15. 15
15
Sprawled out on her couch with Kuda stretched along her lap, Ava lounged in pajama pants and a lace-edgedcamisoleas the early evening loomedoutside, cold and oppressive.Victor Fleming’s Joan of Arc played over the large screen, her second timewatching itin all of its monochrome glory.
Her cell phone dinged on the coffee table, its screen lighting up brighter than the television. Careful not to wake Kuda, shesnatchedit up.
It was a text from Will.
WILL: How do women instinctively know how to braid hair?
AVA: It’s in our DNA. Why? Are you thinking about trying to braid yours? It’s a little too short for that.
WILL: Very funny.
WILL: No. I’m watching a tutorial on it right now online, and it looks like some sort of sorcery. Starla has a crush on a boy in her class, and she keeps asking me to do her hair in one to impress him or something. Have any tips for me?
AVA: Hard to explain. I can’t really describe the process well over the phone. It’s something you have to practice firsthand.
WILL: Dang.
AVA: You could come over, and I could show you if you want.
WILL: I thought you’d never ask.
WILL: There’s just one thing…
WILL: Starla’s on a field trip. Her class is doing a whole Fort Caspar butter-churning thing.
AVA: Oh.
Ava thought hard, scanning her mind to make up an excuse to still invite him over. Her heart thundered at the thought of being alone with him tonight.
AVA: I still have my Daenerys Targaryen wig from a costume party we had at work last Halloween. If you wanted to come over, I could teach you on that.
Ava’s smile fell when the responses ceased. Fuck. I was too forward. I look desperate now. Suddenly, three bubbles popped up on the screen, followed by a message moments later.
WILL: Sorry. I fainted at the thought of you dressed as the Mother of Dragons and had to be resuscitated. I’m back now. EMTs said that was a close call. Got a nasty concussion, but they said I’ll live.
AVA: Thank God.
WILL: Yes. I think it would be in my daughter’s best interest if you taught me that critical skill.
WILL: Like… right away.
WILL: Sooner, the better. Plus, you can keep me awake. The medics said I am not supposed to go to sleep for a while.
AVA: Of course. Due to the concussion.
WILL: Due to the concussion, yes.
AVA: So this is a win-win for you.
WILL: Very much so, yes.
AVA: You still have the address?
WILL: Yes, I do.
AVA: The door is unlocked. Come on in when you get here.
WILL: I’m on my way. This braid thing feels very life or death, and I can’t handle that kind of pressure. I’m just a maid!
Ava smiled at her phone and then bit her lip, ignoring the television in front of her. She pet Kuda’s head until his warm chocolate eyes slid open. He did a lazy stretch, got up,and trotted to the kitchen.
Ava lifted her arm and smelled herself. She recoiled. Aquick shower and shave of the armpits were definitelyin order.Darting to the bathroom,she turned on the water and stripped naked. Sprinting to the bedroom, she whipped open her dresser drawers,frantically grabbed a matching bra and underwear set,and scurried back to the bathroom.She hurledthe clothes on the floorandstepped in, muscles immediately relaxing beneath the downpour of hot water. She latheredher hairwith a liberal amount of sudsy shampoo, sprayed gel on her legs, and started shaving in a flurry of wet movement.
The sound of her front door opening and closing made her smile.
Fuck, that was quick.
She shouted loudly past the shower curtain. “I’ll be out in a minute!”
She grinned wide like a Cheshire cat.
Fuck it.
“That is… unless you feel like joining me.”
“You talked me into it,” a man’s muffled voice said.
She knew the voice. It was familiar.
But it wasn’t Will’s…
Her eyes bulged, and a dollop of shampoo ran into them. She furiously swiped away, smearing eye makeup across her face.
The sound of shoes and jeans hittingthe floor was followed by the shink of the shower rings as the curtain slidopen.
That was when the source of the voice finally registered in her flustered brain.
Dan, the cheater.
Dan, the liar .
Dan, the piece of human garbage who knocked up his secretary and left the piss-covered stick in the kitchen trash for her to find.
Ava screamed.Dan tumbled back, tripping out of the shower and nearly falling onto the cold tile floor, catching himself on the cluttered counter just in time.
Ava dartedout of the shower,water still running,and snatched atowel from the rackwith a flailing hand. Suds burned her eyes, making her ex-husband difficult to see as sheskiddedthrough the hall on wet feet and boltedfor her bedroom.
Dan rapped on the locked door a moment later. “Ava, honey …we need to talk.”
The pause in his speech was a tell that Ava knew all too well from years of dinner parties, work functions, and cookouts with the man: Dan was drunk.
She scrambled for underwear and a bra from her dresser and hurriedly put them on, shampoo stinging her eyes as she bent down to yank up her panties.“ Daaaaaan! You were naked in my shower ! Why are you in my house?!” She stressed the word ’my,’ which was a subtle dig at her getting to keep the place after the split by the judge’s order. “We’re divorced, remember ?”
“Please come out…so we can talk. ”
Yep, definitely drunk. She could almost smell the pickling of his liver through the wood of the door.
