Every Little Good Thing ♥ (Final Part to You Never Know)

It was pure bliss. 

Her eyes were closed, leaning fully into me, her hands wrapped around the back of my head, gently pulling me in. Her kiss was so soft. I felt my own eyes close and I kissed her back. 

Kissing Avery felt like every little good thing in my life wrapped into a few seconds. Rain while the sun is still shining. Fireworks in a dark night sky, their explosions booming in my chest. The moment when a forgotten song comes on, and it sends fond memories flooding into my mind. 

It was pure magic. It was better than I could have ever imagined my first kiss to be. 

And then it was over.

She sat back, her soft lips leaving a whisper of their touch on mine. I felt like I was intoxicated, as if I shared that bottle of wine with her, and we were both in some dreamy space between the earth and sky.

I stared at her, my mouth slightly agape as she tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen in my life. It was like I was looking at her for the first time, seeing all of her features anew. Her smooth skin, her constellations of freckles, her sparkling eyes, her upturned lips that had just met mine. 

“Holy wow,” I breathed, my heart still fluttering. 

She laughed, tossing her long red hair and putting her hand to her mouth. She looked elated, nervous, and relieved all at once.

“I’m sorry…was that okay?” she asked, her tone uncertain, yet hopeful. She watched me carefully, a tint of worry furrowing her brow. 

I felt frozen, still floating on the post-kiss cloud of euphoria, slowly coming down to feel rooted back in reality. 

“Okay?” I asked, my brows rising. “Was that okay?” 

She looked fearful as I came close to her, inches away from her face. 

“It was amazing. Can it be my turn?” I whispered softly, feeling a mischievous smile creep onto my face. 

She let out a gasp as I gently pressed my lips to hers once more, and she giggled. The sound made my heart gallop. I pulled away from her, and she had love shining in her eyes. She reached out and touched my cheek, and ran her thumb over my skin. I realized then that I had tears coming down my face.

“Chase, you’re crying,” she murmured, looking at her fingers, glistening with my tears. 

I touched my own face in surprise. Truth be told, I rarely cried in front of others, not out of pride or to save face, but because it felt safer to me when I was alone. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying at this moment, just after having my first kiss. 

“Don’t worry, they’re just happy tears,” I said, smiling at Avery, feeling a couple more slip down my cheeks. 

“You’re happy?” she asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

I scooted close to her, pulling her to me and hugging her tight. Her head rested on my shoulder. I could practically hear her smile, it was so big. 

“Very much so,” I answered gently, squeezing her lightly. 

My brain was still reeling from both the kisses and all of the words that had just transpired between us. She had just admitted she was in love with me, that she saw me as a reason to live. Or did. I wasn’t sure. 

So what do I live for now? Loving you seemed like an amazing answer.

“Hey Ave,” I said quietly, still holding her close.

“Hmm?” came her reply, lifting her head off of my shoulder to look at me. 

I swallowed lightly as I looked into her eyes. 

“What did you mean when you said loving me seemed like an answer to your question? Of what you should live for?”

She smiled and let out a small sigh. 

“You took that the wrong way, didn’t you?” she asked gently, taking one of my hands in hers. “I didn’t mean that it ‘seemed’ like a good answer, as in I no longer think it is. It seemed like a good one because I so strongly believed in the possibility, but I was also so scared. I kept trying to push it out of my mind because I didn’t want to ruin what we’ve always had. Like I said, I wanted to keep you as the big brother and best friend so I wouldn’t make you feel pressured, or uncomfortable in case you didn’t feel the same way. And to protect my heart,” she said quietly, fiddling with my fingers. “I…I didn’t come to Rejavanate today because I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you all of this. It’s been bothering me since Jade said what she did, and because I guess since I have been trying to be more honest, I should tell you. I wanted to ask you about your feelings, and I just felt so nervous. I thought maybe loosening up a bit might help my nerves, so I…had a little help,” she giggled, glancing at the wine bottle. “Which sounds incredibly stupid now that I say it out loud,” she laughed, looking embarrassed. 

“It’s okay,” I said, smiling as she shrunk a bit in on herself. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you tipsy. You had me a little worried, but you were so silly and loose…your smile was so genuine.” 

I thought of when I first entered the treehouse, how she had commented on my eyes and touched my cheek, running her fingers over my scruff, talking about how it was when we were little. How she wanted it back so badly.  

She groaned a little and looked down at the floor. 

“I know…I just didn’t know what to do. I practiced all day what I would say…but I just…I guess I was a little braver than I thought I would be.”

She looked back up to me, her smile shy.  

I felt my face soften, once again taking in her delicate features. 

“You want to know something, Ave?” I asked, reaching out and gently tapping her on the nose. “You’re really cute.”

She froze, her eyes widening and her cheeks turning red. 

I laughed at her reaction as she tried to stammer a response. She was fully red now and looked a bit mortified. I felt a sudden burst of boldness, and in an effort to dispel her self-consciousness, I snatched up the wine bottle, pulled the cork she had lodged in the top, and took a huge swig of the remains of the sweet liquid.

She gasped loudly.

“Chase James!” she cried, trying to grab for the bottle. 

