Read Avery: Sensual Desire: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Drucie Anne Taylor
Tags: #General Fiction
“
Assholes like that belong behind bars,” I opine.
“
True, but what can you do? Cami didn’t want to report him, so Delsin hit him a few times. That’s all we can do.”
“
I guess so.” I snuggle up close to Ave.
“
You’re very cuddly today,” he says.
“
Is that bad?”
He starts stroking my cheek and neck again. “Not at all. I enjoy it.”
I close my eyes, trying to relax. I feel exhausted from the meeting with the notary, the reading of the last will, and the attacks from my family. Now I just want to experience some peace, enjoy this closeness, and forget the rest of the world for a while.
Chapter 9
As I stand in front of the open grave, looking down at the coffin I picked out and the flowers on top, my tears threaten to blind me. Of course it had to rain really hard today. Avery’s at my side, waiting for me to open my hand and let the red roses we bought fall down into the grave. But I can’t. I’m unable to move a muscle. I wasn’t even able to give my speech because I was sobbing so hard. My family kept shaking their heads at me, but I did not and do not care. I’m not hiding my grief the way they do, because only my tears can deliver me from this choked-up feeling. Well, maybe not completely, but the more tears I cry, the sooner I’ll be able to live and think of him without crying.
Grandpa’s death has left a hole, a crater even, in my heart.
“
Let go of them, Dale,” Avery whispers to me, but I hardly hear him because the rain is so loud. It’s a real downpour, and my feet are already soaking wet.
“
I can’t,” I answer helplessly.
He grabs my hand, pulls it over the hole, and pries my fingers open. The thorns have pricked the palm of my hand.
“
Yes, you can,” he whispers as the roses tumble from my hand and fall into the grave.
“
Farewell, Grandpa. Save a spot for me up there,” I whisper and close my eyes.
Avery leads me back to the row of chairs, but we don’t sit down, as the seats have gotten all wet. We simply stand there and watch my relatives throw their flowers into the grave and say their last goodbyes to my grandfather.
I put my head on his shoulder and give room to my grief. I don’t feel ashamed for having loved my grandfather so dearly. His death is hard on me, something that can’t be said about the rest of my family.
One after another, they pass the grave, and when they’re done, the pastor wraps up the funeral with further compassionate words, but nothing registers for me.
Then the others leave, but Avery and I remain.
The pastor approaches us. “Miss Walker, my sincere condolences,” he says once again.
I raise my eyes and look at him. “Thanks, Father Thomas.”
He offers me his hand, and I shake it briefly. “If I can do anything for you, let me know.”
I nod. “Thank you, I will.”
Then he leaves the cemetery, too.
My eyes are fixed on the photograph that has been put up next to the grave. It shows Grandpa on his last birthday. He’s laughing and looks happy.
“
Let’s go now, please.” I turn to Avery.
He leads me to the car, struggling to protect us both from the rain with his umbrella. When we were standing together, it wasn’t a problem, but now the wind has changed direction, and we’re getting increasingly wet.
Finally, we get into the car. I don’t say much, because the morning was emotionally exhausting. I didn’t talk to my uncle about lunch, but I hope he realizes I don’t want to come. After all, he saw how I struggled to even remain on my feet.
Avery puts his hand on my leg after he has started the engine. “My place or yours?”
“
Mine,” I answer softly. By now, I’m living in the apartment Delsin rented to me. He and Avery picked up and assembled the bed for me, while Cami and I tried to add a feminine touch to the apartment. Among other things, that meant taking down the centerfolds with the half-naked women. “Drop me off, please. I need to be on my own for a little while,” I say, looking out of the window even though I can't discern anything in the driving rain. Then I close my eyes and lean my forehead against the cool glass.
“
Don’t you think I should stay with you?” Avery asks softly.
“
I need a little time,” I venture, speaking in the same low tone. “Ever since it happened, we’ve been together constantly, and now I just need … rest and … privacy.”
“
Let me stay with you. I don’t want to leave you on your own today. I can sit quietly in the living room or stay in Delsin’s old bedroom.”
“
Avery, please give me some time by myself. I simply need that today,” I argue tiredly.
He finally sighs. “Okay.”
For the rest of the drive neither of us says anything. It feels oppressive, but I don’t know what else I could have said or done.
When he stops in front of the house he looks at me. “Will you call me, please?”
“
Tomorrow,” I reply with a weak smile.
He nods slowly. Then he leans down, kisses my cheek, and then brushes it with his thumb. “I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“
Tomorrow.”
“
Tomorrow, baby.”
I get out and run toward the door because it’s still raining buckets.
But when I reach the door I’m thoroughly wet anyway. Without turning around, I unlock the door and disappear inside. The only thing I want to do right now is take a hot bath, relax, and lie down on the couch.
The stairs seem endless when I climb them, but that’s probably only due to my exhaustion.
When I’m finally inside the apartment, I take off the wet clothes and go into the bathroom. I run a bath and get into the tub in the hope of getting warm. Not only was it raining like crazy, it was also really cold, which is rare for this season. Maybe the heavens were crying with me or it was simply a bad day for a funeral. In any case, I’m glad to be soaking in the hot water now, tuning out.
“
I hope Ave isn’t hurt I didn’t want him to be here,” I say aloud to myself.
There goes my relaxation.
I can’t think of anything but Avery. My head is probably going to explode any moment. There’s simply too much going around in there, and now I’m worrying about him as well. It’s not fair! Why the hell can’t I just tune out for a while?
I close my eyes and put a damp washcloth on my face, sighing. But it’s no use. No relaxation, no calm, not even unimportant thoughts about the weather. Frustrated, I start to sing the first song that pops into my head, but even Beyoncé can’t help me out of this funk.
