It had been a few days since Aaron had met Nathan, and he had avoided Ava as much as he could. He was preoccupied with his project. Aaron was at a studio working on that project on another busy evening. He was shooting for a fashion magazine, one of the best in the industry, and he was excited to be a part of the project.
His phone rang for the fifth time, and he ignored it as usual. "Ma'am, could you please shift to that side?" Aaron asked the models. He finished the shoot for the day after another hour. He sighed as he looked at his phone and saw 25 missed calls from Ava. His assistant approached him as he was about to call her back.
"You've been working for hours, Sir. I brought you coffee; please enjoy it."
"I appreciate it." He smiled softly as he took the coffee from her.
He was packing his belongings in the bag when his assistant called him.
"Sir, there is a girl in the lobby waiting for you. "She wants to meet you," the assistant explained.
"A girl?" he asked, but then realized who she was. "Okay, tell her I'm coming," Aaron said.
The assistant nodded and exited the studio. Aaron went to the lobby a few minutes later and found Ava there. She gave Aaron a sidelong glance. He sighed and walked up to her.
"What's up? "You're here?" Aaron inquired.
"It's been three days since we met. You're not even speaking to me. "How could you?" Ava yelled.
Aaron looked around, embarrassed. Ava realized this and relaxed. She dragged Aaron out of the studio while holding his hand.
"Hey Ava, what are you doing?" Aaron inquired. When they arrived at the parking lot, he yanked his hand away from her grip. Ava glared at Aaron, rage flashing in her eyes.
"What's the matter with you, Aaron?! Are you avoiding me? "For what reason?" Ava yelled.
Aaron was speechless, unable to express himself. He lowered his head, feeling somewhat guilty. Ava shook her head and gently pushed Aaron. He stumbled, but he did not fall.
"What went wrong? "Why are you avoiding me?" Ava yelled. Aaron did not respond to her. He didn't want to tell Ava he was hurt, and he didn't like the fact that Ava was dating someone else, that she preferred someone else over him.
"SPEAK!" yelled Ava. Her eyes welled up with tears. Aaron was saddened to see her sobbing. He went to wipe her tears, but she took a step back.
"I apologize, Ava. "I'm not avoiding you," Aaron mumbled.
"Then why you are not answering my calls? And why aren't you responding to me?"
"I was very busy, Ava. "I'm stuck on this project."
"Oh! As if you weren't already this busy?"
"Ava, can we talk somewhere else? "This isn't the place to argue?" Aaron inquired.
Ava simply hummed in response. She jumped inside after Aaron opened the car door for her. Aaron also went inside. They were driving down the streets. During the drive, none of them spoke. They arrived at a nearby park.
Aaron wiped a tear from Ava's cheek as he sat on a bench. She sniffed at him and looked at him with puppy eyes.
"Ava, look, I don't think it's working for us," Aaron said slowly.
Ava clenched her brows and stared at him, terrified. "What isn't working?" she stumbled.
"Our friendship..." Aaron averted his gaze.
"Our friendship? "Are you kidding me?"
Aaron did not respond to her. He looked everywhere but at her, which irritated her.
"Throughout the years, Aaron, you've been my only friend. All of my friends were self-centered. I thought I'd finally found someone I could call my best friend, someone who is more than that to me. And you, my dear, are you breaking our friendship?" Ava cried out.
"Ava, please relax." Aaron placed his hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away.
"Thank you for your fake love, Aaron," Ava said bitterly between sobs. She stormed out of there before Aaron could respond. Aaron did not stop there. He knew it was good for both of them. He saw her figure fading away as she left the park. He leaned back on the bench, releasing a shaky breath from his mouth.
"I didn't want to hurt you." But I am not strong enough to let you be someone else and watch it happily. "I never learned to pretend."
...
Ava stormed into her room and slammed the door shut. She began crying again as she leaned against the door. She slid down and sat on the floor. She hugged her legs close to her chest, releasing her frustration. She was broken down because of the broken friendship. Aaron's response surprised her. She cried until her eyes and her throat hurt.
She wiped her tears away and rose from the floor. She sat beside her window, looking out the window, after getting dressed. Time passed, and she remained motionless. Her head hurt from crying for so long. She was still thinking about what she had done to irritate Aaron. Because she knew Aaron is not someone who can harm others, but rather someone who is easily hurt. But she couldn't figure out what went wrong between them.
She was absorbed in her thoughts. The buzzing of her phone interrupted her thoughts and drew her attention away from them. She looked at the phone screen, expecting to hear from Aaron, but it was Nathan who called. She took a deep breath and responded to the phone call.
"Hey Nathan," she said slowly.
"What happened, Ava? "Are you okay?" Nathan inquired.
"I'm not feeling well, Nathan. "Can we meet?" Ava inquired.
"All right, I'll be there."
"No! Let's meet at the café. "I'd like some alone time."
"All right, I'll see you in an hour."
...
When Ava arrived at the café, she noticed Nathan standing in the front. He rushed to her when he saw her.
"Hey! "Are you all right?" Nathan inquired.
"I'm fine, just broken..." Ava explained.
"OK, tell me what happened?" Nathan inquired.
"Let's go inside first," Ava suggested.
Nathan hummed as they entered the café. Nathan took a seat and ordered food for them. He then turned to look at Ava.
"What's the matter, Ava?" Nathan inquired.
"Aaron, he broke our friendship. "And I have no idea why," Ava sniffed.
"All of a sudden? "But why?" he inquired. In response, Ava only shrugged.
"Did you hurt him? Or did you have a fight?"
"No. Everything was fine until I introduced you, and his behavior has changed since that evening. He's avoiding me and not returning my calls." Ava spoke up.
Nathan raised her brows in perplexity. "Does he have any issues with me?" he inquired.
His words made her even more perplexed, and she continued to fidget with her fingers.
"I don't think so," Ava said. "He is my best friend, and he is certainly happy for my happiness!" she added.
"Of course, I agree with you. Talk to him; you might be able to tell whether he is angry or not."
He received a small nod from Ava. Nathan gently brushed his thumb across Ava's cheek, causing her to flush slightly.
"Please smile, or I will be upset," he said, earning her a small smile.
Ava felt a little better after speaking with Nathan. She got home and locked herself in her room.
She sat next to the window, gazing out. Her gaze darted around the room as they placed the bracelet on the table. She stood up and walked over to the table, holding the bracelet and inspecting it.
She remembered Aaron finding the bracelet and returning it to her. As she sat on the floor, tears streamed down her cheeks.