Chapter eleven

"Alright. We really need to come to a decision," I stated, looking at two couches sitting in front of us. I was getting impatient and he seemed oblivious.

"I can't decide..." he said, looking first at the beige leather couch, and then at the worn brown couch. Personally? I'd pick the brown one. It just looked so much more comfortable and homey.

"Get the brown," I snapped at him, shifting my weight from my left leg to my right leg. My feet were starting to hurt.

"Hmm..." was his only reply.

"Get the damn couch Sidney and stop being a jackass!" I whisper-screamed at him. "You know I get impatient, and yet you sit here and pretend to contemplate which couch to get. The girly one, or the manly bachelor pad one." He turned to me and flashed his melt-me-in-a-puddle-on-the-floor smile.

"You know I'm kidding."

"I know," I admitted, calmer now, all because of a smile.

"So stop worrying I'll get the one you hate, because we both know I'm going to get the brown one." I sighed in relief. I really actually, for a second, thought he was going to get the one I'd see in my mother's house. Not to say my mom doesn't have style, because that's where I got mine from, but her style is just... older.

"God, I feel like I'm buying furniture for a house we're buying together. You know? 'Honey, do you like this one?' That crap," I said, feeling a pillow as I walked by on our way to the beds. What I had just said didn't really register until it was already out of my mouth.

"So you want to buy a house with me?" he asked me with a grin on his face, while he looked at the price tag on a coffee table.

"No. That's not what I said," I stammered, still walking towards my destination.

"That's what it sounded like."

"It's not what I meant."

"So you'd never buy a house with me?" he asked, coming up beside me now and wrapping his arm around my waist. I wanted to wriggle free and say, 'Never in your dreams', but this boy? He's almost magical.

"Well, maybe if you could grow a beard."

"Ouch. That one stung," he whispered in my ear. "You'll pay for that one later."

"Should I be scared?" I asked, leaning into him only the slightest.

"Very," he stated, his lips on my ear. This was getting to be too much. I shrugged his arm off me and skipped over to a fluffy bed. When I turned back around, he looked like a little kid who just had candy taken away from him, head hung low, but when he brought his head back up, he was smiling, trying to disguise his disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I wanted him so badly, but there's always this... thing, holding me back whenever I meet a decent guy.

"Sorry..." I said, trailing off, fingering the edge of the down comforter in had between my hands.

"Why do you always do that Avery?" he asked, a hint of annoyance to his voice.

"I don't know," I lied.

"You know," he said, taking a step towards me, filling the gap. "You know perfectly well what's holding you back."

"It's not you," I said slowly, thinking about how I was going to say this.

"You wouldn't be standing here if it was me," he said, wrapping me up in a hug. "You'd have already run away if it was me."

"It's just, my dad was sort of not in the picture when I was growing up. He struggled with all sorts of addictions, was in and out of rehab, and was just not a very happy or nice person in general. I don't know. It's messed me up," I said. I could feel the tears leaking out of my eyes, staining his shirt.

"Avery, that was a long time ago. You're not there. He's not here."

"I know you're going to tell me that I need to get over it and move on with my life, but it's not that easy," I stammer, trying to pull away from him, but he keeps me where I am. I can't believe we're doing this in the middle of a furniture store where people are staring and scrutinizing Sidney's every move. Every time he touches me, I can almost hear a collective gasp coming from the staff.

"It'll always be a part of you," he said, kissing the top of my head. "How you handle it is the test."

"That's why I have Emma," I stated. "Most people think she's bad for me, but she's exactly what I need. She's my exact opposite," I paused to think about my next words. "And now I have you."

"Don't worry Aves, I'm not a drug addict, I promise," he said with a smile, as I leaned away to look at him. "Let me all the way in Avery. Let me be what you need."

"You're closer than you think," I whispered, feeling my walls crash down around me as he leaned in to kiss me.
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I have a feeling that stupid brown couch will be used for nothing other than making out. Seriously, we got the dumb thing through the door, more like Sidney heaved it through and I watched and made sure nothing broke, and the second we sat down, we were going at it like high schoolers. After our little talk in the furniture store, I felt so much closer to him in every way possible, and apparently making out is a good way to show this.

"Sidney," I moaned, feeling his hand make its way up my back. My shirt was on the ground next to his on the wood floor. He was kneeling on the couch over me, using one hand to prop himself up.

"Mmm?" was his response.

"Should we be doing this here? On your brand new couch?" I managed between his lips. He pulled away for a second before answering.

"Just think of it as breaking it in," he said, reaching for my pants, and for once, I didn't stop him.