CA Chapter Twenty-two

The rest of that day was spent throwing around what-ifs. Ava suggested ‘Uncle George’ just send in the Secret Service. Amythyst proposed that he use a spare set of keys to the UFO on top of the Space Needle in Seattle to come and beam them all out. Their plans became wilder and more ridiculous the longer they talked, until they were even Ava was giggling madly and froze like deer in the headlights when a knock came at her front door.

Ava, who had been standing on the couch to illustrate how tall a Hyper-static Death Robot would need to be, jumped down, automatically straightening her clothes. Crossing the room, she opened the door, looking down to see Veronica, one of LeeAn’s friends, whom Ava had met when LeeAn invited her to dinner in the shared dining area.

“Um, hello?” Veronica said, curiously peering around Ava’s shoulder at the empty room behind her. “Oh. I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

Ava shifted, blocking the other woman’s view. Ava was probably about the same age as Veronica, but something about the bubbly redhead made her seem younger. “No. I was catching up on a few episodes of my favorite web series.” Belatedly, she reminded herself that Ava Shaw was a sweet, friendly person, and forced an apologetic smile to her face. “Sorry. Was I being too loud?”

Veronica took a step back, waving her hands. “Oh, no! No, I was just coming over to invite you to dinner tonight. Or maybe tomorrow? But I heard you laughing, and I thought,” she stood on her tiptoes and made one last attempt to peer around Ava, “I heard another woman talking, but the voice wasn’t familiar.”

Ava sighed and stepped aside, showing a room empty of any sign that more than one person had been inside. “Just me, I’m afraid. I talk to myself sometimes, though. My web series is a mystery show, and I’m trying to figure out who the murderer is.”

“Oh!” Veronica brightened, even as her eyes darted around the room, catching on the single half-full glass of water and the empty microwave dinner tray. “Do you like funny mystery shows? Me too! I was so sad when ‘Fulton’s Drawers’ was canceled last year. What were you watching?”

Ava hesitated. She didn’t actually watch any shows, mainly because she rarely had any free time that wasn’t spent sleeping or playing Veritas Online. “Um…”

“Babble-on Fifth,” Amythyst murmured in her ear. “Platypus Park. Fleischmann’s Follies.”

“Babble-on’s Follies,” Ava blurted, then shook her head, gritting her teeth at the sound of a snicker over her implants. “I mean, um, Babble-on Fifth. But before that I was watching Fleischmann’s Follies.”

Veronica squealed. “I love Babble-on! We should totally have a watch party sometime! They’re dropping the second half of season three next weekend! Oh my gosh, I want to know if Bobbi Mushroom is actually dead!”

“He is,” Amythyst said. “I watched the episodes when they finished editing them. Honestly, Bobbi’s kind of been naughty behind the scenes, and I think the producers were tired of it.”

“Um, yeah.” Ava said, trying not to look like she was listening to two different people hold two conversations at the same time. “I don’t know.”

At Veronica’s crestfallen expression, Ava hastened to clarify. “About Bobbi! Not the watch party. We could, um, watch an episode… together. Or something.”

Veronica smiled hopefully. “How about dinner?”

Ava glanced at the screen behind her. “Yeah. I mean, yes! Sure. But, maybe tomorrow?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Veronica said, “That sounds amazing! You could,” she hesitated, cheeks pinkening slightly, “come to my room?” At the look at Ava’s face, she hurried on, “Or the dining room! The dining room is totally fine!”

Relieved, Ava nodded. “That would be great. I’ll… see you tomorrow night, then?”

Taking a step back, Veronica said, “Great! Um, yeah. I’ll… see you then!” Turning away, she hurried down the hall, though not without one last backward glance and smile.

Ava stepped back into her room, though her hand froze on the door as Amythyst gasped, “She just asked you out!”

Ava finished closing the door before hissing, “She did not!”

“She totally did! And you said yes!” Amythyst snickered.

“She’s just being nice,” Ava insisted, then muttered, “Not that you’d know anything about that.”

“Hey!” Amythyst yelped, “I’m nice! Didn’t I tell you the name of some shows she’d like? You should watch them. For your date.”

Ava groaned. “I’m going to have to watch them, aren’t I? Or she’ll figure out I was lying.”

“Yup,” Amythyst said, far too cheerfully. “But don’t worry. I’m a great wing-woman, just ask Bridget. I totally helped her catch Hank, and that was the most awkward romantic relationship ever, because they’re both complete nerds.”

Ava sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands. “Queue up the first episode,” she said, voice muffled. “What was the show? Babylon something?”

“Babble-on Fifth. It’s a musical murder mystery done in noir style, but acted entirely by babies and toddlers.”

Ava groaned.

(===||:::::::::::::::>

The next night, after watching two and a half seasons of bumbling baby detectives and their singing toddler nemeses, Ava wanted nothing more than to stay in and watch something with an actual plot and real actors. Unfortunately, she had told Veronica she’d be there, so she carefully applied just enough makeup to look like Ava Shaw, as well as a simple pink tunic shirt over a pair of soft gray leggings. She didn’t bother with jewelry or anything else that would count as dressing up, on the off-chance that the other woman actually did think this was a date.

Veronica was waiting when Ava arrived in the large, bustling dining area. The servers were already bringing meals to the employees seated at other tables, and Veronica eagerly waved to Ava, motioning to two chairs which had been pulled away from a table on the very edge of the room. No one else was sitting at their table, though some of the other tables were already full.

