Fear of the Unkown

Four

Daniel's POV

Zach sure was acting weird last night. He hadn't left Ava's house until late last night and refused to talk about it. If it wasn't for the fact that he was gay I would've thought he had a thing for her and gotten a little jealous. He got a phone call twenty minutes before our date and went into the next room. He grabbed his hoodie and ran out the door. I saw him go into Ava's house. I looked at Jonah who shrugged. I texted Ava reminding her to dress nicely for the restaurant we're going to. 

I pulled on a blue collard shirt and tan pants. I found a pair of white vans and put them on as I ran downstairs. Corbyn and Jack wolf-whistled as I headed out the door, nearly colliding with Zach who was just getting back. He nodded at me as he led Mila into the house. I high-fived the child as I headed to Ava's house. I rang the doorbell as I put the flowers I had bought behind my back. There was no response and I rang the bell again. Ava opened the door and smiled. She wore a knee-length green dress that complimented her figure as well as black heels. I pulled the roses out from behind my back. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady." 

"You clean up nice," Ava teased as she kissed my cheek. 

She took the flowers inside and put them in a jar that she filled with water. She grabbed her purse and I led her to my car. "Good impression so far?" I asked with a grin. 

She brushed her lips against mine and pulled away. "What does that tell you?" 

"I'll take that as a yes," I replied. 

We arrived at the restaurant and I helped her out of the car. I led her into the building where we were directed to a seat. Her eyes widened as she looked at the prices. "Daniel..." 

I shook my head. "Pick anything. It's on me." 

A waiter walked over with a pad of paper. "What would you like to drink?" 

"I'll have a glass of Chardonnay," I replied. 

"Shirley Temple," Ava replied. 

After we finished eating I took her to a small building that the boys and I had bought. "What is this?" she asked. 

"Zach and Corbyn come here to get away from people. They practice dance or sometimes it's just a place to collect their thoughts. They said you could come here for dance if you ever needed to have a break," I explained. 

A smile I'd never seen from Ava spread across her face. "Can I try a dance now?" 

I nodded as I pulled out my phone which I connected to a nearby speaker. She typed a song into my phone and took off her heels. She went to the center of the room and nodded. I pressed play and Piece of Work by Loren Gray started playing. She was graceful. Halfway through the dance she came towards me and grabbed my hands. I spun her around and caught her as she fell into my arms. She twirled away from me doing a small leap before gracefully landing on all fours and rolling over. As the song ended she twirled one last time into my arms. "That was incredible, baby girl." 

She jumped, wrapping her legs around my waist. I left a trail of kisses down her neck before noticing Corbyn walking in with a duffle bag. His eyes widened when he saw us and he quickly backed out. 

Soon we got home and led her to the door. She turned to me and took my hand. "I'd say you made a great impression." 

I smiled. "So..." 

She laughed. "Yes, I'll go out with you." 

As weeks passed we went out several more times. She was really close with Zach and he would often warn me not to make her do anything strenuous. I didn't really understand why. Ava's car pulled into her driveway and she got out. She went around to the back and opened the door. A german shepherd jumped out of the car wearing a vest that said service dog. Zach got out of the other side and they came into our yard. I opened the door and Ava smiled up at me. Zach went inside and to his room. "Hey Ava, come in!" Jonah called from the living room. "We're about to watch the Lorax!" 

Ava nodded and followed me into the house. The dog followed us. I desperately wanted to ask but I didn't. "Who's this?" Corbyn asked as he walked past with a bowl of popcorn. 

"Belle," Ava replied as she sat on the couch. 

The dog laid at her feet and Ava put a toy down for her. "A service dog?" Jonah mouthed. 

I shrugged as I sat beside Ava. Jonah sat on her other side and put an arm around her. "Can I ask?" 

"Anxiety," Ava replied, but we all knew she was lying. 

Jack walked downstairs with Lavender in one arm and Mila in the other. Mila got down and ran to the dog. "Puppy. Is it my puppy?" 

Ava's smile seemed strained as she nodded. "No. We share the puppy," she said. 

When the movie had finished, I heard the doorbell ring. I got up to answer it. "Mom. Hi!" 

My mom smiled as she hugged me. "Hey, Dani. We were in the area and thought we could say hello on the way to your grandma." 

"It's so good to see you. I really want you to meet someone," I said excitedly as I hugged my dad. "Ava, come here." 

Ava came over followed by Belle and Mila. "This is my girlfriend Ava and her daughter Mila. And this is her service dog, Belle." 

The next few days were uneventful. My mom and Ava were really getting along which was good. I was in the kitchen making Lavender an ice cream sundae when I noticed Ava's dog running out of the house. It ran up to our porch barking like crazy. I opened the door and the dog ran around in circles showing it was clearly in distress. Zach raced down the stairs. "Come on Belle. Where's Ava?" 

Belle raced back to the house with Zach and I right behind her. We got to the house and Belle paced nervously. We got inside and found Ava motionless on the ground with Mila sobbing in the corner. Zach hurried to Mila and I knelt beside Ava. I put a hand on her chest and thought I was about to pass out. She wasn't breathing. "Z, call an ambulance."