by Pinki Parks
“Yeah, Moms are like that.” Ava hadn’t spoken to her own mother for more than twenty minutes over the last six months.
“She even invited the neighbor girl over, this girl Justine, she’s a complete mess. Mom wanted to fix me up with her.” Tristan frowned and considered this before saying, “Maybe she’s not a complete mess, but Justine is messy. And she doesn’t hide it.”
Ava narrowed her eyes and said, “So, you turned her down?”
Tristan held her gaze before saying, “Anyway, Mom told me about this girl that’s in her computer class. She’s single, she doesn’t seem all over the place like a lot of girls my age.”
Ava shrugged and said, “Sounds good.”
“We’ve been texting. She wants to go out,” he chewed on a few more grapes and Ava looked down and realized that he’d cleared most of the bowl out. Partly grateful for the excuse to end this conversation, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and said, “Do you want more grapes? Might have another bag in there, or I might have some leftovers hiding out in there. Do you like lo mein?”
Tristan raised his voice slightly as he said, “She’s going to school for business. What do you think? Do you think I should go for it?”
You’re asking me? Ava inhaled, her fingers curled into a fist by her side. “I-I don’t know. That’s really up to you.” Tristan was hoping for a louder response, maybe even a hint of jealousy.
Ava stepped onto the carpet beneath her and surprised herself with the cheeriness of her tone. “We’re just having fun. If you want to have fun with someone else, you should go for it.” She turned around and flashed him a fake smile. Her heart was beating faster and her head started getting foggy. She didn’t like the sound of him with another woman, let alone a girl. Great, the last thing I want is for him to compare my scaly skin to the soft baby skin of a twenty-year old. Why am I so insecure? He doesn’t make me feel that way. He treats me like a queen.
“We are just having fun to you?” Tristan got up and started getting dressed. She saw the hurt in his eyes. Why can’t I tell him how I truly feel, damn it? She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she cared for him deeply. She was also falling for him.
“Tristan, I like you a lot. But we… I don’t want to hold you back from living your life.” A crease formed between Tristan’s eyebrows, and he said, “I’ll ask her out, then.”
Ava paused and said “fine.”
“You’re not bothered by it?”
“…Nope…” Ava said as she played with the bowl trying to avoid his eyes.
Ava’s heart sank as a breath of disappointment released from her body. “Do you want late night delivery? I’m not in the mood for leftovers.” He’s young and this was bound to happen. She just didn’t expect it to happen this fast. Ava was really starting to enjoy their late nights.
“You can’t seriously be asking me about take out right now?” Tristan was fully dressed.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Come on. Don’t be upset. I’m not the one looking to date around.”
“That’s the problem, Ava. You should be upset at me.”
“But I’m not. It’s okay.”
“Yes, you are! You’re just not showing it. We have something here. I know you feel it, Ava. From the moment we met.” Tristan looked Ava straight in the eye hoping this would be the moment of truth. He needed Ava to show her true feelings towards him, not just during sex. “The way that I kiss you and the way that you kiss me back. You know this is real and you’re just scared.”
“Maybe I am. But I am also realistic. I don’t want to hold you back from life. There is so much that you need to experience. You need to date more girls and-”
“Stop telling me what I need!” Tristan raised his voice and it shook Ava to the core. She had never seen him this upset before.
“Tristan, I care about you so much. I don’t want you to throw away your life for me. You deserve a chance at finding someone and having a family. I can’t take that away from you! I won’t.” She yelled back.
“That’s up to me to decide! You’re taking away my decision of being in this relationship. It’s not a one-way street, Ava. You can’t decide for the both of us.”
He stormed through the hallway and stopped by the front door. He put on his shoes and looked up at her.
“You decide for yourself and your own, life. Do you want to be with me? Yes or no?”
“Tristan. …I…” Ava shook her head as she was trying to find the words.
“You can’t think of what to say because you’re not saying how you really feel.” He paused and changed to a calmer quieter tone. “When you speak from the heart, words just flow.” He reached for the doorknob.
“Tristan, wait.”
“What we have is special, Ava. I know you feel it too. I can’t believe you are willing to let this go.” He opened the door and walked out. Tristan sounded more like a man than he ever has. Ava felt like a child, the way she danced around her feelings. He’s gone. The emptiness that he left behind echoed in the silence of her apartment. She put her hand on her pounding heart and tried to breathe through the tears.
Chapter 12
Tristan swept his hands over the front of his coat and scanned the restaurant. Tristan was used to hitting the campus restaurants with friends after class, but he didn’t know that half of the student body at Aston University was itching to have brunch at the high-class lunch spot just a few blocks away.
The hostess rested her hands on the podium and leaned forward so that her modest sized breasts would squeeze together. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and flashed Tristan a smile. “Are you here alone, sir?”
Tristan pointed towards the open dining room and said, “No. I’m meeting someone.”
