Bad Decisions

Chapter Twenty-Seven

-Avery-

Over the next couple weeks, he made sure to pay more attention to Devin after the discussion he'd had with his coworkers. Every time he glanced over at Devin, he noticed that Devin was already looking at him. He didn't know what that was about, but Marc and Sam had been right. Devin seemed to spend a lot of time watching him. He knew that should make him feel uneasy, but for some reason, he didn't feel any sort of threat.

Devin had continued working hard, but it seemed to be taking a toll on him. He noticed Devin nodding off as they drove out to their worksite each day, and one day after he took a longer lunch break than usual to go for a quick hike near the worksite, he returned to find Devin sleeping in the truck.

Devin was sitting in the passenger seat, but the seat was slightly reclined and his head was resting against the truck window. He studied Devin's face, looking at Devin's dark lashes resting on his cheeks and the smattering of freckles on his nose. Devin looked so innocent and boyish, but he knew better. Despite knowing better, he still couldn't help his feelings for Devin. He decided to let him sleep and gently placed one of his jackets over Devin's torso before quietly returning to work.

An hour later, he heard footsteps approaching and turned around. Devin was standing there, a slightly panicked expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep," he said quickly. "I can do some extra work later to make up for it."

"Don't worry about it. You looked like you needed some rest, so I let you sleep rather than wake you up."

An expression that he couldn't quite read - gratitude, maybe - passed over Devin's face.

"Thanks."

"You've been working hard lately. Don't think that's gone unnoticed."

"Avery -"

"Anyway," he continued, not wanting to get into a conversation with Devin. "Let me show you what we need to finish up today."

As Devin followed, his feelings of guilt for shutting Devin out returned. Devin had been quiet, nice, and cooperative for the past few weeks, so it was hard for him to hold a grudge. Maybe he should try to patch things up with Devin before he left. He knew he'd never see him again, but he'd feel better if he forgave Devin and wished him well.

However, those feelings didn't last long. Right before dinner, Mitch called him into his office.

"I've got some good news," Mitch told him. "The state hired an engineering firm for the culvert replacement project, and they want to come out here so someone can walk them through the current situation. I recommended you, of course, and they also want to hear about your work. I know you don't have your prototypes anymore, but you've still got a lot of good ideas and I'm sure you can get those across in other ways."

He tried to look excited, but his heart sank at Mitch's words. It was bittersweet that he was actually getting a chance to talk with someone involved with the project, let alone someone who wanted to talk with him about his work, when all of his work was gone. The timing was awful. He had nothing to show them, and it felt like a wasted opportunity.

He forced himself to smile. "Thank you, Mitch. I really appreciate you putting the word out about my interest in this project. I'll do my best tomorrow."

"I know you will. Let me know if you need anything."

He nodded and then stepped out to join his coworkers for dinner. Sam must have noticed something in his expression, and she cocked her head to the side. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I should be excited. There's an engineering firm coming tomorrow that's working on the culvert replacement project, and Mitch is having me talk with them and go over everything, including my work."

"That's awesome, Avery!" Amanda said. "I know you want to get involved with that project."

"It's definitely an opportunity," he replied. "I just wish I had my prototypes to show them."

"You'll do great even without them," Sam assured him. "I know it totally sucks that Devin ruined that for you, but don't let it stop you."

His coworkers nodded their agreement, but he couldn't help but feel down about the whole thing. Although he usually didn't get mad, he was mad at Devin for what he had done and the negative impact it was having on him now. He was mad at himself for being so nice to Devin and letting the guy walk all over him. He knew it wasn't a kind thought, but right now, he hoped that Devin was feeling alone and reflecting on everything he'd done wrong.

-Devin-

It had been a long few weeks. He'd worked day and night rebuilding Avery's prototypes. As soon as he and Avery were done with their regular tasks for the day, he'd wait until everyone was at dinner before sneaking off to the shed. He'd spend the rest of the evening working until everyone else had gone to sleep before grabbing some food from the kitchen, taking a shower, and falling into bed. On weekends, he woke up early and spent all day in the shed.

He was exhausted. He managed to keep up his work with Avery, but he could tell Avery noticed something was going on. Hopefully Avery didn't have any clue what he was doing. Mitch had promised not to say anything, and he seemed to have kept his word. 

Mitch had also promised to let Avery know that an engineering firm was coming to talk with him, but not reveal that the firm was owned by Devin's dad. Devin knew enough about Avery at this point to know that he wouldn't want any favors and would want his work to stand on its own, so he was going to let Avery think that Mitch had finally managed to set up an opportunity for him. Then, when his dad showed up, he was going to surprise Avery with the rebuilt prototypes.

He'd never worked so hard in his life, but it was all worth it. The prototypes were not only rebuilt, but what Avery hadn't had done before was finished now. Tomorrow his dad and a few other employees of the firm were going to be here to assess his work. Avery's work. He hoped that he had done enough and that everything was correct. He wanted his dad to be impressed by what Avery had come up with and offer Avery a spot on the team for the project.

Avery was the one who deserved the opportunities that he'd been given. Avery had spent his spare time and what little money he had to better the environment and try to get noticed. He'd worked hard and made the best of his situation and the education he'd been able to afford. Avery certainly wouldn't have screwed around and been lazy if he'd been given a great education and handed a job right out of college.

Avery deserved more, and Devin hoped he could give that to him. He had started this process with the hope that Avery would forgive him if he made everything right, but now that he was nearing the end, he realized he just wanted to make Avery happy. If Avery didn't forgive him, he'd have to accept that. It was important to him to fix things and give Avery a shot at his dream job. As much as he wanted a good outcome for the two of them, he was doing this for Avery, not for himself. His own feelings no longer mattered. He simply wanted the best for Avery.