CHAPTER 25
While they were wandering the museum they ran into Teddy and Sac.
"Miss Avery! It's good to see you! Lawrence mentioned that we might not be seeing you for a few weeks. I do hope you recovered from your dance dilemma." Teddy didn't mean to pry but he was worried about her. Avery stiffened and subconsciously started fidgeting with her clothes at the mention of the dance. Ahk then grabbed her hand to help ground her. The little gesture did not go unnoticed to the President and Shoshone woman. They shared a small smile as they watched the pair walk away together.
They ended up in the Ocean's exhibit not long after. The calmness of the sea and the sounds of the sea creatures were helping to soothe Avery. Their puffer fish friend was excited to see them both. Upon seeing how happy the fish was in their presence, Avery smiled and did the usual greeting. Together they wandered the exhibit room in a comfortable silence. Avery couldn't believe that she had just willingly shared her past with someone other than her therapist or Beth. Ahk was so careful and thoughtful with her as she spilled her guts. Talking to him was easy, he never interrupted her, and he comforted her when she needed it the most. Mulling over those thoughts in her head, she found herself staring at the Pharaoh while he was looking at another exhibit. He glanced back at her and she averted her eyes and also pretended like she was looking at the large sea creature in front of them. Thankfully it was dark so that he wouldn't see the blush on her face.
"Are you feeling better now Avery?" Concern still in his voice.
"Actually yeah I am. This whole ocean ambiance is a great way to calm my nerves. It's so peaceful here. And thank you for checking on me. I really appreciate it, Ahk. I just can't believe I had a breakdown twice today." Exhaustion was setting up shop rather quickly.
"Avery you have nothing to be sorry about. It is a lot to go through all that. I actually have an idea to help you relax some more. Wait right here."
He rushed out of the Ocean leaving Avery with her thoughts. She couldn't contain the yawns that escaped her mouth. It must have been quite late. Shortly after that Ahk returned with what appeared to be a moving blanket from the storage and loading dock, and two cushions from the couch in the security office. He set them up on the floor, laid down and motioned for her to join him. She laid down and looked up at the water pattern reflecting on the ceiling. Avery had to admit that this was pretty cool.
"So instead of camping out under the stars, we're camped out under the ocean. I like it! Great idea Ahk!" She absolutely loved the idea. And now it was Ahk's turn to blush.
They stayed silent, just soaking in each other's company. As her head sank into the cushion, her eyelids felt droopy and she struggled with trying to keep them open. She was asleep in a matter of minutes. Ahk noticed a change in her breathing and realized she had fallen asleep. He couldn't blame her, not after the night and day she's had. He couldn't or rather wouldn't wake her. He couldn't help but stare at her sleeping face, trying to memorize every detail of it. Then he caught himself and hastily looked away. She was a friend and what he was doing was certainly not a thing that friend's do. It's what lover's would do. Startled by the sudden but not unpleasant thought, he laid back on his own pillow thinking about it.
Larry was finishing up his rounds and came looking for the pair. It was getting to be time for sunrise and everyone needed to be in place. Ahk's tomb was the first place he checked but there was no one there. He looked high and low in the museum, asking exhibits where they might be. A tip told him to look in the Ocean.
He pushed open the door and was about to yell for them when he saw them on a blanket. Ahk perked up at the sound of an open door. He gestured for Larry to be quiet, so as not to wake Avery yet. He got up from his spot on the floor and made his way to Larry.
"Hey Ahk, just so you know it's getting about time to head back to your exhibit. And uh, what's with the blanket and pillows?" Larry whispered.
"It was a makeshift surprise for Avery. She…had told me stories of her past. But it is not my place to share the nature of them. I thought this would cheer her up. She was exhausted, as you can tell. But I will go wake her."
He hated having to wake her up when she clearly needed rest but the museum would be open soon and she should be in a real bed. He approached her and gently shook her shoulder. With a groggy groan, Avery opened her eyes and sat up slowly.
"I'm sorry to wake you Avery but I need to get back to my exhibit as it's almost sunrise."
With another groan she got up and collected the blanket and cushions. They all made their way out the door. Once at his exhibit, he climbed into his sarcophagus. He seemed hesitant to lay down, so Avery placed her hand on his shoulder to help ground him. Much like he did with her. It was her turn to comfort her friend. He greatly appreciated the gesture. With one final squeeze, she left him.
After the museum opened, the pair finally made their exit. Larry mentioned that he was going to pick up Nicky and take him for breakfast.
"Do you think it's be okay if I tagged along? I'm really hungry and could go for some pancakes right about now." How could Larry say no? They picked up Nicky from his mom's place and set off to find a decent breakfast place.
After ordering their food, they began to catch up. Nicky was excited to see Avery again. He liked her, he thought she was cool. Conversations seemed to stall between Larry and herself however. On the one hand, she was upset that he implied she was drinking and told Teddy and Ahk about it, on the other hand she knew she wasn't thinking straight from being in the cold. Her chance to talk came when Nicky rushed off to use the restroom.
"So Larry, about the other night…I swear to you I wasn't drinking. I guess the cold just affected me a lot. I don't know how long I was outside before you showed up. As for last night, I got in a huge fight with my roommate and needed a safe place to go to. That's why I was at the museum. She was actually the reason why I wanted to leave the dance in the first place. I was actually supposed to go to her house over break but the fight made sure that that's no longer an option. Which brings me to ask you…if you would…allow me to stay at your place for a night or two, just to collect my thoughts? I'll probably have to go to my aunt's house after a while but I'm hoping to postpone it a little longer." She was rambling again.
Larry was taken aback by her request. He already had Nicky for the weekend, but his couch was open. It was only for a night or two, and to be fair he kind of owed it to Avery for implying she was drinking without knowing the whole story.
Ugh, I'm going to regret this aren't I?
"Welcome to Casa de Larry. It's not much but it makes do. I, uh, I'll get you some blankets for the couch. If you're hungry, I have some leftovers in the fridge, you're welcome to have some."
They all had leftovers for dinner and Nicky even asked if Avery would play Mario Kart with him. Larry had to leave for the museum, so it would just be the two of them. Part of her wanted to be at the museum to distract her from her thoughts. But how could she say no to playing Mario Kart? Her competitive streak was acting up.
"No, no, no! Not the blue shell! Ugh, you win Nicky. You have my respect, little man." This was their sixth playthrough and Nicky had won 4 rounds. Never underestimate the skills of an 11 year old.
"Ha, thanks Avery! You're a much better player than my dad. He always manages to end up in last place, so it's like I'm playing against myself."
"Alright, alright, enough playing. It's time for bed Nicky. We can play again tomorrow, how 'bout that?"
"You're on!" He liked the idea of having Avery being the closest thing he had to a sibling. And Avery liked the idea too.
But with Nicky in bed and nothing to distract her, her mind started to spiral to the events of the dance and the subsequent fight the next morning. She took out her phone and opened the messaging app. She started a text to Beth. It wasn't an apology text, it was more of a "hey, checking in" text. Her fingers hovered over the send button several times before she deleted it. With an exhale, she set her phone down and decided to try and sleep.