Chapter 33: Rays of Gold

After some more kissing, and more whining from the other three, Jay eventually led the way to the local park. He suggested that we all eat our breakfast together because he thought it will be cool to spend some time together before we all have to go our separate ways for the day.

The park is practically empty except for a few stragglers. I'm sitting on the jungle gym with Jay. We're watching the sun begin to rise as rays of gold scatter across the dark sky. It would feel memorable if Laik wasn't intentionally annoying everyone again:

"No, Sweetheart, no, Darling, my answer is no! Stop your begging! I don't want to go home with you!" He's resorted back to aimlessly hitting on strangers.

"She's not even looking at you, dude," Max tells him, the two of them chilling beside each other on the swings.

"You guys are going to make it!" Laiken hollers at another passing couple, ignoring Max.

I roll my eyes at the various retorts leaving his mouth:

"Lady, you ready to be wifed up?!"

"Slam, dunk, and nail?"

"You remind me of Saturn but you're missing a ring. I can give you one."

"You have to attend my wedding when I get married because the wedding can't be without the bride."

"I'll marry you tomorrow but let's honeymoon tonight!"

"Is he ever going to shut up?" I ask Jay with a sigh, swinging my legs back and forth through the air while holding onto the bar in front of me.

Like Mase, like Laik. They're friends, or were friends, for a reason – kings of the pick-up lines.

"He's serious about this marriage stuff, huh?" Jay asks in return. Finished eating, he scrunches his wrapper into a ball. He takes aim and throws it in the direction of a faraway trash can.

"He's tired of the single life," I reply, watching the ball go straight into the trash can.

Jay leans back and pretends to drop the mic.

He pats his chest and then lifts his hands in pride. I applaud for him. He's the most talented person I know.

Meanwhile, Laik continues on:

"Hey, you! Yes, you! Weren't we married in a previous life?"

"Hey, Mrs. Right, someone said you were looking for me."

"Wouldn't we look cute on a wedding cake together?"

"If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?"

"Was that you just smiling at me or is the sun coming out?"

"The sun's coming out," I but in and gesture to the sun appearing on the horizon, laying down the facts for him.

He glares at me. "Shut up, Law! It was a rhetorical question."

I feel sorry for that poor woman. There isn't many awake at this hour; Lai's been throwing all those remarks at a single lady. Fortunately, she's too preoccupied with her phone to take note of him.

"Are you a piece of art? Because I'd like to nail you up on my wall!"

Grey, who I thought had fallen sleep on the slide, flings his eyes open in disgust. He picks up a small rock and throws it at Laiken. It hits him on the side of his head. I stifle my laughter and shoot Grey a thumbs-up.

Satisfied, he smiles smugly and closes his eyes again.

"Are you talking to me? Was that vulgar comment directed at me?" the woman asks. She just so happened to hear Lai's last line and is now glowering at him, totally repulsed.

"Of course, you hear that one," Laik mutters in frustration, rubbing at his head. "Nothing!" he calls back to her. "I wasn't talking to you!"

Grossed out, she stuffs her phone back into her bag and storms off.

"Slam, dunk, and fail!" Max mocks him, cracking up into laughter.

"What about swing and a miss?" Laiken asks before harshly kicking the swing next to him, knocking Max sideways into the pole.

I shake my head at the two of them and glance back over at my husband-thing. "Now that marriage has been brought up, I want you to know that I'm ready to talk about it. I want to start planning our wedding when you get back after the weekend."

Taken aback, he grins the most precious smile. "Really?"

"Yeah," I reply, sure of myself. "I decided, and I want you to be my constant. In fact, I want you to be my constant constant...if that makes sense."

He cups my face with both of his hands and grants me with the softest of kisses. "Makes perfect sense to me," he whispers, unable to stop smiling.

I cross my legs and twist position so that I'm facing him. "I've been doing a lot of reflecting since last night, and although I'm terrified, I think I'm ready to follow you to the ends of the earth too, and to wherever else life may take you. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'd relocate planets for you. I'd go to Mars, Neptune, Jupiter, and even freaken Pluto for you."

