Page 34 of Substitute for Love

He grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the kitchen table and headed out the door.

Avery lived a ways away, past the library, past his ex’s work, past the high school. He pulled up to her house, a one-story in atypical stucco desert neighborhood, and walked up to the door, bouquet in hand.

She opened the door, her hair swooshing around her face, her green dress showing off her figure in a way school outfits couldn’t. It was one thing flirting with her at school, but now this was more serious. More potential for something more, which got his heart pumping.Calm down, Gabe. Go slow. Don’t get too invested too fast.

But seeing her, those thoughts were hard to hold onto. He ran his hand through his hair, admiring the lines of her legs, the curve of her hips, and the brightness of her eyes.

“Wow. You look great,” Gabe said.

She blushed and tried to hide a smile. “How are you wearing the same color as me? I knew it. You are a stalker.”

They laughed.

“The internet told me it goes with purple.” Gabe held out the flowers. “Here, these are for you.”

Avery’s eyes grew wide. “Wait. Did you…” She turned the bouquet around, inspecting it from all angles. “Did you get every single purple flower the florist had?”

Gabe stuck his hands in his pocket and shrugged. Of course Avery would notice. The fact that not only noticed, but said something made him warm all over. Avery was just… sweet. “You didn’t say what kind of purple flower you liked best, so I figure this way you’d be covered.”

She hopped out of the house and onto the front porch and wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

They lingered in the hug, holding her close sending off fireworks in his brain. Like he wanted to protect her and embrace her all at the same time.

She let go and backed away. “Uh, give me a minute. I’ll go put these in water.”

After she disappeared into the house, a voice came from inside.

“Hey, come on in.”

He stepped inside to see an older woman on a recliner with her foot elevated and in a boot. She waved him to come closer.

“Are you Gabe?”

He nodded. “You must be Avery’s mom. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, I’m Patricia.” She smiled. “No wonder Avery blushes when she talks about you. You’re handsome.”

Gabe smiled, face flushing that Avery had apparently talked about him with her mom. “Well, thank you.”

“What’s that, Mom?” Avery called from the kitchen then appeared in the living room.

“We were just talking about you,” her mom said, winking at Gabe.

Avery exchanged suspicious glances with both of them. She held a purple flower in one hand and a long pin in another.

“Come here,” she said to Gabe. He stepped forward, his back to her mom. She looked up at him as she leaned in. “I promise not to poke you.” She pulled at his collar, the closeness prickling his skin. Could she feel his heart racing?

She pinned the flower on his shirt, then patted his chest. “You look pretty good, Mr. Manwaring.”

If Avery’s mom hadn’t been there he would have seriously leaned in for a kiss. To heck with him overdoing it, it was the perfect moment. He looked at her lips.

Her eyes lifted slowly to meet his.

“I need a picture!” her mom said.

Their trance broke and Gabe suddenly felt awkward. It was one thing to fantasize about a relationship with Avery in his head, but a picture was more concrete and noticeable by others. His body stiffened.

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