If Tomorrow Never Comes | On Hold

11

In the days following the very awkward breakfast they shared with Mark, both Avery and Aiden steered clear of each other. Not because it had been awkward. No, her father had become smitten with Aiden the second he laid eyes on the artwork that covered his arms. Mark had even gone as far as asking Aiden to take off his shirt in the kitchen so he could take a closer look at the ink that sat upon the rest of his skin.

Aiden happily complied, much to Avery's dismay. Her cheeks had turned a bright shade of red that her pale skin wouldn't allow her to hide, and her father had made sure to tease her all throughout their breakfast about it. Suffice to say, Avery had been mortified no matter how many times Aiden had deemed it as cute. That damn word had been stuck in her head all week.

Any time they made eye contact Avery was quick to glance the other way and she hated the way that taunting smirk would appear on his lips. They'd still sat at lunch together but didn't engage in conversation unless absolutely necessary. At one point she'd been cornered by both Kelsey and Madison, both of them demanding answers as to why they were acting weird around each other, but all Avery gave them was a shrug.

Now, with the first day of October came Rebecca's annual Fall Bash. Avery insisted on staying home and relaxing with her dad, but even he had told her that she should go and join the party. His excuse was that she wasn't enjoying her life enough and that he wanted her to go have fun.

With her fathers blessing on being a teenager for the night, she begrudgingly got dressed in a tight spaghetti-strap maroon dress that barely reached mid-thigh and black wedges that Madison had leant her. Mark had eyed the outfit suspiciously but said nothing and now Avery found herself standing outside the huge house once again.

"Don't punch her again," Madison scolded as they made their way up the steps. Kelsey snickered behind them, mumbling under her breath. "I'm serious, don't hurt anyone."

She rolled her eyes and pushed open the doors, her two friends following closely behind. Just like the party she'd attended a few weeks before, the music was blasting and the smells were gag worthy. The only difference being the strobe lights that were now blinking in oranges, reds and purples.

They pushed their way into the kitchen, all three grabbing shot glasses and pouring what looked to be an amber liquid into them. None of them had driven, Kelsey had insisted on all of them having a good night. A good night meaning none of them should have been able to drive at the end of it.

"Cheers, bitches!" Kelsey yelled as the shot glasses were raised in the air. With a grimace, Avery brought the rim of the glass to her lips and knocked it back. The warm liquid trickled down her throat and she closed her eyes, pursing her lips on distaste. She slammed the shot glass down on the counter and looked pointedly at Kelsey.

"Fill it again."

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The alcohol was pumping through her veins and warming up from the inside out. Her hips were swaying to the music, arms up in the air as the sounds of the Arctic Monkeys Do I Wanna Know filled the room. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on him, leaning casually up against the wall in a black t-shirt and signature ripped jeans, just watching. Green eyes bore into her, the smirk she hated so much dancing on his lips. She smiled drunkenly, sultrily.

I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week
How many secrets can you keep?
'Cause there's this tune I found
That makes me think of you somehow

She stumbled slightly off the dance floor, reaching a hand out to him. "Dance with me," she wasn't asking. He shook his head with a smile but didn't hesitate to trail his fingers up her open palm and let her drag him back to the middle.