AVA
She was grateful when the final customer left at five twenty in the evening. The extra time meant Ava could get ready for her parents' anniversary party without having to rush.
She said goodbye to Britney and Nate, who said they'd be closing the café, before hurrying upstairs to her apartment. She tripped once because of how fast she was going.
Ava sighed at herself. She'd been clumsy all day, bumping into people and almost dropping one customer's order.
She had her own suspicions as to what was causing this.
As the time of the party drew closer, a strange nervousness seemed to settle over Ava.
She couldn't explain it. After all, there wasn't much cause for concern. Her mom did have a point when she assured Ava about how unlikely it was that anyone would bother her about her arrest with Blake by her side. Ava knew this.
But still, she was a nervous wreck.
The moment she stepped inside her apartment, she tried to shake the feeling away.
You're fine, Ava, she told herself. It's just nerves. There's no valid reason to be afraid.
After all, tonight was a joyous occasion. Her parents were celebrating twenty years of their relationship. It wasn't the ominous event her mind was trying to turn it into.
With that, she banished the small voice whispering thoughts to the contrary to the back of her mind.
It didn't know what it was talking about.
The first thing Ava did in her apartment was peel off her work clothes, wrinkling her nose at the faint odor clinging to the fabric.
The state of her clothes was proof of the busy day she had endured at the café.
All day, customers had come in and out of the place in droves, always demanding and always rude.
Ava considered it a miracle that she had left with her sanity still intact.
She stepped into the shower and sighed as warm water cascaded over her body, washing away the dirt on her skin and the exhaustion that had settled into her muscles.
For a few blissful moments, she simply stood there, her head bowed beneath the spray, enjoying the feeling of her body getting clean. This went on for a long while, but she still considered staying there longer.
Unfortunately, her mind kept reminding her that she still had to get ready. She listened to it this time, not wanting to make herself late for her own parents' party.
By the time Ava stepped out, wrapped in a towel, she had about forty-five minutes before Blake was due to pick her up.
Another nervous pang hit Ava. She promptly countered it by keeping herself moving in order to not dwell on it.
Ava quickly walked to her vanity and began drying her naturally curly hair with a blow dryer before deciding to leave it loose, framing her face with a few soft strands.
Her makeup routine was simple.
A touch of blush.
Mascara.
Nude lipstick.
Just enough to highlight her features without looking overdone.
Finished, she walked over to her wardrobe and carefully pulled out the brown strappy dress she had picked for the evening.
A smile tugged at her lips for the first time since she returned to her apartment. She was excited to wear the dress.
Ava had a feeling it was going to look magnificent on her.
She slipped it on quickly before running her hands over it. She then adjusted the straps a bit before posing in front of the full-length mirror.
For a second, she simply stood there, staring at her reflection.
She looked stunning in a way she hadn't looked in a really long time. Ava ran her hands over the dress and her curves.
She couldn't help but think that the dress fit her better than she remembered.
It's rich brown fabric complemented her warm complexion beautifully, hugging her figure just enough to be elegant without being immodest.
A pleased smile spread across her face.
Blake is in for a hard night, Ava thought.
She didn't realize just how accurate that joke would end up being.
Satisfied with the dress, she retrieved a pair of black high heels from the bottom of her wardrobe before slipping them on.
Perfect, she thought, surveying herself in the mirror again.
The shoes went perfectly with the dress.
Ava was giving herself one final approving look when she heard a knock on the door and Blake's voice muffled voice behind it.
"Ava!"
She inhaled deeply and blinked in shock, not expecting him for a little while longer.
"He's early," she automatically told herself, panicking a bit.
To confirm, she grabbed her phone from the vanity and checked the time.
The screen told her it was six thirty, surprising her.
Contrary to her first thought, Blake wasn't early at all. He was right on schedule to pick her up.
Of course he was, Ava thought, shaking her head. It was Blake,
Taking one last steadying breath, Ava smoothed the front of her dress again before walking out of her bedroom.
Her heels clicked softly against the wooden floor as she crossed the apartment.
She paused when she was almost at the door, remembering that she still didn't have her purse.
"Just a second, Blake!" she called before hurrying back to her bedroom.
Her black purse was on her nightstand.
She grabbed it while, at the same time, casually looking at her bed. She frowned when finally caught sight of the pile of items on her bed.
Maxim's keepsakes.
The ones she'd put there with the intention of getting rid of after she came from work but had still somehow forgotten about.
"Damn it," Ava muttered.
She took a step toward the bed to finally get rid of them when she heard Blake's voice again.
"Ava, let's leave already. We are getting late."
She remained frozen in the middle of her room, unsure what to do.
On the one hand, she had to get rid of the stuff.
On the other, Blake must be getting impatient.
Ava turned away from the items, heading for the door towards Blake.
She'd get rid of them later, she promised herself again while she walked toward the entrance.
Ava bit her lip as she reached the door, not quite believing herself this time.
She was getting the unsettling feeling that the universe would punish her for her inaction. It would do this by somehow taking away her newfound lightness of spirit.
She started praying that wouldn't happen, not knowing it was already too late.
---
The couple walked hand in hand out of the building and onto the street, where Blake's car was parked—a stylish but modest Lexus.
Ava reached for the front passenger door, but Blake gently stopped her.
"No, let me," he said with a smile.
He then stepped ahead of her and opened the door while bowing theatrically.
Ava rolled her eyes as she slid into the seat, smiling. She knew she looked good, but it felt to her that Blake was overreacting a bit.
