Four
Avalon
Friday seemed like ages away. And when it came, it felt like the day passed even slower . Each minute that crawled by felt like an hour.
And though she wanted the time to go faster, she also felt more anxious with each passing second. Those butterflies hadn’t died down since her coffee date. Though they were much calmer, they were still there, fluttering away each time she thought of the men.
When the clock finally struck four, she snatched her bag and checked her appearance in the bathroom one last time. She’d chosen a floral sundress and changed from her work flats to the pumps she’d brought with her.
With sweaty palms and a fluttering heart, she took the elevator to the fortieth floor. When Marcus suggested they meet in their office, she’d looked up exactly what the space was for—investment.
A young woman greeted her when she arrived at reception. “How may I help you, ma’am?”
“I’m looking for Mr. Saul and Mr. Mounteney.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I do. ”
The woman looked down at her computer, her mouse clicking as she searched for the appointment. “I’m sorry, I can’t seem to find you.”
Ava was just about to ask her to call them, but Varos’s voice stopped her. “My apologies, Ava. I didn’t add you to our visitor’s list.”
She turned and saw the man moving towards her, his long legs eating up the space between them. He was dressed more casually today, though still wearing a button-up shirt.
“Calinda, make sure to add Miss Williams to our list and ensure that she has permanent clearance.”
“Of course, Mr. Saul.”
Varos offered his arm just as Marcus had, and led her away from the reception desk.
“You look stunning today,” he complimented, his smooth voice warming her skin.
“Thank you.”
“Marcus is still in a meeting, but it shouldn’t be long now.”
“That’s alright.”
“How was your day?”
“Long and far too slow,” she admitted.
“Because you wanted to see us again?”
She nodded, ducking to hide the blush on her cheeks.
“I think that is the sweetest compliment I’ve heard in a long time.” He opened a heavy wooden door and led her into a massive office with three large desks and a beautiful view over the Buffalo Bayou Park. “We can wait in here until Marcus is finished.”
Though there was a leather couch situated against one wall, she dropped her grip on Varos and stepped up to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “That’s a gorgeous view. I don’t think I’d be able to focus on anything if I worked here.”
“It can get quite distracting.”
Varos sat down behind his desk while she watched the people in the park enjoying the mild autumn weather. The silence between them was comfortable, and neither of them felt the need to break it.
Eventually, the door opened, pulling Ava’s attention towards the third man from the elevator. He froze for a moment, then his face hardened.
“I thought you would’ve left by now,” he grunted, turning his back to her and taking a seat at his desk.
“Marcus’s meeting is longer than expected. I don’t believe I made any introductions last time.”
The man stiffly shrugged. “None needed.”
“Lysander!” Varos scolded. “I’m sorry, Avalon. It seems that Lysander needs a reminder on his manners.”
“Oh, it’s alright. We all have bad days,” she giggled, slightly amused. His rejection didn’t hurt. She usually welcomed blunt behaviour versus fake pleasantries.
“You are very forgiving.”
“I think I just prefer the honesty.”
Before Varos could answer, Marcus entered the room with a stack of papers in his hands. His eyes zeroed in on her like a magnet. “You look beautiful.”
She flushed. “Thank you.”
“Have you two decided what we’re doing tonight?”
“I wanted to wait for you,” Varos explained.
Marcus set down the thick stack of papers on his desk. “We found a private art studio we could book.”
She interrupted him before he could speak further. “Like, a private painting session?”
“Yes. It would only be the three of us and all materials would be provided.”
“That sounds really nice but would that be something that interests the two of you?”
“As long as our finished products don’t scare you off,” Marcus laughed .
“They won’t!”
“Then I believe we’ve made our decision. Unless you’d like to hear the other options.” She shook her head, so Varos started clicking and typing into the computer. A moment later the printer whirred to life. “We have a slot for the whole evening.”
“Is Lysander staying behind?” Marcus asked with a cheeky grin.
Varos’s face hardened. “Lysander has been nothing but rude from the moment he walked in.”
“What a shame.” Turning to her, Marcus asked, “Do you have everything?”
She nodded emphatically, unable to hide her excitement.
Varos opened the door for her. “Where did you park?”
“I don’t have a car.” Before the door closed behind them, she turned back to Lysander. “It was nice meeting you.”
“How do you get to work if you don’t have a car?” Varos asked.
“Bus.”
“Why haven’t you bought one yet?”
“I think I have commitment issues,” she joked. “That’s quite a lot of money.”
That seemed to amuse both the men, their eyes sparkling and their smiles wide.
“We can take ours then,” Marcus suggested.
The studio wasn’t far, but rush hour made the drive much longer than necessary. Downtown was packed with people rushing home to start their weekend.
The studio had a keypad at the door, and Varos typed in the code after glancing at their reservation. They allowed her to enter first, the smell of fresh canvas and turpentine wrapping around her like a warm blanket. Someone had set up a few blank canvases in varying sizes. Shelves were lined with paint and clean brushes ready to be used.
“I love this!” she exclaimed, breathless .
“I’m glad. Now let’s hope we don’t disappoint you too much.” Varos laughed, but she could tell he was still slightly insecure.
“I’ll take that canvas over there,” Marcus announced, marching over to claim the smallest of them all.
“Guess I’ll take the second smallest,” Varos groused.
She giggled, took one of the larger ones, and situated herself between the two. “Do you two mind if I take my shoes off?”
“Not at all,” Varos assured. “Make yourself at home.”
