19
Ava
Monday afternoon, I’m wrapping up some paperwork when a floral delivery guy walks in with a giant bouquet of pink roses.
They’re gorgeous. Gah! Mark shouldn’t have.
He confirms my name and sets them on the corner of my desk.
I thank him as he leaves. Reaching into the flowers, I pull out the card, flipping it over to see what Mark has to say.
The card says, “I’m sorry.” It’s not signed.
“What?” I speak out loud, because what does he have to be sorry for?
I pick up my phone and snap a picture and send it to the girls along with the note. Bubbles appear instantly.
Holly: What’d he do?
Jane: Do I need to kick some ass?
Sydney: Already? Gah…
Me: The card came unsigned. I don’t know what he’s saying sorry for. Guys, we had this beautiful weekend together… Do you think he’s changed his mind and doesn’t want to see me anymore?!
Jane: Hold up… weekend? What? Why are we just hearing about this?
Holly: What she said!!!
Sydney: Colin mentioned something about this, but I was waiting to hear about it from you…
Me: Yeah, we had a freaking amazing weekend, and I thought we parted on the same page. I need to text him. Stand by…
Chewing on my lip, I open Mark’s and my conversation. My stomach is in knots. What in the hell happened? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.
Me: Hey… the roses are beautiful, but what are you sorry for?
Mark: Umm… I wish I could take credit for the flowers, but I didn’t send them.
I frown. He didn’t send them? That at least makes me feel a little bit better, but if it wasn’t him, who in the world sent them? Maybe it’s a mistake?
Me: That’s really weird. Who the heck sent them? Maybe the florist made a mistake. I’ll call them. I’d hate to have some other chick’s sorry flowers lol.
Mark: Yeah, that would suck… Are you free for dinner Wednesday or Thursday night?
Me: Yes, I could do either of them.
Mark: Good, because um, my parents would love to meet you.
I gulp. Parents?
Me: Whew… Are you ready for that? Are WE ready for that?
Mark: I won’t push it if you’re not ready, but Mom already knows about you and has been asking me when I’m going to man up and bring you to dinner already. Like, as in, she’s been asking since before the wedding…
I choke on my sip of water.
Me: But we weren’t even a thing before the wedding…
Mark: I know, but she saw how I looked at you that one day. She hasn’t shut up about you since. She’s a meddler. I sure am thankful she kept pushing it though. So?????
Me: You think your dad will like me better if we tell him I’m part Italian?
Mark: LOL he would probably be ecstatic. Wait, are you part Italian?
Me: It just so happens, yes. My father’s parents were from Italy. They immigrated a couple of years before he was born.
Mark: That’s awesome. I can’t believe I never really thought about your last name much when it got read off at Colin and Sydney’s wedding. My dad may be easier to win over than I thought. Which night do you prefer?
Me: Let’s shoot for Thursday, if that’s alright with them.
Mark: Sounds good. Bryn will be there too, so that’ll help.
Me: Oh thank goodness!
Mark: BTW, your package arrived after lunch.
Me: What are you talking about?
Mark: One is sparkly, and the other is a surprise. Does that ring any bells?
My stomach does a flip as soon as it registers.
Me: That might ring a bell. Promise me they’re not huge, because that… that would be a straight no from me.
Mark sends a string of emojis laughing so hard they’re in tears.
Mark: No, I wouldn’t do that to you. But I’m dying to see this sparkly thing staring back at me while I take you from behind.
Whoa, buddy… The butterflies just released in my belly have me sucking in a breath. I don’t know if it’s more from excitement or nerves. Both. I’m going to go with both. I have zero clue on how to answer that.
Me: Aren’t you supposed to be working?
Mark: I’ll stop making you blush for now. Even though I absolutely love it when you do. Talk to you later. Good luck finding the owner of the roses.
Me: I’m just glad you didn’t change your mind about me and that was your way of ending things with me.
Mark: NEVER
His rapid text back makes me smile. The knots in my belly from a few minutes ago feel less like lead weights.
Overall, I feel much lighter. I make a quick phone call to the florist. The address wasn’t wrong, but when she says they’re from an Eric with no last name given, I freeze.
What the hell? I immediately march them to the front desk and ask the temp girl if she’d like to have them. I do not want anything from that man.
Upon returning to my office, I whip my phone back out to text the girls.