At the end of the day, my friends, my family, are all living their own lives. They will make their own decisions and choose their own paths. As much as I want to keep us all together, it's not realistic. I'm not in control of their lives; I'm only in control of mine. I've counted the cost and as much as I adore my friends and my life here in Minnesota, I can't afford to lose the love of my life again. I wont.

Not even a second goes by when I feel his strong arms pull me against him. He holds me so tightly that I feel his steady heartbeat. He's completely silent for a moment before he presses a kiss on my shoulder blades. "Technically, Pluto's not considered a planet anymore, but I appreciate the sentiment."

I hit his arm, not in the mood for jokes -- I just have to look at Grey's face for that.

"Alright, alright," he inhales sharply, holding his breath, "truth is, I didn't know how much I needed to hear that from you until just now."

"I should have said it a lot sooner," I reply, taking full responsibility for his insecurities.

Moments pass before he speaks up again. "You should know though..." he starts, deliberately keeping me in suspense, "my heart's more set on Mercury."

I roll my eyes. "All the planets, Jay. All of them."

I tried to run some of the way back before eventually forcing the guys to take turns carrying me the rest of the way. As one can imagine, Grey opted out of helping.

"I need to spend more time with my more cultural friends, my loser friends like Ben," I huff when we enter through the front door. Benley barely works out. He's too focused on his career to care much about exercise, and I respect that.

Max grins at hearing his name. "Ben's the literal best. Love that guy." He stops walking and spins around, taking in Grey's part of the house. "If I talk loudly, will there be an echo? This place is huge."

"It's a lifetime investment," Grey tells him. "Jay convinced me that this is a good idea."

And then they both forced me into thinking that it's a good idea...

"Yeah, it's pretty spacious. There's definitely enough space for me to stay here indefinitely," Laik states absentmindedly.

"Don't even think about it," Grey warns, stopping him in his tracks.

Unfazed, Laik waves him off.

"I'd give you a tour, Max, but I'm running late. I gotta head out in five minutes; I'm on training," Jay excuses himself, saluting Max goodbye while heading for the shower.

Greg asked Jay to show Len the ropes at the bar today. There's no better barman than Jay. I hope he'll teach Len his amazing bar tricks. As a teenage girl, I was hypnotized whenever he did his drinks thing.

"It's cool! I'll catch you on the next run. We can take a trip to Disneyland, again!" Max says after him.

I hear Jay chuckle from down the hallway.

"Hold your tongue!" I twist so fast to glower at Max that I nearly break my neck in half. "If you guys went to Disneyland without me, then I'm actually done with you. Honestly. I'm not even joking, Mills."

Max shrugs, his brown eyes glimmering down at me in a teasing manner. "What happens in the running club, stays in the running club."

"Clearly not because you're literally telling me about all of your adventures in the running club," I argue, ready to hurt him.

"Cut my dude some slack, Law," Laik advises, placing his hands on my shoulders in a soothing manner. "Let's go. We also need to hit the showers," he tells me in all seriousness, confusing me.

"What?" I sputter. When did I agree to this?

He ignores me and starts steering us in the direction of his bedroom, a.k.a. the room that he's claimed as his own. "Time for us to get naked together."

Still processing, I blindly follow him.

Grey tugs me back by my wrist before I can go with him. "I'm this close to kicking you out, Edwards," he says fiercely.

Laiken holds his hands up in surrender. "I was just kidding. I didn't think she was actually gonna go along with it."

"She's not only slow in running," Grey updates him. "Don't exploit that."

I catch up with the conversation and slap them both on their arms.

"I do need to go shower, but alone," I emphasize, looking at Laiken firmly.

He places a hand over his heart. "Hurtful, Law. Still, if not with me, then, at least, with your husband-thing. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

I scowl at him. "Get off my case, Lai."

"I just feel sorry for the guy," he voices his opinion. "You're torturing him. Us bros gotta stick together. He's been in love with you since high-school. I don't know how he can physically stand not being able to--"

"I agree with Lawson, get off her case," Grey chips in with a frightening tone, leaving no room for argument.

