“Here is a … wow,” he blurts out when he sees me.
I scramble to pull the towel away from my hair and cover myself with it again. Stark naked, I feel awkward, even though we’ve already had devilishly great sex together. Avery covers his eyes with one hand, reaching out with the other to hand me the clothes. I let the towel drop, take the clothes, and put them on quickly. “You can look now,” I say softly.
He lets his hand drop and looks at me with a widening grin. “You look a little lost in my clothes.”
I have to smile. The T-shirt is long enough for me to wear as a dress. I’m sure it’s loose, even on him, but the effect on me is a totally different one. “I feel like I’m wearing a dress.”
“And you’re laughing,” he whispers.
I didn’t even realize it. “Oh.” I try to stifle my smile.
“Why oh? I like it when you laugh, and I bet he would have wanted you to.”
I nod, but mentioning my grandpa makes my heart ache again immediately. “You’re right, he would want me to be happy. But right now it only hurts.” I start to cry again.
Avery steps toward me and takes me in his arms. “I’ll be here for you forever.”
“Thanks, Avery.”
“Call me Ave.”
“Okay … Ave.”
He strokes my neck, and I close my eyes. “Do you want me to tuck you into bed?”
Again, I merely nod. I have no words in the face of so much warmth, sympathy, and affection.
Ave picks me up. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he carries me out of the bathroom into the bedroom. “I think you should take one of those pills to sleep,” he says softly. “You were tossing and turning in your sleep earlier.” He gently sets me down, and I lie back. Then he tucks me in.
“Okay,” I whisper. “I … I'll take one.”
Avery hands me the bottle of pills from the nightstand. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”
“Okay,” I repeat. What a stupid word. I seem unable to say anything else. It irritates me.
I watch him leave the bedroom, still wearing the same clothes he wore earlier today. I can’t remember how I got here from the hospital, but he must have carried me—I certainly couldn’t have done it on my own.
I try to distract myself from the pain of my loss by guiding my thoughts to the memory of last night. I spent half of it in this bed right here. I’m glad I went home earlier than I had planned, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have seen Grandpa again. I might have come too late to tell him that I loved him.
Avery returns with a glass of water and hands it to me. I take one of the pills, wash it down, and then put the glass down on the nightstand. “How long do you think it’ll take?” I ask.
“I don’t know. But it will take effect eventually, and I’ll stay with you until it does. And if you wake up later tonight, just call for me and I’ll come.”
“Where are you going to be?” I ask, confused.
“I’m going to sleep on the couch,” he explains.
I shake my head. “Couldn’t you stay with me? I don’t want to be on my own tonight … please?”
Avery inclines his head and looks at me. A few strands of his long hair fall into his face, and I tuck them back. “Do you really want that?” he asks.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I want you here in case I wake up.”
He stands and takes off his clothes all the way to his shorts, then lies down beside me. Before I know it, he has pulled me into the safety of his arms. “I’ll stay with you, Dale. I promise. I won’t leave you alone.”
“Sleep well, Ave,” I whisper.
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “You too, Dale.”
I close my eyes, and it doesn’t take long for the pill to pull me into sleep.
Chapter 6
It has been three days since Grandpa closed his eyes forever. Ave has done everything he can for me. He’s tried to cheer me up, taken me for walks along the beach, and taken care of the call with the mortician, because I felt like fainting when I tried to do it. I feel a little better now.
Oh, who am I trying to fool? I should know that I’m only really fooling myself. I’m still scared. I want to sell the house in Liberty City—I don’t want to live there anymore. The house may contain a lot of good memories, but the worst one overshadows everything else now. The one where Grandpa lies motionless on the floor and does not react to my calls and cries. Ave also talked to Mr. Wilkers, who said he was very sorry and promised to take care of the house for a while. Delsin and Cami even went and retrieved all of Grandpa’s personal things from the hospital. If I didn’t have the three of them, I would be flat on my back.
Right now, I’m lying lethargically on a deck chair in the shade. Avery didn’t want me to lie in the midday sun, so he put up an umbrella. He’s so very considerate and caring. He doesn’t scold me or ignore me when I cry, but sits with me and rocks me in his embrace as I lean against him.
He’s such a wonderful person. He hasn’t pushed me to sleep with him, as many guys probably would have. Trudy should really be proud of her grandson. Was Grandpa proud of me, too? That’s what he said in our last conversation, but what have I ever achieved to make anyone proud of me? Nothing at all.
I have to achieve at least something in this life, so that it wasn’t in vain. So that he had a real reason to be proud of me.
Suddenly, Avery is standing in front of me with a glass of water which he hands to me. “I think we should drive over to your place soon, so you can get the necessary records and stuff. Your grandfather probably made a will, and we should look for that, too.”
I look up at him and my eyes follow him when he sits down on the edge of my deck chair.
“Could we maybe do that today?” I ask thoughtfully.
“Sure.”
I drink some of the water. “Then I should get dressed now.”
“I put your things in my closet so you don’t have to live out of a plastic bag,” he says.
I knit my brows.
