Page 220 of Heartache Duet

He laughs under his breath, shaking his head, and pulls the plate away from me. “Go.”

“No, Dad,” I rush out, bringing the plate back. “She can wait.”

“But you can’t. Can you, Connor?”

I shrug, my heart filling with hope at the thought of seeing her again.

Dad stands, takes my plate with him. “Go, Connor!” he laughs out.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

I don’t ask again. Instead, I grab my phone, already texting her when I close the front door.

Connor: I’m coming over now.

Ava opens the door the second I step foot onto her porch, and she’s so much more than I remember. Four days. It’s only been four days, but it felt like a lifetime, and going by the way her cheeks lift with the force of her smile, the way she pushes me back a step so she can close the door behind her, and the way she jumps into my arms, her mouth going to mine, she felt everything I felt. I tighten my hold on her thighs while her legs go around me, her hands on the side of my face as she tilts her head, her tongue meeting mine, and this. This is exactly what I needed to forget everything else.

I just needed her.

She breaks our kiss, her eyes holding more emotion than her words. “I hated every second you were gone, you creep. Don’t do that again.”

“Me too.”

“Never again.”

I sigh, lean against her porch railing and put her back on her feet. “How are we going to do that?”

She slaps my chest. “I don’t know, Connor! Shrink me and put me in your pocket. Duh!”

I bite back a smile. “What about your mom?”

“Shrink her, too.”

Before I can respond, her front door opens, just a tad, and Miss D whispers, “MVP! MVP! MVP!”

Ava laughs. “She’s been waiting for you.”

Taking Ava’s hand, I lead her into her own house and stand in front of Miss D, my smile matching hers. I hadn’t realized I’d missed her, too, while I was gone, but here I am… glad to be back in the presence of two of the most important girls in my life. “Are you sick of people telling you how proud they are of you?” she asks.

I shrug. “I could always do with one more.”

“Oh, Connor, six-six, I’m so proud of you!” She steps forward, taking me in her embrace, and my arms go around her. One second. Two. And I don’t let go when she starts to pull away. I think of the hug my own mother gave me. How it was physically painful to even think about holding her like this. How I couldn’t even lift my arms when it was offered…

I look over Miss D’s head to see Trevor watching us, a frown tugging on his lips. When he notices me watching, he stands taller, plasters on a fake smile. “You did good, man.”

I finally release Miss D, but speak to him, “Thanks.” If he’s genuinely salty about Miss D’s affection toward me, then I’ll have to talk to him about it. I turn to Ava; she’s looking at her mom the same way Trevor was.

“I’m going to go to bed now,” Miss D announces.

“I’ll get all your stuff ready,” Ava says, her voice barely a whisper. She pats my arm as she passes. “I’ll meet you in my room?”

I glance at Trevor, but he’s looking down at his feet. I say, “Yeah, sure.”

Something’s different, off; I can feel it in my bones, or maybe it’s all in my head because nothing’s been clear for days now.

I get in Ava’s room, leave the door ajar, and sit on the edge of the bed, my phone burning a hole in my pocket. I take it out, put it on her nightstand. I’d sent my mother a text. Just one. Telling her I needed time. I haven’t heard from her since.

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