August 2010
Waking with a groan as the sun came through the window, Avery opened her eyes. The space on the bed beside her no longer warm which meant Ethan had woken up already. Avery wondering how much longer he had been awake.
Almost feeling surprised too because he had drank way more than she had last night, so, she figured he would have been hungover but it seemed he wasn’t.
Then again he seemed to be growing a better tolerance than her since he went out more than she did. The perks of making his way in the music business.
Sitting up her eyes slowly moved to the phone which was still laying on the bed beside her. A place she had put it after her last text from Paisley and rather foolishly she reached for it. Wanting to see if Paisley had texted her after their goodnight.
Maybe hoped she did even if the more logical part of her brain told her she probably hadn’t. She was supposed to be cutting Avery out of her life as it was anyway.
It was when she turned her phone back on and saw a notification of a text that the hope she had grew. Something she knew was bad but she couldn’t help it.
Life was better with hope and with her complicated shit lately she needed more hope. But any hope she had was dashed the moment she opened the message. Seeing it wasn’t from Paisley.
Instead it was from Zac. Someone she hadn’t talked too much lately which was normal when the band was touring and this year her brothers had been touring during the summer.
Please tell me your still coming to the two shows next month Avie baby. Heard from a little birdy that you and Cordelia broke up and I was afraid you would cancel since you had planned to come with her.
Rolling her eyes as she read Zac’s text more than once Avery could guess who Zac had heard it from. He had probably heard it from Kate who had heard it from Natalie. Which meant that their mom had told Natalie after talking to Cordelia’s mother.
Because in some messed up way of thinking despite being against Avery being a lesbian and dating Cordelia she was still friends with Jim and Andrea. Just like she was also still friends with Juniper’s parents, Victoria and Kevin.
It was just their kids Diana wasn’t too fond of or at least Avery suspected she was no longer fond of Juniper either even if Avery had never dated her.
Yes, I still plan to go to the Anaheim and Los Angeles shows. Are you missing your favorite sister that much?
Before she had time to turn her phone off after sending that text message Zac responded back.
I always miss you. Something that is brought on worse when I’m home and I realize you aren’t just within driving distance. Which by the way we’re in Tulsa tonight.
Ah home sweet home concert gig. Have fun and wow the crowds socks off.
Always do 😉 But also can you do me a huge favor? We kind of need someone to sell our merch at the two shows you’re coming too.
And you want me to do it for free?
I was hoping you’d do it with the promise of free weed after.
I’ll consider it Zac. Should have known you wanted something. Always calling on me when you want something :-p. Probably good I’m not home anymore or I’d be Shepherd’s baby-sitter all the damn time.
Funny Avie baby, just funny. Please do consider it, I’ll love you even more to the moon and back if you do.
Shaking her head at Zac’s last text Avery turned her phone off and laid it on the bed. Knowing in the end she’d do what Zac wanted.
She’d help her brothers even if she was only close to Zac anymore. Taylor not seeing her often because he was afraid of making Natalie be in a bad situation with their mom and somehow Natalie after all these years still cared about what Diana thought of her and Isaac well they hadn’t been close anyway.
Yet she knew he wasn’t really all too accepting of her lifestyle. Even if he wasn’t as vocal as their mom or Jessica or Zoe. He still had his mind made up.
That and maybe he still figured she was just a reckless child who had made rash decisions as a teenager.
Getting out of bed, Avery went to her bag where she rummaged through it until finding a decent outfit. Desperately needing to get in the shower before she faced Ethan’s family today.
Leaving the bathroom after she was showered and her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, Avery walked down the hall to the kitchen where she wasn’t surprised to find Ethan.
“Your mom not here?” she asked him watching as he looked up from the notebook he had been writing in and she blushed at the way he eyed her.
He was eyeing her like he found something desirable about her. Which was amusing even more so after they had agreed to stop kissing and go back to being platonic. Something that wouldn’t be easy if he continued to look at her like that.
“No, she had lunch with friends,” Ethan answered as a blush appeared on his cheeks. Probably because he realized he had been staring way too long. “You got a hot date with someone in New York City this afternoon?” he asked with a teasing curiousness.
His words making it to where Avery was blushing now too.
“No,” Avery said as she shook her head. “Why would you think that?”
Ethan blushed an even deeper shade of red as he looked away from Avery’s gaze. “Because you’re wearing a tank top and short shorts and I mean I know you wear dresses a lot but they don’t show that much leg on you or that much arm and when you’re not wearing dresses you wear jeans or t-shirts.”
Going silent at Ethan’s words Avery looked down at her outfit briefly before walking to the fridge where she grabbed a cup of Greek yogurt out.
“I guess I wanted to be different today,” she spoke with a half smile. Not wanting to admit that maybe she had dressed like that before because of her depression she had gotten stuck in because of her dead relationship with Cordelia.
