Page 91 of Reaching Avery
Avery smiled. “What did you go as?”
“The Joker,” I answered, and before thinking, I added, “Because Chris went as the male version of Harley Quinn.”
Crap. Nothing more awkward than accidentally talking about your ex-boyfriend in front of your new one.
Sarah grimaced. “We should get up. The break is almost over, and I need to get ready for the next scene.” As we stood, she gave me a stern look before leaning over and whispering, “What the heck was that, Mavy? Don’t talk about Chris in front of him.”
“It slipped,” I whispered back. “It’s not like I meant to make an ass of myself.”
“You know I can still hear you guys, right?” Avery asked, staring at us. “You two are the worst whisperers in the world.”
After saying a rushed goodbye, Sarah went back out on the stage.
Avery and I were in the wings, away from everyone, and I looked at him, hoping like hell he wasn’t mad at me. Or upset. That would be worse. His pale eyes met mine, and I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
“Look, Mav,” he said, moving closer and gripping my shirt at the waist. The contact—or more so, him initiating it—took me by surprise. “You have a past. Just like I do. Chris is part of yours, and that’s okay. Don’t get weird on me, okay, big guy?”
And just like that, things were back to normal.
I stepped forward and pulled him into my arms before nuzzling the side of his head. In the past week, we’d held hands a lot, but we’d slowly started getting closer. More of me holding him like this. He still tensed at first, but I could tell he was trying to fight it.
His hold on my shirt tightened as he laid his head on my shoulder.
“Can you promise me something?” he said, and his voice was muffled by my shirt. When he peered up at me through his dark lashes, I nodded. “Our costumes have to be better than yours and Chris’ were.”
Unable to stop it, I laughed. Hard. By the solemnity of his face, I had thought it was going to be something way more serious.
“I promise,” I said before kissing the side of his head. Holding him in my arms made everything else fall away. He fit against me perfectly, and I rested my cheek on his hair. “Do you wanna meet my parents tomorrow? My mom keeps asking me about it.”
“Uh, sure,” he answered, becoming still. “What time?”
“Well, it’ll be Saturday, so I can pick you up around noon?” I suggested, loving the idea of spending the day with him. “And you can come over for lunch. Not as scary as a dinner.”
“Okay.” He smiled, making the wings at the edges of his eyes crinkle. “Do you think your dad will call an exorcist?”
Yeah, I’d told him all about my dad and his judgment of people who were different. Not an intentional judgement, but one nonetheless. Dad’s parents were very conservative, so he’d grown up that way, with those beliefs. Not exactly an excuse, but it explained his behavior and why we butted heads so much. I hardly had contact with my grandparents because of it. When I came out, they shut me out of their life.
“Eh, maybe.” I pulled Avery closer. “But I’ll protect you. Or you could put a hex on him. Whatever.”
He playfully punched my chest. “I’ll put a hex on you. Don’t tempt me.”
Little did he know that I was already under his spell. And I didn’t want to wake up from it.
***
The next day, I made sure my room was spotless before going downstairs. Mom was sorting lunch meats in the kitchen, as well as placing different types of bread on the counter. Very indecisive. She appeared almost as nervous as me.
“Oh, honey, you look nice,” she said, studying my clothes. I’d worn my nicer pair of jeans and one of the shirts she’d bought me, ones I usually didn’t wear and that hung in my closet untouched. “Purple is your color.”
“You say that about blue too, Mom.” I neared the island in the kitchen and looked at everything. “Do you need any help before I leave?”
“Nope. I’m set,” she answered, patting my shoulder. “All I need is for you to bring that boy home so I can finally meet him. He must be something special if he’s had you smiling so much these past weeks.”
Nothing got past her. I guess it was a super power all moms had. I hadn’t known my attitude at home had changed that much.
“After you and Chris… well you know.” She placed various cheeses on the plastic platter, not looking at me as she continued in a rush of words. “I wasn’t sure how you’d be afterward. The first broken heart is always the hardest. They still hurt after the first, but the first one is the one you’ll always remember.” Her stare then moved to me. “Then, you came home one day with the biggest smile I’d seen you have in weeks. And anything that makes my baby boy smile like that is something special. So, don’t worry yourself sick. I know I’ll adore Avery. Because you do. That’s what matters.”
“Heisspecial,” I said, feeling a twinge in my chest. Words couldn’t describe my feelings for him. It was all so new for me. Chris had been my first boyfriend, but he’d never made me feel even half of what Avery did. I snapped out of my thoughts and hugged her. “I love you, Mom. Thanks for everything. I gotta go.”
