to the side like a confused puppy. His hair falls to one side, revealing a chain earring dangling from his lobe, and I continue to understand why Sawyer has fallen for him.

“Avory, my question is what areyoudoinghere—”

“Well, we’re packing—”

“—And not with Sawyer?”

My interruption causes Avory’s eyebrows to furrow. His lips continuously part and seal together, the start of words escaping but nothing else. I raise my eyebrows and eventually, the words tumble out of his mouth.

“Gwen, he asked me to leave. I respect him, I treasure him, I love—As much as it hurts, because it hurts so goddamn much, I must respect his decision, his safety.”

“Can’t you see that this wasn’t the decision that he wanted to make?”

Avory’s gaze averts away, his eyes seeming to follow the natural patterns of the woodwork surrounding us. I watch the increasing speed of his chest rising and falling, but I need to push him. He needs to understand.

“Gwen, I’m not willing to put him in any form of danger. You know about his mother; you know about the life he’s been forced to lead—”

“Do you even know where he is now? What’s he’s done since you two went your separate ways?”

His eyes look into mine as I speak.

“He turned up at our door last night. He’s parted ways with his mother, he’s left his home, he’s left the café, and he did that all…” My words trail off as Avory’s lip’s part slightly, a sudden realisation spreading across his face.

“All because you made him realise who he really is, and he’s no longer willing to hide that. While he’s more than grateful for that, you made him realise something else, too.”

I take his hand in mine because I can see a tremble forming in his fingers. He has no freckles for me to trace, so my thumb rubs circles instead.

“Is what you’re about to say going to make me want to abandon absolutely everything Marcus and I have worked for?”

His voice trembles similar to his fingertips, and I take one step closer to him because I will not allow him to ignore these words.

“That loving a man, that lovingyouis not wrong. His family’s opinion is the only thing that’s wrong in this situation.”

Avory’s head drops as a toothy grin spread across his face, and I’m hoping that I’ve finally gotten through to him. Eventually, his head raises and while his smile lines remain, his smile disappears.

“Gwen, we leave in a few days, what can I do? Papers are being signed tonight, and Marcus is going to meet our new manager for drinks.”

As Avory puzzles over our new situation, Marcus silently strolls into the room from the doorway tucked at the back of the shop. As he creeps forward, his hands land on Avory’s shoulders, and a voice full of bass and warmth emerges.

“Oh, I’m sure my boy and I can figure something out. You know how much I struggle with all of this computer work.” He winks over Avory’s shoulder.

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