1 3

Chapter 13: Le Premier Baiser

Alex carefully observed the features on the face of Avery's best friend. Tiny beads of sweat dotted his forehead and his blond hair was messy from the many times he ran his hand through it. They had just driven Avery to her house and placed her on her bed so that when she woke up she'd be in a familiar environment. Alex let her eyes stray to the unconscious girl, her golden retriever puppy curled up on her chest. Milo lifted his head every few minutes to lick the face of his owner.

Alex couldn't help but admire how beautiful and peaceful Avery looked even though she was unconscious.

"How did you say she ended up at your house again?" Carson asked with a sigh of frustration. But the brunette could see the worry etched in his eyes.

"I invited her over so she could help me with my French. The session ran a little late and the boys came over. Sam said some dick-ish things and she had a panic attack- you know how he has no filter," the lie ran off her tongue smoothly.

Carson nodded, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Oh yeah, I remember her saying that you asked her for her number about a month ago. It makes sense it was for tutoring. What was Sam saying?"

Alex glanced at the girl that laid on the bed. Guilt racked her chest for the words she was about to say, but she kept her facial features nonchalant to give the illusion that she didn't care as much as she actually did. "He mentioned how you're popular, I guess, and she's not. And he asked why you guys were friends."

Alex absolutely despised what she said and she loathed herself for saying it, but she knew Carson didn't know she and Avery were friends and she knew how Avery felt about telling him. At that point, it wasn't about keeping their friendship a secret anymore, it was about the fact that Avery had lied to him.

Carson's hands balled themselves into fists as his blood boiled. "Where is he?" he almost growled between gritted teeth.

"Don't worry, Jason already has that covered. Sam was sent to the E.R. He may be quiet and violent but Long has a soft spot for those who appear vulnerable." Alex had never seen Carson angry before. He was known for being everyone's favourite person; kind, sweet, funny and charming. But she understood the rage that he must have been feeling at that point because she felt it too.

Carson let out one more sigh and Alex watched his facial features relax. He leaned over to Avery's sleeping body to ruffle the fur of the dog that lay on her chest. "I'm going to go talk to her parents. Please keep an eye on her, call us if she wakes up," Carson said, retracting his hand and placing it in his front pocket. Alex only nodded at him before he turned around and exited the room.

She glanced around the room, taking in the light greens and whites that coloured the room. This was exactly the type of room she could picture for Avery. There were some framed quotes in French that she didn't know the translation to and could only admire the font. The room looked like Avery, smelt like Avery, felt like Avery and it put a small smile on Alex's face.

Alex let her eyes scan the pictures that were hung around the room. Most were family pictures or pictures with Carson. Someone wouldn't have to be a genius to tell that he was a big part of Avery's life.

Alex slowly walked around the room until a particular picture caught her attention. It was a picture of Avery when she was about 3 years old. Her curly hair was a bit wavier back then and was brought into a small top-knot on her head. Avery's eyes sparkled with mischievousness as she leaned forward on her high chair towards the plate of cookies on the dinner table. The picture must have been taken before their move as Alex could spot a French flag at the corner of the picture. Avery's now bronze skin was much lighter, making her look almost Caucasian. Alex could only imagine the drama that could have ensued if it was her father that was black and her mother that was white.

Once she had finished exploring Avery's room, Alex sat at the edge of the bed took out her phone. She had a couple missed calls from Kaden and a few messages.

Kaden: How is she?

Kaden: How are you?

Kaden: Is everything okay?

She sighed and called him. The line rang for a couple of times before she was able to hear his voice on the other side.

"Hey Lex," his voice was exasperated. "What's going on?"

Alex glanced towards the freckled girl not so far from her before responding. "Not much. We have her at her house and we're waiting for her to wake up. Carson went to talk to her parents. They're not really happy right now, which is expected."

"Long is still pretty pissed. I think. He was pretty silent and he was just staring at everyone here. I sent him home, just in case. Sam is just frowning on the hospital bed they gave him. He refuses to talk about what happened so we're kinda just waiting until the doctor gives him the 'okay' to leave."

Alex's grip on her phone tightened and her voice became tight, "Trust me, he's gonna fucking talk."

"Hey, Alex?" Kaden's voice became softer.

"Yes?"

"You really care about her, don't you?"

The brunette closed her eyes and sighed before she answered. "Yes."

"Cool. I've gotta go, one of the nurses just entered his room."

He ended the call and Alex removed the phone from her ear. She blankly stared down at it as her thoughts seemed to swarm her mind.

"Are you okay?" croaked a voice behind her. Alex felt her heart jump and she spun around to the direction she heard the voice. Avery sat up in the bed, eyes tired as her fingers scratched behind Milo's ear. The small dog's tail wagged violently as he licked around her face, happy his owner was okay.

