Chapter 14 Avalon
fourteen
Avalon
I’m nineteen today.
And celebrating alone. I don’t think my mom has remembered my birthday since way before her accident. And the last time I celebrated was when my grandparents were still alive. After that, we celebrated when she finally remembered she missed it.
If she remembered. Usually, she’s too high and drunk to even know what month it is, let alone if it’s a holiday or my birthday.
The only birthday message I got today was from Jay, but he’s on shift, so it’s not like we’ll go do something. Not that we ever do. I honestly think celebrating makes me sadder than doing nothing.
And with everything going on between us, I don’t think I’d want to celebrate with my mom anyway.
I went to the bank and got some of the money back. It wasn’t easy, but I disputed some of the transfers my mom completed, and after that, I got a whole new card. The bank told me if I wanted to get the rest of the money back, I’d have to go to the cops.
Which I still haven’t been able to do.
Even though she doesn’t care about what she did to me, I can’t turn her in. I’ve tried. I’ve been to the Police station a handful of times since it happened, and every time, I just go home.
“Can I get you a drink?” I didn’t even come here to meet anyone; I just needed a night out. But I guess I shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to have sex. I haven’t had sex with anyone since Zeke.
Not because I’m not interested in sleeping with someone else, I am. I just had a lot on my plate, and somehow, going to a local bar and finding a guy got pushed down my list of things to do.
“I don’t drink,” I respond. “But maybe a soda?”
He smiles, motioning toward the bartender and then looking back at me, “You don’t mind if I get one, do you?”
“Not at all,” I continue. “Just not my thing.”
“What kind of soda?” he asks as the bartender reaches us.
“A root beer, please.”
“Could I get a root beer and anything you have on tap,” he tells the bartender and then hands him his card.
“Open or closed?”
He looks at me and then back to the bartender, “Open.”
“That’s awfully forward of you,” I begin. “How do you know I won’t head out after one soda?”
“Because I’m too interesting for that.” His cockiness reminds me of Zeke, and I hate that it does. Like why? This very attractive guy is beside me, yet I’m comparing him to Zeke. “I’m Oliver.”
“Avalon.” I shake his hand as the bartender brings our drinks.
“Thank you,” we say simultaneously, and once the bartender disappears, he turns back to me.
“Do you go to Rockford?”
“I do, you?”
“Yeah, I’m a senior. I’m studying Business and Agriculture.”
“Business and Agriculture, huh?”
“Yeah.” He laughs. “Wouldn’t have been my first choice when I was a kid, but I grew up on my family’s farm, and once I got older, I knew I wanted to take it over.”
“That’s really great. And I know it sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but I promise you I’m not.” I take a drink of my soda.
“What about you?”
“I’m a Bio and Neuroscience major on the med-school route.”
“Wow, a med-student.”
“Hopefully. I’m applying this Spring, so I’ll be in med school in a few years if I’m lucky.”
“I have a feeling you’ll get in.”
“You don’t even know me.” I laugh. “How can you be so sure.”
“I don’t know. There’s just something about you.” I hide a smile as he takes a swig of his beer. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat,” I respond.
“I was thinking some nachos.” He flips over the menu. “And maybe some chicken wings. You aren’t a vegetarian, right?”
“Not even close. Nachos and chicken wings sound perfect.”
He signals to the bartender so we can put in some food.
This birthday is turning out to be pretty promising, even though I thought today was gonna be complete shit. Every so often, though, Oliver will say something or do something that reminds me of Zeke. Causing me to think about our night together.
“Do you want anything else?” he asks, and I shake my head. He closes his tab, and once he has his card back, he looks over at me.
“Wanna get out of here?” I don’t think it’s too forward. We’ve been sitting together for nearly two hours, talking and eating. Sometimes, we don’t even finish our first round before leaving.
“What’d you have in mind?” He scoots closer to me. Close enough that I could lean forward and press my lips against his.
“My place is right around the corner.” I hop off my stool and head out of the bar. I don’t even look to see if he’s following behind me because I know he is.
They always are.
Fuck.” He groans as he relaxes on top of me. Our bodies are covered with a thin layer of sweat, our chests rapidly rising and falling.
Fuck is right. It was great, phenomenal, even. Oliver wasn’t much of a talker like Tucker, and he actually got me to cum, unlike many before Tucker, but as much as I hate to admit it… something was missing.
He did everything right, but it wasn’t Earth-shattering. God, what a stupid way to describe sex. Earth-shattering. But I didn’t feel the orgasm in every nerve ending of my body, not like I did with Zeke.
And there it is. Zeke Harris. The stupid fucker who I’m thinking about while another guy’s inside of me.
“I needed this.” Oliver rolls onto his back. “I’ve been so busy with school that I haven’t done this in a while and, fuck, am I happy it was with you.”
You’d never be able to tell that he hasn’t had sex in a while. Not that I compare the people I’ve slept with, but Oliver would definitely be in the top two. He'd be my number one if I hadn’t slept with Zeke. I might’ve even broken my no-strings rule for him.
“I needed that, too,” I sigh. “A lot.”
“Happy to be of service.” He leaves my bed and searches the room for his underwear before pulling them on. The rest of his clothes quickly follow.
I sit up against the headboard and watch him pull on his shoes.
“Heading out?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he begins. “Shit, I hope you don’t mind. After the no-strings talk, I assumed you’d want me out of here once we were done.”
“I guess I’m just not used to a guy taking the initiative to leave.” I chuckle. “It’s kind of a shock to my system.”
And now I’m starting to sound like Zeke. He expects the girls he sleeps with to come back and try to convince him to be something more, and now I’m sitting here confused that I don’t have to force a guy out of my place and that he’s leaving, no questions asked.
“Just trying to respect your boundaries,” he begins. “I’m meeting some friends for a drink. Do you wanna come?”
“I’m okay,” I respond. “I think tonight will be an early one for me.”
“Are you sure? I can give you a lift there and home. Or is that too relationshipy?”
“It would’ve been okay if we didn’t see each other afterward.” I smile. “But really, I’m exhausted.”
“I was that good, huh?”
I toss a pillow at him and roll my eyes.
“I’ll see you around, yeah?”
“See you around.”
I don’t even bother getting out of bed; I just sit there until I hear the front door close, then drag myself to the shower.
I stand under the hot water, letting it run over my body, and finally give into something I’ve been fighting for weeks.
I think it’s time I take Zeke up on his offer.