benevolent. ❀ lrh

Chapter Five.

Before she could even realize, Avery's first week flew by.

And quite honestly, it was one of the best weeks she's had in a long time.

Getting to know the students that Luke adores with all of his heart has been an amazing experience for Avery. The realization of how truly lucky she had been and the pure satisfaction of finding a job she truly enjoys seemingly hits her all at once.

As Luke was in the midst of collecting the littles' drawings, depictions of things they liked to do in their free time, Avery steps into the classroom with a few pizza boxes in her hands.

True to Luke's words the previous week, he called up the guardians of his toddlers, requesting permission to order a couple of pizzas to reward their good behavior. Nothing fancy, just pepperoni and cheese but he knew they'd be overjoyed regardless. What four year old doesn't like pizza?

The littles watch Avery in awe as she brings the boxes to Luke's desk, placing down a small stack of paper plates and many napkins, as she was quite positive someone's pizza would end up all over a desk, maybe even the floor.

"Thank you again," Luke says softly as he approaches her, placing a light, yet innocent hand on her shoulder. Goosebumps riddle Avery's skin where his hand settles, clearing her throat before glancing up at the teacher beside her. "It wasn't too expensive, was it? Here, I can give you some cash–"

"No, it's–it's fine," She insists, though her voice is gentle and laced with hesitancy. Luke stills, hand already halfway wedged into the back pocket of his slacks in search of his wallet. "It's on me."

"You sure?" Luke cocks his head, a single brow raised but relents when Avery nods. "Alright, then. Thanks, I owe you one."

A soft smile spreads across Avery's lips, turning away to prepare plates for the littles on the empty work table behind Luke's desk. Per her request, the local pizza joint down the street had cut the pie into much thinner slices.

"Wait," Luke pipes up behind her once more, nearly close enough that she can feel the teacher's body heat radiating against her back, warm breath fanning the side of her face. "Why's there two?"

Avery turns her head, noticing Luke's a bit closer than she'd thought. "Figured you'd be hungry too. I wasn't sure what you liked, so," She opens the second box, slowly, turning away from him. "I just got what I like on one half and kept the other half pretty basic."

Luke's eyes fall on the split pizza, bits of ham and pineapple scattered amongst one half, plain pepperoni and cheese on the other. His brow remains raised, not taking notice of their rather close proximity. If he were to lean forward a mere two inches, his chest would be flush with Avery's back.

"You think I'm basic, hm?"

If Avery's cheeks weren't already red, they surely were now. Her words catch in her throat, stuttering through a pathetic attempt at a formable sentence. When Luke releases a low chuckle, she relaxes slightly. "M'just teasing," He tells her, stepping back. "I didn't take you for the ham and pineapple type."

Attempting to distract herself from the.. whatever that was with Luke, Avery resumes filling plates with small slices of pizza until the table's nearly filled with them. "It's my favorite," She says, turning to Luke with two plates in her hands. "We should probably start passing these out. I think Jackon is actually drooling right now."

-

A few episodes of Paw Patrol later, everyone's practically stuffed to the brim. A few of the four year olds rub at their sleepy eyes, while yawns and small grunts of agony leave Luke and Avery's lips. Maybe it hadn't been a wise decision for the two of them to finish off the remaining slices of the littles' pizza after their own.