“I-I thought you might stay longer,” he explains, stammering. “I was trying to make it more comfortable for you.”
Smiling, I lean toward him and kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Ave. I really appreciate that.”
He returns the smile and caresses my cheek. “You’re very welcome.”
When we both get up, he goes to the living room, while I go to the bedroom to get dressed. I took a shower this morning, but put on sweats after that. Now I take out a pair of capris and a T-shirt.
After slowly getting dressed, I stare at myself in the mirror. I look like a shadow of my former self. My cheeks are hollow, my eyes are ringed with purple circles, and my hair is a tangled mess because it hasn’t seen a brush in days. With a sigh, I go to the bathroom and try to comb my long, auburn hair. I manage to make myself presentable by tying it back into a loose ponytail. Then I head back to Ave.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer.
He shifts his weight uncomfortably. “Do you want to stay home after or will you come back here with me?”
“What would you prefer?” I asked softly, but then go on, “I mean, I know I must be a drain on you and I feel bad about that, so I was thinking about staying home, even though it will be hard.”
“That would make me sad,” he whispers.
I tilt my head a little and study him. “Why?”
“Well, I’d like to keep you here with me, and I don’t think Liberty City is the right place for a girl like you,” he replies, his face serious.
I sigh. “I … ”
“You what?” Avery gently prods.
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t want to leach off you guys, but at the moment I don’t have any money to contribute my share of living costs.” I rock on my heels and bury my hands in my pockets.
“The money isn’t important, Dale.”
I nod slowly, then change the subject. “Can we go now?” I don’t want to keep talking about the future. I just want to go get
everything I need and be done with it. I don’t know how long I’ll feel up to it.
***
Standing in front of Grandpa’s house, I feel paralyzed. My feet feel like lead and refuse to carry me over the threshold.
Avery takes my hand and presses it encouragingly. “Let’s go inside,” he murmurs.
“I can’t,” I whisper back.
“Why not?”
“Because it happened right here.”
“Try to put one foot in front of the other, Dale. You can do it.” He pulls me slowly toward the small house.
I want to pull my hand away and run, but I know I have to get through this somehow. I have to look through all his documents and records in order to understand my financial situation. As far as I know, Grandpa was not in debt, but he received only a small retirement payment, which is the reason he couldn’t afford a lot of things and moved to Liberty City after Grandma’s death.
Avery opens the door with the key and studies me with a concerned expression. “I’m here,” he reassures me again.
I nod quickly and then enter the house. He follows me, his hand still holding mine. “There’s a drawer in the old desk in the living room. That’s where Grandpa kept his records and stuff,” I explain.
I know this house can’t live up to Avery’s standards, but I spent my happiest days in this place. Grandpa did everything he could to make my life more than just bearable.
Avery lets go of my hand as soon as we reach the old desk. I pull open the drawer and look at the binders and envelopes that all bear Grandpa’s tidy handwriting.
“In the event of my death,” Avery reads the inscription on one of the binders and takes it out. “It seems he thought of everything.”
I take the binder from him and walk over to the couch to sit down. Avery sits next to me as I slowly open the binder.
“Dahlia,” I murmur when I see the small envelope.
“Seems to be a letter addressed to you,” Avery says softly.
I take a deep breath and open the envelope.
Dear Dale,
I know I never offered you the life that you deserve, but I always did my best. If you’re reading this letter, I have probably met my maker. I am sorry I never told you about the problems with my heart, but I didn’t want to burden you with them. I wanted you to live as carefree as possible. I have been putting away money regularly since the day you were born. It is intended for your education. I hope it will help you go to college; with interest, it has become a nice chunk of money. The savings book is in your name. Do me a favor and sell the house and find a nice apartment in a better neighborhood, because a flower can’t thrive in the desert. I love you more than anything in the world, Dahlia. And I am very proud of the woman you have become.
It is my sincere hope that you will be happy and that you find a good husband. Believe me, I am proud and thankful that I got to be your grandfather. You always were and always will be my everything.
Love,
Grandpa
I sniffle as I fold the letter and put it back into its envelope. “He wants me to sell the house,” I say softly and look at Avery. “He wants me to rent an apartment. He wrote about saving money for me.”
Avery nods slowly. “I read that, too. I’m sorry, I was nosy.”
“It’s all right,” I say with a weak smile. Then I leaf through the binder and find the small savings book. I open it. “Oh my God!” I blurt out when I read the sum Grandpa has been saving over the years. “There’s $85,000 in this account.”
“And it looks like he also had life insurance. You’re not destitute, Dale, and you can go to college. Isn’t it wonderful?”
I put my head on his shoulder. “I just don’t understand why he never told me this before.”
“Maybe he wanted you to be ambitious and work for your education,” Avery says.
“That would be like him. He always said I had to fight for my dreams,” I answer thoughtfully.
“Let’s check whether he has a copy of his will in this binder. We have to find out which solicitor notarized it. Then everything will be lawfully yours.”
