Chapter 5: 2 | you, again

Rivalries exist everywhere, and the town of Acebridge is no exception.

Traditions are to be nurtured and in Acebridge that comes across in the decades-spun generations-long rivalry between Ace East-and Acebridge West High School.

Which is only the beginning of why Avery's lips pull into a scowl the second her eyes set on Ethan Taylor sauntering into the offices of T.H Publishing on the Tuesday of her second week at her internship. He's got a four-cup holder in one of his hands, a brown paper bag in the other.

What is he doing here? Running into him once is one thing. But twice? In a week? Just her luck.

Sinking further down into her chair, she wills herself to become invisible considering he has yet to see her. How dare he infiltrate the space that's supposed to be hers this summer? She's in dreamland. And he's ruining it by his mere presence.

Refocusing on the manuscript on the desk in front of her, pencil resting between her fingers as she turns the page, she hopes the screen of the computer is enough to conceal her. She'd rather not interact with Ethan Taylor today. Or any day.

Her head snaps back up as he calls out an echoing, "Mom?"

Anna comes round the corner from one of the two conference rooms a second later, hands adjusting the collar of her oversized white shirt before she pulls her dark hair up into a simple ponytail.

"Great you're here!"

In horror, Avery watches the interaction between the two as the woman swiftly walks down the hall and crosses the offices to where Ethan's stood by the small kitchenette, the cup holder and bag now placed on the counter. The wheels turn in her head – Anna had asked for her Beans & Bagels order just twenty minutes prior, saying her son would pick it up for them.

She hadn't thought much of it – figuring something in the likes of a preteen would appear in the offices with their food sooner or later but now she slaps a hand to her forehead, the realization dawning on her.

Ethan Taylor, yuck, is Anna Harrison's son. Her boss's son. What are the fucking odds?

"I'm not your errand boy, you know," Ethan says, heaving himself up in a seat on the counter as he adjust the collar of his t-shirt. He grabs one of the cups and brings it to his lips. "Can't you have your intern do the coffee runs?"

"My intern is far too busy with actual work," Anna retorts, clicking her tongue with a waggle of her finger and as she mentions the girl she seems to recall Avery's presence, whirling on her sneaker clad feet to look her way. "Avery?"

Peering over the computer screen, Avery hopes the look on her face mirrors one of displacement – as if having been so engrossed in the manuscript that she hasn't even noticed the conversation taking place across the room.

"Huh?" She says, pretending not to see how Ethan's eyes flicker towards her.

Anna smiles, pointing to the beverages and paper bag. "Come eat."

"Oh. Hey Waters." Ethan says, as if he didn't just see her when turning his head over his shoulder, when she gets to her feet and steps away from her desk, smoothing out the fabric of her linen skirt.

Rather reluctantly she walks towards the kitchenette and it's dark-green cupboards. "Hello Taylor."

"Fancy seeing you here."

Anna perks up, clapping her hands together. "You know one another? Great!" A flash of panic crosses her face then. "Oh god I forgot about Linda!" She rips the paper bag open, taking two paper wrapped bagels out and then grabs two cups, balancing the bagels upon them as she swiftly makes her way back towards the conference room before Avery even has the time to offer her help. And now she's left alone with Ethan Taylor. Great.

With Anna gone, her lips quickly fall out of their smile again.

He gets the iced chai out of the cup holder, extending it to her as she enters the area. "Guessing this is yours."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Come again?"

She shoots him a glare. "Thank you."

The condensed cup is cold and runny and she grabs a paper napkin, trying to wipe some of the wetness off. Leaving the bagel to wait for her in the paper bag for now she leans against the counter across from him and narrows her eyes.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

She gestures vaguely towards his face, wishing she could wipe his smirk off. "That."

If anything the corners of his mouth twist even further, the smirk not going anywhere as his lips pucker slightly. "I'm just really enjoying this turn of events."

"How can you be related to Anna? She's so–"

"Young?"

"I was about to say sweet," Avery says, wrinkling her nose. Sweet is an understatement but she's not about to tell Ethan Taylor that she's come to worship the ground his mother walks on. "And you're so... you."

He ignores the sort-of gibe and instead stretches his fingers out in front of him, eyeing them. "So you're into book publishing?"

She rolls her eyes at the attempted small talk, thinking maybe she should just return to her desk. "Well, obviously."

Deciding to act on her previous thought, she grabs the bagel from the bag and heads back towards her desk. Unfortunately, she realizes as she settles into her chair, eyes on the manuscript, Ethan has whirled around on the kitchen counter and now sits facing her.

"What are you doing?"

She opens up a tab in the internet browser on the computer just to have something to do as she sips the iced chai. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm working."

"I happen to know you're legally allowed to a thirty minute lunch break," He counters. "Don't tell me my mom doesn't even grant you that."

Avery rolls her eyes, unwrapping the feta cheese bagel as she casts her eyes back to the manuscript. She points her finger to the stack of papers. "This is way too good to take a break."

Ethan glances around the near to empty office space. "Where is everyone?"

Everyone referring to the four employees other than herself. She shrugs.

