Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
TY
I blast classic rock as I close in on my address, ruminating on our win earlier today.
It was satisfying to say the least. My ball return that put us ahead and the fact that I got no personal fouls were wins on their own, but the slaps on the back I received from half the team afterward are truly what made it all worth it.
For the first time this season, I felt like I might actually belong with this team.
Warm light pours from each window as I pull into my driveway and park in the garage.
Avery is up. She’s out of her room, and she’s letting her presence be known by igniting this place like it’s the Fourth of July.
At first her habit of forgetting to turn the lights off was one of my least favorite things about having her here, but now, it fills me with a steady ease…
that is immediately overshadowed by a hot anxiety.
Because Avery’s home. And she hasn’t spoken to me in days.
She kissed me. And then ghosted me. But I guess I ditched her first. Who does that? Who kisses the girl they’ve been pining after and immediately bolts to talk to their sister? Me, apparently. I’m no better for not breaking the silence.
Shutting my car door, I step up to the kitchen entrance and suck in one long, deep breath before shoving it open. My stomach does a flip at the sight of Avery perched at the counter.
“Howdy,” she starts. “Good game today.”
I drop my bag and grab a pack of my favorite beef jerky from beside the toaster. “You saw?”
“I couldn’t resist.” She taps a finger along the counter. “My parents were really impressed with that return.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. They couldn’t stop talking about it in the family group chat. Which I totally get because it was awesome.”
“Thanks.”
A silence follows that I’m not sure how to fill.
Ty, you’re pathetic. Grow some guts. It’s Avery. You know it’ll hurt her feelings if you go too long without talking about anything meaningful. All I know is I’m no better for not breaking the silence.
“That masquerade’s tonight, right? Doesn’t it start in a couple hours?
” I ask a dejected Avery between bites of beef jerky.
Despite the stiffness of the exchange, it feels good to finally say something more than thanks for dusting to her and being jealous of her cat all week for getting to be in her proximity.
“It starts in an hour and a half, and I’m not going because I dumped my date,” Avery says into the countertop.
“What about your friend? The cheerleader. Why don’t you go with her?”
“Larissa picked up whatever illness her boyfriend had. They’re not going, so it’s not like anyone is expecting me to be there. It’s not a big deal.”
“It was when you first told me about it. I know you went all out for your costume.”
Her smile falters. “I know. It was gonna be so fun.”
Silence falls over the room, and I weigh my options.
Let Avery be sad or… grow some guts. Talk to her—maybe even mention the kiss.
Maybe even finally admit to yourself how much you liked it.
How you wish you could do it again despite knowing you shouldn’t.
And then something pops into my head. What if it isn’t the masquerade that’s bothering Avery?
I clear my throat. “Are you upset because of Ryan?”
She shakes her head.
Relief washes over me. “What is it then?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Some days are just downer days, ya know?”
“Then let’s pick it up. I know you and I both could use a night to blow off some steam. I’ll take you,” I say in an effort to wipe away the sad look that’s eclipsed her features.
She shifts in her seat, her eyes finally finding mine. “Ty, I don’t want to make it weird, but don’t you think that would be a bad idea?”
My stomach sinks. “Why would it be?”
“Because of… You know. The other night.”
“The kiss?”
She nods.
We’re talking about this. She said it out loud. I can’t avoid it anymore.
I attempt humor. “No. We’re friends, remember? Sometimes friends kiss and then go to masquerade balls together.”
“So now you’re the resident friend expert?” She smirks.
“I am.”
She giggles, and her shoulders relax. “Seriously, it’s okay. The tickets were free anyway. I couldn’t ask you to go so last minute. I know how you like your structure."
“You’re not asking me. I’m asking you.” I lean closer. “You’d be doing me a favor, Avery. I’ve never been to a masquerade before.”
“Me either.” She hesitates, but then her eyes sweep up to meet mine. To my relief, she smiles. “You’re asking me to a ball?”
“I guess so.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod.
“Friend date! Oh, and we can put your lessons to the test.” She fans me with the tickets.
I slip them from her grasp, her warm fingers grazing mine in the process. Touching her, even featherlight like this, is electrifying. If only I were holding her hand instead of these tickets. But I’ll take what I can get.