“No,Daniel. Get your clothes and go home! You know, your new home, with your fiancee and baby !” Bitterness was prominent in her indignant tone. She tossed on a baggy t-shirt and pajama shortsfrom the hamper, the first thing she could get her hands on.
“Please, just…come out…and talk to me.”
Ava unlocked the door and yanked it open, eyes smeared with mascara and eyeliner, white, bubbling foam dripping down the sides of her face and onto her chin like a makeshift Santa beard. “What?! What the hell do you want?”
Dan’s hazel eyes looked back at her. Black bags hung beneath them. His typically-shaven face was coated in something of a 10 o’clock shadow. He looked likehe hadn’t slept in a week .“Ava…I’m fucking miserable. I made…a mistake. I want our life back.”
Ava softeneda little. “ What ?”
“If I go…put my clothes back on… will you listen to what I have to say?”
It was only then that Ava looked down and realized Dan was naked except for wet calf-high socks and his smartwatch. He cupped his privates in both hands and slouched.
“If it makes you go away faster, then fine. ”
With a quick nod of understanding, Dan scurried back to the bathroom and grabbed his clothes, talking through the open door.“I really wanted kids, Ava. I really thought I’d really be missing outif I didn’t have one.”
“I said we could adopt,” she yelled back.
“It’s not the same. I wanted one of my own .” His voice was muffled as he pulled his shirt over his head, wearing it backward and inside out now. “Don’t get me wrong…I care about Nancy.I really do. I just think…we’d be better off raising Hunter as friends.”He bobbled, nearly toppling over in his stupor. He caught himself on the doorknob just in time.
“So split upand share custodylike normal adults. What does any of this have to do with you climbing into your ex-wife’s fucking shower?!”
“I don’t think…I’m cut out to be a Dad.” Danfollowed her out to the living room, using the walls to right himself, stopping just two feet shy of Ava. Her arms were crossed, and a scowl was plastered across her shampoo-streaked face. “I think…we had it rightall along.I was just…too blind to see it. But I see things clearly now.”
Dan’s bloodshot eyes were wild with desperation.Fury bubbled in Ava. The man had some balls.
“You look exhausted. You need some rest. ”
“The kid… he cries… all the time!”
“That’s part of having a kid , Daniel. That’s what you signed up for.”
“I know. Look,” he said frantically, grabbing Ava’s hand, “I know.”
Ava jerked her hand away from him and growled,“ You did this to yourself. All of it, Dan! You got another woman knocked up. And I’m supposed to just shrug that off ? I can’t have kids ! Do you know how fucking hurtful that is to do to someone? You tossed me aside like I was useless garbage. You put your own needs first. You always have!” Ava felt the last of her restraint crumble beneath the strainof her words.
“You were gone all of the timefor your job !” He yelled. “I was lonely! I handled it the wrong way. I’m sorry,Ava, but you can’t let one stupid decision ruin twelve years of being together.”
“No, you did.”
“We can go back to the way things were. We were so…happy.”
“I wasn’t happy!I was comfortable . There’s a difference. Clearly, you were missing something I couldn’t give you.”
“You were never around!” He bobbed his head. “Although, I’m sorry. Iheard you lost your job.”
Ava was appalled. “From who ?”
“It’s a small town, Ava. Word gets around. ”
“So? I lost my job , not my mind . You need to leave!” Ava sneeredand jabbedher finger towards the door.
“I’m not going anywhere, Ava,” Dan continued, grabbing her arms and drawing her closer. “You love me. I know you do.”
“I do not need this right now!” Avagroaned andtried to pull away. His grip tightened, and he tuggedher back.“I loved you. Past tense,Dan. Now let me go! I am not going to ask you again!”
“I’m sorry! How many different ways do I need to say it? Do you want me to scream it from the roof? Take out a fucking billboard ? I’m sorry!I was an idiot!”
“You were a terrible husband. You never know what youactually want. You alwaysthink you need what you can’t have .”
“Just give me a chance!” He yanked her close and forced his thin lips against hers.
It was like kissing two chapped worms.
The front door opened. Will waltzed in with a paddle brush in his hand, smiling as if he were about to say something clever. But he froze in the doorway, stunned by the image of Dan kissing Ava right in front of him. Will gritted his jaw and turned to leave.
Ava pulled away from Dan, attempting to wrench herself from his arms. “Wait, Will! It’s not what you think! He wasn’t invited!He won’t leave!”
Her words rang out in Will’s ears over the pounding of his pulse. He whipped around and looked at the hold Dan had on her arms.
“What’s going on?”The look in his eyes said that a singular nod of her head would make him launch on the male stranger and pound his fist until the guy was missing teeth.
“He’s fucking leaving .” Ava whipped her arms away from Dan. “ Aren’t you?”
“Who the fuck is this ?Got yourself a new little boy-toy, Ave?” Daniel snarled.
Kuda erupted in a symphony of vicious barks from the entrance to the nearby kitchen.
“I’m her boyfriend , you scumbag.”
