This is For You (Vavan Story)

Chapter Ten

===== CHAPTER 10 =====

“So, are we ready to go?” Avan smiled as he watched Victoria leave the dressing room. She nodded her head, feeling excited about her new dress. Avan watched Victoria looking at the strapless, satin dress with simple black piping by the zipper on the back once again. He always enjoyed watching the faces she made when she was thinking about something. “Hah, stop that,” he couldn’t help saying when  he threw his arm around her shoulder to give her an awkward but loving side-hug.

She made a face and stuck her tongue out.

“Don’t you tell me what to do! This is free country!” She mocked him. He laughed at her silliness and pointed towards the register in the boutique. 

The two left the fitting area to approach the register when something caught Victoria’s eye. Avan walked closely behind her and peered over her shoulder to see what it was exactly that she liked. She pulled a hanger off the rack and on it was a grey slim cut button up shirt. For men. 

“Can you just like, pose for a second?” Victoria asked sweetly, holding the shirt in front of Avan’s chest. She tried to imagine if it’d fit well enough for him.

Hmm, would he think it was too much if I got it for him? I didn’t show up to his birthday this year after-all. I could just say it’s a belated birthday present. Peeeeeeeeeeeeerfect! She thought to herself, becoming nothing but smiles.

“Grabbing a present for that guy you like?” Avan teased, standing as still as a mannequin. Victoria looked up nervously at him and tried to shove the shirt back onto the rack.

“W-w-wwhat? No! I was just thinking, ‘Oh, I didn’t get to go to Avan’s birthday this year. I should get him a belated birthday present since he always gets me something for my birthday.’ Then, here you are thinking I would shop for that g-guy I like? He doesn’t even like me back; I should forget like, yeah! Forget all about him. Just thinking of getting that for you, but what was I thinking? You already have tons of shirts that look like it,” she tried to stay calm, though she couldn’t get the shirt back into it’s place. All the babbling was pretty entertaining from Avan’s side of the store.

He pulled the shirt off the rack again, “Relax, I was just kidding.”

———

Leon, Matt and Daniella were sitting together again but this time in Mikey’s dressing room. “You guys, I thought when you said ‘hang out for a bit’ we were actually gonna go out,” Mikey said confused as to how his dressing room became a chatty cafe scenery— without the cafe props.

“I’m sorry, Mikey. Leon just said this was important,” Daniella apologized. She turned back to Leon and Matt, “So, what did Liz say?”

“Well, she got mad at me for asking. But you know how Liz is: She’s all straight-up, I don’t beat around the bush,” he was trying to explain.

“She’s also very ‘I don’t gossip’, remember? She isn’t into that shit and she don’t float that boat,” Matt reminded Daniella. Dani frowned in her seat. “Why does it matter anyway how they are? They always make up when they fight— if they ever fight.”

Mikey was tiding up his space, trying to tune out the gossip but he overheard.

“Are you guys talking about Victoria and Avan?” he asked and regretted the moment he did.

“Do you know something about them that we don’t know?” Leon asked.

“Well, why are you guys asking if they’re ‘okay’…?” Mikey was becoming very skeptical of the group. Though he didn’t think they were starting any trouble intentionally, he just didn’t want to be the one who started it.