She kicked her shoes off, then selected the paints she wanted.
Varos and Marcus stepped to each side of her and anxiously picked out a few random shades.
“Have you two thought about what you want to paint?” she asked.
“I can’t envision anything.”
“I’m with Marcus.”
“Have either of you ever painted before?”
“I’ve been painted,” Varos revealed with a smirk.
“You have?”
“Many years ago.”
“I hope you still have it. I would love to see it.”
“Maybe one day you’ll come visit and I’ll show you.”
“What will you paint?” Marcus asked curiously.
“I usually like painting nature.”
“Maybe Varos and I can follow?”
“I’ll try my best to teach but I was never really taught professionally either.”
“Don’t worry too much, Avalon. All that matters to us is spending time with you.”
She bashfully ducked her head, forgoing a verbal answer.
They followed her back to the easels and slowly began to mirror what she was doing. Marcus and Varos were very sweet, eager to learn every little thing they could. They talked about their travels around the U.S. and Europe, while she talked about her upbringing with a single parent .
“So, you still don’t know who your father is?” Varos asked, feathering a rich brown through the trunk of one of his trees.
“No. Mom never talked about it and after she passed, I couldn’t find anything in her belongings. I think I was simply a fling, but she never openly said that.”
“She seemed to love you very much,” Marcus soothed. “Perhaps she didn’t want you to think negatively of her.”
“I think so too.”
“Have you always wanted to be an accountant?”
“I have. The older I got the more I could help my mom with everything. Managing our budget and bills always came easily to me—I enjoyed it.”
“Lysander does that part of the business for us. Varos is the smart one who always predicts our best moves, and I enjoy the fun part of being the boss and taking lots of vacations,” Marcus joked.
“So, you like watching other people work, huh?”
“I do.”
“And Varos not disagreeing only proves that you truly do nothing,” Ava laughed, earning a heart-stopping grin from Marcus.
“Would you ever want to move away from here?” Varos asked, changing the subject.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“But?”
“So far it’s been quiet and well, Troy hasn’t shown up yet. I’m afraid if I do move to somewhere I’ve always dreamed of, he’ll find me. Maybe it’s a false sense of security but Houston has become my safe place.”
Varos’s brows fused as he studied her closer. “Do you think he’s still looking for you after all these years?”
She shrugged. “He’s always been very possessive—he doesn’t react well to people taking what belongs to him. Maybe it’s not for me specifically but for some sort of revenge, you know? ”
Varos gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “There are millions of people out there. I don’t think you have to worry about him anymore.”
“Thanks to you two. You changed my life and I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”
“You would’ve found the strength to leave him eventually. We only helped you do it much sooner.” Marcus’s voice was soft as he reached out and twisted a strand of her hair around his finger. “The dreams you had of leaving him would’ve turned into plans eventually. I’m sure of it.”
She let out a dreamy sigh, drowning in Marcus’s deep green eyes while angling her body closer to Varos. “I never stopped thinking about you two. I always wondered what happened to you or if I’d ever see you again.”
“You’ve crossed the path of our thoughts many times before too,” Varos softly admitted. “We always wished the best for you.”
“We’re glad to see you so happy.”
Marcus dropped her hair, cupping her jaw in his hand just as he had that magical night four years ago. His touch was cool, just like she’d remembered, wrapping her in a safe, familiar feeling. She leaned into his touch, shivering when Varos’s fingertips traced a path of goosebumps down her arm. Closing her eyes, she soaked in their caresses and Varos’s smooth lips finding her shoulder.
“Thank you,” she sighed.
“We enjoy every minute we get with you,” Marcus hummed, softly pressing his lips to her forehead.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there and let them hold her, needing to feel their security and admiration. They didn’t force anything, only giving her what felt natural—what felt good . They only separated once she opened her eyes and took in a deep breath.
They finished their paintings in a comfortable kind of silence that left them at ease. She took breaks occasionally, taking advantage of the refreshments table set up in the corner, but Varos and Marcus seemed too embedded in their paintings to worry about food.
“I think I’m done,” Marcus announced proudly after another hour had passed.
Ava stepped up beside him and couldn’t help but smile. “I like it.”
“I like yours more, but I don’t think I can make mine any better.”
“I think you did fantastic for your first painting.”
“Definitely better than I did,” Varos laughed. “Half of my plants look like aliens.”
“Ah, futuristic,” she tried to assure him. “I love them both.”
Varos returned to the reservation. “It says here to leave the paintings to dry and we’ll get notified when we can collect them.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
“Would you like us to drive you home or would you rather us get you a cab?” Marcus asked as the clean-up efforts began.
She stiffened. She hadn’t had guests in her new home yet. Before she could find the words to voice that, Varos gently took her hand.
“I’ll call you a cab,” he told her. “I don’t feel comfortable letting you take the bus this late at night. You don’t seem quite ready to show us your home yet either—and that’s just fine. We only want you to feel safe.”
“Thank you.”
They finished cleaning up, and Marcus and Varos waited with her for her taxi.
“Will you allow us to take you out again?” Varos asked, brushing his thumb over her knuckles.
“I’d really like that. Maybe next time we can do something you two enjoy. ”
“I’m sure we can come up with something,” Marcus added.
Varos lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles, while Marcus approached the taxi and held the door open for her. With red hot cheeks she stepped towards Marcus who brushed his lips across her forehead before helping her into the car and closing the door.
She spent the entire drive home smiling.