by Karen Pokras
Ava felt the heat rushing to her face and wished they were still talking about flying. She once again pushed her lettuce around her plate, pretending to be more interested in her salad than her dinner companion.
“What about you, Ava?” Max continued. “A dual degree in art and business is pretty ambitious. What do you plan to do with that?”
“Well,” Ava began. She looked at Max. He seemed to be sincerely interested in her response. “Short term I’m hoping that the art gallery where I’m interning will offer me a job after graduation ... a paying job that is.”
“And long-term?” Max gazed across the table at Ava.
“Long-term, I’d like to have an art gallery of my own some day.”
Max continued to just stare.
“Sounds dumb, right?” Ava asked. Great, she thought. He’s probably trying to think up some excuse now why he has to cut dinner short. Ugh. Why did she care?
“No, not at all,” Max said, resting his chin on his hands as his elbows leaned on the table. “I think it sounds perfect.”
“Thanks.”
“There’s another reason I chose to be a nude model, you know,” Max offered.
“You mean besides wanting to show the world your stunning good looks?” Ava glanced at her empty wine glass and wondered if maybe that second glass was too much—especially after the drinking disaster she just had with Thomas.
“Thanks … I think,” Max answered. “Actually, I’m a huge art fan myself. My trip to California when I was three was only the first of many I took as a child. My parents were big into traveling. We traveled the world and stopped at every museum along the way. The art museums were always my favorite.”
Ava wrinkled her forehead and looked at Max in a sideways sort of way. Was this just some ploy to get her more interested in him? “Oh really? And which one was your favorite?”
“Well, I’ve been to so many ... the Louvre in Paris, the National Gallery in London ... then there was the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Vatican Museum in Rome, and of course our own Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.”
Ava sat back in her seat, arms crossed, unimpressed. Okay, so he knew the names of the biggest art museums around the world. Big deal. Most people could rattle off those. He still didn’t answer the question. “So they’re all your favorite?” she asked.
“They’re all amazing. But my favorite? That belongs to the Musée de l’Orangerie.”
“In Paris,” Ava added, now more intrigued by this person sitting across from her. “Interesting choice.”
Max leaned across the table, and Ava swore she saw a sparkle in his eye as he began to talk … well, gush was more like it. “Monet’s paintings there are spectacular ... and enormous, like nothing you will see in any of his other pieces. The rooms where the Water Lilies are housed are oval shaped, and the paintings are made up of massive panels set around in the ovals, completely surrounding you. Everywhere you look in the room, you are pulled into his scenery; it is a masterpiece of pure beauty and tranquility. I could sit there for hours.”
“Wow,” Ava replied, feeling her breathing beginning to slow with each of his words.
“You really get a sense of the emotion Monet must have been feeling as he painted his gardens. The way he captured the change in the natural light was just …” Max shuddered slightly and shook his head, as if trying to bring himself back into the present. “Oh, I must sound like a complete dork talking like that about a bunch of paintings … of flowers no less.”
Ava smiled. She suddenly no longer felt the need to be on guard anymore. Even if Max was making it all up, he went through a lot of trouble to learn about Ava’s favorite paintings, by her favorite artist, in her favorite museum. Not that she had ever been there, but given the choice to visit just one museum in the entire world, Ava would choose the Musée de l’Orangerie, hands down. “No, I’ve always wanted to go to Paris and to the Musée de l’Orangerie.”
“I hope one day you get to go,” Max replied. He looked around the restaurant, as if unsure of what to say next. “So, we should probably get going. I’m meeting Megan at 8 a.m. for tutoring.”
“Oh.” Ava wished the mention of her name didn’t have to have such a negative effect on her evening. Max was there with her, tonight, not Megan—she was just a tutor. Of course, Max was just Ava’s tutor also. Did she want more? Yes. No. She wasn’t sure. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so focused on my own exam. You’ve spent so much time helping me. I really appreciate it.”
Max signaled for the check when the waitress walked by. “It’s fine. I’m happy to help you. I have my afternoon free tomorrow. Do you want to get in some more study time?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Max snatched the check out of the waitress’ hand before Ava could grab it.
“Hey! I’m supposed to pay, remember? To thank you for tutoring?”
“You can get the next one,” Max replied.
“So there’s going to be a next one, huh?” Ava asked playfully.
Max waved the check in front of Ava’s face and smiled. “There is now, but only if you get all of your problems right tomorrow.”
“Oh, I’m going to get them right, don’t you worry. And I’m going to pay for dinner next time, too … got it?”
“Yes, ma’am. You sure are cute when you’re bossy, did you know that? Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
Chapter 16
Ava excused herself to use the restroom before they left. The walk back to Ava’s apartment was only a couple blocks, but Ava needed a few minutes to regroup and get advice. She considered texting Carly, but knew that would probably only end in disaster. Instead, she called Holly.
“Holly? Can you hear me?” Ava asked when she heard the familiar voice pick up. Ava tried to keep her voice down as she wasn’t sure who else, if anyone, was also in the bathroom. D’Angelos Café was a popular Wolfenson College place to eat. Not as popular as The Spot, but definitely more popular than Habaneros.
