Normal | Rhekker

Chapter 13- This is me trying

"Did you see last nights episode?" Ava asked as he came into the doctors lounge.
"I did not see a murder suicide coming" he said blankly.
"I don't think anyone did"
"Do you want a ride home?" He offered.
"Yeah, thanks" she smiled, pulling her bag into her shoulder.

They walked out to Connors car and pulled away from the hospital.
"I wanted to talk to you"
"I'm going to make a proposal to Mr. Harris"
"Oh, about what?" Ava traced her lips with her Vaseline.
"I'm proposing a second hybrid OR. I have everything intention to credit you. That's why I wanted you to know. Obviously I'll have to announce the plans formally at one of the dinners but I wanted you to know"
Ava nodded, "it's an excellent program"
"I'll have to make sure I'm well dressed, Ini's coming over to get ready with me"
"Which dress are you wearing?" He asked as they got out of the car and into the hotel.
"Oh and ruin the surprise, why would I ever do that?"
She softened, "I'll see you tonight"

Ini arrived about twenty minutes later her hair already styled and her dress in a dust bag.
They got ready together, shuffling around the room between the bathroom and desk mirror for the best light.
"You going to try get some face time with Dr. Rhodes?" Ini asked as she put on her fake lashes.
"Oh Ava I love you so much" Ini made fake kissing noises.
"I can only imagine how sickerly cute you two where when you were actually together" She called from the bathroom.

Ava rolled her eyes, "I'll make sure to remember that when you find someone" tapping her brush out before adding some colour to her cheeks.
"Oh that's beautiful Ini" Ava turned to see her properly as she came out of the bathroom. Ini wore a red dress with an angler neckline and a small slit up to her knee.
"The colour really suits you" 
"Zip me up?"
Ava sipped the back of Ini's dress up for her.
"Ready to go?"

*

Ava wore an enchanting navy dress that shimmered when she walked, the straps of her crossed over her back. The fabric faded to a slightly lighter shade of blue on one side where it frilled off. Her hair was twisted and pined back into a bun.
Connor found himself staring as she entered the hall.

Ini walked with her in a red dress as they made their way through the hall to the bar.
"Ini looks nice" Owen commented.
"She does" Connor agreed, taking a sip from his drink.
"I went out for drinks the other night with these guys we were talking to at the bar? I thought you'd be there" he turned to him.
"No, we don't really get along. From what I hear from neither do you"
"I just wanted to know who's Merc that was" he shrugged.

Ava and Ini moved onto their second drink, they did their rounds speaking to donors and other members of staff.
"You look nice" Ini told her.
"It's not my best dress" Ava said, knowing they had so many events she didn't want to wear her favourite dresses just yet.
"Well it's caught a certain Rhode's eye. He's been staring into the back of your head the whole night"
"No he hasn't" Ava shook her head.
"Well then why did he look over when you shook your head?"
Ava glanced over her shoulder, catching Connors eye before he turned back to Mr. Harris.
"You need to get your eyesight check" Ava shook her head with a smile.
"Let's get another drink"

Ava was sipping her mock tail, wanting to cool it on the alcohol. She was talking quietly to Ini when she nodded, slipping away. Ava turned and spotted Mr. Harris and Connor coming over to her.
"Mr. Harris" Ava smiled.
"You look well Dr. Bekker"
"Thank you"
"Dr. Rhodes has informed me of your part in his new plans for Mayo"
"I think Connor may have overplayed my role in it"
"Don't down play it Aves, it wouldn't have been created without you" he assured her.
"I have to say this in not my first times hearing of the Hybrid OR, you two made quite the headlines when it opened in Gaffney"
"I hope this one to be as much of a success as the last"

Connor spoke more to Mr. Harris and got introduced to some of the donors.
Before spotting Ava make a discreet exit from the corner of his eye he followed her, Ava being the only person here- bar Owen- he actually wanted to talk to. He rounded the corner taken aback by the screen before him.
Ava was in a scuffle with a man who recognised to be a guest of one of the donors.
"Get off of me" Ava pulled her arm back from his grasp.
Before Connor could interrupt Ava had slapped him square across the face. The man doubled over and stood, a furious look on his face.
"She said get off" Connor said sternly as he stood between them.
The man looked between the two before storming off in a rage.
"Are you okey?" He asked.
"Yeah" Ava replied shortly before stepping into the lift.

Ava had her arms firmly crossed against her chest, her back against the wall.
"I don't need protecting" she said shortly.
"Ava, What was that?!"
Her lip quivered and she looked to the ceiling.
"Andrew's been saying all these things. And- people think I'm easy"
Everything within Connor seemed to still as she said that. He stepped forward wrapping his arms around her. They didn't say anything but he reached to hit a new button.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I'm not leaving you in your room upset, come have a night cap. Clear your head"
Ava looked to him but stayed silent.
"You don't have talk, we can just drink"
"Thank you" she leaned back into him.

Connor let them into his room and closed the door behind them. Ava sat down, unstrapping her heels. "Here" he opened the closet door and handed her a packet of slippers.
"Thanks" she slipped them on.
Connor poured them both a drink from a bottle on his desk, the bottle she'd bought.
"Can I?" he reached out to take her wrist. Connor inspected it carefully.
"I don't think it'll bruise" he brushed his thumb over her fingers before dropping her hand.

"If you're having trouble-"
"I can handle it" she cut him off.
"That was handling it?" He referred to the assault downstairs.
Ava shrugged nonchalantly, "worked for the last thirteen years" she took a sip of her drink.
Connor watched Ava close her eyes, her head rested in her palm she held her drink in her lap, her body at a 45 degree angle towards him.
"You look pretty tonight" he told her.
"Thanks" she opened her eyes again, knowing he was trying to cheer her up.

"I think about you a lot"
"You and me. In Chicago" she added quickly.
"What things would have been like, if I had stayed"
"You needed to get away from Chicago. I get that"
Ava nodded silently in agreement, she needed to get away from that city. She just wished it didn't mean leaving Connor.
"It was a bliss, really. We we were together- in that apartment" her head lulled against the back of the chair.
"I wish we could have stayed for longer"
"Me too" she said with a cheeky smile.

They both sat their in the dark, a comfortable silence in the room.
Ava stood carefully, refilling her glass a little she took a sip before turning back to her seat.
"Come here" he took her hand, pulling her between his legs. He gazed up at her before guiding her to sit on his knee, pulling her legs onto his lap. Ava leaned into him, moulding against him her arm wrapped around the back of his neck.
"Take you're hair down?" He requested.
"What?"
"You never have it down anymore"
"I was trying to seem more professional" Ava said.
"Take it down?"
Ava kept his gaze before moving, she reached back her hands finding her bun she pulled the pins out, the hair tie coming out soon after. She ran her fingers through her curls and fluffed them out.
"There" she relaxed back, her arm on the back of the chair.
Connor smiled softly, "I missed your curls"
His thumb brushed the end of one of her ringlets.

"I'm sorry about tonight"
"That's why I wouldn't get a drink with you, I didn't want people talking" Ava said with her head against his chest. He didn't respond but took comfort in knowing it wasn't something he'd done. "I don't know why he's being so mean" she said quietly into his chest.
"You don't have anything to apologise for"

A/n: I thought I might also throw this out there incase anyone is unsure,
Ini is pronounced Ih-n-ee.
The worst thing for me in books is realising I've been reading the name wrong for the whole series. 😂