Despite the soap bubbling against her scalp and the agitation from the scene Dan was causing, Ava fought the urge to smile.Even though Will said it to intimidate the man, something about the sound of it…
Felt right .
“Ava? Should I leave? Or should he ?”
“Him!” Ava pointed to Dan like she was a tattling teenager, heart pounding. “Will, I swear to you, I did not invite him over. He’s drunk. Hecame inwhile I was in the damn shower!”She pressed her wrist to her forehead for a second to put pressure on her forming headache. Shampoo foam transferred. She grimaced and wiped it on her clothes. “This is Dan. My ex -husband,” she said, stressing the ‘ex’ loudly.
Will rolled his shoulders back and took another step in. “Look, Dan , if you would like to keep all your bones unbroken and your teeth in your gums, you need to leave. Now .”
“You’re sleep-deprived. You aren’t thinking straight.Just go home!”Ava used both hands to push Dan toward Will. Again, Kuda’s bark rang out.
“Give me another chance!”Dan yanked Avatoward himby her shirt and kissed her.
Will’s fist crashedinto Dan’s jaw, dropping himto the floor. Ava gasped, covered her face,and leaped backward.Kuda raced to Daniel’s pant leg and toreat the hem of his jeans, shredding fabric.
“Kuda, stop!” Ava pulled at her dog’s collar until he backed up.
Will stood over Danwithreadied fists. “The lady asked you to leave.”
“That’s assault, fuckface.” Dan looked atAva. “You’re just gonna let him hit me?!Aren’t you gonna do anything?”
Will snatched Danby the inside-out shirt and thrust him onto his feet. “Let’s go, Romeo. ”
Ava and Kuda watched from the kitchen doorway as Will tossed Dan out into the snow-covered yard.
Will grabbed the door handle. “You ever think about touching her again I’ll break every single one of your fucking fingers.”
Dan nodded, sobering in the frozen pile of fluff.
Will slammedthe door and locked it.
Ava stepped into the living room, tears wellingin her eyes. “I’m sorry,Will.He just showed up. I haven’t seen him in months!I thought he was you. Hejust climbed into the shower with me!”
She wiped a dripping dollop of sudsy water from her brow before it could sting her eyes further.
Will clenched his teeth. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, he just scared me.”
“Okay. Good.” Will exhaled long and slow, looking up at Ava. “Go ahead and finish your shower. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come back.”
A shared pint of Neapolitan ice creamand two classicfeature films later, Ava found herself on the couch, wrapped in Will’s comforting embrace, her head relaxed on his shoulder, dangling, once again,on the precipice of sleep.
As the credits rolled, Will chanced a glance down at Ava and smiled. She grabbed the remoteandclicked off the television. Without a word, she wiggled from his arms and extended her hand to him.
Barely able to see, Will tilted his head curiously and finally took it.
“Will you stay with me tonight? I feel a little freaked out still.”
Though it seemed understandable, Will had no idea how he would be able to do so and keep his hands to himself. “I… don’t know.”
“Look, Will, I completely respect that you don’t want to do more. We could just… sleep . I just feel vulnerable. He broke into my house .”
“It’s not that I don’t want to do more…”
“You don’t need to explain. You’re allowed to do things in your own time and feel how you feel. You can’t rush a good thing.”
He could feel her smile through the darkness, sense it in her voice.
“I just feel like he might barge back in here at any minute.”
“Yeah, I don’t have any clients until eleven tomorrow.” His watch gently lit up his face before returning to his side. “I can stay.”
“Thank you.”
Ava reached for his hand. When she found it in the darkness, sheled him to the bedroom. Once there, Will grinned, his stunning smile faintly visible in the roomstreaked with slivers of white through the blinds. The light playedoff the features of her face, andhe wished he could take a photograph of her, capturing the moment forever. She was agoddessbathed in moonlight.
He grinned, leaning against the doorwayto mentally soak her in like a sponge. “You are so damned beautiful.”
Kuda padded in and curled up on the large dog bed in the corner. Avasmiled,whipped back the covers of the bed, and patted the Egyptiancotton sheets.“I promise I won’t bite.”
“I usually don’t sleep in anything but boxers.”
“ Hallelujah ,” Ava howled.
Will snickered,tugged off his shirt, and set it on the dresser. His pants followed. He climbed beneath the covers, and Ava wriggled backward, nestling against his muscular chest. A weighty arm wrapped around her, pulling her close.
“Do you snore?” he asked quietly.
“Almost never. I promise, if I snore, you can just make me go sleep in Kuda’s bed.”
He laughed andbrushed a lock of hair from the side of her face, trailing his fingers delicately along her scalp.“I would never do that to any woman.”
“You’re a gem. ”
“Even if you snore, I’m sure it’d be more cute than anything.”
Ava relaxed into his cuddle,tucking her damp head beneath his chin. The apricot and lemongrass conditioner left her air smelling like an orchard he blissfully wanted to escape toand live forever.
“Thank you for this,” Ava cooed sweetly.
He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her tighter.“Goodnight, Ava.”