Hallways

6: Always

*This is quite a short chapter, sorry for the long and not-so-rewarding wait*

"So are you ready for this week?" Avi asked me as he walked towards me from the stage. I nodded with a smile placed happily on my lips. His smile matched mine before a frown suddenly appeared, I followed his eyes to see the blonde intern locking lips with one of the other counselors. My eyes shot back to Avi, who I quickly sent a small smile. He just shrugged his shoulder and began walking with me towards the doors.

"So where are your bags?" He asked, trying to avoid my glance. I gestured towards my car and he nodded, walking with me to it.

"Avi, you don't have to help me." I claimed as he pulled my suitcase and duffle bag from the trunk. He chuckled deeply before gesturing for me to shut the trunk, which I did with an aggravated look smudged across my face. A soft smirk pulled at the edges of my lips like a puppet's string. I looked up at the tall man beside me, catching his eye as we walked. Conversation never came to us, we stayed in serene silence as we walked, no words needing to be said as the comfortable air settled among us.

As we came to the dormitory I would be staying in for the next three weeks, Avi began to speak in a quiet tone.

"I'm sorry about earlier." My eyebrows furrowed as the word 'sorry' feel from his lips. As he spoke, the wrinkles lined in my forehead eased. He had no reason to be sorry, we had no title. In my mind he was more than just a man, but who knew what was going on in that curly head of his.

"What are you sorry for? We haven't even been talking for three weeks and you expect me to be upset about you fawning over another girl? I'm not a teenager anymore Avi, I can handle these kind of things with sense rather than sensibility." His feet stopped himself as I spoke, my body turning to face him. His green eyes darted across my face, searching for any source where lies could spring from. He found none.

"I just...I really like you Kelli, I really do. I've just known her longer, and I've been really confused about my feelings lately. I know I'm 27 and I should have life figured out by now and the fact that I don't kills me that-"

My hand found it's way to his arm, making his words halt their venture. He looked at me now, green on brown, like the first time we met. Like the time we had spoken in a convention ball room. My heart pounded at this, but my eyes numbed to the thumping that came from within my chest.

I melted at the sight.

"I really like you too, Avi.", a smile pulled at the corners of his stressed frown, "And you don't have to have everything figured out. We're musicians. It's impossible for us to understand anything outside of sight reading and chord tones." His smile widened and so did my own when a laugh erupted from his pink lips. The natural sparkle came back to his emerald iris'.

"Thank you."

"I'm always here, Avi."

My face softened with my sincere words.

"Always?"

His question rang through my ear drums like a tight three part harmony.

"Always."