March 2008
Sitting on the balcony with Paisley as they looked out at the city, Avery handed her back the cup of coke with rum that they were sharing.
“You know you have a much better view in your room than I do in mine,” she mused out loud her words only slurring a bit because she wasn’t that drunk or so she didn’t think. This was only the second cup of the drink that she had shared with Paisley.
The first cup had been when they were eating pizza in the hotel room with Calliope and Juniper, only coming outside with the cups and the alcohol after Calliope and Juniper had started making out on the bed.
Which Avery was sure if she turned to look back inside she’d find the two girls still making out, a fact that made her feel slightly sorry for Paisley who had been traveling with them this whole time. There was no telling how many make out sessions she had been subjected too in the past few days.
“Oh so you have the view of the shitty alleyway?” Paisley questioned after taking a drink from the cup.
Avery nodded her head as she took the cup from Paisley, “Yep, shitty alley is the view you get from my room,” she laughed softly as she took another drink from the cup. “Wish we had gotten rooms with better views but sometimes my brothers tell the people who book their rooms to be cheapskates or at least that’s my opinion anyway.”
Paisley snorted out a laugh at that, “Such a harsh views of your brother’s their Avery,” she said before nudging Avery’s shoulder. “Which by the way I am severely disappointed I had to find out from Juniper who your brothers were on the way to Austin.”
“I would have told you eventually,” Avery blushed as she handed the cup back to Paisley. “Once I was certain you weren’t a fan or someone weird who just wanted me for my brothers or something. Which trust me it happens. The rare male fans we get some hit on Jessie and well I think a few of the girl fans have even propositioned her just to get close to our brothers.”
“And you think I would really be like that?” Paisley asked with a mock offense to her tone. “Do I really seem like a crazy obsessed Hanson fan to you? I haven’t even listened to your brothers since MMMBop was popular so I was a bit surprised to hear the reason you were in Austin was because your brothers who are the boys from the band Hanson were playing at it.”
Blushing more Avery looked down, “Well you don’t look like the typical fans they have but I just wanted to be cautious though I guess I should have told you sooner since your privacy has been invaded like mine with those club pictures,” she whispered knowing she had confessed to those over the pizza just like she had told Paisley she may want to change the setting on her myspace to private as the fans had found it.
Which Paisley didn’t seem too surprised over and Avery guessed she had probably gotten a boost in friend’s request or something. It had happened when fans found Juniper last year which is how she even found out about the messageboards and fan sites that existed.
Since then Cordelia and Juniper both had put their myspaces on private and Avery had changed hers to private and made up some fake name to hide under. In hopes that fans wouldn’t find her though of course that failed but she still used that myspace with the fake name.
Felt more secure even if it had been found out by fans.
“Yeah, you probably should have,” Paisley nodded her head in agreement as she took a long drink from the cup before setting it down between them. “I’m sorry that happened to you though. That you got outed like that and I can’t help but feel maybe it’s partly my fault you know. I shouldn’t have kissed you in such a public place.”
Avery shook her head, “It wasn’t your fault. I should have known that maybe my brothers had gay fans who would be in that club so maybe I should have been careful where I let you kiss me but I guess I hoped their fans would respect my privacy at non concert events, especially in a gay club because for all they knew maybe I wasn’t out and I’m still not out to family. May never come out to them because I know how all of them would probably react.”
“All of them?” Paisley questioned with a raised eyebrow. “All of them are that bad?”
“Well maybe they aren’t but I’m sure if my mom tried hard enough she could get all of them to turn on me if she wanted. She sorta wears the pants in our family and that woman is attached to her religion and she hopes all of her children marry the opposite sex and marry well,” Avery laughed knowing how mad her mom had been when Taylor had gotten Natalie pregnant.
She was sure somewhere along the way she had heard her mom utter once that Natalie wasn’t fit for their family though Avery was also sure she hadn’t been meant to hear it.
It was also one reason Avery felt Kate tried to live up to her mom’s expectations whereas Nikki didn’t seem to care as much and poor Natalie well she seemed blind. Then again she was married to Taylor and she seemed blind to a lot of things.
Like the gay rumors that surrounded Taylor as well as the way a lot of fans on the messageboards were so sure her brother had cheated. Though Avery wasn’t sure of that she wasn’t sure of a lot when it came to Taylor.
Sometimes she even wondered if he was a part of their family or if a bunch of aliens had dropped him off on their doorstep.
Zac had told her once when he was twelve and she was seven that, that was what had happened and Avery in her childhood innocence had believed him for the longest time. At least until she realized where babies truly came from the year that Zoe was born.
“No offense but your mom kind of sounds like a bitch,” Paisley stated and her words made Avery laugh though it was a bitter sounding laugh.
