this is what it feels like // calum hood

47

TWO DAYS LATER

Aly sat at her desk, typing out a new marketing plan for the companies next big campaign. She had already been here for two hours and Ava hadn't showed up, she hadn't even answered the text Aly sent her to see if she was sick.

Aly hadn't seen Ava since the Halloween party. Aly didn't remember saying goodbye to Ava but she had been pretty drunk so she probably did and just didn't fully remember. 

Aly did remembered seeing Ashton and Ava laughing and being pretty close after the game of pong they had all played, so of course she now had many questions. And she knew Ashton wouldn't give her the answers she wanted, but she still planned to interrogate him too.

Thirty minutes later someone abruptly set a bag down beside her, making her look over.

"Ava!" Aly smiled, "Where have you been?"

"Uhm," Ava dug through her bag, "My phone died, I wasn't at my place. Its been a crazy couple of days."

"Where were you?" Aly pushed her rollie chair back away from the desk so she could face Ava. She watched Ava's cheeks heat up.

"A friend's house."

"A friend?" Aly saw through her friends information lacking answer.

"Yes, and I'm leaving it at that," Ava smiled, holding her planner to her chest, "I have to go chat with Hannah, lunch?"

"I'm having a team meeting during lunch, drinks after work?" Aly offered.

"Perfect," Ava nodded.

After work they walked down the street to a local cafe that had great happy hour deals, a place they had started to frequent often. They sat outside taking in the chilly LA weather, they were both from the midwest originally so a light breeze and 60 degrees was nothing to them.

"Okay," Aly leaned back after they ordered their drinks, "Spill."

Aly knew Ava wouldn't stay quiet long, she loved talking about herself and Aly didn't mind because she liked listening to her friend's crazy adventures. Ava was a free spirit, she did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, unlike Aly who needed to always have a game plan, even though most of the plans never seemed to stay on track.

"I feel like I should say thank you first," Ava smiled, pulling her square framed sunglasses from the top of her head to the bridge of her nose.

"Okay," Aly hummed waiting for more.

"I spent the night after the party at Ashton's," Ava blushed, running her fingers through her blonde hair, "He's a sweet talker with a very very dirty side."

"Ava, I don't want those details please he's one of my closest friends," Aly stoped her before she could continue.

"Dude!" Ava groaned, "Fine, all I'll say is that he's one of the best lays I've had since I moved here."

"Oh my god!" Aly covered her ears.

"I promise to keep it at that," Ava nodded.

"Is that it? Just some good sex?"

"Lots of good sex," Ava was obviously pleased. Aly rolled her eyes at her friend's dramatics.

"But we also talked. But he was sweet, he made me breakfast which shocked the shit out of me because I was just gonna leave," she shrugged, "But then I stayed and we spent the whole day together, no technology, just us. It's was," she paused to find the right word.

"I don't know, it was nice," Ava smiled and gave a small shoulder shrug.

"Okay but please tell me you didn't just wanna fuck him and dip, because then I'm gonna feel bad for introducing you two," Aly felt a little weird inside.

"Oh god no!"Ava spoke quickly, "At the party before the sex we had really good conversations, and this morning, that's why I was late," her tone got lighter, making Aly smile as she listened, "We started talking about this book we've both read about mental health and retraining your brain's thinking instead of using meds and other treatments. I lost track of time talking to him."

"We'll damn, you might be more like him then I even thought!" Aly paused, "Wait! Did you stay there last night too?"

"Maybe," Ava blushed as their waitress delivered their drinks to the table.

"We exchanged numbers, so hopefully I'll see him again," Ava continued after taking a sip of her drink.

"I feel like I should tell you he's seeing other people, so don't get too invested," Aly warned.

"He told me," Ava nodded.

"Oh," Aly was shocked. Not that Ash wasn't a gentleman but that's not something you normally disclose after one interaction.

"I've been seeing someone off and on too so I told him about him too," Ava shrugged.

"God, I wish I could be as carefree as you."

"Didn't you and Calum start out as just secretly fucking?" Ava rose an eyebrow at her friend.

"Yeah but I had honestly had a little crush on him forever, the wedding was just the right time," Aly smiled her mind wondering to that night in the cab, and then her clothes flying across his hotel room, hearing him moan her name for the first time, the feel of his hand on her skin. Oh god, his hands, she bit the inside of her cheek so hard she thought she was gonna draw blood.

"Earth to Aly?"

Aly pushed her fingers through her dark hair, refocusing her brain on the conversation in front of her, "Sorry, what?"

"Oh sweetie, you're down bad," Ava teased her friend.

"Sometimes. No not sometimes," Aly corrected herself, "I know he's the one."

"Really?" Ava asked, not shocked but curious as to why, "How do you know?"

"I just have this gut feeling. Like everything I do I want to share with him, I want to tell him about every detail of my day, of my life," Aly admitted.

"When I'm sad, I know I can call him and he'll make the pain go away. Like a few weeks ago, that pitch I gave for the fall line? Lindsey hated it, I felt like a fucking failure. Like ready to quit my job, but he was the first person I called and he helped me remember why I do what I do," Aly smiled, "He's an idiot sometimes but he's my idiot."

"Well shit."

"Being with him is truly the best thing that's ever happened to me," Aly finally registered how sappy she sounded, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, "God, I used to make fun of my sister because she talked about Luke this way. I literally told her 'true love isn't real', and now look at me!"

"Love makes you crazy," Ava shrugged.

"It really does but if this is what it feels like," Aly nodded smiling from ear to ear as she leaned back in her chair, with her drink in her hand, "I'm okay with that."

THE END