“No, Ava already did.”
“Is she in her room?”
Ava’s face flushed at the question. The two of them had barely spoken to each other since his rejection back in September, five months prior.
“Yes,” Ruby said.
She heard footsteps coming down the hallway before she saw him. Ava half expected him to keep walking, but a soft knock on her open door surprised her. She looked at him.
“Hey, do you need any help?” Cole asked.
“No, thanks.”
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Let me know if you do.”
She nodded before turning back to her computer. Her heart squeezed painfully. The disconnect between them was growing. It only became worse after Kelly left since they no longer hung around each other for her sake. She missed him, but didn’t know how to repair it. It seemed to be something that would never get better.
She let out a sigh once she heard his retreating footsteps. After all the photos had been transferred off her camera and onto her computer, she went back out to the living room where Ruby was lying on the couch.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” Ava asked.
“Yeah. Can Cole join us?”
“Oh, um… I think he might be busy.”
“I’m not busy,” Cole said.
Ava jumped in her seat. Cole stood in the kitchen holding a glass of water.
“Yay,” Ruby said with as much energy as she could muster.
Cole came into the living room and sat on the loveseat that was perpendicular to the couch Ava and Ruby were on. Ava watched him get comfortable and give Ruby a bright smile.
“So, what are we watching?” he asked, his eyes meeting Ava’s for a brief second. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought he wanted to spend time with her too.
