Ali chuckled. “Now you’re supposed to be my friend, and you’re already planning to abandon me when you come over?”
“You can sit in here with me,” I reasoned, making him laugh again.
“What kind of snacks do you like? I’ma make sure I have them stocked for you.”
At first I thought he was just playing, but when I realized he was serious, I rattled off a list of things I wanted before we went to his home theater. When he asked me what I was watching back home, I expected him to laugh when I told himStar Wars, but he didn’t. We ended up having a whole thirty minute conversation about it andStar Trekand how I was just now getting into both. That led to us talking about other sci-fi shows and movies, then anime, and before I knew it, it was pitch black outside.
Not one movie had been watched, and we had talked for hours.
As I yawned, he asked, “You sure you’re up for driving to your hotel?”
“Mhm.” I agreed, though I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t super relaxed and sleepy. “I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?” Between his tone and serious expression, I couldn’t deny he seemed to genuinely care, and that made me happy.
“Positive,” I assured him with a tired smile.
“I’ma give you my number. I want you to call or text me and let me know when you’ve made it.”
“Yes, sir,” I said as we walked out of the theater. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“You’re actually asking instead of just popping up?”
With a giggle, I nodded. “Yeah. Since we’re friends now, I don’t have to worry about you ignoring me when I come over.”
His laughter was like music to my ears. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed and smiled this much while talking to someone. As much as I hate your motive for bombarding your way into my life, I’m glad we were able to reconnect, Avery. Now I wish I would’ve worked up the courage to talk to you when we were in school.”
“Wait. You were scared to talk to me?” I asked, grabbing his hand as we neared the door.
“Hell yeah,” he confessed, far easier than I thought he would. “I don’t think scared is the right word. A part of me just thought, damn. She’s beautiful. I didn’t think I had a chance with you, so I just admired you from afar.”
Warmth spread through my heart at the sound of his declaration. I knew I wasn’t imagining things between us, but when he never talked to me, I doubted myself. Hearing him say the reason for his silence didn’t just validate fourteen-year-old me, but it made the adult version of me like him a little more too. My steps toward him were light yet charged. The courage I had to hug him temporarily lessened, but it didn’t matter. Ali wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his arms.
Head resting against his chest, I released a soft sigh as my eyes closed. When he placed a kiss on my temple, I bit down onmy bottom lip. How in thehellwas I going to be okay just being this man’s friend?
7
Ali
Today, I was actually looking forward to Avery’s visit. So much so that I told Mia she didn’t have to meal prep for the rest of the week, because I planned to cook myself. She didn’t know that I planned to cook for a woman, but as I did an online grocery order, the weight of the moment sat heavily on my chest. Though we agreed to be friends, I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t want more. If it was any other woman, I wouldn’t have even given her a second glance, but this was Avery Felix, the girl of my high school dreams.
Why’d she have to be a journalist?
Why’d she have to want an interview?
Why couldn’t I move on and trust her?
Not wanting to get too in my head, I went to the kitchen and made sure I had everything I needed to prepare our dinner for what felt like the millionth time. It wasn’t a date, but it felt like the closest thing I’d had to a date in years, so I wanted it to be special. After dinner, I figured we could watch a movie or read in my library. I appreciated her not pressuring me to leave thehouse, which was the main reason I hadn’t been with anyone since Tiffany.
Outside of not really trusting women, it didn’t seem fair dating someone knowing I didn’t want to be out in public. I wasn’t sure if or when that would change, which was another reason things were good with Avery, because eventually, she’d have to go back home to Memphis, and I wouldn’t have to worry about meeting her expectations.
Her expectations.
So far, all she wanted from me was me.
My trauma made me suspect she was using this friendship to let my guards down for an interview. The good thing about Avery was she was honest, sometimes too honest. She’d made it clear that yes, she wanted to be my friend, but she wanted my trust too. For some reason, she believed having that trust would cause me to give her the interview, but that wouldn’t be the case.
Regardless of how much I trusted her, I didn’t see myself ever agreeing to the interview. Not just because I didn’t want to, but because I knew if I did, that would open the door to other people trying to interview me too. Then interviews would lead to event invitations and collab considerations and I’d be right back in the center of the industry, and that was what I was trying to avoid.