Ava hesitated as she passed LeeAn’s table, where she saw Dan, Kari, and three other people she didn’t recognize. LeeAn looked up and offered her a neutral smile, but didn’t say anything, so Ava went on by with just a nod and a return smile.

Veronica was wearing a pretty blue dress that accented her red hair and pale skin, and she smiled broadly as Ava sat down beside her. Reaching out, she laid one hand on Ava’s and said, “I’m so glad you came! They have carrot cake tonight, and it’s my favorite. I’m so excited to see what you think.”

Ava’s smile was a little tight as she moved her hand under the pretense of adjusting her silverware. “Oh. Um, I’m… not really a fan of carrot cake. Especially when they put nuts and raisins in it.”

Veronica’s face fell, and Amythyst huffed a frustrated sigh over Ava’s auditory implant. “Wow. Okay, tip one, if your date says they like something, don’t shoot them down. Be honest, but be gentle. Say it’s okay, and tell them what your favorite is.”

Ava cleared her throat. “I mean, carrot cake is fine. Good, even! I just, um, prefer chocolate.”

“Oh. Yeah, chocolate is good,” Veronica said, smile returning, though it was slightly dimmer.

Ava felt like she’d kicked a puppy. Leaning slightly closer, she added, “Tuxedo chocolate mousse cake, specifically. My,” not her mom, Ava Shaw’s mom wasn’t part of her story, “dad got me one for my birthday when I turned sixteen, and it was the best thing I ever ate.”

Brightening, Veronica said, “Really? I’ve never had one of those, but I do like chocolate mousse! You know, there’s a spot in the LandonHome app where you can request certain meals or desserts. You should totally ask them to add, what was it, chocolate mousse cake?”

“Tuxedo chocolate mousse,” Ava corrected, relaxing slightly into her seat. “It has brownie chunks in it, and chocolate ganache on the top.”

Veronica gripped her arm, eyes wide, “Oh my gosh! My mouth is watering! We have to get that on the menu! If we both ask for it, surely they’ll make it sometime.”

Ava smiled and was about to answer when someone else pulled out the chair across the table from her and sat down. A moment later, another man sat down beside him.

“How are you doing, Ava?” Quinn asked, sneering as he looked at Veronica’s hand on Ava’s arm. Without thinking, Ava put her own hand over Veronica’s protectively.

“I’m fine,” Ava answered coldly, then tried to soften her tone with an insincere smile. “What brings you here, Quinn?” She flicked her eyes to the man sitting next to Quinn, looking oddly nervous. “Dean?”

“We, uh, just came over to say hi,” Dean said, though he avoided Ava’s eyes. “You know, since we work together and all. We haven’t really had a chance to get to know each other.”

Quinn’s lip rolled up to reveal a slightly yellow tooth. “Sure. We saw you had a lot of room at your table, and thought we’d just chat for a minute.”

Ava felt Veronica’s fingers tighten on her arm, and glanced over to see a disappointed look on the other woman’s sweet face. “Really?” Ava asked. “Because Veronica and I were actually hoping to have a nice chat, just the two of us. Unless you guys are also fans of Babble-on Fifth?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Dean said, and tugged at Quinn’s sleeve. “Come on, man. Let’s go. They obviously weren’t looking for company.” He pushed back his chair and stood up.

“Mmhm,” Quinn said, his eyes still lingering on Veronica and Ava’s hands, “I see that. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You looked a little… sick, when you got out of the-,” his eyes focused on Veronica, and he changed tack. “When you finished your shift.”

Ava’s eyes narrowed. “I was fine,” she said. “Were you worried? That’s so sweet of you.” She smiled a saccharine smile.

Narrow mouth narrowing even further, Quinn pushed his chair back. “Well, that’s good. It’d be terrible if you were too sick to be able to do your job.” As Dean walked off, Quinn hesitated and looked back at Ava. “Though you never know, if you did feel sick, maybe it was a warning. Maybe you’re allergic to… something. Next time, it might be much, much worse.” Tapping his finger on the table, he gave one last leer, looking from Veronica’s confused face to Ava’s carefully blank one, and walked away, following his friend.

“That was weird,” Veronica said. She looked at her hand, which was still tucked beneath Ava’s protective grasp, and her cheeks turned a pretty pink.

Ava had to force herself not to snatch her hand back. Instead, she removed it slowly, and used it to lay her napkin in her lap. “Yeah. Apparently, he applied for the job I got, and he’s not very happy about the fact that he didn’t get it.”

“Rude,” Veronica said, clicking her tongue. “Well, I’m glad you got the job, and next time I see him in the hall, I’m totally not saying hi to him.” She smiled at Ava and shifted so she could pull her screen from the purse that leaned against the leg of her chair. “Here, let me show you how to request that cake from the kitchen.”

A waitress set Ava’s duck confit with crispy potatoes and a house salad in front of her, and slid Veronica’s macadamia crusted lamb with macadamia sambal onto the table as Veronica lifted her screen out of the way.

Ava smiled and took her own screen out of her pocket, pulling up the LandonHome app as Amythyst’s shocked voice said, “Did that jerk just threaten you?”

Smiling at Veronica, Ava said, “Yes,” and then focused on having a pleasant meal with someone who didn’t hate her, even if it was, possibly, just a little bit like a date.