She was putting on her seatbelt when she noticed Blake simply standing there by the door, looking at her.
"What? Why are you staring at me?" she asked with an amused smile.
At that, Blake cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"It's just... I know I've already said this, but... you look stunning tonight."
Ava smiled, her cheeks warming.
"You're so sweet, Blake. Thank you."
She then took a moment to really look at him.
Not to Ava's surprise, her guess from when she'd spoken with her mother earlier about Blake's choice of clothing for tonight turned out to be spot on.
Blake had gone with a classic black suit. It was expensive but understated, and it fit his lean frame perfectly. He'd paired it with neatly slicked-back hair, giving him a polished appearance.
"You look handsome too, by the way," Ava said honestly.
Blake smiled before taking her hand and gently pressing a kiss at the back of it.
"Thanks, babe. But we both know I don't look anywhere near as good as you do."
Ava rolled her eyes with a laugh.
"Oh , just stop," she told him playfully. "There isn't enough time for you to tell me just how gorgeous I am anyway."
"Very true," Blake acquiesced with a grin.
Reluctantly, he let go of her hand, closed the passenger door, and walked around to the driver's side of his Lexus.
As soon as Blake got in, he fastened his seatbelt.
"Safety first," he muttered softly, making Ava smile at how prudent he was.
He placed both hands on the steering wheel, then suddenly stilled, turning to look at Ava again.
"I hope you're not about to compliment me again, are you?" Ava asked with a wary smile.
Blake smiled.
"No, not this time," he replied. "But there's something else I have to tell you."
"Okay?" Ava said uncertainly, wondering if something was wrong. "What is it?"
"You know that watercolor painting you made for me as a gift? The one I hung in my office?"
"Yeah," Ava replied, still sounding uncertain.
The conversation had taken an unexpected direction. Why would Blake be bringing up the painting she'd given him.
"Well, one of my clients came in today. He's kind of a famous influencer, and he couldn't stop staring at it. He kept saying how beautiful it was."
A wide smile spread across Ava's face.
Getting so little attention for her artwork, it always meant a lot whenever someone complimented it.
"Really?" she asked excitedly. "He actually said he liked it?"
"He did. And not only that," Blake continued. "He said he'd love to post it on his social media."
Ava's eyes widened when she heard.
"Wow..." she breathed after a moment , her eyes lighting up. "That's amazing! I hope you said yes."
Blake looked sheepish.
"Actually... I told him I'd have to ask you first."
Ava stared at him for a second before laughing.
"Uh, hello? Struggling waitress over here. Of course I'm okay with it."
Blake laughed too.
"Well, in that case, I'll text him tonight. I'll also send you his account so you can see it when he posts your painting."
Ava nodded eagerly.
"Yeah. I'd love that."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it."
Smiling to himself, Blake finally turned his attention back to the road and started the engine.
As Ava watched him, she couldn't help feeling grateful.
She was also amazed at how helpful Blake was and how supportive he was of her dreams.
Many people in her life, including her mother, had dismissed her art as nothing more than a hobby and a bad idea for a career. Blake never had.
He thought she could absolutely make it with her skill. And, more surprisingly, he never looked down on her for being a waitress despite his wealthy background.
In fact, he'd once told her that a job was a job and that one of the things he admired most about her was how hard she worked.
As far as boyfriends went, Blake was kind of perfect. Ava felt like she didn't give him enough credit sometimes.
"Blake?" Ava said softly.
He turned to look at her.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you... for arranging this. It means a lot to me."
Blake smiled, his familiar crooked smile appearing on his face.
"There's really no need to thank me, Ava. My client liked the painting because of you, not because of me." He looked straight at her. "I mean, sure, I hung it in my office... but you're the one who painted that beautiful piece."
His words had the effect of tugging at Ava's heartstrings. She thought Blake was possibly the sweetest guy-no, sweetest person- she'd ever met.
Before she even realized what she was doing, Ava leaned across the center console grabbed his arm and hugged it.
"Thank you," she told him again. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Blake."
She felt him smile against her shoulder.
"I actually think I'm the lucky one," he said quietly.
When Ava finally pulled away, Blake gently cupped her cheek.
"Hopefully... in time... As close as your parents and be together forever."
For the briefest moment, Ava's smile faltered. She felt that this particular statement from Blake was the last exciting one he'd said all evening.
It wasn't that Ava didn't want to be with him that she thought this.
It was just...
The word forever frightened her.
She'd heard it before.
Maxim had once promised her forever too.
And look how that had ended.
Not wanting to ruin the moment, Ava forced the smile back onto her face.
"Hopefully."
The answer seemed to satisfy Blake.
A broad grin spread across his face before he turned back to the road.
"All right," he said. "Let's get to this party."
"Yeah," Ava replied with a light laugh. She then sighed. "My mom will never let us hear the end of it if we're late."
As she spoke, she opened her purse and checked the time on her phone.
Meanwhile, Blake eased the Lexus away from the curb and onto the road.
Ava had just slipped her phone back into her purse when a sleek black car shot past them.
"Whoa," she muttered, turning to look at it as it sped away.
"Someone's in a hurry."
Ava glanced over at Blake, who just shrugged.
"Maybe they have somewhere important to be too," he said casually.
"I hope they make it in time."
Ava didn't answer. She just shrugged and settled back in her seat.
Neither she nor Blake knew that the driver had only one destination in mind.
Ava's.