SUGAR (bxb)

13. Three Options (Casey)

   We sit at the table closest to the water. The waves are almost touching our feet. The cries of the seagulls are lingering above us. The smell of algae is mixed with the delicious scent of freshly cooked food. The sun is bright and the air is filled with summer haze.

   It's so perfect.

   I haven't been to the beach in weeks. My skin is too pale and burns easily, so I avoid sunbathing. I'm not a very good swimmer either and usually decline Lilly and the girls' offers to go with them on their full day adventures at the sea shore.

   But this is different.

   We're hidden under the shadow of the canopy. I can't be more contented to relax among these pleasant surroundings after the action from this morning that would make even Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' look like an amateur.

   The waitress comes with the menus and we start reading the list of dishes.

   I choose a salad and some fried fish. Ave orders sandwiches. We start eating in comfortable silence. Mozart is sleeping peacefully under the table, snorting occasionally.

   "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Avery suddenly asks.

   I peek at him in surprise. Does he intend to see me also tomorrow, after spending almost twenty-four hours with me?

   "No, not really," I answer, trying to sound as casual as possible while my heart is making crazy somersaults in my chest. 

   "We usually hang out with the girls on Sundays, but I really don't feel like being dragged through the shopping mall this week," I add.

   "Great!" Ave beams. "Would you care to spend the day with me then?"

   "Really?" This time I can't manage to sound indifferent. My voice goes to a high-peached screech and I quickly shut my mouth, before totally embarrassing myself.

   Avery smirks at my enthusiasm.

   "If it depended on me, I wouldn't let you go home at all," he mutters, focusing his green eyes on my mouth. "You'd live in my house... naked."

   I choke on a piece of cucumber and immediately pour a glass of water down my throat.

   Does he really want me so much? It's unreal. What made him fall for me so hard? 

   I'm just an ordinary boy, not a very sexy one too. I definitely have nothing in common with the haughty people he usually hangs out with. Take the couple we just met for example. They could easily be on a cover of a magazine. I'm pretty sure, actually, that I've seen the gothic guy on one, related to rock music.

   Maybe, I look kind of exotic to Ave. He's probably fed up with hotness around him and needs some diversity, a shy nerd for a break.

   He'll get enough of me soon, no doubt about it. So, I quickly remind myself not to put too much into this.

   We eat, drink icy, homemade, strawberry lemonade and chat for hours and it's the best time in my life.

   When we finally decide to head home, dear Mozart comes up with the next outrageous stunt for our entertainment.

   He's curled in a ball under the table and firmly refuses to go. Avery is pulling on his leash with a scowl on his face while I'm pushing from the back side. There's no way, though, to move a hundred and fifty pounds of a dog if he's not willing to.

   "I'm leaving you here," Avery grunts, glaring daggers at Mozart who only slightly wags his tale at this harsh threat, totally unfazed.

   "Come on, babe, let's go," Ave mutters, throwing spitefully the leash on the sand.

   I watch wide-eyed the sly dog, jumping up the second he sees his master is not holding his leash anymore and darting to the water.

"Nooo," Ave screams, running after him. "Stop you, slicker!"

   Before we can do something, Mozart is already soaking wet. He dashes towards us with his tongue, hanging out of his mouth, waving like a flag in the wind.

   "No, no, no, no," Ave shouts but the next second we're a wet, screaming, laughing pile of bodies, rolling in the sand. Mozart is on top, licking enthusiastically our faces.

   We somehow manage to get to the house with the dog relatively obedient on the way back.

   When we enter, we find it spotlessly clean. There are no traces left from the wild party, except the lack of curtains. I guess, the residential cleaning service does not provide new curtains when your old ones are burned.

   We're standing in the middle of the shining, tile floor and I realize what a pitiful sight we both are. 

   Our clothes hang lose, tattered and dirty and, I'm sure, no washing can fix the damages. We're wet, all covered in sand, stalks of grass peaking here and there and hair that would terrify any hairdresser who happens to see by accident its horrid state.

   And yet, I've never felt so good in my entire life.

   I'm tired, itching in my shoes and pants which are overflowing with sand, but grinning from ear to ear.

   "Ok, we have three options for the bathroom," Avery states, counting on his fingers, "one - you go alone and I bathe with Mozart; two - you go with Mozart and I go alone, which I don't recommend cause I like you and you've definitely had enough for today; and three - we go together and I don't care about this nasty fur ball."

   I start laughing. 

   It's obvious that it'll be option one. Two is out of question. But three is sooo tempting.

   I firmly state, despite the true nature of my desires, "We go for option one," earning a snort from Avery.

   "Damn! I knew it," he sighs dramatically, but with a wide smile. "I was still hoping, though."

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A/N

Hello everyone who made it to Chapter 13.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting! ❤

Isn't dear, sweet Mozart a real tornado? 😂

I have one at home, so believe me, I know what it is.

Do you think Casey is right to suspect Avery of not being serious about them? 🤨

Share your thoughts, be free to express yourself and criticize.

And don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the story.

See you in the next chapter.

Love: Anny