Zyan
Zyan opened his door to reveal his best friend staring accusingly down at her cellphone as if it had just personally offended her.
Zyan looked down at the black screen. "What did that thing do to you to make you look like that?"
"I might've just made a mistake." She still refused to look up from the device clutched in her hand.
"Okay," he drawled. "What did you do, then?" She pushed past him without raising her gaze. Zyan followed her with his eyes. "Yeah, sure, come on in." He closed his door, knowing she'd be staying a while.
Ava began to pace. Her eyes squeezed and relaxed around the cellphone, though now she was staring ahead unblinkingly.
"What happened?" Zyan crossed his arms.
"I just told my girlfriend I love her."
"That…" Zyan frowned. "Isn't that kind of what you do?"
"Yeah, but…we haven't been together that long, and neither of us has said it before, and now I just went out and said it all casually after she called me by the name of a chocolate snack."
Zyan tilted his head. "What?"
"It's—" Ava cut herself off, waving the comment aside. "Doesn't matter."
"Okay..."
Ava looked over at him, her footsteps slowing. "What am I supposed to do?"
Zyan shrugged. "Nothing."
Ava halted. "Wow, thanks, Zyan."
"No, I meant, you're overthinking again. You're making a much bigger deal out of this than it actually is. I bet you didn't even give Jessica the time to reply." He shot her a pointed look. "Am I right?"
"No!" Ava replied automatically and forcefully. "Yes," she admitted then. "Maybe."
Zyan stepped closer, until he could comfortably put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Ava, do you really think she's going to be mad because you told her you love her?"
Ava lowered her gaze back to her phone. "Of course not, but…"
"But what?"
"What if it makes things awkward? We haven't been together that long, haven't even had sex yet, and now I dropped this feelings-bomb on her."
"There's no guide to relationships. Whether you decide to exchange I love yous or have sex first is up to you guys."
Ava let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders. "You're right."
"Of course I am," Zyan teased. "And I mean, you two have been together for how long?"
"Almost three months."
"See? That's not an unreasonable point in a relationship to exchange those three words," he tried to reassure her. "There's no reason for you to panic. Jessica is an adult woman, and she's probably been in serious relationships before. The best thing you can do right now is call her back and talk it out, okay?"
Ava looked up at him, a small smile in place. "You know, that's decent relationship advice for someone who's been divorced a dozen times."
"Hey, each of those marriages lasted at least five years on average."
"Still not the best track record, if you ask me."
"Based on what statistic? There's no one our age we could compare it to!" Zyan stepped forward to push at Ava's shoulder. "Now, go home and call your girlfriend."
Ava's initial laughter cut off. "No, wait! Do you think I should tell her I meant it?"
"If it feels right."
"What if it doesn't? Should I take it back, then?"
"Don't you dare!"
"Okay, okay. But what if—"
"Bye, Ava!" Zyan spoke over her and gently maneuvered her toward the exit.
*~*~*
The next day, Ava invited Zyan over. That in and of itself wasn't unusual by any stretch, but the way she'd spoken the words and tone in which she'd said them was. It'd sounded like there was more to it than just one of their regular video game and movie marathons. Chances were, it'd be a negative surprise for Zyan. Mostly because he generally wasn't one for surprises to begin with. He liked knowing what he was walking into.
Which was the reason he was prepared to flee back to his apartment at any given moment. He'd kept his front door unlocked and key stuck on the inside, so he'd only have to dash through the hallway and turn it once to lock Ava out, in case she wanted to corner him. It felt about as immature as it sounded, but it gave him a sense of control, and he'd take what he could get.
Now, as he stood in front of Ava's door, he took a deep breath before he knocked.
"It's open!" came Ava's muffled response.
Zyan walked in on Ava unpacking a plastic bag full of Chinese take-out on her coffee table.
Zyan suspiciously narrowed his eyes at the sight. "I see you already ordered."
"Yup." Ava sounded like she was going for casual, but he could hear the underlying uncertainty. She was planning something. This wasn't just food—it was bribery.
Zyan walked further into the room after he'd closed the door behind himself. He made sure to keep the couch between them, in case he needed to escape, and crossed his arms. His gaze never strayed from her. "What do you want, Ava?"
She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Nothing. Why would you ask that?"
Zyan lifted an eyebrow. "Just spit it out so we can get this over with."
Ava sighed and dropped onto the couch, sitting close to the edge, as if she didn't want to get too comfortable. "Jessie and I thought that it'd be a good idea to—"
"Nope. No. Nuh-uh. No way. Whatever you two have come up with, I decline."
Ava frowned up at him. "You didn't even let me finish!"
Zyan raised his hands surrender. "Apologies. Please go ahead and finish your proposal."
Ava gave a nod with narrowed eyes. "What I was trying to say was that Jessie and I thought it'd be nice if you and Carter would get to know each other, so we can all hang out together. It'd be perfect for all of us if she and I didn't have to pick and choose between spending time with our friends and each other."
Zyan didn't even have to think about the answer. "No."
"Why not?"
Zyan shook his head. "Meeting your girlfriend is one thing—she means a lot to you, and has become a big part of your life over the last few months, but that other guy? You barely know him. After everything I told you the other day, I thought you'd respect my boundaries when it comes to this."
Ava got up to move closer to him. "I know you're scared of getting hurt, but this is—" She sighed. "I really think he'd be good for you, Zyan."
Zyan drew his eyebrows together. "What're you talking about? You met him once."
"Yeah, but—I-I think you'd find you have a lot of things in common."
"Why? 'Cause he's a guy?"
Ava's eyes lit up. "Exactly! Don't you miss having friends your own gender? Someone you can hang out with when I get stuck trying on bras at the mall?"
"That has literally never been a concern of mine."
"Are you saying you like going bra shopping with me?"
Zyan shrugged. "It gives me time to space out, and hearing you complain about overpriced underwear is fun."
Ava looked defeated. "Damn my funny nature."
"If it makes you feel any better, I think those rants are the only times I've cried laughing in the past fifty years."
"That actually does make me feel better. Thanks, Zyan."
"Now, about that food," Zyan said, and peeked past her at the coffee table. "Do you want to hang out, or did you just invite me over to talk about your girlfriend's pal?"
"No, no. Come on in. Let's watch this awful shark movie I found on Netflix."