“She can be but she’s also my mom and it’s weird but I guess I have to love her and it’s not like she’s the worst parent ever,” Avery defended with a shrug of her shoulders. “Enough talking about family though, how about telling me why you guys came all the way to Austin to see me?” she questioned knowing she had meant to ask when they had all been eating pizza but it had slipped her mind.
Paisley looked away from Avery after that, taking a deep breath. “I guess after a couple of days stuck with the love birds I wanted to see you and maybe also show you my hair sooner than what you would see it if we just went straight to Tulsa and waited for you to come back on the sixteenth.”
“So you wanted to see me just because you’re stuck with the love birds inside sucking face?” Avery asked a bit curiously because that didn’t make sense. “And so I could see your dye job which I kinda miss your black hair but blonde does suit you.”
Taking another deep breath, Paisley turned to look back at Avery, “Weird I know but what can I say I missed you,” she spoke and maybe Avery was seeing things but even outside in the dark it looked like Paisley was blushing. “But you know you kind of bruised my ego with saying you miss my black which means you probably don’t like the blonde even if it does suit me.”
Avery laughed again as she reached over for Paisley’s hand, “I mean I’ll still continue having sex with you regardless of your hair color.”
“Nice to know you’ll still have sex with me regardless Hanson,” Paisley smirked as she linked her fingers with Avery’s squeezing them softly and Avery hated the butterflies she had or the way that once again her skin burned.
None of these things were supposed to happen and she needed to keep her feelings in check but it was just hard every time she was around Paisley not to fall deeper each and every time.
“It’s going to suck leaving tonight,” Paisley continued in Avery’s silence. “Really don’t want to spend another day without you and be stuck with those two being all sugary sweet and in love.”
“It’ll only be a day,” Avery smiled as she squeezed Paisley’s hand back. “I think you can last a day,” she muttered out before leaning in to leave a light kiss on Paisley’s cheek.
Paisley made a face as if she debating whether she could last a day, “It’ll be hard but I’ll try for you,” she smiled before turning her head and kissing Avery softly on the lips. Avery’s eyes fluttering shut when that happened.
Her heart feeling like it had skipped a beat and maybe it shouldn’t have felt like that. Not when she shouldn’t have feelings for Paisley.
Kissing her back though Avery let her free hand go to rest on Paisley’s cheek softly. Wishing the kiss didn’t have to end but she knew it would just like she knew she needed to get back to her own hotel room soon. Try to get some sleep before her busy day tomorrow.
When Paisley pulled away from the kiss finally, Avery sighed softly, “I should probably head back to my room now. Got a busy day tomorrow with the family and friends.”
Paisley again made a face, a look of resignation passing, “Yeah and I should probably try to sleep though I doubt those two will let me.”
Avery frowned some, “I mean I’d offer that you could stay in mine but I don’t know how I could explain to my ten year old sister how some person she’s never met before came to be in our room,” she stated knowing Zoe would probably have a freak out or something if Paisley came to stay in their room and she woke up and saw her.
It wasn’t like her family had ever met her before and well she was almost afraid for them too. Paisley did have the stereotypical lesbian look unlike Cordelia and Juniper.
“No I get it and I don’t want to freak out your ten year old sister or anything,” Paisley laughed as she shook her head before standing up and offering Avery her hand.
Taking Paisley’s hand Avery stood up and headed inside with her once she had opened the sliding glass door. Not surprised in the least to see that Calliope and Juniper were still making out on the bed.
“You think they’ve came up to breath yet?” Avery asked teasingly as she walked with Paisley to the door.
“Highly unlikely,” Paisley replied with a shake of her head. “Half expect to find them in bed dead with their lips attached to each other.”
“Screw you Pai,” Calliope yelled out obviously having heard Avery and Paisley’s conversation.
Paisley only rolled her eyes, “Much rather be screwed by Avery but thanks for the offer Cal,” she said back before turning back to Avery.
Avery only shook her head before leaning in to kiss her one last time.
“See you maybe hopefully sometime before you leave tonight,” she spoke after pulling away and letting go of Paisley’s hand. “If not though I’ll see you when I get back to Tulsa.”
Nodding her head Paisley smiled wistfully at Avery and Avery returned it before opening the door and leaving the hotel room.
Making her way to the elevator’s she pulled out her phone and turned it on, making a face when she saw it was five in the morning and she could only hope that Zoe was still in bed as well as hope that she got a bit of sleep before her day tomorrow.
Especially since she’d have Everett because watching a kid with next to no sleep was not fun.
Avery who had made it back to her hotel room, slowly opened the door and closed it behind her just as slowly. Glad that it was still pitch dark and silent in here because it meant that Zoe was still asleep. Maybe hadn’t woken and saw her gone.
Because how could Avery explain her absence? She couldn’t without digging her own grave.
Slipping back into bed, Avery closed her eyes drifting off into a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of happier days and Paisley. A lot of Paisley.