𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑:
A few days had passed since that night at Avery's, and somehow, against all odds, she still wanted to hang out.

I wasn't going to question it.

I had spent two days convincing myself I hadn't completely ruined everything, and when she texted me first asking if I wanted to grab food, I nearly dropped my phone.

So now, we were sitting outside a café in Camden, her across from me, sipping on an iced coffee while I stabbed at my plate of pancakes with absolutely zero appetite.

It wasn't weird. Not really.

At least, that's what I was telling myself.

"So, what have you been up to?" I asked, watching as she toyed with the straw in her drink.

Avery sighed. "Honestly? Not much."

I frowned. "Still not working?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Still unemployed. Still thriving."

I huffed a laugh. "That bad?"

"I mean, it's fine." She shrugged, but the way she said it didn't sound convincing. "I've been applying for stuff, but nothing exciting."

I studied her for a second. "You ever thought about doing something completely different?"

Avery gave me a look. "Like what? Becoming a magician? Running away to join the circus?"

I smirked. "I was thinking more like starting something for yourself. You always hated working for other people."

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, well, I also hate not having money, so..."

Fair point.

We sat in silence for a moment, the sound of Camden buzzing around us.

"You'll figure it out," I said eventually.

Avery glanced at me, eyebrow raised. "You sound very sure of that."

"I am." I nudged her foot under the table. "You're annoyingly stubborn. You won't let yourself be unemployed forever."

She rolled her eyes, but I saw the small smile she was trying to fight.

A few hours later, we ended up walking through Camden Market, weaving through tourists and stopping at random stalls.

Avery dragged me into one that sold old records, flipping through them with her brows furrowed in concentration.

"You don't even own a record player," I pointed out.

She shushed me, still flipping. "Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the vibes."

I rolled my eyes but let her carry on, watching as she ran her fingers over the album covers. She looked happy content. Like this was exactly where she wanted to be.

And maybe, selfishly, I liked that.

We wandered for a while after that, ending up near the canal. Avery sat on a bench, tucking her legs beneath her. I dropped down beside her, stretching my arms across the back of it.

For a moment, we just sat there, watching the water.

It was peaceful.

Nice.

I exhaled, tilting my head back. "So..."

Avery turned to me, eyebrow raised. "So?"

"I, uh... I appreciate you hanging out with me."

She frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

I shrugged, staring at the water. "Dunno. Thought I might've messed things up the other night."

Avery was quiet for a moment. Then she nudged my knee with hers. "You didn't."

I glanced at her. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

I studied her, trying to figure out if she really meant it.

And maybe she did.

Because she was still here.

Still hanging out.

Still Avery.

I smiled slightly, nudging her back. "Cool."

And just like that, things felt normal again.

Like I hadn't been an idiot. Like she didn't secretly hate me.

Like maybe, just maybe, I still had a shot at keeping her in my life.