Ava adjusted the strap of her backpack and tried to focus on her footsteps as she made her way to the study room. It was tucked in the far corner of the library, a space she often used for solo projects but had never thought she'd share with anyone especially not someone like Ethan Blake.
The first two days of their partnership had been awkward at best. Ethan was polite and easygoing, but Ava had struggled to find her rhythm. She wasn't used to working with someone who filled every silence with a comment, a joke, or a question. It was exhausting, and today, she wasn't sure she had the energy for it.
When she entered the study room, Ethan was already there, sprawled out in one of the chairs. His soccer bag was leaning against the wall, and a to-go cup of coffee sat next to his sketchbook.
"You're early," Ava said, a little surprised.
He grinned and gestured toward the seat across from him. "I figured I'd beat you here for once. Thought it might make me look responsible."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, sitting down and pulling out her own sketchbook. Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he studied her.
"You always carry that thing around, huh?" he asked, nodding at her sketchbook.
"It's how I practice," she said simply. "Why? Do you carry a soccer ball everywhere?"
He laughed. "Touché. No, but I probably should. Might impress people more."
Ava smirked despite herself. "Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what you need more people to be impressed by you."
Ethan tilted his head, mock offended. "Are you saying you're not impressed?"
"Not particularly," Ava said, flipping open her sketchbook to avoid his gaze.
His laughter was light, and for the first time, it didn't bother her.
They spent the first twenty minutes sketching ideas in relative silence. Ava outlined a simple park scene with a bench and a tree, the perspective slightly skewed to emphasize the distance between two figures. Ethan, to her surprise, had taken to sketching a similar scene, but his version was more abstract.
"This is harder than I thought," Ethan said after a while, erasing a line with exaggerated frustration. "How do you make it look so easy?"
"It's not easy," Ava replied, glancing at his sketch. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. "You're overthinking it. Just draw what you feel."
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "That's the problem I don't know what I feel. I think my brain's wired to kick balls, not hold a pencil."
Ava snorted, and Ethan's eyes lit up. "Was that a laugh?" he teased. "A real, actual laugh from Ava Carter?"
She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. "Maybe."
Ethan grinned and leaned forward again. "I'll take it. You know, you're different than I thought you'd be."
Ava stiffened, her pencil hovering over the page. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Relax," he said quickly. "I mean it in a good way. You're... sharp. And funny. You don't talk much, but when you do, it's worth listening to."
She stared at him, unsure how to respond. Compliments weren't something she knew how to handle, especially when they came from someone like Ethan.
"Thanks," she muttered, focusing on her sketch to avoid his gaze.
By the time they'd wrapped up for the day, the tension between them had eased. They hadn't solved all their artistic differences, but they'd made progress. Ethan had even managed to convince Ava to let him take one of her sketches home so he could study it.
As they left the library together, Ava was surprised to find she wasn't dreading their next meeting.
"Hey," Ethan said as they reached the parking lot. "You want a ride home?"
She blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"A ride," he repeated. "It's late, and it's dark out. I've got my car right there."
Ava hesitated, glancing toward the bus stop down the street. She didn't love the idea of walking in the dark, but accepting a ride from Ethan felt... strange.
"I'm fine," she said finally. "Thanks, though."
Ethan frowned but didn't press. "All right. But if you ever need a ride, just let me know, okay?"
"Okay," she said, already turning toward the bus stop.
"See you tomorrow, partner!" he called after her, his voice cheerful as always.
Ava waved without looking back.
The next day, their study session started much the same way, quiet, focused, and slightly awkward. But something shifted when Ethan asked a seemingly innocent question.
"So, what got you into art?"
Ava paused, her pencil stilling on the page. "I don't know. I've always liked drawing, I guess."
"Yeah, but why? There's gotta be a reason."
She hesitated. It wasn't a question she answered often or ever. But Ethan's curiosity didn't feel intrusive.
"My mom used to draw," she said finally. "Nothing serious, just little doodles on napkins or in the margins of books. I thought it was cool, so I started copying her. Then I just... never stopped."
Ethan smiled, his gaze soft. "That's really cool. Does she still draw?"
Ava shook her head. "She doesn't have time anymore. She's always working."
"That sucks," he said, his tone genuine.
"It's fine," Ava said quickly, brushing it off. "She supports me, even if she doesn't understand it."
Ethan nodded, but he didn't say anything else. For a moment, they worked in silence, and Ava felt strangely comfortable.
"What about you?" she asked, surprising herself. "Why soccer?"
He laughed. "That's easy. My dad. He's obsessed with it. Played in college, coached for a while... I think he always wanted me to follow in his footsteps."
"And do you want to?"
The question seemed to catch him off guard. He leaned back in his chair, his pencil tapping against the table. "I don't know," he admitted. "I like it, but... sometimes I feel like it's more for him than me."
Ava studied him, surprised by his honesty. For someone who seemed so confident, Ethan had more depth than she'd expected.
"Maybe you should try something new," she said.
"Like art?" he teased, grinning.
"Why not?" she said, a small smile tugging at her lips.
As the days passed, their sessions became less about the project and more about getting to know each other. Ethan made her laugh more often than she cared to admit, and Ava found herself looking forward to their meetings in a way that surprised her.
She still wasn't sure what to make of him, but one thing was clear: Ethan Blake was more than he seemed. And, for the first time, Ava wondered if letting someone in might not be so bad after all.