"You would," Laik responds back on impulse. He has foot-in-mouth syndrome.

Grey pales at the insinuation, his hands automatically curling into fists. I notice his stiff posture as red-hot fury courses through him like waves of fire.

Uh-oh. I know that look. Where's Lan when you need him?

I grab him by the hand, reminding him of my presence before he can erupt. He looks down at me and we lock eyes. "Calm down."

He releases a sharp breath and nods, pulling his hand away from me to recompose himself.

"Well!" Max thankfully buts in, clapping his hands to draw attention to himself. "I got nowhere to be!" he announces loudly. "I think I'll study here and have some time away from my noisy brats."

Father-of-the-year award, everyone.

"For once, I'm thankful for long working hours," Grey mumbles, ambling his way to his room. Fortunately, he knows when to step back and let things go.

"Does that include Bell?" Laiken asks Max, joking.

Max nods. "Of course. Absolutely. Most definitely."

Husband-of-the-year award, everyone.

"Well, if you're staying, I'll give you the grand tour, pal," Laiken tosses his arm over Max's shoulders, trying to be a good friend. "You're gonna love Aqueela's Cove."

How does he know where everything is already?

"Is that a sexual reference or something?" Max asks, confused.

"No," Laik sets him straight, "your head is just in the gutter."

The doorbell begins to ring. I glance over at Lai expectantly. It's too early to deal with unwanted visitors.

He shrugs me off. "What are you looking at me for? I don't live here."

I scoff in disbelief. "Oh, now you don't live here, huh?" I glare at him and then march over to the door and yank it open. I'm met with beautiful green eyes and long, black hair. "Hey, Ava," I greet, painting a smile onto my face. "What's up?"

I already know her answer. Jay is what is up.

I don't want to be unfriendly but I'm still feeling burned after she tried to kiss Jay. I know that he'd never cheat on me but it still kind of stings.

"Hi, Aqueela," she greets back, her own smile faltering a little bit at seeing me.

A beat of silence falls over us as I wait for her to say something.

"Is Jay around?" she eventually asks, timid.

I open the door widely and motion for her to come in. "He's in the shower."

She hesitantly steps in and looks around. "Thanks. I'm supposed to go back home soon; I thought it would be great if I can spend the day with him before I go."

I nod, having nothing else to say.

She awkwardly clears her throat, unable to look at me. "Um...listen...about the other night...I need to apologize."

I nod again, open to hearing her out.

She moves her head to look at me. There's a wave of sadness and regret washing through her gaze. "I got drunk and I got a bit nasty. I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm really embarrassed. I'm sorry if I—"

"You tried to kiss my husband-thing," I cut in without meaning to.

She squeezes her eyes shut in remorse and nods. "I did," she admits, guilt-ridden. "I have some vague memories of that. I feel so awful about it."

"Why did you?" I ask. I know why she did it, but I want to hear her admit it.

Caught off guard by my bluntness, she pauses, stunned. She opens and closes her mouth as if trying to find the words. Eventually, she does. "I'm not going to lie to you. I hate myself for even saying this, but I have feelings for Jay. I really, really like him."

I nod, somewhat sympathetic to her situation. "I know you do."

I respect her honesty. It's super admirable.

I can't even blame her for falling for Jay. Who wouldn't? Not to mention, she went through so much with him in the years they spent together.

"You have nothing to worry about though," she quickly assures me. "He's uh...he's turned me down more than once now."

"I'm not threatened by you at all," I reply straight-forwardly.

"Good," she says meekly. "It's evident that he's completely yours. Anyway, that's why I'm leaving. I can't be around him anymore. It hurts me to see him with you."

I don't know what to say to that. Her transparency is like a breath of fresh air.

She blinks before her eyes cloud over with tears. She wipes a fallen tear. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm so emotional. This isn't how I normally am, I swear."

I've been in her shoes. I've said goodbye to Jay a few times now, and every time, it sucked.

"You're going to cut all ties with him, aren't you?" I figure her out.

She bites her lip and looks away. "I think it's for the best."

