Wallflower

9

Chapter 9: Glace au Café avec un Cône de Gaufres

    "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" Avery asked as she laid on the grass. The breeze blew causing the blades underneath her to gently tickle her arm as she stretched it out to pet Milo. The small Golden Retriever yipped and started nip at the tips of her fingers.

    "To never have to go to school again, to be able to fly and for America to lower its legal age for drinking," Alex responded. Time had flown and December was drawing near and most of the leaves on the trees had shed leaving a gorgeous sight on the ground for those who came to visit the park. "What would be yours?"

   Avery sat up, her fingers playing with a single flower she found on a bush that seemed to take its time to shed its leaves. It was a week or two after Alex had accompanied Avery and the Toussaints to retrieve Milo and the girls found themselves spending a little more time with each other once Avery opened up. The two could comfortably say that they were friends rather than acquaintances. Today, Alex joined Avery while she walked Milo and they decided to take a break in the local park while they allowed the puppy to play.

   "I'm not sure," Avery responded, "Maybe for world peace, the end of world hunger and for a bucket of chocolate chip cookies." Avery leaned over and placed the flower behind Alex's ear, causing the brunette to wrinkle her nose in distaste.

  "Your answers make me sound like a shit person."

  Avery let out a laugh, the sound causing Alex to look over at her. "Aren't you a bad person though?"

   Alex smirked once she realised that Avery had censored her sentence, "Come on, say it, Avery."

"Say what?"

"Shit."

"No."

   Alex raised herself up so that she was now resting back on her elbows. "Why don't you curse? Is it too dirty for you?" she teased.

"I do curse," Avery replied. Milo ran up to her with a stick in his mouth and jumped into her lap, earning a small smile from the freckled girl. She tossed it, expecting him to fetch the stick and bring it back only to observe that he stayed comfortably on her legs.

"I've never heard you curse before."

"I curse in French. Curse words in English don't sound nice. Plus we haven't really been talking for that long for you to judge whether or not I curse."

Alex scoffed, "Oh please. How long we've been talking has nothing to do with it. You hear me curse all the fucking time."

"Because your mouth is like a sailor's."

The corner of Alex's mouth turned upwards in a half smile, "Touché."

    Milo jumped from Avery's lap, seemingly interested in Alex as he ran over to her and climbed on her chest to lick her face. Alex used a hand in an attempt to move the dog from her face but did not succeed. "This is like the worst kiss I've ever gotten," she groaned, moving her head from left to right trying to get the puppy to stop. "Way too much tongue, Milo."

   "I have to drop him off for training tomorrow before school. Maman and Papa both can't do it this time," Avery said as she lifted Milo up from Alex's chest, holding him in the air and rubbing her nose against his. "I'm gonna miss you, little guy. Even if it's just for half a day," she spoke to him. Milo responded by licking Avery's nose.

   "That's how people get worms," Alex commented as she got up from the grass. She brushed herself off before holding out a hand to Avery who graciously took it.