Jessica had returned the smile. "We should do that again…sometime."
"Sounds great."
Jessica had turned to leave. "Right. Uh, bye."
"Yeah, bye."
Jessica hadn't been facing Ava any longer, but she'd clearly heard her remain rooted in place. "Ah, fuck it," Jessica had muttered, then turned around and pulled Ava in by the back of her neck.
When their lips had touched, they'd both frozen—Ava most likely out of surprise, but Jessica out of uncertainty and shock at her own courage. They were out in public, and Jessica hadn't even asked for permission and now—
Ironically, it'd been Ava who recovered first and tilted her head to deepen the kiss. As Ava's lips had parted under hers, Jessica had pulled herself out of her stupor and buried her hand in Ava's hair.
They hadn't let it get too heated, but they'd both been flushed, and once they pulled apart, Jessica had been able to see the dazed smile on Ava's face. She hadn't tried to hide her laugh before she'd darted forward for a peck.
"I gotta go now," Jessica had said, voice low to not ruin the moment.
"Yeah," Ava had replied. "Work and stuff."
"Exactly."
"I think I just realized I got myself a new girlfriend."
Jessica had chuckled. "Good job, Ava."
"Thanks. I had help."
Jessica smiled at the memory. "I'm thinking about inviting Ava over for a movie marathon," she informed Carter and glanced at him to check for a reaction.
He frowned. "To my apartment?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot. To mine. But I want you to be there."
"Why would you want me to meet your girlfriend?"
"To introduce you to each other. I want you to get along, maybe even become friends."
"I don't need any more friends."
"I'm literally your only friend."
Carter shrugged. "So? I don't need anybody else. You're annoying me enough for eight people."
Jessica punched his arm. "Shut up. You'll meet my girlfriend, and you'll love her, and you're gonna be the best of friends. You'll hang out with each other and talk about how awesome I am and how happy you both are to have me in your lives."
Carter looked like he was ready to walk out his own apartment just to get away from her. "I hope you're aware no such thing will ever happen and that inviting me in on your date is a surefire way of scaring away your girlfriend before you've even fully got her."
Jessica waved the argument aside. "No way. You'll get along splendidly."
*~*~*
Despite the nonchalant behavior she portrayed in front of him, Jessica was still worried about Carter and how deep in thought he seemed to be recently.
No matter how hard she tried to get him to go out with her more, or at least open up about what was bugging him, he always brushed her worries aside.
She knew it had to be about Zyan, since that was the only thing that was different from before. Something had happened that day when he'd caught side of Zyan, and whatever it was, it had torn into a well of repressed memories that were now spilling over.
What unsettled her most was his reluctance to talk to her. Usually they'd share their burden, or at least Jessica had always thought they did. Now, she wasn't so sure. Carter's baggage consisted of centuries of pain and loss and anger…It was far more than a single human being could carry. The traumatizing parts Jessica knew of barely scratched the surface.
And now that Zyan was gone, his biggest safety net had left with it. They shared memories and experiences in volumes Jessica would never be able to comprehend. Their history went beyond lifetimes, and now Carter was alone again, left to find a way to adjust to life without a person he'd had by his side for centuries.
She took a deep breath and picked up her phone.
It only rang for a few seconds before he picked up.
"Yes?" He sounded like he wasn't even trying to hide his grumpiness.
It made her wonder what he'd been thinking about. "What? No 'hello?' No 'nice to hear from you?'"
She could practically hear his eye-roll. "What do you want, Jess?"
"Fine. I just wanted to remind you to come over later. If you could be at my place at around five, that'd be perfect."
The frown was evident in his voice. "What for?"
"Seriously?" Jessica asked but didn't wait for an answer. "Ava's coming over. I literally wrote you three text messages yesterday telling you that."
"I didn't look at my phone yesterday. I was taking the day off."
"From what? You barely have to do anything. Those people are running your company for you."
"I meant I was taking the day off from you."
"Okay. Rude."