I sigh, feeling for her. She's in pain.

With sincere eyes, she brings her gaze back to me. "I don't want to come between you two, and I don't want to hurt either of you. I know you don't like me, and I don't blame you, but I'm not actually who you think I am."

I fold my arms over my chest, giving her a chance. "Well then, who are you, Ava?"

A faint, thankful smile traces her features.

"I'm someone who loves other women. I'm someone who supports other women. I'm someone who never wants to bring another woman down. I'm someone who would like to cheer you on and lift you up," she answers, showing me a glimpse of her authentic and genuine self.

Despite myself, I smile. "I like the sound of this Ava."

Where has she been?

"I'm also just a girl who has recently accepted the fact that sometimes, the people you love just don't love you back," she adds. "I'm really sorry, Aqueela."

It comes naturally to me to hug her. I pat her back comfortingly. "It's okay, Ave."

She pulls back after a moment. "Girl to girl, woman to woman, lady to lady, I just want to say goodbye to him today. There will be no getting drunk, I promise."

I slowly nod, able to relate to that. "Okay."

"Law!" Laik yells from the room next door, interrupting us. "What's the hold-up?!" he asks before I hear his footsteps trudging over to where we're standing.

Ava turns at hearing his voice. Her dark hair falls over her shoulder with the movement, and as it does so, like a scene from a movie, Laik stops dead in his tracks. His lips part and for the first time in the existence of the universe and in the history of histories, he looks uncertain.

"Hi," he greets her. "I...uh...I live here," he sputters like an idiot, finding himself tongue-tied.

"Now, you live here again?" I tease him. "I bet you wished you lived here back when the bell was ringing, and back when I told you to get the door in the first place."

"Okay," Ave replies, smiling up at him unease. "That's cool, I guess."

She thinks he's a weirdo, I can tell. She's not exactly wrong.

Laiken nudges me in the ribs. "Introduce me, Aqueela," he says quietly, too shy to do it himself – since when?!

I don't want to get his hopes up. I mean, she's legitimately leaving the entire continent. I don't think that he's the type to stick out long-distance, not for anyone.

"Ava, this is Benley McAllister," I gesture over to Laik. "He's a self-proclaimed pretty boy and very in touch with his cultural side. His hobbies include drinking and making a fool of himself, and then denying everything the next morning. He thinks he's too cool for most people. Quite feminine. Easily embarrassed. Whiny baby. Longer eyelashes than your average female."

Ave nods, not knowing what to make of him. "Nice."

Laiken elbows me a second time. "Stop making me sound like a loser," he whispers through gritted teeth, annoyed.

Sorry, Ben. He said it, not me.

I roll my eyes. "Fine," I bite back at him before coming clean to Ava. "This is Laiken Edwards, the resident ass and live-in sleazebag who moved himself in."

There. I'm not lying this time.

Ave stares at Laik, searching his eyes before quirking an eyebrow at him. "You look so familiar," she states, the gears turning. "Have we met already?"

He stares back at her, getting lost in her eyes. He seems so...entranced. I don't think he's heard a word she's said. He's acting worse than how he acted around Mia. Is this how love at first sight looks? Am I watching it play out before me?

I discreetly pinch his arm, snapping him out of it. I don't need to humiliate him for my own entertainment; he's doing fine all on his own.

He jumps slightly and glances my way, perplexed. "What the..." he reads my facial expression and realizes his mistake – zoning out. He immediately turns back to Ava with a sheepish look on his face. "Did you..." he falters, fidgety, "did you say something?"

She brushes his anxiety off. "I was just asking if we've met before?"

They were probably married in a previous life or something. And maybe Laiken was the wife. That would make a lot of sense.

"No," he shakes his head, rocking on the balls of his feet in a restless and apprehensive way. "I would have remembered."

Just like he remembered Mia...

That was smooth of him, but his charms are failing him. She's too distracted.

Ave suddenly clicks her fingers as something occurs to her. "You're the guy! You're the one I read about in the newspaper and saw on the news. You screwed-up Montry Enterprises by sleeping with those two women."

