CHAPTER 29

Avery was still trying to grapple with her feelings for Ahk. Unintentionally she started avoiding him and the museum at night in general. She made up excuses like she had a huge assignment to finish or there was an exam she needed to study for. They weren't complete lies, she did have them. But she was scared of her feelings, she had never been in love before. She knew Ahk was a sweet man and that he would never intentionally hurt her, but they were clearly from two different time eras. Beth shook her head and reiterated her opinion that falling for someone was a natural human thing. But Avery was consumed by her fears. The times that she was at the museum, she tried to keep her distance to keep her feelings in check. That was the only way she could keep herself safe.

Ironically, Valentine's day was less than a day and a half away. Avery and Larry had been planning a little celebration for the inhabitants of the museum. The whole event was supposed to be a surprise because they had an ulterior motive. Teddy had pulled them aside one night asking them to help him with one request. He wanted to use the Valentine's dance as a backdrop for his proposal.

"Oh em gee! Teddy you're gonna propose! Ahh this is so exciting!" Avery whispered just in case someone was to overhear. Teddy looked bashful and it was adorable to her.

"Alright, well looks like we got our work cut out for us! Avery, you can handle the music, I can handle decorations. Hey Teddy, if you need any tips on how to propose I can help with that too." Larry started to mentally make a list of what needed to be done. He pulled Teddy away to discuss some further details.

Seeing as she had control of the playlist, she picked a range of songs from recent decades. She picked songs that expressed how she was feeling on the inside. She wanted to make the night special for the couple. She started stressing over making it perfect.

"Avery? Is everything alright? You do not seem yourself lately." Ahk observed her behavior and watched as she shied away from him and wouldn't meet his eyes. They were seated on the benches in the Oceans exhibit.

"Is it something I have done?" This caused her to start and finally meet his eyes. She was quick to respond.

"No! No it's not you." But it sorta is though. "I'm sorry, I'm just lost in thought over this…how should I word it? This realization I recently had. I discovered something about myself that I'm not quite sure I understand." She wanted to be as vague as possible. She didn't want to give the full truth because she was scared. She stared into his eyes and got lost in them.

"Ahk, I think I'm in love with you!"

"Oh Avery… If only there was someone out there who loved you." His voice became cold and unfeeling. He just pulled a Prince Hans move.

"Why would I want someone like you? I'm a Pharaoh, I can have anyone and anything I want. Why would I want some common peasant girl like you?"

What she heard was that she didn't deserve to be loved.

"Avery? You seemed lost in thought. Are you sure you're alright?" Concern was present in his tone. It wasn't like Avery to act like this.

"I'm not sure. But it looks like I've gone and gotten myself…a crush. I'm not sure where this will take me because he is literally out of my league." She was blushing now. She couldn't meet his eyeline. But it felt somewhat of a relief to share it.

He was surprised by the news. Part of him deflated at hearing that she had a crush on someone else. The other side was happy that his friend had found someone. Still it did wound him because he had started to develop a little crush on her. All their late nights spent talking about anything that came to mind, all their mischief and shenanigans, they all held a dear place in his heart.

"Oh, well that is nothing to be scared of Avery. You are a great woman and I'm sure he feels the same way about you." He hinted at his own feelings ever so slightly to test the waters. He observed her as he heard a sharp inhale. He saw traces of a smile before she covered it with her hand. He wondered what that was about. He knew she was awkward around compliments so maybe that was it. But he didn't want to make her uncomfortable so he quickly changed the subject.

"How are your classes going?" It was a lame subject change but it was the first thing that popped into his head. But luckily it seemed to do the trick.

"Oh well, it is my very last semester- thank god! There's still a lot to do before graduation. I still have to figure out my senior seminar paper topic soon. With everything going on, I hadn't thought of it!"

And the rest of the night went similarly. They caught up on the happenings in each other's lives. Hers was the most exciting seeing as he had the same outcome day in and day out. He was careful not to mention anything about this crush she had. He just hoped that she would have the courage and confidence, like he knew she had, to tell the person.

Sunrise was fast approaching, so they made the trek back to his exhibit. Avery was caught in her thoughts again. She oh so wanted to be brave and tell him that she had a crush on him. She spent the last few minutes warring with herself to tell him. Fears be damned, she knew she needed to tell him. The minutes were trickling by as she helped him back into his sarcophagus and wrappings. Her confidence was starting to wane. Just as he lay down, mere seconds til sunrise, she opened her mouth.

"I don't know how to say this, but here I am talking and wasting time… Okay, here goes nothing. Ahk, the person I'm crushing on is you!" Her voice became high pitched at the end. She was nervous and like a coward she fled the scene. There wasn't much else she could do. She started cursing herself that she couldn't even tell him face to face like he deserved.

Meanwhile, as Ahk laid down and heard the news, he was stunned and thrilled at the same time. As he felt the life leaving him, he went to sleep knowing the pleasant thought that she indeed liked him. If only he had time to tell her in that minute that he liked her as well.

"You did what?!" Beth shrieked as Avery told her the news as soon as she was back in the dorms.

"I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Yeah, yeah. But can we get back on track? I told him I liked him and then I just left!"

"Well to be fair, the museum was, uh, put to bed? So there wasn't anything else you could have done. But how are you feeling now? Are you going to go back to see him tonight?"

"I don't know. I feel like I might throw up, I'm so nervous. I would kill for a shred of that sudden confidence I had last night. What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Avery flopped on her bed and put a pillow over her head to hide from the world.

"Well, that's why you need to go back tonight and get an answer! If you want I can go with you for moral support."

"I appreciate it, but I think this is something I have to do on my own."

Author Note: I wanted to give her fears a voice. Can you tell who they sound like? I wanted her fears to sound like his brother Kah. This kinda possibly foreshadows a bit in the second movie. They are polar opposites so I thought it would be interesting to have her fears sound like what I think his brother is.