Second Chances

Chapter 36

It was the night after my confrontation with Wyatt, and I was in just my underwear, elbows deep in my wardrobe rummaging for an outfit to wear for my night out with Sam tonight. He hadn't given me any hints as to where he was taking me, just that the dress code was casual. It was hard to decide on an outfit when I had no clue where I was going. Knowing my luck, I'd rock up either over-dressed or under-dressed. I had spent an embarrassing amount of time in here and I was running out of time. I sped up my search and once I had found an outfit I was happy with, I laid them out on my bed and inspected the items. With a pleased smile, I turned and headed to the bathroom.

As soon as I saw the steam begin to fog up the glass doors, I hopped into the shower and stood underneath the everlasting waterfall. The water was soothing as it drummed on the top of my head, trickling down in streams down my body. It didn't matter to me that it was the summer. The water had to resemble the temperature of the fiery pits of hell, or else I was unable to enjoy it. If it didn't feel like my skin was melting off my body, then it wasn't hot enough.

I found that being in the shower was a good place for me to think and collect my thoughts, and so as I scrubbed and washed the days impurities from my body, my mind wandered to what tonight would bring. I was so excited to be letting my hair down and briefly forgetting about the events of the last couple of weeks.

I hadn't forgotten my dilemma with Leon, and while we had spoken the day after all was revealed and he had given the space I asked for, I was still confused. I knew beyond all reasonable doubt that I loved him. But what I was on the fence about was if I could let sleeping dogs lie and forgive him for the past, because there was no way I would be able to just forget about it. It didn't help that I was seeing him a lot more, now that I was going out of the house again. We were always bumping into each other and although we would only exchange greetings, just hearing his melodic voice and seeing his gorgeous face pulled at my heart. We had an unmistakable connection and as much as I tried to fight it, it was hard to when I was so close to him physically.

I shook my head and returned my thoughts to tonight. I was a little sad that Fi wasn't joining us tonight. We hadn't been out together since the Ball and it felt like she really needed an outlet to let whatever was going on with her out. She had promised me she would make it up to me though, so I suppose I can't be too sad about it. I'll just make sure to send her pictures and videos of me having a good time.

I was increasingly growing worried about Fi. It wasn't that she was miserable and moody all the time, it was just that she seemed down more times than not. She hadn't been training with me much, saying she just wasn't feeling up to it or had the energy to. I wondered if maybe she was working too hard at Leon's office. She was known to over work herself, which was ironic since she was the one beating it into me how important it was to take it easy. I didn't like to keep asking her how she was or if there was anything going on, because it would only piss her off, and a pissed off Fi was not a beast I was willing to tame. She appreciated that I was worried about her and that I was looking out for her, but she had told me a number of times there was nothing to worry about, so I just had to take her word for it.

My skin was starting to feel numb, and I was starting to look like a lobster. I turned the shower off, already missing the stimulating sensation of water beating down on me and stepped out. With a towel wrapped around me, I walked to the sink and began brushing my teeth.

With the basics done, I got to work on myself. I sat down at my dressing table and looked in the mirror. I had found myself looking in the mirror at myself a lot lately. Normally I only looked in the mirror to do my makeup or to make sure I looked decent. But these days, I'd get lost in my own eyes and my thoughts whirled freely in my head. These last few weeks had been a blessing in disguise for me. I had become stronger than I ever thought possible. I'd had the courage and bravery to stand up for myself to three people who had hurt me the most, and even told my mum off for the first time. While I was feeling bad about the way I'd left things with my mum, I was feeling proud of the outspoken person I had become. If Wyatt had been right about one thing, it was that takes-no-shit Ava was a brilliant upgrade to basic-bitch Ava. I was liking the person I was growing into.