6

Chapter 6: Un Cadeau de Biscuits

Avery's nose wrinkled, her features expressing confusion at Alex's statement. "I'm not sure I understand," she said, her tone sounding it out as if it was a question.

"It just kind of feels like you're bumping into me on purpose at this point," Alex shrugged teasingly while using a finger to twirl the end of her hair, pretending to be nonchalant. Avery couldn't help but notice how nicely the messy side braid she sported seemed to complement her face. There was no doubt that Alex was insanely attractive. For some reason, Avery blushed at both Alex's comment and her thoughts about Alex's appearance.

"I really didn't mean to. I didn't see you both times I swear," Avery fiddled with her fingers now that she had put her phone back in her pocket. Her blush subsided as her embarrassment turned into nervousness. Alex's smirk only widened to a smile that vanished as quickly as it came as she found herself amused by the shorter girl.

"Where are you headed?" Alex asked. Avery's attention was drawn to the small paper bag Alex was holding for just a second, letting curiosity fill her.

"I was just going to that booth there." Avery pointed to the booth behind Alex which her made the taller girl turn around to see it.

"Did you come alone?"

"No."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Avery realised that Alex was looking for her to elaborate. "I came with Carson."

"Cool. Mind if I sit with you guys for a while?"

The question stunned Avery, "Uh, s-sure. Carson won't mind at all." She paused, "And I wouldn't mind either."

"Okay."

When Carson scanned the room and spotted his friend, he was surprised (more confused) to see a person with seemingly long dark hair sitting next to her in their booth. He was at too far away of a distance to make out the face of who it was, but he knew all of Avery's acquaintances well enough to know that none of them had dark hair.

When he got to the booth and the mysterious dark-haired girl looked up, his confusion turned to shock when he found it was Alex.

"Hey, Alex," he smiled, receiving a small nod of acknowledgement from her and a half-hearted wave. "Here you go, Aves," he placed her green drink in front of her. Avery's eyes brightened as she received her drink and eagerly picked up her straw.

"Paper?" she asked Carson, making sure he had requested a paper straw rather than a plastic one. He nodded and she grinned, unwrapping it and placing it in her drink. She sighed happily after taking a sip, instantly forgetting her nerves that came from sitting next to Alex.

She drank her frappuccino as Alex and Carson started to converse, only stopping to observe when Alex opened her paper bag and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. Carson paused in the middle of his sentence when he realised how long Avery had been looking at the cookie while Alex slowly broke off pieces of it and placed them in her mouth. "Uh oh," he chuckled.

Alex raised an eyebrow, following the direction of his gaze to the freckled girl sitting next to her.

"Avery really likes chocolate chip cookies," Carson explained for his best friend.

During her sipping not long ago, Avery had come to the conclusion that the only reason Alex decided to join them was that she liked Carson. It would explain why she asked her to sit with them only when she had mentioned Carson and why she sat next to Avery so she could sit across from him. Plus, Alex had barely spoken to her in the time they waited for Carson to arrive, not that she would have any reason to.

It wouldn't be the first time this had happened. Avery had had to put up with many girls who hung around them to gain Carson's attention, but they never stuck around that long because Carson was never really interested, he was only ever appeasing them to be polite. Carson was skilled at reading people and he knew that the majority of them just wished to date him for his popularity and bragging rights. He was a romantic and refused to hook up with different girls as his other friends did. But Avery couldn't picture Alex as a girl who would get rejected; she looked and acted like she could get whatever it was she wanted.

Avery had a feeling that she'd be seeing more of her.

Alex leaned back to rest her back on the seat while she slouched. She slid the paper bag of cookies towards Avery, "Here, you can have them."

She looked at the green-eyed girl in question, "You don't want them?"

Alex shrugged, "I only bought them because they ran out of macadamia nut and I sure as fuck wasn't gonna buy oatmeal."

Avery smiled shyly, brushing some of her baby hairs out of her face. "Thank you."

When Carson resumed his conversation with Alex, he was quick to notice that every now again Alex would side-glance at Avery to watch her enjoy the cookies.

Avery, on the other hand, was in her own little bubble. She munched away happily at Alex's cookies and took sips of her green drink. She didn't even mind that the two other people were deeply engrossed in their own conversation and that she was left out.

After ten or so minutes, Alex got bored and decided it was time for her to go. She stood up from the booth and slipped on her black denim jacket. Carson had finished his drink and got up as well to go to the restroom, leaving the two girls alone once more.