We go through the whole binder, but don’t find my grandfather’s will. What we do find is the business card of a notary, and on the backside it says I should contact him. There’s still so much to do and find out. I’m going to have to call my aunts and uncles to tell them about Grandpa’s death and the funeral details. I’m already dreading that call.
“So do you want to stay here or are you coming home with me?” Avery suddenly asks.
“Do you want to have me?”
He smiles. “More than anything.”
I get up, fetch the old bag from Grandpa’s bedroom, and put my clothes from the hallway closet inside. Everything I own fits into that bag.
“Don’t you want to take the photographs?” Avery asks. “You could put them on the nightstand on your side of the bed or on the desk in my room, if you want to.”
I nod slowly. “Yes … That would be nice.” I turn and walk back into Grandpa’s bedroom. There’s a small desk in here holding some framed photographs. Most of them are pictures of the two of us captured on different occasions that served to always remind him of the happy times. Grandpa and I both look happy in each of these snapshots. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have a lot of money as long as we had each other. I don’t have anyone this close anymore. I have Avery, he would probably tell me, but he’s only a friend. He has quickly become a very good friend, but that’s all.
***
I brought the most important things with me. Avery hauled all the binders and a few boxes to the car while I got the little black address book and the last of the money we kept in a cookie jar. On the way to Avery’s house I bought a prepaid cell phone so people could reach me. I gave the number to the few people that matter, or that I need to be in contact with. I also called the notary and made an appointment for Friday to discuss Grandpa’s will. That was three days ago.
Tomorrow, I’ll have to see the mortician and organize the funeral. I still have to call my aunts and uncles to tell them about Grandpa’s passing. I hope they’ll attend the funeral, because I don’t want to be on my own. I don’t need their support, but I need to know that they at least want to pay their last respects to Grandpa. I know they don’t want anything to do with me—I’m the bastard of the family, after all, and being seen with me could be a blemish on their reputations. That’s actually the way they think.
Avery is out getting us dinner, and I’m looking through the newspaper, searching for an apartment so I won’t bother Ave, Delsin, and Cami any longer.
There’s a sudden knock on the door.
“Come in,” I call.
“Hey, Dahlia, how are you feeling?” Delsin asks as he and Cami enter.
I circle the last apartment for rent in the paper and then look up. “I feel a little better. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Delsin says as he drops into an armchair.
Cami sits down in his lap and studies me. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did, but go ahead, ask another one,” I say with a half smile.
“What’s going on between you and Ave?”
My jaw drops. “I … I guess he and I are friends, if you can call it that after such a short while,” I answer, perplexed.
She nods slowly, and Delsin looks unconvinced. “We thought there was something more between the two of you.”
Why are they suddenly grilling me like this? “You know that my grandfather died, and Avery was there for me, that’s all.”
Cami looks at the newspaper in front of me. “Are you looking for an apartment?”
I nod again.
She looks at Delsin. “Why don’t you let her rent the apartment close to campus? It’s stupid to keep it vacant anyway.”
He scrutinizes me. “Do you intend to start college any time soon? Ave told us that now you can.”
“If they accept me, yeah. I just sent in my application. Avery
helped me fill it out.”
“Okay … well, I own an apartment very close to campus, but since my father bought this place for me, we're not using it anymore,” Delsin explains. “Would you maybe like to move in there? I would offer you a fair rental price, of course.”
“I-I don’t even know whether I got in yet,” I stammer. The offer is nice and generous, but I don’t know what to say. Why is everyone being so nice even though they barely know me?
“You could also rent my old room in the apartment I used to share with my two friends,” Cami offers. “Thally and Hailey would surely be happy to have another roommate again.”
“I don’t really like that much company,” I murmur, feeling embarrassed.
“Why not?” they ask simultaneously, sounding rather confused by my answer.
“I don’t always get the feeling that people my own age want anything to do with me,” I explain quietly. “I guess I’m not swanky enough for most people, or whatever you want to call it.”
“That sounds like bullshit to me, Dahlia,” Cami says. “You’re nice and friendly, and my friends would like you. But if you prefer moving into Delsin’s apartment, then go ahead and do that. You’re going to meet Thally and Hailey soon anyway, because they’re coming over to plan Ave’s birthday party with me.”
“When’s his birthday?” I ask. I didn’t know it was anytime soon.
“Two weeks. We’re thinking of throwing a party on the beach to avoid having the guests make a mess in the house. Of course you’re invited.” She smiles.
“What … what should I give him for a present?” I ask. I certainly owe him that much, at least.
“Avery likes to read,” Delsin says. “You could buy him a book, maybe one by Dan Brown or John Grisham. Those are his favorite authors. Or you could get him something for his car. He was recently talking about buying a CD changer, but he hasn’t yet.”
“I don’t think I can afford that,” I say, momentarily forgetting about the money in the savings account.
“Then just give him a book, I know he’ll like that,” Cami says.
“What are you giving him?” I ask shyly.
“We’re getting him new leather seat covers for his Jeep,” Delsin explains. “His cousin is working on getting it in shape right now, and he’s going to put the covers in. We’re hoping it’ll be ready by his birthday.”
Avery: Sensual Desire: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 2) Page 8