The hostess ran her eyes up and down Tristan’s tall frame, and said, “Let me know if they don’t show. I might be looking for someone to have lunch with after work,”
Tristan held back a sigh and turned his gaze towards the double doors of the restaurant. His mind slid back to the conversation that he’d had with Hailey before they decided on a date. She’d been surprised that he called her, and that he wanted to go out. Hailey had been the one to suggest this restaurant, but she seemed distracted while she rattled off of the address. Tristan pictured her balancing a stack of books and opening the wire gate to let her dog out into the yard while she spoke with him. Anna mentioned that she kept a rigor schedule and attended classes along with working a part time job at the library.
Tristan slid his phone out of his back pocket and narrowed his eyes as he checked the time. Already ten minutes late. He clenched his fists together and forced his mind away from thinking about how someone like Ava valued other people’s time. Ava wasn’t a college girl that was trying to figure out how to have a social life and work a part time job. His hands itched by his phone, how difficult would it be to ask Ava to meet up with him here, instead of Hailey?
The bell that hung above the double doors chimed and Tristan’s eyes fell on a petite girl with long, blonde hair that framed either side of her face. The hostess wore a surly frown as she said, “Is it just you that needs to be seated?”
The girl shook her head and replied, “No, I’m actually meeting someone here.”
Tristan extended his hand towards her; his eyes fell to the space behind her as he realized he was a full foot taller than her. “Hey, I’m Tristan. Anna’s son?”
The girl’s eyes lit up as she extended her hand towards him, “I’m Hailey,” her hand hovered in the air while her fingers were intertwined with his, “You look… a lot different than how Anna described you.”
Tristan grinned and replied, “How?”
The hostess scoffed from behind her podium and mumbled, “She probably didn’t think you’d look like something off of a bodybuilder magazine.”
A soft pink color rose up to Hailey’s cheeks and she grinned before saying, �
��She’s not too far off.”
Tristan grinned and said, “Let’s get a bite to eat,”
The hostess grabbed a couple of menus and slinked towards the dining room, she led them to a table in front of a bay window. Tristan’s shoes squeaked against the hardwood floors as he slid his cream-colored metal chair back. He didn’t miss the way Hailey’s eyes widened as he slid his coat off of his arms and slung it on the back of his chair.
Hailey shrugged her burgundy pea coat off and put it onto the back of her chair. She smiled, the light bounced off of her icy blue eyes as she said, “So, how’s it going at your school? I hear there’s been protests.”
“Fine. I try to stay out of it. Not my cause. I’m almost done my year and after that, onto law school.”
“Wow, so you’ve been accepted to a law school? Which one?”
“New York Law and Columbia.”
“Oh really, that’s amazing! Congratulations! Which one would you pick? I mean, I would go with Columbia just because it’s a better school. I’m sorry if I’m rambling, but the last few dates that I went on started with the guy calling me a ‘bro’.”
Tristan chuckled and said, “that’s classy” he reached forward and opened the menu. He focused his gaze on the chicken and egg entrees listed in front of him. This could be worse. Mom didn’t lie, she is pretty. Tristan lifted his eyes just slightly and craned his neck towards Hailey to steal another glance while she looked at the menu.
Her round cheeks reminded him of the young, fresh look that he saw on models that were plastered all over the screens in Times Square, she looked as if she couldn't weigh more than 120 pounds soaking wet. The bright blue eyes were a bonus. Tristan cleared his throat and said, “So, what are you majoring in?”
Hailey grinned, her teeth hung over her lips just slightly as she said, “I’m going to be a business major. I’m thinking that I might want to start my own business by the time that I graduate.”
Tristan raised his eyebrows and leaned towards her, he barely noticed the waitress that slipped a couple of water glasses in front of either of them. He had meet lots of business majors at school. As they talked, Tristan couldn’t help but yearn for Ava. Every muscle in his body wanted to be with her. He was head over heels. After being turned away so many times, he forced himself to do what she wanted, to be with someone his own age.
“Where do you want to go after school? I mean, work wise?”
“I’m thinking finance.”
“Awesome.” Tristan said with forced enthusiasm. He was already with a woman that was working in the business world. What am I doing here? He thought. “I like a girl- a woman that knows what she wants, someone that’s ambitious.”
Hailey wore a goofy smile as she lowered her eyes to her menu. “Well, that’s good to know.”
Tristan grinned and rested his thumb against a chicken salad entree that would fit into his diet plan. “Let’s order, huh? Everything’s on me.”
Chapter 13
“We’ve stocked the jet with champagne, and your assistant said that you preferred to have light snacks on board, so you’ll find an assortment of cheeses, fruits, and yogurts in the fridges.” The pilot smiled and extended his hand to Ava, “It’s an honor to fly this plane, Miss Lawrence.”
Ava waved a hand at the pilot and said, “Ava. You can call me Ava. Thank you for your help.” Ava crossed one leg over the other and reached into her purse. She withdrew a novel that she’d been reading for the last three months. Since she was usually in the middle of negotiating a deal or finishing one up, she had little time to read or do any other recreational activities. Ava pried her bookmark out of the novel and set it onto the seat beside her.