"Violet called in sick," She says, glancing towards the empty desk belonging to the in-house graphic designer. "I think the rest are vacationing."

He nods, lips against the lid of his coffee cup and she doesn't realize she's taken her eyes off of the manuscript until she finds her eyes trailing his fingers as they push through his dark curls.

He catches her gaze just as she's about to look away, lips tilting up in a smile. "What is Luke up to this summer?"

And there it is. Luke Adams – star student, quarterback of Acebridge West's football team and Avery's best friend. He's also the only reason Ethan Taylor ever pays her any mind.

"I'm reading."

"Yeah okay, I can take a hint," Ethan jumps off the counter in a swift move, cup in hand. "See you around Waters."

♡♡♡

He's back two days later. Perched on top of the desk opposite her own as she comes running into the offices, panting slightly from having climbed the stairs two steps at a time in a sprint. For being a runner she sure enough finds herself out of breath ridiculously often.

He leans back supported by his palms, lips puckering as he regards her. "You're late."

She glowers his way. "Last I checked you're not my boss."

A quick sweep with her eyes over the open landscape and it's empty desks has her concluding the rest of the staff are still sick or off on vacation. Anna's no where to be seen.

Sitting down in the chair by her desk, she drops her purse to the floor and gets the computer going. She already knows what her task for the day is considering she's supposed to pick up where she finished off yesterday and she plans to get started right away, doing her best to pretend like he's not there.

If there's anything she's learnt since the very first day she laid eyes on Ethan Taylor – the Ace East freshman who made Varsity – three years ago it's that she tends to be distracted whenever he's around. And if she wants to make a good impression this summer, the last thing she needs is to be distracted.

She begins to open up the tabs she needs, waiting patiently for the internet connection to speed up. Tapping her fingers against the table top, the cut short nails making a clicking sound against the wooden surface, she flickers her gaze up to glance at Ethan over the screen.

As if sensing her eyes on him he looks up from scrolling through his phone, the corners of his lips lifting. "You're drooling."

"Oh shut up."

He jumps off the desk, coming round to stand by her side. "What are you working on?"

She minimizes the window, shooting him a mock polite smile. "Classified, sorry."

"Cute."

Whipping her head back to the screen she realizes another window, her Facebook page, hid behind the other – a photo of her group of friends in their tweens staring right back at her adorned in awful assembles of clothes and big pre-braces crooked grins on their faces. Her eyes narrow at the sight of it. Thank you grandma for sharing that precious memory. Ethan has the audacity to laugh.

Turning the screen away from him, she glares. "Sent anyone to the hospital lately?"

"Oh for the love of–," He throws his head back with a loud groan, almost chucking his phone out of his hand in the process. "For the last time I had nothing to do with your sweet little boyfriend being tackled to the ground. I wasn't even on the field."

"No you simply spoke to the guy who did it three seconds before it happened – we all saw it."

All meaning Callie, who were one the sidelines cheering the team on and a few guys on the bench backed her up on her claim, saying they'd seen it too. Avery and Lea sort of saw it too from their place on the bleachers – though, they were awfully high up that game and Avery might've been busy trying to rip open a bag of M&M's in the very same moment it happened. It doesn't matter anyways, she'd take Callie and the guys on their word about it any and every day. Even if she didn't actually see it with her own eyes.

"I didn't tell Pearson to tackle Luke okay?"

"Whatever you say," Avery slides her chair to the side to be able to see the computer screen, closing the Facebook tab without another look at the shorts-over-purple leggings outfit she sported as a twelve year old, and returns to the work at hand. She's just gotten the right Excel file open when his exact words make their way into the back of her head, prodding her until they annoy her enough to be unbearable to sit with. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"Oh shit," Ethan's voice drops a level and he actually sounds somewhat apologetic as he continues to speak. "I didn't realize you two had broken up, sorry."

She blinks, spinning her chair around to look at him. "We've never been together."

"We're talking about Adams, right?" Blond? About this tall?" She rolls her eyes, rolling her lips together as she feels a small smile creep onto them, making her best to suppress it. She's not about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he's able to get under her skin in more ways than one. As she nods he raises his brows. "Never? Really?"

"Really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

Despite popular belief, Luke and Avery have never been anything more than friends and the more times she has to hear someone make the assumption that there's something else there, the more annoying she finds it. No one seems to understand just how awkward it is to have to explain over and over again that they boy she's known since her days in the womb is simply her best friend – that's all there's to it. And all there ever will be to it.

"Huh," Ethan says. "I could've sworn you two were together."

"Well, we're not, so."

Loud, quick running footsteps echoing against the floor catch their attention and Avery whirls on her chair in time to see a child come running down the short hallway from where both conference rooms and the bathroom is located. The girl's dark hair is pushed back by a headband and her soccer shirt reaches all the way to her knees and Avery finds her lips cracking into a smile at the sight.

Anna comes walking behind, her sneakers making much less noise against the carpet. "Sorry, we got distracted by the whiteboard," She sighs. "Oh, good morning Avery."

"Good morning."

