Chapter 4
Avery
It was risky, but I did it anyway.
Yes, he could have called the police on me or worse, but my intuition told me that wouldn’t be the case.
Even if he didn’t give me an interview, I didn’t think my safety was at risk with Ali.
He may have stood his ground and got me to leave yesterday, but he wasn’t rough or disrespectful about it, so that gave me hope that his reaction would be the same today.
I could handle him rejecting me. What I couldn’t handle was the man I loved hurting me.
Knowing I had feelings for a man who didn’t even recognize me had me feeling crazy as hell when I pulled up to his house, but I didn’t give a damn.
Whether he recognized me or not, that had nothing to do with my attraction and desire for him. He’d never know about either though. I’d be a fool in my head before I told him and let him or any other man make a fool out of me.
“Need some help?” I asked sweetly, cutting off my car.
Though he didn’t smile with his mouth, I saw the amusement in his eyes, and that was the only reason I got out of the car. Slowly, I made my way to his driveway, keeping a significant amount of distance between us.
“I know technically that I shouldn’t be here, so if you want me to go, I’ll go,” I promised, but I hoped he’d let me stay.
“What did I say yesterday that made you think it was a good idea to show up today?” he asked, heading toward me.
My breath hitched and eyes blinked rapidly as my heart rate increased.
“It was what you didn’t say. You didn’t tell me if I came back, you’d call the police.” Shrugging, I swallowed hard. “Anything else you said sounded like an invitation.”
Slowly, a smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and God . . . that felt like a win.
“Is that a smile?” I asked softly, smiling myself. I had to keep myself from cupping his cheek. It didn’t matter that the man was fine as hell, he’d elected to increase his sex appeal being outside shirtless in low hanging sweats with gold chains dangling and that grill in his mouth.
“I don’t want you to mistake my patience for an invitation to invade my privacy, Avery. I’m not giving you an interview, so there’s no reason for you to come here again.”
“I know you don’t trust journalists, and I get why, but if you would just hear me out, maybe you’d understand I’m not like Tiffany.
” His brows wrinkled at the sound of her name.
“I’m not here to invade your privacy or share anything with the world you don’t want us to know.
” When he remained silent, I took that as an opening and took a small step in his direction.
“You’re arguably the most famous author out of Memphis.
“Definitely the youngest. You’re approaching a milestone that deserves to be honored.
You deserve to be honored. You’ve maintained a consistency in an industry that changes with each passing trend, yet you’ve remained constant and steady.
I’m not trying to take from you or use you, Ali.
I just . . . want to put a spotlight on your accomplishments that you deserve. ”
For a brief moment, I thought he would surrender. His broad shoulders slouched, and I saw his body relax. But then, his words said the opposite of the vibe his body was giving off.
“I hear you, and I appreciate the kind words, but my answer is still no.”
“Okay,” I agreed, trying not to let my defeat consume me. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Huh?” he muttered, head jerking as I turned and headed down the driveway. “Wait. No. That wasn’t . . .”
“I said if you don’t threaten to call the police, anything else is an invitation.”
“That’s not how this works, Avery.”
“It is to me,” I countered with a smile. Unable to resist, I turned and asked him, “You really don’t remember me . . . do you?”
Ali’s head tilted, and the confusion that covered his face was so cute. “I feel like I should. I just don’t know from where,” he admitted.
“We went to high school together. I thought we had a little moment every day because when I’d look at you, you’d smile, but clearly, I was wrong.”
As I opened the door to my car, he said, “We rode the merry-go-round.”
Now, it was my turn to be confused. “The merry-go-round?” I repeated, and the memory immediately came back.
“Yeah. I remember you now.” His smile was wide as he rubbed his palms together and took a step back.
“The glasses and hair threw me off, but yeah. I remember you.” I smiled so hard my cheeks almost touched my eyes as he continued.
“I remember I went to the mall with Mike, and you were there with some skinny, light skinned girl.
“We kinda followed y’all around that day. When the mall was about to close, you tried to convince her to ride the merry-go-round, but she didn’t want to. While she and Mike talked at the food court, I decided to ride it with you.”
Clutching my chest, I picked up the memory.
“All this time, I thought that was random. You just . . . sat down and didn’t say anything.
” Giggling, I shook my head. “I was so nervous, I held my breath almost the whole time. You were so close, so warm, and you smelled so good. That moment made my night. I couldn’t stop talking about it after we left the mall. ”
Our eyes remained locked until scratching on the door gained our attention.
Gremlin.
“I’m not going to call the police on you, but no interview,” he said softly.
“I’m going to gain your trust,” I told him. “It’s just going to take some time.”
“I don’t want to trust you.”
“Too bad. You don’t have a choice. Now that I know you remember me, I’m definitely coming back.”
Ali chuckled and shook his head as he tossed the branch and headed toward his front door. Excitement was about to explode from the pit of my belly as I got in my car. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I squealed and shimmied in my seat.
Yay.
He remembered me.