Jessica could picture his smirk. The image relieved some of the weight on her chest. "Anyway. Be there at five. And wear that blue shirt I picked out for you. It does wonders for your shoulders."
"Why would I need to look good for your girlfriend?"
"I just wanna show off my best friend."
"Wha—"
Jessica cut him off by ending the call. She didn't want to argue for an hour if doing it like this got her the same results with a lot less raised voices and accidental hurt feelings.
A few minutes to five, Jessica started to pace up and down her living room. She fussed over everything, from the throw pillows to the food and drink, just to make sure it was all as perfect as it could be: casual but not messy, clean but not spotless.
The sound of a key unlocking her front door had her looking up.
Carter walked in, looking as uncomfortable as ever. But expression aside, he'd at least put on the dark blue button-down Jessica had recommended. Yet his hair was still a mess.
"Carter! Thank god, you're here. You've gotta help me with my hair!" Jessica grabbed his arm and dragged him into her bedroom.
She barely gave him time to kick the door shut behind himself.
"And you're looking good there, buddy. I'm proud of you—you can still clean up nicely." She shot him a teasing smile.
"Uh…thank you?"
"You're welcome." She grabbed a hair tie and some bobby pins and pressed them into Carter's palm before she sat down at her vanity table. "Now get braiding."
He complied without protest. It wasn't the first time Carter had done her hair. Ever since he'd shown his skills for her sister Debby's thirtieth birthday party, she'd asked for his help every chance she got. Once, he'd even spent an entire two hours on a single hairdo, just to make her feel confident enough to show up at the wedding her ex-girlfriend had invited her to. It'd felt like a slap to the face, but with Carter by her side, she'd managed to have fun.
The memories of them dancing and ending the night collapsing on her couch made Jessica feel warm and blue at the same time. She missed that Carter. Despite how much he acted like himself, Jessica could see the change in him and how unhappy he was. But she also knew the only person who could change that was Zyan.
"So…about Zyan," Jessica started as she watched Carter braid with nimble fingers.
He let out a small sound of frustration. "No, Jess. We're not having this conversation!"
"Why not? I always tell you about my relationship problems!"
"You do that willingly," Carter replied. "I've never asked for the details."
"That may be true. But did you ever consider that maybe it's time to change that?"
"There's no need. I'm quite happy with this arrangement."
"Well, I'm not."
"That's your problem to deal with, sweetheart, not mine."
Jessica glared at Carter's reflection, but he didn't even seem to notice. "You're being a dick again."
Carter merely spared her a glance before he went back to braiding. "Apologies." He paused. "But I'm still not having this conversation."
Jessica sighed. "Come on, Aquino! This bottling-up-your-feelings stuff isn't healthy!"
"Whoever said that first obviously had no idea what they were talking about. I've been do
ing it for centuries, and I'm doing quite all right, if I dare say so myself."
Jessica rolled her eyes but didn't comment. Instead, she stared at Carter's reflection, hoping for a reaction—maybe some crumbling defiance…
"I can feel you looking at me, you know," Carter said, but still didn't look up.
Jessica felt the corner of her mouth tug up. "Good. Then the guilt should set in any second."
Carter sighed again. "Fine." He wrapped the hair tie around the bottom of Jessica's braid and took a seat on the bed. "You want to talk relationship drama? I'll give you relationship drama." He leaned back, palms pressed into the mattress to support his weight. "When me and Zyan were in-between marriages, I was in a long-term relationship with this guy and…we were happy. I loved him, and I allowed him to convince me that the immortality thing wouldn't be a problem, even though I knew better."
Jessica could sense where this was going. She wanted to interrupt and apologize, but the words wouldn't come. She sat and listened as the sinking feeling in her stomach grew.
"I watched him grow older to the point where he was getting gray hair, and I watched him suffer as people told him how handsome his 'son' was. I tried to correct them at first, but their looks would change from friendly to disgusted real quick, and I could see it was hurting him even more, so I started to fake my smiles and let them assume." Carter fell silent for a few seconds.