Finding a friendship with Avery has been nice.
Everything about her contrasts with me, and the past two months have been incredibly refreshing.
But the term friend date is still something that needles under my skin, reminding me that that’s all we are.
And all we ever will be. Neither of us is in a place where we should be dating, least of all one another.
“Wait. Aren’t the guys doing something to celebrate the win?”
I turn back to face her, lining up the tickets in my hands like they’re a pack of cigarettes. “I think some of them are doing karaoke, but I’m not much of a singer myself.”
“Because you’re a dancer!”
A laugh bursts out before I can stop it. “Sometimes.”
“Are you sure you want to go?” Her smile falters. “What if we see someone we know? What if someone recognizes you?”
“What if someone recognizes you?”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. You play for the Kings. No one would even notice I was there, even if my head was on fire.”
“Weird thing to say, but I guess it isn’t out of the question if the chicken piccata incident is any indication.”
“Ty, you’re so funny,” she says as flatly as she can muster.
“All jokes aside, it’s a masquerade, right?”
She nods.
“So we wear masks, just like everyone else. We’ll blend right in. And I can call for a driver so we don’t have to take either of our vehicles.”
She tilts her head, her adorable nose scrunching as she smiles. “I did pick out the most gorgeous mask for Ryan.”
Right. I’m standing in for Ryan tonight.
He may be out of the picture, but this is just a reminder that it was never supposed to be me taking her out. I steel my face as I wait for the wave of jealousy to subside, and it does when she adds, “You’ll look so much better in it though.”
My breath snags at the sentiment as Avery moves on like her words meant nothing. Maybe they did to her.
She glances at the stovetop clock and bolts to her feet.
“If we don’t start getting ready, we’ll be late.
” She scrambles around the kitchen gathering the most random things—a toothpick from the cabinet above the stove, some super glue from the junk drawer, and a bottle of water from the fridge.
A warmth unleashes in my chest. She’s just so at home here.
It hasn’t been long, but we’ve built a little life here together.
Something domestic, intimate, but mostly unexpected.
It's the type of thing that makes me want to risk everything just to be able to hold onto it for a little bit longer. To keep Avery a little bit longer.
“What are those for?” I ask.
“These?” She shoves her open palm in my direction. “I broke the necklace I was planning on wearing. Long story.”
I watch as her lips press into a tight line and her eyes squeeze shut. Whether I ask or not, she’s going to tell me the story. At least the Cliffnotes. “I got overstimulated and threw it against the wall.”
I cock my head. “Overstimulated?”
“It’s the ADHD.” Her eyes crack open as she forces a limp grin.
“My mom called earlier, complaining about my sister, and she was yelling over whatever hammering my dad was doing in the background. I think he was hanging pictures. I should have just shut my music off, but I was trying to check my client emails and also listen to my mom. And she kept talking over me, and—” She shrugs, lifting her hands so I can see what’s in her palms. “I have glue and a toothpick to spread the glue out. ”
“Smart.”
“Thank you. Please don’t think I’m crazy.”
“I don’t. Overwhelm happens.”
“Thank you.” She pushes past me. “I gotta get ready. I have to do my hair, find my shoes—”
“Leave your necklace in the stairwell with the glue, and I’ll fix it while you get ready.”
Avery stills, and when she turns to face me, her eyes are big and round. And I think a little watery?
“Thank you. I was trying to figure out how I’d have time to do everything, and—”
“Go get ready, Avery.” I smile.
She smiles back and scurries up the stairs.
As soon as I put my own costume on—if you can call it that—I step outside to wait for our ride, standing beneath a streetlight so I can be seen.
Tonight I’m channeling Johnny Cash, the man in black.
Black button-up. Black slacks. Black leather shoes.
I even slicked my hair back in some kind of attempted pompadour.
Having never been to a masquerade, I’ve only read about them in books, and even those stories have been few and far between.
I feel a little out-of-my-element, but I know how much it means to Avery, so for her, I’ll try.
I check my watch, staring up at her window.
She wouldn’t open the door when I knocked a few minutes ago to give her back her necklace.
Without opening the door, she yelled over her music that she’d be down soon.
So I’m waiting on the curb as our ride’s headlights pop up over the hill, heading straight for me.