in this velvet daze

The Ivy Kids

It's early June, and Avery Astor hates summer.

She is sitting at the Powerhouse, the bar at which her only friend works, sipping her lemonade while Olly sneaks her tequila shots every half hour.

"Here," she announces when Olly finishes serving another customer and pulls a small box out of her bag, "fancy chocolate."

"Again?"

"Yeah," she shrugs, "I'm popular."

Olly opens the box and looks at the assortment of expensive chocolate.

"You must be a successful editor, I guess," he jokes. "Let's look this up and find out how successful exactly."

Avery is leaning over the bar to peek at Olly's phone when a loud witch cackle echoes through the bar. She looks in the direction of the noise, Olly doesn't even move, too used to the chaos of the Powerhouse by now.

"Oh God," she mumbles after accidentally making eye contact with the source of the noise.

Felix Aveline is walking towards them with at least five empty glasses and the biggest grin on his face.

"Oh God, indeed," echoes Olly, still not looking up from the phone. "75 pounds! For what?"

"What is 75 pounds?" Felix asks, standing next to Avery now, his voice a little slurred but deep as ever, his grin still present.

Olly finally looks up and points to the box on the table. "This very little bit of chocolate, in this very box."

"Oh!" he eyes the box with interest. "These are handmade. They are glittery."

"Here," Avery says, pushing the box towards him. "You can try."

Of course, he knows what it is, she thinks bitterly.

Felix gleefully picks one - the most glittery one - and bites into it. Avery ignores the cheeky look from Olly and instead keeps her eyes on Felix...

Which is... not an easy thing.

Especially tonight, when he closes his eyes and starts moaning, putting the rest of the chocolate into his mouth, lost in ecstasy.

Avery forces her raising eyebrows down and her face into something natural and turns to her neglected glass of lemonade. Someone from Felix's table yells something, for him to hurry up probably, but Felix doesn't seem to hear.

"It is so good, wow. What? You don't like it?" he asks like he can't believe the unenthusiastic look on Avery's face.

"Not really?"

Felix opens his mouth to say something, but another shout of his name cuts him off. He turns towards the table and waves them off.

"Do you always get this stuff?" he asks Avery.

"Not all the time. And sometimes it's not chocolate. Other things, um, like macarons?" she rambles, confused as to why they are even having this conversation.

"Really? I love macarons -"

"Did you want refills, Felix?" Olly cuts in, making Felix blush.

"Umm. Yeah, thank you, that would be great," he mumbles.

Olly gives Avery a look before turning around to fill up beer glasses while Avery and Felix wait silently, the awkwardness becoming more unbearable with each second. Avery is praying for someone else to come to the bar and save them.

"You must be really good at your job," Felix says finally, still not making eye contact.

Not that Avery is a fan of eye contact. But it is strange to see him in this state. Not his usual, easy confidence.