Something that felt it was slowly lifting even if her life was still complicated some. It was nowhere near as bad as being stuck in a relationship that was slowly killing her emotionally.
“Well different is good,” Ethan smiled softly with a nod of his head before looking back down at his notebook. “Maybe it will get you laid tonight when we go out again,” he told her absentmindedly.
Avery not sure why she was surprised that he planned to go out again. It was Ethan and he did love to party and it wasn’t like he got to hang out with his New York friends yesterday. So maybe tonight he planned too.
“I don’t want to get laid tonight,” Avery told him as she sat across from him at the table after she had gotten a spoon. “I think I’m fine having a dry spell,” she lied.
The sad truth was she did want to have sex. She did want women to notice her. She just wanted jealous sex with Paisley which was brought on by other women noticing her.
Something that wouldn’t happen because Paisley wasn’t hers and in a matter of months she’d be Sloan’s wife. An idea that still made Avery sick either with jealousy or just plain sick and if eighteen year old Avery could see things now. See how she had lost the girl she had once thought would be her future wife, well, maybe she’d have made different decisions when she had the chance.
Maybe she’d chose her. But in the end this wasn’t a Cher song and Avery couldn’t go back and Turn Back Time.
“I think that’s bullshit but you keep lying to yourself there darling,” Ethan countered playfully not even looking up at her.
Avery only giving him a glare regardless of him not looking at her. Things falling silent as he continued writing and she ate her yogurt in silence.
Almost regretting eating the yogurt because she wasn’t sure it helped the minor hangover she had today.
Looking down at her legs as she sat at the bar Avery did her best to ignore the gaze of the girl sitting across from her.
A girl who was one of Ethan’s friends who Avery found out didn’t live in New York right now. She lived in California but just a different part than where Ethan and Avery lived.
The girl was only in New York now because her older brother was getting married and of course when Ethan had invited her along she had agreed. Avery was starting to think no one could say no to Ethan. It was like he had this way of getting people to agree to do things for him.
“So you and Ethan are just friends?” the girl whose gaze Avery was trying to ignore asked.
Looking up at her Avery nodded, “Just friends,” she answered honestly. Swallowing hard at how intense the girl was now staring at her.
It was intense enough that it made her squirm because no one had looked at her like that in ages. Not even Ethan this morning when he was ogling the outfit she had picked for the day.
It was enough to arouse her even if she had just stated that she didn’t want to get laid tonight.
“He wouldn’t kill me then if I invited you to come back to the hotel room I was staying in?” the girl finally asked and of course Avery had seen that question coming.
How could she not with the way the girl had been looking at her ever since they met. Though part of that could have been because she was trying to figure out just what kind of relationship Ethan and Avery had.
Then again maybe she just knew Avery was a lesbian or that Avery was at least also into women.
“Isn’t that awful bold of you?” Avery asked playfully not sure where this was coming from because despite her playfulness she was nervous. “Assuming I’m into chicks. Assuming that just because I’m not dating Ethan that I’m single.”
The girl laughed at Avery’s words. Like she found it funny, Avery calling her out and for some reason that seemed to get to Avery as well. Avery feeling like this was just a testament to how long it had been since she’d been truly laid. Since she had sex or even since she had sex and fully liked the sex.
“Oh Avery,” the girl sighed as she shook her head and somehow when Ethan had introduced her she had remembered her name whereas Avery had forgotten hers already. “It’s written all over you that you like girls. The single bit is just me being hopeful because you’re pretty and I like to get pretty girls in my bed.”
Blushing Avery had to look away again briefly, “I’m single,” she confirmed when she looked back at her. Giving her a tiny smile despite her nerves.
Despite every bone in her body that wanted to run.
“But I think it would be wrong of me to leave the club with someone whose name I’ve already forgotten,” she smirked and again she didn’t know where her teasing was coming from.
Was it some weird coping mechanism?
“My name is Harper,” the girl who she now knew again was named Harper spoke and somehow she had a cocky smile on her face. “A name you’ll be screaming later tonight if you agree to come back to my hotel room.”
Feeling her blush deepen Avery looked away from Harper again. She knew she should say no, turn down this proposition because while she was single she wasn’t sure her heart was available. That and she seemed to fail at one night stands.
Paisley was just supposed to have been a one night stand, same as Ethan and yet they were both still prominent in her life.
“I…I’ll come to your hotel room with you,” Avery agreed despite the two big reasons why she shouldn’t.
Harper smirked even more at Avery’s words, standing from where she had been sitting and when she held her hand out to Avery well Avery took it. Letting Harper lead her out of the bar and down the packed streets of New York City.
Avery guessing that her hotel must not have been too far away if she was opting to walk.