Getting back to "Normal" | Rhekker

Chapter 74- Game Time

"I have a plan" Connor told her.
"I'm rubbing off on your Rhodes" Ava teased him as she sat in his oversized hoodie at the dinner table, a coffee cup in hand she put her phone down. It had been a few days since Ava had tried to leave the apartment, with Connor and Ava both agreeing to give it a few more weeks till their next attempt.

Connor went to respond before the door bell cut him off, he moved to the console and buzzed the button.
"Let him in" Connor said into the small box on the wall.
Ava furrowed her brows, thinking of who this man could be. Connor left the apartment, leaving the door open he went to the end of the hall. Ava heard the elevator door ping open and Connor saw a few words to someone before walking back down the hall on his own. Connor kicked the door closed behind him, carrying a large box that he set down on the counter.

He took a safety knife from a cabinet, digging the box open.
"If you're uncomfortable to leave the apartment, that's okey" he pulled the flaps of the box open. "But we can't have you getting bored"
"So what are you in the mood for?" Connor smiled, meeting her eye.
"Lego, scrabble, baking, reading - painting?" He held up a new set of acrylics on top of the pile of everything else.

Ava tilted her head and looked at the large pile of items Connor had purchased.
"Painting" she decided.
"Alright" Connor took the paints and placed them on the table in front of Ava. Moving to his office to get paper and pens. Connor returned to the kitchen to find Ava's chair empty, spotting her by the sink silently filling two cups with clean water a smile came to his face.
"I got some construction paper" he told her, holding it up as she walked back over to the table.
"What do you want to paint?" Ava asked, sitting down at the table she massaged the tough bristles of the new paintbrushes.
Connor looked out the window onto the Chicago skyline and nodded.
Ava looked out onto the city and turned the paint brush in between her fingers.

Connor sat down and set up the paints and a shared pallet. They each got to work, Ava looked out the window frequently to make sure she was getting the lighting right when Connors eyes remained drawn on his page. When Ava wasn't working on her piece she would steal glances at Connor, watching the creases in his brow and his paintbrush between his lips.
"Are you done?" He looked up and asked her suddenly.
"Mhm" Ava jolted back to reality.
"Oh yes I am" she nodded, holding up her detailed study of the skyline before them.
Connor held up his piece which depicted two stick-like people on the streets of a town.
Ava studied the background carefully before it clicked, "the theatre" she confirmed.
"It's our date" she met Connors shy expression as he gazed down, the tops of his ears flushed.
"We should probably get some lunch" Ava remained him, the afternoon had sped by on them, it now going on three o'clock.

Connor took their paintings leaving them to dry in the office before returning to the kitchen with Ava. They made a light pasta salad for the two of them, having the meal on the sofa together.
Connor finished his meal first and stood to out his bowl away. Looking through the special packege that had arrived for them, he pulled out a box.
"Rematch?" He pulled out an all to familiar box, which was in much better condition.
"Oh you're on" Ava put her bowl down on the coffee table, uncrossing her legs.
Connor set up the operation game that came with batteries.
"Your move, Dr, Bekker" he handed her the tweezers.
Ava effortlessly removes a bucket from the patient.
"Easy" she sat back, taking a bite if her salad.
"Sure, you're all talk now" he removed the next piece.

Their sparring matched went back and forth as they slowly but skilfully removed the pieces.
Ava placed her latest piece on the coffee table.
"Daniel would like to speak to you, at some point this week. Is that Somthing you think you'd be up to. He could come here?" He offered.
"Yeah, how about tomorrow?" Ava suggests, handing the tweezers to him.
"That's great, yeah. I'll tell him" looking up to smile at Ava, and the progress she was making.
"I'll go run some errands, give you two some space"