The young girl has already blasted past them, her fingers wrapping around the handle of the glass door leading out into the hall and eventually the stairwell.

"Ella wait!" Anna calls after her before shooting a glance Ethan's way. "You better get going or she'll be late."

"Yeah," He pushes his phone into his back pocket. "Paul's picking her up though, right?"

Anna nods and Ethan turns on his heel.

"Hey! Cant I get a kiss goodbye at least?"

A satisfied smirk grows on Avery's lips as Ethan shuffles over to his mother.

"Gee, thanks mom," He mutters and Avery bites back a laugh as she sees the redness creeping onto his face as he presses a kiss to Anna's cheek. "Bye."

"Bye my loves," Anna says and turns her attention to Avery. "You're all caught up on what to do, right?"

"Yeah I think so."

"Great! I have a meeting on the phone in five but come to me if there's anything you need."

Avery watches her walk back down the hall, heading towards one of the conference rooms and she's only just turned back to the work awaiting her when she realizes the pair of siblings have yet to leave.

Lifting her gaze, she catches Ethan's eye as he pushes the door open, lips widening in her smirk. "Bye Taylor!"

"Oh shut up."

A small laugh escapes her lips. "I think it's cute."

The door falls close behind them and Avery slides her chair closer to the desk, adjusting the computer screen back into its original state, clicking the tabs back open and settling in for another day of work.

♡♡♡

Hanging up the phone, Avery stretches her hands over her head before pushing herself up from where she's lying in the grass in their backyard. The skin on her arms prickle as a draft of wind comes by. It's been getting colder for the last hour or so – the sun slowly slipping behind dark clouds as if making way for rain. She stifles a yawn, getting to her feet and crosses the lawn, taking the two steps leading up to the backdoor in one stride before heading into the warmth of the living room.

She makes an attempt to brush any dirt off her bare feet with her hand but knows it's probably a motion done in vain. There's a low-pitched melody of a Shania Twain song coming from the speakers connected to their record player and she hums along as she puts her phone down on the coffee table, glad to be rid of it for a while.

Upon entering the kitchen she comes to a surprised stop at the sight of the two women abruptly interrupting their low-murmured conversation, both beaming her way from where they're sat at the kitchen table with a French Press of coffee between them.

Just from the disapproval oozing off of the older woman she can sense what they've been talking about but instead of asking – she doesn't want to cause yet another disagreement about the topic, it's been established since long that their views do not align – Avery hurries across the floor.

"Grandma!" She exclaims, enveloping her in a hug. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"I happened to pass through town – or well, I happened to sort of pass through and figured I would make a little detour to come see my girls," She says and cups Avery's face, a fond smile on her lips. Only Barbara Allen would view Acebridge, North Carolina as a town fit for a stopover visit on her way from San Fransisco – where she's been visiting a friend – to her home in Manhattan. "Some of us take the time."

Avery does her best not to grimace, her suspicion of the previous conversation topic confirmed. She smiles brightly, as if her grandmother didn't just mention the lack of a presence at all. She ignores the way her mother's lips settle into a thin line and presses Barbara's hands.

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"I'm afraid not. I have a flight to catch in a few hours."

"There are cookies if you want one." Sarah nods to a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table which Avery is almost completely certain are store bought. She nods, padding over to the counter to make herself a cup of tea.

Barbara clears her throat. "Who was that you were talking to for so long?"

"Oh," Avery says, already knowing where her answer will lead. She presses her teeth into her lip as she pours the steaming hot water into the cup, pondering over if she should just lie but nonetheless she speaks the truth. "Just Luke."

She hears her mother's warning tone. "Mom don't start."

"Don't start what?!" Avery turns around just in time to see her grandmother clasp her chest in an offended motion. "I think it's wonderful Luke and Avery are so close. You know, I'm sure we'll all look back fondly at these days when we celebrate their marriage."

"And there it is," Sarah says. "You're making Avery uncomfortable."

"I am in no way making Avery uncomfortable," Barbara whips her head in Avery's direction. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Avery bops the tea bag through the water in the cup as she crosses the room to sit down at the table next to her mother. She reaches for a cookie. "Luke and I are just friends, grandma."

"So you keep saying."

"Because that's all there is to it," Avery says and Sarah nudges her pointedly in the side. Avery sighs, not wanting to hurt her grandmother's feelings but she has a feeling her mother won't let this go until she's gotten the point across. Barbara Allen might be a stubborn woman but her daughter is just as – if not more – tenacious. "And yes it does make me uncomfortable that you assume we'll end up falling in love."

"But why?!"

"Because it makes me hesitate to even mention him in conversation! Every time I do you look like you're in on some secret I'm yet to know of."

"Well, I apologize if you feel I've somehow made you uncomfortable."

Avery places her palm on her mother's forearm before she can start a fight over the half assed apology and smiles. "Thank you."

"I just don't see why you're not together. You get along so well!"

Avery collapses onto the table, her forehead against the wooden surface as she groans. Sarah pats her arm consolingly, a lightness to her voice as she says, "I blame Nora Ephron. Harry and Sally be damned."