She sighed as her eyes ran over the text in her hands. This vacation was long overdue. A month ago, she wouldn’t have considered a plane ride to visit her parents a vacation, but if Hawaii was the backdrop, she was confident that relaxation wouldn’t be a huge struggle. She turned her head and looked around the small, private jet. Ava made a mental note to give Valeria a bonus for seeing to it that all of her meetings were rescheduled for the next four days, and on such short notice. Ava had been sitting at her desk and pawing through a contract when she snapped the folder shut. Her back ached, her eyes hurt, and she couldn’t remember the last time that she got a full night’s sleep.
The jet began to rumble, and she pulled her seatbelt across her chest. Within minutes, the plane hovered in the air. Ava pulled her phone out of her purse and switched it to airplane mode, but not before checking her messages.
Stop checking. It had been a little over a month since she’d spoken to Tristan. When she hit the pavement for her afternoon coffee, he was nowhere to be seen. When she texted him shortly after the last time they met, she’d been met with silence. Her heart was aching. She had never expected how painful this might have been. A week before she decided to fly to Hawaii, she found herself scanning his pages on social media. It was then that Ava decided that she needed to be tougher on herself. If she let a twenty-year-old guy distract her from her priorities this much, what was she going to do when she ran into problems with the one? A part of her doubted that the one could screw her the way that Tristan did, but she tried and failed to push that thought to the back of her mind.
She turned her head to look out the window and they sailed through the clouds. Ava knew that her parents would appreciate her visit, even if it was to get away from her thoughts for a while. Her mother had pressed for a visit from Ava for the last six months, insisting that Ava really didn’t have an excuse not to visit when she owned a private jet. Her father was less insistent, he enjoyed his monthly stipend and sent an “I love you!” via text once a month. She’d always been a Daddy’s Girl, however, and she knew that the text was all that either of them needed. Ava could empathize with Tristan’s griping about his mother, but at least he wasn’t thirty-five, childless, and unmarried.
It’s so funny. He could be unmarried and childless if he kept hanging out with me. By the time that he would want to settle down, I’d be too old. I can't take that away from him. Ava didn’t know it but she was in love with him. She shook her head. Thoughts like that weren’t going to be allowed on this vacation. She fell back against the headrest and shut her eyes.
***
“Ava, you’ve finally decided that we’re worth your time?” Her mother smirked as she wrapped her arms around her. Her father hurried around his wife and plucked Ava’s suitcase off of the floor.
“Dad, I can get it, you don’t have to-”
“Shh.” He said, he grinned, his thick, silver hair was tousled by the wind as he carried her suitcase inside.
Angela pulled away from her and took a deep breath. Angela’s dark eyes roamed all over her daughter’s body, inspecting every inch of her for imperfections. She chuckled and said, “Not bad, Ava. Looks like you’re taking good care of yourself out there.”
Ava rolled her eyes and moved up the steps of her parent’s three-story home. She opened the door and popped her sneakers off in the foyer. A long hallway stretched out in front of her, hardwood floors stretched from the foyer to the kitchen and to the living room. Ava grinned and said, “I know that you’d be the first to tell me if I looked worse for wear.”
“Absolutely. You do look a little pale, though.”
Angela followed her as she moved into the kitchen. Ava moved over to the stainless-steel fridge, her muscles welcomed the movement after the long flight. She pulled a bottle of water out and said, “We have winter in New York. If I lived in humid, summer weather year-round I’d have a gorgeous tan too.”
Angela giggled and leaned against the center island. “Thanks for noticing.”
Ava grinned and looked around the kitchen. It was good to be home. The house hadn’t been changed much since she’d last seen it. Brand new pendant lights extended from the ceiling, and the floors had recently been replaced. She tapped her sock covered foot against the floor and noted that the scuf
fs that had been present the last time she visited were absent. The kitchen smelled faintly of apricots.
Ava wrinkled her nose and asked, “New potpourri?”
Angela nodded. “Trying some new stuff out. Rearranged your father’s study too.”
Ava whipped her head towards the exit to the kitchen just as the sound of footsteps echoed off of the twelve-foot ceilings. She spotted a blur of strawberry blonde hair first, and her lips spread into a smile as her older sister, Vivienne, stepped into the room.
Vivienne's jaw fell open and she rushed across the living room. “Ava! Oh my God, no one told me you were visiting!”
“No one told me that you went blonde, you look great!” Ava grabbed a strand of hair that hung on Vivienne's shoulder. Her sister, three years her senior, was a natural brunette just like Ava. However, ever since Vivienne gave birth to her first child a few years ago, she’d had a midlife crisis of sorts and decided to sport a new look every other week. The strawberry blonde was the most recent after a brief affair with red and short hair, and before that, she’d chopped off most of her hair and had the remainder sheared into a pixie cut.
Angela grinned and said, “I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t want to say anything to Viv either, just in case she told Allison.”
Ava’s eyes lit up and she asked, “Where is Allison?!”
Angela inhaled and instinctively, Ava and Vivienne slid their hands over their ears. Angela’s yell still seeped through the cracks in between Ava’s fingers, “Allison. I have a surprise for you!”
Ava held her breath as the pitter patter of small feet grew closer and closer. Before she knew it, a miniature version of Vivienne stood in front of her. Allison had inherited her blonde hair and blue eyes from her Vivienne’s ex.
Ava crouched to her knees and spread her arms wide, “Allie! You’ve gotten so big!”