What a bad first impression. I don't know if there's any coming back from this...

Laik's whole face drops, and I find myself feeling sorry for him.

"He also got drafted by the NFL. Are you sure that's not where you recognize him from?" I ask, taking it upon myself to be his wing-girl.

Ave shakes her head. "No. It was definitely from Montry Enterprises. He's had a few scandals that have made media. I've seen pictures of him in a couple articles now." She notices the devastated visage taking over him. "No judgement, though."

Before either Lai or I can say anything, Jay steps into the room. His presence instantaneously captivates Ava's attention. She's so clearly drawn to his aura that she might as well leave the rest of us in the dust.

Looking fresh and handsome, as always, he smiles at all of us before acknowledging his friend. "Hey, Ave," he steps forward and offers her a side-hug. "Did I forget us making plans or something?"

I have to stifle my laugh at seeing the grumpy look taking over Laik's face. When did Grey's twin get here?

"No," she says, smiling up at him, looking truly happy. "I just wanted to see you."

Jay's gaze automatically moves to me, seeking my approval. Understanding, I shoot him a thumbs-up. She's still his friend, after all.

He grins in surprise, appreciating my trust, before glancing at her again. "Cool. I'm at the bar today. You can tag along but you'll have to entertain yourself for most of the time."

"That's fine," she replies, unfazed. "I normally do. I don't know if you know this but you're not the best conversationalist."

He chuckles, having already put the drunken incident behind him. "I'll phone Kyle and see if he's free."

"Kyle doesn't stop talking," Ave complains, only teasing.

"There's no pleasing you," he jokes before his eyes fall to me again. "I'll see you later?"

I salute him. "Always."

"Have a great day," he leans down to kiss me. "Love you," he says before heading out with Ave, the two of them chatting away in an amicable manner.

"She didn't even say goodbye," Laik finds his voice again, breaking out of his trance. He's quiet for a moment. "I feel weird," he confesses, placing a hand on his chest. "My chest hurts. It feels like it's up in flames."

I pat his arm in sympathy. "There, there. Heartburn sucks. Change your diet."

He gives me a flat look, not amused. "I'm serious. I don't feel like myself. I feel like..." he trails off at realizing something, "I feel like I just met someone who's going to change my life."

"What do you mean?" I ask, now intrigued. I can tell that he's not kidding around. He believes what he's saying even if it sounds incredibly far-fetched. "Are you implying that you had an epiphany or something?"

He nods. "I know I sound crazy, but I think so. I don't know how I know this, but we were meant to meet on this day."

If he's truly had an epiphany, I don't think Ave's got the same message. Her epiphany is to fly across the world, far away from him. So yeah, I would love to see this one play out.

"Be straight with me, are we talking love at first sight?" I prod.

I'm not sure I believe in love at first sight. In my opinion, you can't fall in love with someone you don't even know.

He shakes his head. "No. Not love or 'the one' or anything like that. I don't know how to describe it. It's more like an indisputable knowledge or feeling that she's going to impact my life in a huge way. Like a prophecy or something. I don't know."

Is he drunk?

"It's going to be a little bit difficult for her to impact your life from thousands of kilometers away," I tell him. It's best he knows.

His eyes widen in alarm. "What?"

"She's going back to South Africa," I update him.

"No," he rejects my words, "no, she isn't. She can't. Not yet. I won't let her."

"Alright," I snort mockingly, "you tell her that. You tell her that you had a life-changing epiphany about her, and that you, a complete stranger and total screwball, won't let her leave until the prophecy is fulfilled."

By the end of this, she's going to wish that she had met the infamous Benley McAllister instead.

"I think I'm going to go to the bar and try make conversation with her," Laik reveals his dumb plans to me. "I'll work my way up to commanding her to stay."

I slap my forehead, exasperated with him. "Please don't use the word 'command' when talking to her, or any female, for that matter. In any case, I don't know how you're going to be able to speak to her when you barely said two words to her."

He was so anxious that his anxiety was having a panic attack.

"Can I ask you something?" he suddenly asks me, paying no attention to what I'm saying.