Me: They weren’t from Mark. I called the florist to find out if they were a mistake. They weren’t. They’re from Eric…
Sets of bubbles instantly appear.
Jane: NO!
Sydney: What the hell?!
Holly: Oh no he didn’t!
Me: I gave them to the temp girl up front.
Jane: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Holly: I would’ve just trashed them.
Sydney: That’s awesome.
Me: Anywho… we need margs tomorrow night.
They all answer with emojis indicating full support of that idea.
???
Mark
I tap my pencil on a blueprint, staring at my phone on the desk.
Did the florist make a mistake? Or is a bit of competition throwing their hat in the ring, and if so…
who? Ava truly sounded as if she thought they were from me.
It makes me feel kind of crappy inside to think she automatically assumed that I was searching for an out.
I have no intentions whatsoever of giving her up, even if I’m swimming in uncharted waters.
Having someone to share my secrets in the dark with is a feeling like none other.
I’ve never felt like I could truly open up and let someone see my soul stripped bare like her.
With the exception of my mother and maybe Colin.
They still only get the side of me that I wish to give them.
My phone buzzes, stuttering a smidge across the blueprint. It’s another text.
Ava: It um…wasn’t a mistake.
My stomach tightens with a tinge of jealousy, a strange sensation I’m not familiar with, but at least she’s being open about it.
Me: Who has something to be sorry for, Ava?
Ava: … They’re from Eric.
Oh, so after all these years, Fuckhead wants to play games.
I stop and breathe for a second, pinching the bridge of my nose to release the pressure and distract from the feeling of my now thudding pulse.
They have a history. This doesn’t mean anything.
How does Ava feel about this? What does she want?
Surely she’d never entertain the idea of giving him another chance.
Me: How do you feel about it?
Ava: Honestly, it made me initially want to throw up. I might’ve totally given them to the temp up front.
A weight lifts off my chest, and I tilt my head back, laughing heartily. There’s that fire I love.
Me: LOL, why does that not surprise me one bit? Damn, kind of makes me miss our sparring matches.
Ava: (giggle emoji) Me too, a little. BUT… I like what we have now much better.
Me: Me too, babe.
I run my thumb across my bottom lip absentmindedly and lean back in my chair, looking at the picture of Ava’s smiling face staring back at me from her picture on the screen of our conversation.
What is Eric up to? Why now? Did seeing someone else wanting her strike a nerve?
Has he been mulling over my words in the grocery store all this time?
Is he going to contact her again? My stomach flips in a sour way when I think about how he spoke to her that night.
I can still see the fire in her eyes, the indignation all over her face, but I could also feel the sorrow and hurt rolling off of her.
There was absolutely no way that I could let him finish knocking her down the peg or two he was intent on. He’s bad news.
I pick my phone back up, unable to just let it go. I find Colin’s name in my conversations.
Me: So, what do we know about this Eric guy? Sydney ever give you any details into his personality? How he thinks?`
Colin: No, I don’t have much to go on from what I’ve shared with you. Why?
Me: He sent Ava flowers saying that he’s “sorry”.
Colin: After all this time?
Me: Yup…
Colin: That’s weird.
Me: Agreed.
Colin: What do you think made him pop up after all this time?
Me: Me
Colin: All from the confrontation in the grocery store months ago? You really think he’s been replaying that in his head for this long? If so… that’s kind of strange. You’d think he would’ve popped up sooner.
Me: I can’t think of anything else, and Ava hasn’t mentioned seeing him again since that night. I made it clear to him though that now that I’d had a taste of her, I’d never let her go, and that he’d never taste her again.
Colin: Damn…those were some fighting words. You really said that? Fuck, what did his face look like?
Me: It was satisfying. He couldn’t even think he was so mad. I didn’t give him the chance to say anything else before grabbing her hand, paying for all our shit, and getting her ass away from him.
Colin: I would’ve paid money to see that. I’m sure Ava was just as shocked.
Me: Enough that I had to warn her that if she didn’t get moving, I’d kiss her to make a point. Now that I look back, I wish she would’ve given me a little more lip so that I could’ve had the excuse.
Colin: You miss the bantering don’t you?
Me: So bad.
Me: Looks like I’ll have to come up with new ways to set my Firecracker off.
Colin: Solid word choices. LOL
Me: (grinning emoji)
I can always count on Colin to help reign in my crazy. That is, if he’s not raising the crazy with me. We had our share of it in our college days. I miss that too.