Tennis Instructor (A.K.)

Chapter 19: Naked Twister

Awsten was downstairs drinking coffee with Mrs. Woods while he waited for Owen to get ready. She had mentioned wanting a manicure absently while they were running errands together a few days prior, simply because she saw a girl's painted nails. That was all it took for him to book her a nail appointment, calling his mom first to ask where her and his sister used to get their nails done. If Owen wanted something, Awsten had decided he'd make sure she got it.

Obviously Owen was surprised that he would go out of his way over a small comment. She was taken back by his kindness, seeing as no one had ever done something for her out of pure generosity. It was always her asking her parents, or her friends knowing something had to be done for a birthday. Doing things for Owen was enjoyable for Awsten, though, and all he wanted was for her to be happy with him.

    "Can I ask you a favor, Awsten?" Her mother asked as she handed him his coffee. He thanked her before nodding in agreement.

    "Of course," he said as though it were obvious. "What's up?

     "We're going out of town next week and I just wanted to make sure you'd be available to stay with Owen," she explained. "She can stay at yours, of course, we have neighbors that agreed to keep an eye on the house."

     "That sounds great," he agreed. "She's always over anyway, I don't see what difference it would make."

      "That's what I was thinking," she smirked behind her cup. "Owen is responsible of course, but I just hate the idea of anyone in my family being home alone. Feels too vulnerable."

     "I get that," he nodded. It reminded him how lonely he felt in his house now that his parents were living out of state. They visited a decent amount, but coming home to an empty house was a disappointing feeling he would never get over. "Why are you guys going away?"

     "Visiting her brother at his internship," she smiled. "Owen doesn't want to go for some reason, but I'm fine with her staying behind. Someone to check up on the house."

     Awsten knew Owen would have a different side to this story, at least a more in-depth one. Simply staying home didn't seem right, so he assumed she had some issue with the internship or at least traveling with her family. A few days of Owen staying with him, no family to go home to, sounded sort of appealing. There were no distractions for either of them, which made Awsten's stomach run wild with butterflies.

      "That sounds fun, I hope you guys have a good time," he grinned. "How long?"

     "Like five days," she sighed. "He has this girlfriend who's a total control freak. The entire visit has an itinerary, Owen would go crazy."

"Good luck," Awsten said sarcastically. "I can barely get Owen up to eat breakfast at a normal time. A trip with a schedule sounds impossible for her."

"She's always been like that," her mother admitted. "Since she was little it's been a fight to form a proper sleep schedule."

"Was she quiet as a kid?" Awsten was interested in Owen's childhood, seeing as she never talked to him about it.

"Not shy like she is now," Mrs. Woods frowned slightly. "Well behaved but never shy. Always really smart too, if I'm being honest. Her anxiety got especially bad in middle school, though, and she sort of lost passion for school and being social."

"She's never really gone into it," Awsten told her. "Talks about high school but nothing from middle school."

"She was popular, had lots of friends. She just didn't like any of them," she shrugged. "Owen doesn't relate that well to people her age, neither did I."