"What happened to him?" Jessica asked quietly, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"He got cancer. He died," Carter responded simply.
"I'm really sorry."
Carter shrugged. "It's okay. It was a long time ago."
"How long?"
"About thirty years."
Jessica could only nod. She didn't know what else to do.
Carter cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "Anyway," he said with false cheer. "How do you like your hair? You think Ava will appreciate it?"
Jessica allowed Carter to play it off this time and admired the intricate braids in the mirror. "It looks great. Thanks, Carter."
"No problem." He smiled. It nearly looked genuine. "Now, come on. Let's pick out the movies for tonight."
*~*~*
When Ava arrived, Jessica was stunned into silence.
Her dark eyes caught the light, her smile lit up the room, and her dark skin complimented the bright colors accentuating her outfit.
Jessica stared at Ava, still trapped in the hallway, since Jessica couldn't seem to work out what the appropriate way of greeting her would be.
"Just kiss already and get it over with!" Carter called from the sofa.
The words pulled Jessica from her stupor. She quickly moved to give Ava space to come in while her face flushed hot with embarrassment.
Luckily, the situation seemed to have Ava more amused than anything. "You okay there, girlfriend?" she teased once the front door had fallen shut and they were facing each other again.
"Shut up," Jessica mumbled. "It's your fault for coming here looking all breathtaking."
Ava smiled, though Jessica could see the dark red creep into her cheeks. Instead of a verbal reply, Ava pushed up on her toes and pressed their lips together as her hands found their place on Jessica's hips. Jessica definitely didn't complain at the gesture. Instead, she allowed herself to get lost in the feeling. Her eyes fluttered shut as she tilted her head and felt the softness of Ava's cheek brush the tip of her nose.
Carter cleared his throat.
Ava pulled back and bit her lip as she ducked her head. The corners of her mouth remained tugged up in a small smile.
Jessica felt a rush of warmth at the sight. But once she'd gathered her thoughts again, she tore her eyes away and cleared her throat. "Uh, Ava, this is Carter Aquino—my best friend," she introduced with a gesture his way. "And Carter, this is Ava Lee Martin, my…girlfriend."
"Lovely to meet you." Carter reached out a hand from his spot on the couch, which forced Ava to step closer. She shook it shortly before clasping her hands behind her back. "So, Ava," Carter started, "Jessica told me you two met over the internet."
Ava nodded and threw Jessica a quick glance. "Yes, we did. We, um, share a mutual friend and met in the comment section on his profile page."
Carter quirked an eyebrow. "That's…interesting."
Ava smiled sunnily, while Jessica tried to bite back a grin. "Why don't we sit down?" she offered. When they didn't move fast enough for her taste, she shooed Ava toward the couch, where Carter still knelt on the cushions to watch them over the backrest.
While Ava made her way around the sofa, Jessica jumped over the backrest and placed herself in the middle. It only required some light shoving to get Carter to move closer to the armrest.
"This is great, isn't it?" Jessica looked between Carter and Ava with a happy smile. "Now, let's have some fun!"
The rest of the evening, or rather early night, felt like hanging out with friends. They huddled together, covered their legs in a large blanket and munched on popcorn as they watched one movie after another. There was some mild fighting when it came to the decision-making process, but it was all in good fun.
By the end of it, Jessica even felt like she could easily get used to nights like these.
"Ava, huh?" Jessica started after she'd said her goodbyes to Ava and settled back on the couch next to Carter. "What do you think of her?"
"She's…nice," Carter replied.
"Just nice? Really?"
Carter shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say."
Jessica sighed. "I'm not sure, either, to be honest." She paused. "But you like her, right? You don't think she's out of my league?"
"If anything, you're out of hers, sweetheart."
Jessica kicked him, even as her grin betrayed her. "Shut up."
Carter snickered. "Hey! I'm just being a good friend!"
Jessica relaxed deeper into the cushions and put her feet up on the coffee table. "Do you think she enjoyed herself?"