I laughed again and played hard-to-get, holding the bottle over my head and out of her reach. She stood up to once again try to take it from me, and in her rush, she knocked her head on the ceiling of the treehouse. She yelped in pain and I immediately put the bottle aside and stood to help her, lowering her back onto the floor. She held her head and winced, rubbing the spot she had bumped.

“Oh my gosh, Ave, I’m sorry,” I said, trying to get a look at her head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it only hurt a little,” she replied, looking even more embarrassed. 

She had always been a little clumsy, but this time it was my fault she got hurt. Now she was more embarrassed, so my goal to distract and ease her had backfired. I once again felt like an idiot as I rubbed her head and worried I had ruined the moment. She watched my face and cracked a smile.

“You look so worried,” she giggled. “I’m fine, I didn’t crack my skull open.” 

“I feel so bad,” I replied with a groan. “I was just trying to tease you, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

“I’m fine, Chase, don’t worry,” she smiled, taking my hand off of her head. “I’m pretty much used to hurting myself now,” she laughed, shrugging lightly. 

I chuckled and rested my hands in my lap, trying to calm my nerves. 

We sat in a brief period of silence, and I tried to collect my thoughts. It had been hours since I had last eaten, and I could feel the faint sensation of being buzzed creeping around the edges of my brain. I decided to use it. 

“Are you still trying to not be in love with me?” I quietly asked, searching her face. 

She once again looked pained, though she was still smiling. 

“I just…I never believed that was possible. To be fully in love with you, and believe that our relationship could stay the same.” She looked into my eyes, an earnest expression on her face. “I’ve always loved you, and I knew I would never stop. I can’t even try to not be. I only said that because…because I was afraid you didn’t feel the same.” She bit her bottom lip and looked nervous once more. “So, I guess that leaves one question…what do you feel?”

My mind traversed back into the past, and images of Avery and I were conjured up: little kids playing with chalk, pre-teens walking home from middle school together, teenagers eating chocolate cake on her bed, and just recently, sitting on swings talking about honesty, Rory, and her fears. And now, I thought about what it felt like kissing her. How natural it felt. I could feel the mental seal that I had kept on my emotions begin to weaken. 

“Well, like I said, Ave, I’ve always loved you in some way,” I began, a smile crossing my face. 

She leaned forward slightly, trying to not appear too excited as she listened. I continued. 

“I never wanted to push past any boundary with you. I always tried to keep my mind and heart in check. And of course, I felt love.” I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. “You asked me if I ever thought of kissing you, before now. I did. I thought about when I kissed you when we were little, when I didn’t really know what it meant. And then, as we got older, I thought about kissing you in a way that leaned toward being yours. I wondered what it would be like if we were together, but I also didn’t want to ruin what we had, just like you said.” 

I took a deep breath and relaxed, letting my guard fully down. 

I took both of her hands in mine and gazed into her eyes. Her expression was a mix of surprise, joy, and anticipation. 

“But truth be told about what I feel, fully open and honest,” I said, pausing to let my words hang in the air for a moment. I smiled, leaned in towards her, and gazed into her eyes.

“I love you, Avery.”

Her eyes widened, lighting up with glee as she let out a squeal and lunged forward, throwing her arms around me. She squeezed me with every ounce of strength she had as I laughed and embraced her back, cuddling her into me. 

“I love you, Chase. I love you. I can’t believe I get to say that now,” she whispered. 

We stayed that way for a little while, holding each other as the last bit of sunlight disappeared and it grew dark inside the treehouse. 

Eventually, Avery’s tipsiness and my buzz wore off, and we descended the treehouse ladder, making our way back into her house, holding hands as whispers and giggles flew between us and the stars shone down. We made our way up the staircase to her bedroom, and I closed the door behind us. We spent a little while longer talking as the moonlight filtered through her window, casting our shadows across the floor. She was dozing off in my arms, and I knew Marie would be home soon. 

“Hey, Ave, I should go,” I whispered into her hair, her head against my chest.

“No, please don’t,” she pleaded, snuggling further into me. “I want to enjoy this a bit longer.”

I laughed softly and leaned her back onto her bed, easing the blankets over her. 

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep, deal?” I said, brushing her hair back from her face. 

“Okay, deal,” she murmured, already nodding off into sleep. 

I lightly rubbed her hand, and it wasn’t too long before she was fully asleep, her breathing deep and soft.

I smiled and tucked the blankets around her before kissing her forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Ave,” I whispered. “I love you.”

I crept to her window, slid it open, and pulled the curtains together before I slipped through them and out onto the tree, closing her window behind me.

I made my way back to my Jeep and noticed I had a huge grin on my face when I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. 

I started the car and drove down to the end of her street before I couldn’t contain myself anymore. I rolled my window down, stuck my head out, and shouted at the top of my lungs: “Avery loves me!”

I crowed it out to the moon, feeling a swell of daring overtake me, and I heard the faint sound of someone yelling for me to shut up. I let out a maniacal laugh before rolling my window back up and driving off back towards my apartment, fully reflecting on the events of the day.

Well, Christina, I thought to myself, my grin still on my face. You were right. You never know what a day can hold. You could get fired, you could get into a car accident, you could receive some horrible news, you could even die. 

Or you can kiss your childhood best friend, and realize you’re in love. 

You never know. 

♥

Image source: Unknown