"Hey," Alex called to Avery. She called again after not soliciting a response from her the first time. "Freckles."

The nickname brought Avery back to reality and her head snapped to the tall girl, "Ouais...je- I mean- yeah?" She had almost forgotten what language to speak in and she felt her cheeks slowly heat up at her mistake. It didn't seem like Alex noticed though as she adjusted the sleeves of her jacket, "I'm leaving now."

"Oh, okay. Bye," Avery waved timidly. The response was not what Avery expected it to be as she was met with Alex's outstretched hand as it held a phone. Alex shook the phone while she held it out to Avery, gesturing for her to take it. Avery got the message and took it hesitantly.

"What's this for?" Avery asked, confused.

Alex made a sound that sounded like a cross between a scoff and a chuckle as she shook her head, smiling a little. "Your number, Freckles."

"O-oh. Um, okay," Avery replied awkwardly before pressing the 'Add new contact' option. She put in her name and typed in the digits before saving it and handing the phone back to Alex.

Avery smirked as she looked at the contact details, before changing something, "If I keep you saved as 'Avery Toussaint' I'm not gonna know who the fuck you are. You're Freckles to me."

"Toussaint," Avery mumbled, correcting her pronunciation.

"What?"

"It's pronounced 'Too-saw' with a soft 'n'," Avery spoke up, "Toussaint."

"What kind of complicated last name is that?"

"It's French," Avery shrugged, playing with her napkin in her lap.

"Hm, interesting." And with that, Alex walked away.

Carson returned soon after, wiping his hands with a hand towel. "I guess Alex is gone," he observed. Avery nodded her head and hummed in agreement.

****

"Hi, Avery. How have you been since we've last seen each other?"

Avery shifted slightly in her position in the comfortable sofa and twiddled with her thumbs. "I've been good," she answered timidly.

"Any recent panic or anxiety attacks?" Dr Rosenburg questioned, hovering a pen over a notepad while he sent a reassuring smile to Avery.

"Um," Avery paused to think about it, "Just a handful. The last anxiety attack was two weeks ago when I went to a party. It's been a while since the last panic attack."

Dr Rosenburg nodded before scribbling on the paper. Avery wondered what he was writing so much of after a few moments of hearing the sound of pen against paper. Avery had been going to Dr Rosenburg for a while now, she expected that the doctor would've known her like the back of his hand. But yet, every month it's like there's a whole new world of notes to write.

"How did you deal with it?"

"I breathed..." Avery flushed at the memory, "And looked at something green."

"That's it?"

Avery nodded, feeling awkward.

"What did you look at that was green?"

Avery really hoped Dr Rosenburg wouldn't ask her that question. The answer was so stupid. Her cheeks were blazing at that point, "Someone's eyes."

"Oh?"

"Yes. A...friend."

Dr Rosenburg's head tilted the side as he placed down his pen. He entwined his fingers and used them to hold up his chin as he leaned forward onto his desk in interest. "Carson?" he asked.

"No. Her name is Alex."

"So her green eyes calmed you down. Am I correct?"

"Yes. I know it's dumb." The doctor shook his head, "Not dumb. Just interesting that breathing exercises and looking into her eyes was enough to calm down an attack."

Avery's cheeks blushed once more and she grabbed a cushion from beside her, noting its mint green colour and she hugged it. Dr Rosenburg made sure to add a couple of green things to his office to make Avery feel more comfortable once she became his patient.

"Is it possible that you have feelings for her?"

Avery shook her head. Dr Rosenburg smiled softly. "Are you attracted to girls Avery?" Noticing her hesitation he continued, "It's okay if you are. This is a safe space and same-sex marriage is legal here and in France too."

Avery shook her head once more, wanting to be swallowed by the soft sofa that instant. Why wasn't the hour up yet? "I've never had a crush on anyone before," she said shyly.

The doctor nodded, "And that's perfectly okay."

He lifted his head from its position on his hands and took up his pen, hovering it over the notepad once more. "So, your first party..."

A/N- There's something about this chapter that I just don't like. It might be the therapist section. Sorry if you guys think it's off. I didn't know exactly how to write it but I knew what I wanted to be discussed. I used my own sessions with my clinical psychologist as inspiration for the section and sometimes it can get awkward, especially when we talk about things I don't feel like talking about, so I wanted to portray that in the section; that anxious, awkward feeling.