Page 74 of Reaching Avery
It hit me that he’d probably never been to the movies before. And the thought saddened me.
Going out with your friends to dinner and a movie with the money your parents gave you before leaving the house was so common. None of my friends had ever had to worry about where their next meal was coming from or if they’d end up living under a bridge. Movies, restaurants, over-priced lattes, fancy cellphones; they were all things everyone took for granted
But coming face to face with someone who’d never known what that was like? It put so much into perspective.
Avery caught me looking at him and his shoulders hunched a little. The way he flinched at unexpected touches, became wary when the focus was on him, and the negative way he spoke about himself, were all signs that he’d been through something rough.
“What?” he asked, averting his stare.
Horrible comparison, I know, but it reminded me of those dogs that’d been abused, the ones that cowered around people.
“Nothing,” I lied, wishing I didn’t have a huge ass bucket of popcorn in one hand and a soda in the other so I could hold him. “You’re just kind of amazing.”
He quickly looked up at me. Crazy how one compliment could change someone’s whole demeanor. He smiled, going back to the carefree Avery.
“I guess you’re cool too,” he said, giving me an impish grin.
When we made it into the theater, there were hardly any people in there, so we had our pick of the whole place. Well, almost the whole place. Travis and Chelsey were at the very top in the middle, so I knew we weren’t going up there. They’d more than likely be feeling each other up the entire movie anyway, and I wanted to be as far from that as possible.
“Wanna sit here so we can put our feet on the railing?” I asked Avery, pointing to the seats toward the bottom.
“Sure,” he answered before leading the way down the aisle.
After we were seated, the previews started. I munched on the popcorn, loving the salty, buttery goodness. I caught Avery’s eye and tilted the bucket toward him. He smiled and reached in, grabbing a few pieces and slowly eating them.
The first preview was some slasher movie that looked like it’d suck, but might be fun to watch as a one-timer.
My attention drifted to Avery.
He watched the screen with such interest that it was hard for me to do the same. All I wanted to do was look at him. His side profile was gorgeous, just like the rest of him. His nose sloped upward just a little at the very end, and his full, bottom lip jutted out sexily. The black around his eyes emphasized the pale blue of his iris even more, just like I noticed it always did.
His stare flashed to mine before I could look away. Crap.
“Everything okay?” he asked as his brows drew together.
I nodded and looked back at the screen. I scooted closer to the right of my seat, angling my body closer to him. If I wasn’t mistaken, he did the same.
When the previews ended, the lights in the theater dimmed, and suddenly, everything felt different. I was all too aware of Avery’s body next to me, how his arm on the armrest between us touched mine, how the warmth of his skin seeped into my skin too, and how it was hard to breathe.
The beginning of the movie came on, but I couldn’t focus on the forest scene, the eerie music playing, or the names of the actors appearing on the screen. All I knew was the feel of Avery’s hair as he moved his head and it brushed against my ear.
And that, of course, made me even more aware of him.
As some guy was running through the woods, being chased by some unseen force, I shifted even closer to Avery. He stilled beside me, and I was afraid I’d invaded his space too much. Before I moved away, though, something happened.
He scooted closer and laid his head on my shoulder. His long hair brushed my cheek as he settled in more before getting comfortable.
My heart went nuts. Maybe even melted a bit. I wanted to put my arm around him, but that’d require me having him lift up so I could get my arm behind him, and I didn’t want the moment to end. He just felt too amazing against me.
So, instead, I upturned my palm on the armrest. An invitation.
He slid his hand into mine with no hesitation, and our fingers intertwined.
Funny how something as simple as holding his hand could affect me so much. Grounded me; but also made me feel like I was flying.
I nuzzled my face into his hair, loving the scent of him. Not sure what exactly he smelled like, something sweet and something unknown, but whatever it was, it was quickly becoming my favorite smell in the world.
I rested my cheek on his head and looked back at the screen.