"Avery," the taller girl breathed out with a smile. "I should be asking you the same question."

The freckled girl frowned and shrugged as she seemed to remember the events that triggered her panic attack. "I'm alright."

Alex's eyebrows came together in concern as she made a move to stand up. "I should go tell Carson and your parents that you're awake." This caused Avery to shake her head fervently. She reached out her hand and wrapped it around Alex's wrist in an attempt to stop her.

"No, don't go," her voice cracked. With her other hand, she patted the space next to her on the bed. "Stay."

"Freckles, they're concerned for you. We all are."

Avery's hand gripped Alex's wrist, "Please."

Alex nodded her head hesitantly before crawling over to the space that Avery had set aside for her. Once she had properly sat down and adjusted herself under the covers, she felt a weight on her shoulder. When she looked down, she noticed that the shorter girl had rested her head there as she played with the small dog on her lap. The brunette felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks.

"What did you tell Carson?" she asked softly. Alex wrapped an arm around Avery's waist, pulling her closer to her side. She didn't know where the urge came from.

"That I had invited you over so you could tutor me in French and that the session went overtime so you were there at the same time as the boys. Sam said some mean things and you had a panic attack."

Avery was silent for a while before the feeling of something wet dripping down her arm brought Alex's attention downwards once more. Avery sniffled and used the back of her hand to wipe her eyes.

"I just don't want to lose him," Avery whispered as her breaths came out shakily, "but I don't want to lose you either."

"Hey," Alex said seriously. She placed her fingers underneath Avery's chin and brought her head up so they were at eye level. Just as she did before, she used her thumbs to wipe away the tears that escaped from her eyes. "No matter what happens, I promise, you're not going to lose me."

Avery smiled and let out a chuckle through her tears. "You're such an amazing friend. Thank you."

Alex laughed a little as well, "You're not so bad yourself, Freckles."

Now that they were this close without Avery being in potential danger, Alex was able to observe the small details of her face. She allowed her eyes to run over every freckle and every beauty mark on her skin. She appreciated the term 'beauty mark' because they really were marks of beauty that rested on the face of her friend.

She was able to admire Avery's brown eyes. She had never expected to find brown eyes so interesting. There were no specks of gold or blue or green; they were just wholly brown, but they were gorgeous just the same. They were complemented by a nice set of long lashes which were a bit clumped together by the moisture of her tears, but it only accentuated its length and beauty.

Her eyes went to her lips, a little dry and a mix between brown and pink. She imagined they were soft because that's how Avery was, everything about her was smooth and soft. She felt her thumb unconsciously trace over her cupid's bow as she followed the line with her gaze. The freckled girl's bottom lip was plumper than the top one, and at that moment all Alex could think of was how it would feel between her teeth.

Hesitantly, she leaned towards Avery until they were mere two or three inches apart causing the other girl to chuckle nervously. "What are you doing?" Avery whispered, trying to look anywhere but Alex's eyes. She felt the brunette place a soft kiss to her nose before resuming her former position. The kiss was quick and chaste but it brought a blush to her face.

"Oh-" she wasn't able to finish before her lips were captured by Alex's. After the initial shock, she felt her heart soar. The kiss lasted just as long as the one to her nose and when Alex drew back, Avery felt her chest build up with a world of emotions.

Alex licked her lips as she looked at the freckled girl again. She was right, Avery was nothing but smooth and soft. With a rapidly beating heart, Avery sat up and made eye contact with the brunette in front of her. Her fingers wrapped around her forearms and brought Alex in for a continuation of what had just occurred.

Alex's hand went to the small of Avery's back, pulling her in as close as possible. As the two relished in the feel of having each other's lips against their own, Avery's hands moved to the back of Alex's neck before she felt the taller girl use her tongue to prod at her lips.

Avery didn't know much about kissing, in fact, this was her first kiss- well, now her second. But, she had read books and watched movies, so she had a hint of what to do. She parted her lips, allowing Alex's tongue to enter her mouth and earning a soft groan of appreciation from the brunette.

Alex had never felt this way just kissing someone before. She felt happy, she felt content, she felt full. She wanted to bring the girl in her arms even closer, though it was impossible.

She detached their lips, wanting to keep things 'PG' because it was their first time and hopefully not their last. She placed a small kiss to the shorter girl's forehead and then moved down to her cheeks, attempting to cover every single freckle with an individual kiss. When she pulled back, Avery's cheeks were pink and she seemed dazed.

Alex was the first to speak, a smirk blossoming on her features. "I should bring you down to your parents."