Page 41 of More Than a Friend
I spent all of yesterday convincing myself not to text her and beg her to spend the day with me. I missed her more than I thought possible. It’s like part of my heart was ripped out of my chest, and the other half was reaching for it.
God, I sound like a sap.
But we have a big case in court this week, so I can’t let my feelings for Ava distract from my job. Once this case is closed, I’m going to take her to lunch and ask her point-blank to be my girlfriend.
Ava’s smooth voice floats through the air as I make my way to her desk, and even though I see her practically every day, the sight of her still takes my breath away.
She’s got her hair half up in a small claw clip, loose tendrils framing her face. I can’t tell what she’s wearing from behind thedesk, but if I had to guess, it’s a sweater with pressed trousers. She doesn’t look well rested, and part of me feels like it’s my fault for keeping her awake Friday night.
I clear my throat, mostly to stop my mind from recalling in fine detail what happened over the weekend. I’ve thought about it so many times, it’s a wonder I was able to get anything done since I saw her last.
The sound catches Ava’s attention, and I watch in real time as her eyes light up, and her face breaks into a heart-stopping grin when she notices me.
Has she always done that? Has she always looked at me like I’m special? Why haven’t I noticed?
She tucks the phone under her chin, making affirming noises to whomever is on the other end as she waves for me to come closer.
I walk the short distance to her desk and set down her cold brew on a coaster. She mouths “thank you” before continuing the conversation on the phone.
She clicks her mouse a few times, saying something about appointment times, but I’m not paying much attention because I’m transfixed by the way her lips form around the vowels in the words she’s saying.
What the fuck, Skylar? Get it together.
“Mmhm. Of course, goodbye, Mr. Puffer. We’ll see you Thursday.” She hangs up the phone then immediately takes a sip of her drink, humming in contentment when the vanilla hits her tongue.
“Thank you for the coffee. How did you know I forgot mine this morning?” she teases, turning her full attention towards me.
“I didn’t, but now I’m extra glad I got you one. Everything okay? You rarely forget your coffee.”
Ava takes another sip and shrugs. “It’s been a rough morning. The kids didn’t have a good time at their dad’s, and thetransition was harder than usual. Everyone ended up in my bed last night, and we woke up later than we should have. Gus didn’t want to go to school, and Zoe was acting like she’s never put on shoes in her life, so it was just… a hectic morning. I’m hoping we can be back to normal tonight and the rest of the week isn’t like this.”
My heart tugs in my chest. I want to ask questions and help her get to the bottom of why the kids had a bad weekend, but I don’t know if it’s something I can ask now that we’re… whatever we are.
“I’m sorry, Aves. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Ava shakes her head. “No, but thank you. Actually—never mind.”
I’m desperate to know what she was going to say. “Tell me.”
Ava shakes her head again. “No, you’ve got a busy week with the Stokes case. I don’t want to add more to your plate.”
I reach over the desk and grab her hand, making sure I have her full attention. “You let me decide when my plate is full, okay? Iwantyou to ask me for help if you need it. Let me be there for you, baby.”
Ava’s eyes widen, and she looks around the empty lobby area. I don’t feel bad for calling her “baby,” and I’m not scared of people finding out about us, but it feels like Ava might be.
It stings a bit more than I thought it would.
“You can’t call me that right now,” she whispers as her cheeks turn a lovely shade of rose.
“Why?”
“Because it makes me want to pull you into the bathroom.”
“Wait, what?”
“Skylar,” she whines, looking around again. “All I want to do is feel your body on mine again. I want to kiss you so badly, it’s all I’ve thought about the whole weekend.”
“So you’re not… embarrassed by me or regretting what happened?”