“Ava? What’s up? You sound like you’re in a tunnel. Is everything okay?” Holly asked.
“I’m in a bathroom stall, and I only have a few minutes. I’m on a date,” Ava explained.
“With that Thomas guy?” Holly asked.
“No, I’m with Max.”
“What happened to Thomas? I thought you were having dinner together tonight? Hold on, who’s Max?” Holly asked, sounding confused.
Ava sighed. “Okay, so Thomas and I were supposed to have a date tonight, but he cancelled. Max is the guy I told you about from art class. You know, the model? It’s a long story, but he’s now tutoring me in statistics.”
“Av, you know that doesn’t make sense even a little bit,” Holly replied.
“I don’t really have time to explain right now, Hol, except we kissed—Max and me. Well Thomas and I kissed, too, but this is about Max. Anyway, we said it shouldn’t have happened – the kiss, I mean, and now he’s tutoring me, and he’s about to walk me home.”
“From your date?” Holly added.
“Yes. I think. I offered to buy Max dinner to thank him for tutoring me because he wouldn’t let me give him money. Except he grabbed the check before I could, and he wound up paying it.”
“Geez, Av, you really took that I’m going to stay man-free so I can focus on finals advice to heart, didn’t you?” Holly teased.
“Hol, I need advice, not mocking. I like both of them, Thomas and Max. What should I do?”
“Do what you tell me to do, Av … follow your heart, and don’t get caught. Speaking of, I gotta go. There’s this guy, Jared, and he’s super cute. Anyway, my roommate says she’s friends with his roommate, and she’s going to introduce us. So I gotta go get ready. Wish me luck.”
“Thanks, Holly, and good luck.”
Ava hung up the phone, reapplied her lipstick, checked her hair, and returned to the table where Max was patiently waiting.
“Ready?” he asked.
Ava nodded.
&n
bsp; Ava and Max walked closely side by side, without holding hands. The night was chilly, but not as cold as the previous night. A rarity for December, a month generally filled with below freezing temperatures. As such, Ava could comfortably keep her hands out of her pockets … just in case he reached for her. The sounds of cars driving by, or college students chatting as they passed, were barely noticeable to Ava. She was thinking only about the kiss to come.
Would it come? After all, they had kissed before, even if it was unexpected. True, Max had said point blank the kiss shouldn’t have happened. He promised to keep their relationship on a strictly professional level—he was the tutor, she was the student—but things were different now, weren’t they? Was this a date, or was Ava reading too much into it? And what about Thomas? Did she owe him some sort of exclusivity? They only had one date, and they never discussed the status of their relationship, to the extent that they even had a relationship. Besides, if Thomas was so important to her, why couldn’t she stop thinking about Max? She knew the answer. Her feelings for Max had changed over dinner, really changed.
“Are you okay?” Max asked.
“Huh?” They were standing outside of her apartment door. “I’m fine, why?”
“You seem so quiet all of a sudden. Did I lose you for a second?”
Ava stared at the sky. Moonlight shone down on the two of them like a spotlight, cancelling out everything else around them as stars flickered about in the sky.
“No, it’s just such a nice night, that’s all. Thanks for dinner and for tutoring me. I really appreciate it. Of course, I still owe you for that, you know. Oh, and good luck with your studies tomorrow. I guess I’ll see you in the afternoon? I appreciate you walking me home. I suppose I’ll be going inside now.” Ava hated this part. She always felt so self-conscious and talked way too much. She really wished Max would kiss her already. She pretended to be searching for her keys in her purse, even though she knew they were in her coat pocket.
“So,” Max began, “I know we kind of got off to a weird start with you seeing me naked, and me shoving you up against a wall to kiss you, and all.”
“Yeah, that was a bit out of the ordinary and admittedly awkward,” Ava agreed.
“Do you think we could start over, maybe?”
Ava smiled and nodded. “Sure.” She was already feeling more relaxed.
“Hi, I’m Max Wallis, I’m a senior at Wolfenson College where I tutor statistics. It’s nice to meet you.” Max stuck out his hand in arm-shake fashion.
Ava giggled, replying, “It’s very nice to meet you, Max Wallis, I’m Ava Haines. I’m also a senior at Wolfenson College, and I happen to need a statistics tutor. I heard you’re very good.” She took his hand and gently shook it.
Max pulled Ava’s arm slightly toward him and leaned in for a kiss ... a soft, lingering kiss. While so different than their first kiss, there was no mistaking that Ava felt the same level of weakness in her knees.
“I’d be happy to tutor you. Would tomorrow afternoon work? Two o’clock, usual spot?” Max asked, pulling away slowly.
“Definitely,” Ava whispered, barely able to recover.
Chapter 17
“No, Carly, we’ve been through this before. You can’t come with me,” Ava said. “It’s a tutoring session.”
Carly pulled a low cut blouse out of Ava’s closet and handed it to her friend to wear. “No,” Ava said, hanging it back in her closet, before finding and putting on a casual sweater. “I repeat, it’s a tutoring session.”
“Do you always do your hair like that for a tutoring session?” Carly joked.
“You don’t want me to look like a complete slob, do you?” Ava responded.
