The smile on Ava's face slowly disappears. "What?"
Bose fears he may have opened his mouth at the wrong time. What's she going to think now? Why must his mouth always work faster than his brain? Honestly, who asks that? "I, uh...never mind it's...it's a stupid question, I don't even know why I-"
"Yes."
Bose stops ranting and looks at her in shock.
"Yes." Ava repeats softly. "I do." She says. "I always have."
Bose quirks his eyebrow. "Really?"
Ava nods. "Why?" She asks. "Have you...met someone?"
Bose's eyes widen. "What?" He asks. "Met someone? No, I...No, no, I just...wanted to know if you believed in love at first sight...'cause you know a lot of people do and others don't and..."
Ava studies Bose carefully and just knows he's lying. She hasn't worked for this family for years only to not have learned anything about their son.
She momentarily feels a slight pain in her chest at the prospect of Bose possibly falling for someone but she decides not to pay attention to it. Bose considers her his best friend and that's exactly what she's going to be.
She might just be his PA but she knows she cares about him and his happiness. And she would do anything for him. "Bose," She interrupts him. "You know you can't lie to me right?" She says matter of factly. "I know you've met someone. You wouldn't ask a question like that if you hadn't."
"Look, I met a lot of someones okay?" Bose counters. "It was a busy day. It doesn't automatically mean I'm in love with all of them."
Ava laughs at that. "Nice try." She says. "Now, what's her name?"
Ava knows she has him by the neck when he looks down and starts toying with his fingers. "See?" She smiles. "You definitely have someone in mind." Getting excited at her new discovery, she scoots a little closer to him. "Tell me, what's her name?"
Bose raises his eyebrows and scoots away, determined not to look like some lovesick puppy who's pining for his Juliet or something. "Look, you want her name, I'll give you her name but bear one thing in mind." He says. "I'm not saying I like her. Got it?"
Ava purses her lips and Bose groans. "I mean it!"
"Okay, okay, got it." Ava nods.
"...Chapa."
Ava furrows her eyebrows then unforrows them again. "Cha-pa. Cccchhhaaappppaaa, Chapa? That's an unusual name." She says.
Bose is about to smile but stops himself in time. "Everything about her is unusual." He says.
Ava notes that he says that with fondness and not like he finds it wierd. Like this Chapa girl is some new star that has just been discovered by famous astrologists. Like it's wierd how no one else is making a fuss of her. Like she's just that special. She knows this because it's the exact same way she feels about Bose.
"Oh my gosh Bose, she sounds amazing." Ava says. "Like the perfect girl for you." She gushes. "Have you told your parents? Have you told her? Ooh! Are you gonna tell her?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bose interrupts her question spree. "Slow your roll there, sonic fingers."
Ava smiles at the nickname.
Bose had been calling her that since she'd started working for them as she could jot stuff down on her clipboard faster than Sonic could do a lap around the world. She was a really fast writer. Sometimes even Bose's parents would tease her, calling her sonic fingers too.
Bose continues. "I'm not telling anyone anything. And neither are you because there's nothing to tell."
"Bose, out of the millions of girls out there who are madly in love with you, you finally found the one you want to love." Ava argues. "How can you not tell your parents about this?"
"I never said I-" Bose decides to form his words more tactfully. "Look, I just find her.... intriguing. Yeah, that's it. I've never met someone like her before so she just drew me in, that's all." He runs a frantic hand through his hair. "Besides she's..." He heaves in a breath. "She's not...not one of the 'millions of girls out there who are madly in love with me'. That's crazy talk."
Disappointment. Is the first thing Ava detects in his voice. There's no way Bose can hide from her.
He has most definitely developed a crush on this Chapa girl.
Bose speaks, "Look I don't want any misunderstandings in the future. There's no need to tell anyone about any of this okay?"
Ava doesn't get the chance to answer as Tamara makes her way in. "Dinner." She says, knocking on Bose's room door. "Better hurry before your dad eats it all."
"Uh, yeah, thanks mom." Bose says.
Ava gingerly gets up. "Dinner sounds great. I'm starving."
Bose looks up at her. "Don't you have to go home?"
"I told my parents I'd eat dinner here." Ava grins at him.
Bose gulps and suddenly regrets everything he's said in the last ten minutes. That's okay right? Nothing to...stress about. People only freak out when their friends have dinner with their parents if they have anything to hide. And Bose has nothing to hide. Right, nothing to hide. Dinner with Ava and his parents after the conversation they just had. What could possibly go wrong?
Ava is already exiting by now and Bose follows behind her, miming a zip over his mouth and pretending to zip it closed. Ava laughs.
---------------------------------------------------------
Tamara settles down at the dinner table placing a napkin gently on her lap. "So." She says, reaching over to squeeze Bose's hand. "Tell us how things went at work?"
Bose shrugs. "Well, not a lot to tell really." He says. "I'm working as assistant for Miss Harper. One of the nicest nurses there. You would like her mom."
"I'm sure I would." Tamara replies. "Oh hey, maybe we should invite her over for dinner sometime." She suggests. Bose nods in agreement.
His dad speaks up now, "So, have you made friends with any of the student nurses?" He asks, forking up his sphagetti and putting it in his mouth. "I hear they're all just about your age."
Bose nearly swallows his fork. He thanks his stars that he didn't and takes care to eat slower while coming up with a sensible enough reply to give his dad. "Oh, I...uh, haven't... really met any-"
"He has a friend named Chapa." Ava butts in.
This time Bose actually feels his fork hit the back of his throat.
