Ava's POV
The walk back from the café felt strangely quiet. Even the usual buzz of campus life seemed muted, as if the conversation with Nathan had followed her like a stubborn shadow. By the time she reached the apartment building, the scent of fresh rain still clung to her clothes, the sky above bruised with late-afternoon clouds.
When she pushed open the door, the familiar creak of the hinges was greeted by Lena's voice from the couch.
"You're home earlier than usual," Lena remarked, one eyebrow raised over the rim of her coffee mug. She was curled up in an oversized hoodie, laptop balanced on her knees, hair tied in the kind of messy bun that only Lena could somehow make look deliberate.
Ava kicked off her shoes by the door. "Hello to you too."
"I'm just saying," Lena said, setting her mug down on the coffee table. "Usually you take your sweet time after morning classes. There's always an errand, or a trip to the art supply store, or your mysterious wandering."
"I don't wander mysteriously," Ava said, walking over to drop her bag on the chair. "Sometimes I just… go places."
"That's literally what wandering is," Lena shot back, smirking. "So. What was it today? A secret meeting? A dramatic rendezvous? A sudden desire to join a knitting club?"
Ava gave her a look. "Coffee."
"Coffee?" Lena repeated, clearly unimpressed. "You cut class-adjacent free time short for coffee? Who with?"
"A person," Ava replied simply, heading toward the kitchen.
"Oh no, you don't get to leave it at that." Lena swung her legs off the couch and followed her. "Who's the person? Is the person cute? And, most importantly, is the person someone who will cause me emotional distress when you inevitably don't tell me everything about them?"
Ava opened the fridge for a bottle of water, the cool air hitting her face. "Why would you be emotionally distressed?"
"Because you keep secrets," Lena said in mock accusation, pointing at her. "Big, suspicious, plot-twist-worthy secrets."
Ava rolled her eyes, twisting the cap off the bottle. "It was just coffee, Lena."
"Mhm." Lena leaned on the counter, narrowing her eyes in exaggerated suspicion. "Just coffee."
Her best friend had the kind of grin that said she wasn't buying it, but mercifully, she didn't press further. Ava was grateful. Some things were easier to keep in the quiet spaces of her own mind.
---
Nathan's POV
Nathan leaned back in his chair, the muted glow of his laptop screen casting a pale light across his apartment. His coffee mug sat half-empty beside him, forgotten as his mind replayed the afternoon.
He had gone in expecting… well, not much. A casual coffee, a bit of friendly small talk to keep up appearances. But Ava had surprised him.
There was something about the way she spoke — guarded, yet unwilling to retreat completely. A quiet strength under that soft demeanor. She wasn't the skittish, inconsequential girl he had assumed she'd be. And now that he knew exactly who she was — Avery Queen — she wasn't just a curious anomaly in his day. She was a thread directly tied to Monica. To the Queens.
A potential weak link.
It wasn't personal. At least, it wasn't supposed to be. But even as he reminded himself of the mission, he caught himself thinking about the way she'd tilted her head when she teased him, or how her lips had curved around a laugh she clearly hadn't wanted to give him.
It would be far too easy to get under her skin. And maybe, if he was careful, she'd let something slip.
Nathan smirked faintly, closing the laptop. He already knew exactly how tonight was going to go.
---
Ava's POV — Later That Night
The apartment had gone quiet hours ago. Lena had retreated to her room, muttering something about an online study group that Ava suspected was just an excuse to binge-watch another true crime series. Ava was in bed, hair still damp from her shower, her sketchbook open on her lap. The pencil moved lazily across the page, lines forming without much thought, more muscle memory than intention.
Her phone buzzed beside her.
She glanced at the screen, and her brows furrowed. A new message.
From Nathan.
Hey Aves.
She blinked at it. Aves? She frowned, thumbs moving over the keyboard.
That's not my name.
The reply was instant.
It is now.
She let out a small huff of amusement despite herself.
You're ridiculous.
Arguing with me at night? came the reply. Dangerous game.
Ava's fingers hovered for a second before she typed.
Dangerous is following a stranger.
Yet you followed me for coffee today.
She rolled her eyes.
Correction — you invited me.
You could have said no.
I should have.
But you didn't.
Her lips twitched at the screen. He was insufferable. And… annoyingly good at being insufferable.
Another message came through.
Night,Aves . Try not to miss me too much.
Before she could roll her eyes again, another text followed.
Sweet dreams.
Ava set the phone down on her nightstand, shaking her head. She told herself she wasn't smiling. But she was.
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