Carter nodded. "Sure. You were looking hella fine, and I was on my best behavior, so I don't see why she wouldn't be charmed."
Jessica chuckled. "I love it when you're in a good mood, Carter." And she meant it. Carter had an infectious smile, and his happiness had always lifted her spirits after a long day. The problem was that he was rarely truly happy. There always seemed to be something on his mind, especially recently. She'd like to describe him as a pessimist, but that wouldn't be entirely true: he was more of a realist with a tinge for the dramatic.
Carter smiled. "You make it sound like it's a rare occurrence."
"That's what it's been recently."
Something in Carter's face shifted at the comment and made Jessica regret her words. Silence settled around them, but to her surprise, it only lasted for a few moments before Carter broke it.
"I guess it has. It's just…I've been feeling a little lonely. When I saw him, saw Zyan, again…it reminded me of what I lost. I've been thinking too much about what it was like to…to not wake up alone every morning. It made me fall back into the head space I was in after we parted ways the last time." He started picking at a loose thread on the seam of his sleeve. "Earlier, I almost signed a form with 'Carter Morris', and that hasn't happened in years."
Jessica lowered her gaze and fiddled with her bracelet. "Morris?" she asked carefully.
Carter nodded. "Yeah. The last time we were married, we got to hit the five-year mark and moved to the States. But before we did, we changed our last names to Morris."
"I'm sorry. I know you miss him." Jessica wasn't sure what else to say. She'd never been good at comforting people—that had always been her sister's forte.
"You have no reason to apologize, Jess."
"I know. I just feel bad. You deserve to be happy too, Carter."
He offered a small smile. "I am. I just need to learn to be okay with being by myself."
CHAPTER EIGHT
Zyan
While Ava was out on her hot date with her girlf
riend and her girlfriend's best friend, Zyan decided to put his free evening to good use and finish the small job he'd taken on for the phone company.
Web design wasn't the greatest job in the world, but since he could do it from his home office and choose his projects, he wasn't about to switch into another field any time soon. The money he earned was also enough to not draw any suspicion as to how he could afford his apartment, which was really the only reason he continued to work, period.
By the time he was done for the day and stretching out his sore muscles, it was closing in on 11 p.m.—late enough for him to expect Ava's return from her 'date.' He picked up a book, switched on soft music, and settled down on his couch as he waited.
His assumption proved correct when his door was unlocked shortly before midnight.
"Hey, Zy—whoa."
Ava stumbled into the room after she tripped over the threshold. Her hand shot out to grab the doorjamb as she reclaimed her balance and came to a halt. Upon standing still, she struggled to pull the key from the lock.
"You'd think I'd be used to all this by now, but no…" she muttered.
"Hi, Ava." Zyan didn't bother to get up and help her.
Twenty seconds later, Ava flopped down on the other end of the couch with a flush on her face and happy twinkle in her eyes.
Zyan glanced up to find eyes filled with expectation. Before he could even open his mouth, she was already leaning closer and cutting him to the chase.
"Aren't you even gonna ask how my date went?"
"I was just about to."
Ava smiled giddily. "Well, either way, it was great! We watched a whole bunch of movies and ordered take-out and held hands—"
"You and the girl or you and the best friend?" Zyan cut in.
Ava pursed her lips and squinted her eyes at him. "You're an idiot."
"That's debatable."
Ava sighed. "Anyway. We had a really good time. I hope. I think. I mean, it felt a little awkward in the beginning 'cause I didn't know how to act around Carter, but he warmed up to me soon enough, and—"
Zyan zoned out as soon as the name dropped. Memories flooded him and overshadowed all other thoughts. He hated how Carter still had that effect on him, even after all this time. He should have been over Carter by now. He should've moved on and continued to build the life he'd planned for himself. Instead, he sat there and felt his heart skip a beat at the mere mention of his ex-husband's name. He rubbed his fingertips together as he tried to drag his mind back to the present.
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