***
After about an hour I finally step out of the tub, towel myself dry, put on some clothes, and shuffle into the living room. I lie on the couch, staring at the ceiling with the television Avery gave me on but muted.
It simply wasn’t my day. Grandpa’s funeral and the hateful stares of my relatives have left me feeling hollow and touchy, and now I’ve probably managed to alienate Avery, too. I really hope he isn’t upset with me.
As soon as I think of him again, my cell rings, and it’s him. “Hello?”
“
Hey … I just wanted to see how you’re feeling,” he says.
“
I feel okay, and you?”
“
I miss you, but that’s really all.”
Heat infuses my cheeks. He misses me. I think it’s cute that he already misses me after such a short while. “I miss you too, but I think it’s good for us to spend a few hours on our own.”
“
You really think so?” he asks.
“
Not really. I’m just trying to be strong,” I say, surprising myself by giggling.
There’s a knock on the door, and I start.
“
Okay. Then let’s be weak and give in. Will you open the door for me?” Avery says, his voice sounding amused.
I try to suppress my grin, get up, and walk over to open the door.
Avery is standing there, hanging up the phone. “I just couldn’t sit around at home without you,” he confesses sheepishly.
Smiling, I grab his hand and pull him inside. “I’m glad you came.” Then I kick the door closed behind him.
“
Really? Earlier you didn’t look like you wanted to see me any more today, but I thought I could take the risk. You could always send me away again.”
Together we walk over to the couch and sit down, but only after Avery has taken off his wet coat and shoes. I snuggle against him and finally find the relaxation I was struggling to achieve on my own.
“
What have you been doing?” he asks me.
“
I took a bath and tried to tune out, but somehow I couldn’t find peace.”
His thumb makes little circles on my temple, which makes me sleepy. “Are you able to relax now?”
I give a slight nod. “Yes, thank you. Could you just keep talking? About anything? I’d like to hear your voice.”
He whistles. “I could tell you about Delsin’s and Cami’s crooked path to happiness, or as I call it:
The Disaster of Coral Gables
.”
“
Okay. As long as I get to hear your voice.”
“
You already know that Cami and Delsin are my best friends. I used to live here with him, but it took a long time for them to meet.”
“
Yeah, I know, and why was that?”
“
Cami only came by if she knew Delsin wasn’t home, because he slept with her best friends and then didn’t call them. She couldn’t stand him at all, but I knew she’d be exactly his type. He was collecting panties like trophies, and she didn’t want to be a trophy for anyone. Anyway, there was a competition at the skatepark, and I finally introduced Cami to Delsin, because I thought it was stupid for her to keep avoiding him. I didn’t think she’d let him get into her pants.” He chuckles and then takes a deep breath. “But they attracted each other like magnets and also repelled each other like magnets, until they got to know each other better, which is when the real trouble started. They’d just agreed to try to be together, when one of Delsin’s former conquests showed up and tried to destroy their budding relationship. Cami escaped by going home to Austin, and then Delsin followed her at her own mother’s invitation, and luckily they got it all together in the end.”
“
And that was it?”
“
Well, yeah, now they’re a happy couple,” Ave says.
“
Sounds like a cheap soap opera,” I say with a smile. “What’s most surprising is that it took so long for them to get to know each other.”
“
I thought so too, in retrospect,” Ave laughs.
“
And now they’re still very much in love,” I say, still smiling. That’s what I wish for. To be and stay happily in love like Camille and Delsin.
“
They are, and that’s much more pleasant than the arguments they kept having in the beginning. That was total bullshit. First they were fighting, then they were tearing each other’s clothes off, then they went back to fighting, and so on. It felt like we were all part of this roller coaster.”
“
I can imagine,” I say thoughtfully. “That suddenly makes me glad I never really had a real circle of friends. It sounds rather confusing and complicated.”
“
Why didn’t you ever have one?”
“
Because I was poor,” I state dryly. “The wealthy students didn’t want to mix with the poor ones, and the other kids in my class also seemed to avoid me. I had no idea why, but by now I don’t care anymore.”
“
Now you have me,” Avery says, stroking my cheek. “And my friends, who will all love you. You’re going to get to know them when the girls throw that birthday party for me.”
“
As long as they’re not prejudiced, I think I’ll get along with them.”
“
You get along well with Delsin and Sweet Thing So don’t worry about other people’s stupid talk. Delsin, Cami, Thally, and I all consider you a friend.”
“
And what about Hailey?” I inquire, because I remember her giving me the impression that she couldn’t stand me at all.
“
She’ll be okay. Right now she’s still a little miffed that I didn’t indulge her when she was seriously underfucked.” He smirks. “She also has a boyfriend now, but he lives in Austin.”
“
That still sounds a little complicated, the vibes between all of you.”
“
I think we’ve become a really close group. That was different when Delsin was still … playing the field.”
I nod again. “I guess I’ll have to get used to having a bunch of acquaintances now,” I giggle.
“
A group of friends, Dale. We are your friends,” he says decisively.
“
Couldn’t we settle on acquaintances? I barely know them, and they don’t know me either,” I say, grinning up at him.
“
All right, acquaintances,” he says, rolling his eyes. I chuckle.
“
By the way, what do you want for your birthday?” I finally ask, since he still hasn’t told me.
“
I have only one big wish, but I won’t tell you about that because it is, as they say, priceless,” Avery answers.
I make a face. “Is it that expensive?”
“
No, but invaluable.”
I don’t probe any further because he has me confused. What could he be talking about?
“
Dale, you can’t fulfill my wish easy, just like that, because it’s not something you can buy in the store,” he suddenly says.