“Well, can I at least tell you I told you so?” Carly asked.
“What did you tell me?” Ava wanted to know.
“I told you that you two would wind up together,” she stated.
“I have no recollection of you ever saying that. I only recall you stating he was hot … so yes, I agree, he’s hot.” Ava smiled. “Totally hot.”
“And I told you he was into you, remember?”
“Maybe.” Ava grinned.
“So, um, what are you going to do about Thomas?” Carly asked.
“I don’t know,” Ava said. To be honest, she hadn’t given Thomas much thought since last night. She guessed she’d just be honest with him. It was probably a good idea to get their relationship back on a business track anyway with his exhibit coming up soon. “I’ll figure something out. Right now, I need to concentrate on studying.”
Carly laughed. “Studying … right. Last I heard, the library’s a public place. If I want to sit and watch from across the room, you can’t stop me,” she added.
“Carly!”
“Oh, please. It’s not like you two are going to be able to do anything good there anyway. Besides, I don’t want to break my perfect record.”
Ava was afraid to ask, but she knew Carly would keep talking until she did. “Record for what?”
“I’m determined to be the first person to graduate Wolfenson without ever stepping foot in the library.” Carly smiled. “Anyway, I have to run, I’ve got studio time booked. You’ll text me all the under the table details later, right, Ava?”
Ava looked up at Carly and rolled her eyes.
“So the library … that’s the big building in the center of campus with the dome?” Carly asked as she skirted out the door of Ava’s apartment.
She waited for the door to close before she fixed her hair one more time and applied some makeup.
~~~
Ava looked at the clock. Two fifteen. Max did say two o’clock, didn’t he? She supposed she was a tad bit distracted. Maybe he said three, or perhaps he meant the study room and not the table where they had worked before. Usual spot could mean either now that she thought about it. She got up to look inside of the private room that was off to the side. There was already another study group in there working.
“Ava?” When she returned, a guy she didn’t recognize was standing next to the table where she had been sitting.
“Yes? I’m sorry, do I know you?” Ava studied him. He was sort of non-descript looking: skinny, brown hair, glasses, wearing a Wolfenson College sweatshirt. He seemed like your average college student. She probably did know him, and she felt bad that she couldn’t remember.
He put a stack of books down on the table and stuck out his hand. “I’m Barry Templin. Max sent me. He apologizes, but he’s not going to be able to make it. He thought I could help you study today instead … as your tutor.”
Ava rubbed her forehead. Surely she misunderstood. “Not going to make it? Are you sure? Last night he said he’d meet me here.”
Barry nodded. “Yes, he called me this morning and asked if I could take over as your tutor. We met earlier so he could show me where you and he left off. He asked me to give you this.” He handed Ava a sealed envelope with her name on it. “He also told me he’d be paying for your sessions.”
Ava took the envelope out of Barry’s hand. “Forgive me, Barry. I just … I’m afraid I don’t understand. Are you telling me that Max won’t be tutoring me at all … ever?”
“I don’t know about ever,” Barry responded, “but at least not through these final exams. At least that’s what it sounded like to me. Don’t worry, I’m a math major. I’ve been tutoring statistics students for quite a while now. I’ll get you through this exam without any problems.”
“Thanks, Barry. Would it be okay if we skipped today? I think I’m coming down with something actually.” Ava sank back into her seat. Not tutoring me anymore?
“Sure, no problem.” Scribbling his name and number on a sheet of paper, Barry then handed it to her. “Just give me a call when you’re ready to schedule something. It was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Barry … and thanks.” She watched as Barry collected his books and walked off before opening the letter from Max.
Dear Ava,
; I know you probably hate me right now, and I don’t blame you. I’m pretty upset with myself actually. I made a promise to you when I agreed to tutor you that we would keep everything professional, and I totally crossed that line last night—the same way I crossed the line with you the day Suzanne walked in on us. As your mentor and tutor, I had a responsibility to you, and I failed you. I know how important passing this class is to you, and I promise I won’t distract you from that again. Good luck. Barry is a great tutor. I know you’ll have no trouble passing the exam.
All the best,
Max
Ava read the letter twice. Coward. He had no problem flirting with and kissing her last night. Why the sudden change? Barry said he contacted him this morning. Didn’t Max say he had an early tutoring session with Megan? Did she have something to do with his sudden change of heart?
Ava looked at the text message from this morning she had yet to answer.
Ava, so sorry about last night. Please say you’ll let me make it up to you tonight. Dinner at La Trattoria? Thomas
Ava read the letter one more time. She looked back down at her phone and began typing:
Sounds perfect, Thomas. See you then.
Chapter 18
“Holly! Why are you telling Tessa that I’m dating two guys at once?” Ava yelled into the phone “She’s sixteen for God’s sake. She looks up to us … me in particular. Dad would kill me if he caught her running around like that. Hell, he’d kill me, too.” As the oldest sister, Ava felt a responsibility—particularly to Tessa, who was still in high school. Leave it to Holly to open her big mouth. Of course, Tessa thought it was the coolest thing ever, judging by the text Ava received on her phone on her way back from the library:
Way to work it, sis! Two guys in one weekend? Me and Hol want to know your secret.