Wrong Quarterback | ✓

17 | the non-sleep sleepover

          Avery peers her head out the ajar backdoor and glances over at her mother where she's sat reading a book, cardigan draped over her shoulders, at the rickety table in their back garden.

"Hey," She says. "I'm making tea. Do you want some?"

Sarah looks up, finger placed on the page of her book – T.H Publishing's current book club read as her lips curl into a small smile. "No, I'm good," She folds the book close over her finger. "Are you two having a nice time?"

Avery can't help the way her own lips pull into a grin. Her smile is never far away these days, always lingering in the corners of her mouth. It softens slightly as she rolls her lips together, sensing the same happening to her eyes, the skin around them creasing as she says, "He's doing the dishes."

"That's nice," Sarah slides her chair back and gets to her feet, gathering up her things – a magazine, the crossword section of a newspaper which is still undone, a pencil, a pack of bubblegum and last, but not least, the book – where they're sprawled over the table. She holds the stack to her chest as she walks barefoot across the grass, climbing up the two-step wooden stairs as she asks, "Is he staying over?"

Avery's mouth falls open, brows knitting together as she takes a step back to let her mother inside the house. 

"Staying over?" She sputters before lowering her voice, afraid her voice will carry through the wall into the kitchen. "As in here? I hadn't... I don't know. Can he?"

A soft laugh escapes Sarah's lips as she pulls the door close behind her with determined force, making sure it's properly locked. 

"He's doing the dishes," She says, readjusting her grip on the stack of things in her embrace. "He can stay however long he wants."

Avery shifts on her feet, casting her eyes to her hands as she picks at the strip of nail polish on her thumb. "I don't know."

"It's okay by me if you want to ask him. Granted Anna's fine with it, of course."

"I... yeah. Maybe."

Sarah's smile stays in place, nose scrunching up as she cups Avery's chin in her palm and places a kiss on her forehead. "I've had a long day so I'll be reading this is bed. Don't stay up too long."

The corners of Avery's lips pull into a smile for a short second before falling back into a line, drawing some air in through her nose as her mother's previous words begin to properly set in her mind. "Good night."

"Night, honey."

            Avery lingers in the living room a moment longer, walking over to the chest-high bookshelves running along one of the walls and grabs her phone from where it lies next to a stack of coffee table books on home interior. She ignores the clammy feeling to her palms as well as how aware she is of her every breath – every sensation suddenly seeming heightened but she tries to push it all to the back of her mind as she distracts herself with opening up her 'messages' tab. 

She opens up her group chat with her friends, typing a few replies to the conversation that has been in full swing earlier this evening before moving on to the group chat she's in with Callie and Lea, scrolling through the ongoing conversation communicated entirely through GIFs, shooting out a few of her own before setting the phone back down onto the top of the bookcase. Running her hands down her skirt once, she presses her lips together and draws air in through her nose.

♡♡♡

Ethan turns his head her way as she walks through the doorway of the kitchen and her lips twist into the faintest smile.