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“Who's the chick?”Liam watches as Avery disappears into the opposite end of the apartment.
Once Avery went to uni, I kicked around the place bored until Liam arrived this afternoon. Inevitably, we ended up gaming and drinking. Avery returned this afternoon, took one look at Liam, and with a quiet hello walked away.
“Avery? She stayed last night.” I concentrate on the avatars on screen, loading my gun, and sheltering behind a tank. Explosions rain down around us.
“You still picking up random chicks? Or is this one more permanent?” Liam looks away from the screen; he couldn't look more stunned if he tried.
“Kind of. Pay attention, they have snipers!” I hit the buttons on the controller.
“Another one?”
“What?” I'm half-paying attention, increasingly pissed off with Liam's lack of help in the on-screen battle. “Come on! We're losing!”
“You've had a few girls recently.”
“Avery's different. Her house is flooded. She stayed here last night. In her own room. Leaving today.” I stutter out the sentences as the explosions continue. “She's cool, no sex. Shit! Behind you!”
Liam's continual staring at me and not the screen results in his avatar's death and an ambush I can't deal with alone.
“Fuck! Liam!” I throw the controller onto the sofa next to him.
“Who is she? I recognise her.”
“She was at your wedding.” I grab a beer and sit back.
“I thought I heard a Welsh accent. Does she know Cerys?”
“No, she was a waitress.”
“Ah!” Liam laughs. “I heard about that. What's with you two then? How are you involved?”
That is a long and complicated story, not one I want to share.
“She's pretty hot though, Bryn. Cute ass and…” Liam makes a hand gesture in front of his chest and raises an eyebrow.Always a tits man, too.
My scalp prickles. “I wouldn't let Cerys hear you say that.”
Liam shrugs. “Like I'm going to stop noticing other chicks just because I'm married. Doesn't mean I'm gonna touch anyone else.”
“Definitely don't let Avery hear you talk about her like that!”
“Really? Can’t imagine her biting. She's quiet, makes Cerys look like an extrovert.”
I shake my head. “Don't you believe it.”
Avery walks back into the room wearing a baggy green shirt and jeans, feet bare. When she arrived home from class earlier to pack up and leave, she fumbled her words around Liam and won't look at him now. I’m happy for her to stay, but Avery insists on leaving.
“Anybody want anything from the kitchen?” she asks in a quiet voice. “I’m making a drink before I go.”
“Nope,” says Liam.
“I'm good, thanks, Avery.” She gives me a curious look at my over-politeness.
Liam pushes my arm when she walks away again. “Tell the truth. That's who was in the pictures with you! Kissing a chick in public in the middle of London, man, it’s a good thing you’re not Dylan.”
“We're not fucking. It’s… We're taking things slow.”
“Dude!” Liam laughs. “You go from one extreme to another—one-night hook ups to a sudden girlfriend. What's with that?”