I release a dramatic sigh. "You're going to anyway."

He angles his head to the side, his dark eyes piercing into me. "Why are you not jealous? She has a crush on Jay," he tells me the obvious. "Why are you not worried about them being alone together? Normal people wouldn't be on board."

I think about it for a second; the answer comes easily to me. "Because Jay's done more than enough to make me feel secure in our relationship. I feel safe with him, in every way. Ava can have her time with him because, at the end of the day, I get forever with him. He comes home to me, no one else."

Listening attentively, Lai slowly smiles. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, it is." I love that I can trust my husband-thing wholeheartedly.

Lai looks down and scratches the back of his head, doubtful of something. "I hope she'll get over him."

"She will," I insist, although I'm not too sure myself. "Just do your charm thing on her."

Not many can turn him down when he ups his charm game.

He grins, a laugh resonating from his chest. "I do not know this charm thing that you speak of," he blatantly lies.

"Sure, you don't," I retort sarcastically. "It's not like it's your go-to or anything. Anyway, I'm already late. I need get ready."

He slides his phone out of his pocket and checks the time. "Weren't you supposed to be there ten minutes ago."

I nod, uncaring. "Correct."

"I don't know how you haven't been fired yet. He must be similar to Keagen," he comments thoughtfully. "Keag should have fired you like eight times, at least."

A smile pulls at my lips. I haven't spoken to Keagen for some time now. I kind of miss his bossiness and uptight attitude. I should call him...

"Whatever," I roll my eyes despite agreeing with him. I make a move to leave but then stop to tell him one last thing. "By the way, I believe you. I believe you had an epiphany."

"You do? Why?" he fires his questions at me, baffled. "Typically, you'd think I'm nuts."

"Don't get me wrong, I still think you're nuts, but I do believe you. As to why...a discussion for another time," I answer, not giving much away.

In life, sometimes, explainable things occur. I remember when Jay was getting on the plane, a strange feeling surged through me. I don't really have words for it. It was more of this unsettling assurance that something was going to happen – not to mention, Jay's repetitive nightmares of death weeks before he was meant to leave. I think we both had a premonition of some sort.

So, who am I to tell Lai that he's crazy? I'm queen of crazy. That's my title. I've earned my stripes.

"You may not get this, but it means a lot to me that you actually believe me," he admits.

"Someone has to; I guarantee no one else will," I reply, handing out some home-truths.

I'm not sure why it matters so much to him.

"I still appreciate it," he beams down at me in gratitude. "Anyway, I'm gonna be at the bar. Don't wait up for me," he jokes.

"That won't be a problem," I tease before giving his hand a squeeze of support. "Good-luck, Casanova. I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks. And you have yourself a magical day, beautiful lady," he blows me a kiss goodbye and winks.

"Charm thing!" I call over my shoulder, heading to my room.

"Right!" he calls back, chuckling. "I see it now."

As if he didn't see it before... He knows exactly how to wield his power.

I quickly turn on the taps of the shower and wait for the water to heat up. I choose my outfit for the day and decide to wear my purple beanie to top off the look. As I'm about to hop in, I hear Max's infuriated voice booming through the entire house:

"I guess I'll just give myself a tour of the house then!"

Credit to him, he's a very patient man.

*~**~*

Hey, guys :)

Please drop your thoughts on the following:

1. Why is Laiken so desperate to get married? 

2. Will Lai and Mase be able to patch up their friendship? 

3. Thoughts on Max treating Laiken normally? 

4. Thoughts on Aqueela's decision with Jay? 

5. Favourite line of this chapter? 

6. What would you like to see at their wedding?

7. Should Aqueela become a permanent member of the running club? 

8. Favourite part of this chapter? Why?

9. Do you think Ava is being genuine?

10. Do you feel sorry for Ava at all? Why/why not?

11. Thoughts on Laik's reaction at seeing Ava?

12. Does Lai stand a chance with Ava? Why/why not?

13. Would you rather meet Laiken or Benley? Why?

Chapters 34-50 have been uploaded on Radish. Please feel free to check them out there :)

~ CJ