See You on the Other Side | ✓

26 | Like A Child

"'Cause she said, "When do you think we'll stop feeling like children? 'Cause the last time I asked my mom she said she still did" - Local Natives, Garden of Elysian

~~~

As I turned the knob, Avery continued to giggle. I continued to question how long I could keep her up.

"I'm gonna drop you," I joked.

"I wish you would."

When I got to the couch in her living room, I dropped her. With all that extra weight and the need for caution gone, I began to notice the interior of her house. Picture frames, trophies, and bibles decorated the room. There must've been at least seven bibles in that room.

"Sorry that everything is a mess. Wasn't really expecting company," Avery voiced, sitting up.

I shrugged it off. "It's not messy. This is cleaner than my place."

If my grandma was there, she would've smacked me. Why was I acting like my grandma didn't spend her days tidying up?

"Well, it seems like something has caught your attention. I was just assuming it was the dust," she elaborated.

"You've got a lot of bibles."

"I don't really like to admit this, but my mom is a pastor."

"Why don't you like to say it?"

"People expect me to be just like her. Plus, when I talk about my mom and how she's not the greatest mom, no one believes me," she huffed.

"I still believe in what you said."

She flashed a grin. "Thanks, Adrian. I just wish people would understand that a woman of God is still a woman."

"Yeah, humans are still humans no matter the profession."

"You're preaching to the choir."

For some reason, that basic adage made me laugh. A lot. But then I started to think about her mom coming home. That's when the jokes halted.

"I should be getting back. Don't want to ruin your free Friday," I stated nonchalantly, attempting to hide the fear I had.

"Stay, please," she pleaded. She didn't even get up from her seat on the couch. All she did was reach out and grab my wrist.

Why not stay a little?, I thought.

"What about your parents?" I mentioned, bringing the obvious into the forefront.

"They'll be home in an hour. When they come back home early, they usually call me."

"What if they don't call you?" I questioned, letting my realism supersede my romanticism.

She left her place on the couch. "They're not going to come back early. All I'm asking for is one episode of The Office."

"Okay, but it has to be from season 3. That's the best one."

"Your wish is my command." She left the room and began to walk upstairs. Foolishly, I walked to the end of the staircase, waiting for her to ask me to come up.

She motioned for me to come to her and my hesitation evaporated. As we walked to her room, whatever went away, returned in that brief moment. I had no reason to be nervous, except I was alone with a girl that I liked.

We sat on her queen bed, being careful not to sit on the TV remote. She picked it up and went to Netflix.

"Is the episode with sumo Jim alright with you? That's probably my favorite one out of the rest of the season," she commented.

"Yeah, it's cool."

She put it on and we got to the part where they were on their way to the beach. Avery laughed at every that's-what-she-said joke and so did I. At some point, her right hand rested on my left.

"Can I tell you something?" She questioned.

I braced for the impending words. "Yeah."

"I feel like a child when I'm with you. I don't mean it in a bad way, don't worry," she chuckled to buttress her statement. "It's just I feel like I can be whoever I am without judgment. I can breathe a little freer."

"I don't really know what that feels like."

"To feel like you're five again?"

"I don't remember a lot of it. I don't remember a lot of anything."

She pursed her lips. "Aw. I guess you remember what you don't want to and you forget the good times."

"Yeah, maybe."

Okay, I officially killed the mood. She said something romantic and I responded with something melancholy. I was honest though.

I didn't remember much.

Why couldn't I have lied? Why couldn't I attempt to try and find the joy she was referring to? Why couldn't I just have a normal childhood?

"That's not necessarily a bad thing though," she mentioned, cutting the silence. "Sometimes the happiest moments can make the saddest memories."

"I don't even know how to have happy moments."

"No one knows how to have happy moments. They just come when they come."

"I know. A lot of times, those happy moments come from you," I revealed. Saying my feelings about her presence left me vulnerable.

"Me? I'm nothing special."

"Are you kidding me? You're beautiful, kind, talented, and most importantly, you don't really get mad when someone vomits on you."

She laughed. "I only make that exception for you."

By the time I'd finished listing the qualities I admired about her, I noticed the space between us had diminished. I was looking at her and she was looking up at me with her brown eyes.

In a quick motion, she grabbed my face and our lips touched. Avery's hand found my hair as my arms wrapped around her person.

We fell back and lay flat, kissing like we hadn't seen each other in ages. I didn't feel comfortable going further since we weren't even a couple officially.

In between kisses, I heard Avery asking if I wanted to make this official. To verify, I parted from her and sat upright.

"You wanna be in a relationship?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's what official means."

In the seconds that it took me to respond, I could tell her heart was racing. Of course, I knew the answer to her question. It wasn't even much of a thought.

"Yeah, let's make it official," I grinned.

My thumb ran across her bottom lip, feeling the texture that matched her soft-spoken voice. "And by the way, my last name is Brennan."

"Adrien Brennan," she whispered.

The last fifteen minutes contained one of the moments I wanted to preserve. Forever.