A Pocketful of Elavan

Flannels and Pajamas

Standing in front of the mirror for what felt like the millionth time that evening, Avan looks at himself in a ridiculous green dinosaur onesie. He would have never worn something this silly in public but his Victorious friends decided to have an intimate sleepover at Ariana's place so he had to wear it. It wasn't as if he hated the piece of clothing, it just wasn't something he was used to.

He spritzes his cologne on his pulse points before breathing in deeply. Avan had to remind himself that he was only seeing his friends so it didn't have to be a big deal. But the thing is that for him, it is a big deal. For the first time in years, he was going to see Liz again and he would have to talk to her.

It's been years since they broke up and they've stopped talking since. Their breakup wasn't due to anything too dramatic. They were young and naive; and they had their growing up to do. That didn't, however, mean that it didn't hurt. Liz was Avan's first love despite the fact that he's had girlfriends before her.

"You'll be fine," he tells himself, looking into the mirror. "It's just your friends...and your gorgeous, amazing ex, but yeah, just friends."

He grabs his keys from the copper bowl and slung his backpack over his shoulder. As he drove to Ariana's house, Avan could feel his heart race erratically in his chest. By the time he was at her doorstep, his heart was vibrating and he felt like throwing up in his mouth.

"Avan!" Daniella squeals as she swings the door open, flinging her arms around him almost in a matronly manner.

"Hi," he squeezed her back before kicking the door closed, being pushed into the house of young adults in silly onesies.

"Pretty boy's here," Matt announces Avan's presence as the long-haired man waves awkwardly.

Matt was on a beanbag and Leon on the couch. Ariana came shrieking from her kitchen and jumped to hug the much taller man.

"Finally!"

"It's been so long," he chuckles as the small woman breaks away from the hug.

His eyes sweep around the room in search for the blue eyes that he simultaneously couldn't wait to see but didn't want to meet directly. Avan at the moment is a living paradox, wanting one thing and its negation.

A loud groan comes from Matt as the beanbag made a soft shifting noise. He looks at his curly-haired friend being crushed by the weight of a familiar head of raven hair. She was a fit of giggles as Matt tried to get her off of him but she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Liz, I can't breathe," Matt hyperbolically gasps for air.

"I'm not that heavy," she rolls her azure eyes as she got off of him.

Liz's giggles were abruptly cut off as she straightened up and saw Avan standing there, looking right at her as if she were the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. His warm, brown eyes were glued to her and his mouth slightly agape. He had a growing goatee that oddly looked so attractive, and his hair was even longer which was kept into a man bun behind his head.

"Hi," she waves at him, feeling a thousand eyes burning holes into her.

"Hey," he smiles a little too widely.

"Guys, let's make cocktails!" Daniella breaks the awkward tension, raising a few martini glasses up in the arm.

A few cocktails later and the whole group was starting to feel a little woozy. None of them drank enough to be drunk but the alcohol in their bodies was bringing out the inner children in each one of them.

As usual, Matt, Ariana and Liz were inseparable. That made Avan feel a certain type of way. He didn't want to say he was jealous because he didn't really have the right to be jealous anymore; he lost that right when he agreed to break up with her years ago. What he did feel was envy. He used to be the person that Liz was attached to by the hip. Now, even if they were in the same room, it felt like they were lightyears away from each other.