Constantine followed her into the coffee shop, shrugging off his jacket and placing it down, taking a seat as Avery went to go get a drink. He smiled to himself, laughing a bit as he imagined the fit Elise would have when he got back to their place. But something told him that maybe things would go so well with Chad she wouldnt even come back. He knew that he should have felt a bit sad but he knew he had never loved Elise in the way he had loved before. They were both just so simliar yet different. They shared interests but personality wise they were severely separated. And he would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy that he saw the same with Avery and Chad. He looked out the window, running his hands through his hair as he tried to remember the last time he had just relaxed with someone he actually liked. Let alone with Avery. Their relationship had been so perfect, or it had seemed to be. And when things fell apart, it was if nothing would ever be the same again.
The sound of Avery’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he smiled at her as he cleared his throat and nodded. “I didn’t know there was someone else out there who could be as self absorbed as Elsie is. Who knew you were dating her other half.” Constantine laughed and shook his head as he shifted in his seat so he could face her better. “You know me and my dramatics. I like to make a solid entrance.” He shrugged as he ran a hand over his face, smiling slightly “You know…Max never told me that you were teaching. He writes all the time. Guess it just slipped his mind.” Constantine shrugged and turned towards the window, taking in the city lights, trying to figure out how he ended up right back in front of Avery Lennox even after all this time. Somehow he was always pulled to her.
“They had a lot of little cute places like these in Paris. I was there for about a month. It was amazing. I felt like I should have carried cigarettes with me everywhere and bought myself a typewriter. Maybe I could have created something useful like a book or a guide or anything. But as we both know, I’m shit with words.” He laughed and scratched the back of his head as he remembered his time away. “There was this one day. A friend and I are drinking coffee and this old man was sitting outside with a guitar. He was just sitting here for a while, people were staring but for the most part they just ignored him. And then he started to play and sing and oh my god he had the most amazing voice ever. He was singing in french and my french isn’t that great but still. He was awesome. I ended up introducing myself, we ended up getting drunk that night and writing a song together. It was awesome.”
Constantine smiled softly as he looked up at Avery, taking her in. Even now she still managed to take his breath away. She was a rare find and he loved her with everything in him and he was starting to realize he still did. “What about you? Tell me…whats been going on? Tell me a story, tell me anything. I just want to know how you’ve been. I’ve missed your voice, your laugh, your everything.” Constantine knew he was revealing too much but he couldn’t help it so he just smiled and looked at her, his heart screaming to be hers again.
Avery was glad that conversation wasn’t forced. The pair sat and talked as if they had only seen each other yesterday when it had in fact been years. She snorted a laugh at his comment about Chad. “He’s an actor. You’d think that I would have learned my lesson by now. Actors make the worst boyfriends. But the sex is pretty good. And he does pay for most things.” She could have smacked herself in the face. “Now I sound like a gold-digging whore.” The redhead just laughed it off. She had never been one for lying, so why start now? Taking a sip from her hot chocolate, she smiled when Constantine mentioned her teaching. “Well, I won’t say I’m thrilled to be a teacher. But it keeps the bills paid and at least a little bit of food in the fridge. And I guess I do love my students. but only a little bit. And I guess it’s good to keep my passions alive, since I am a theatre teacher.” She shrugged her shoulders contently. Teaching wasn’t ideal, but it was much better than the unemployed alternative.
As he spoke of his trips to Paris, she felt a strange mixture of entrancement and jealousy. Avery wanted to travel. The couple was supposed to travel together, but life got in the way as it always does. She shoved the jealous pangs back below the surface and sat enraptured by Constantine’s story. It didn’t surprise her that he had met some random stranger and managed to strike a chord, literally. His openness and adventurousness were part of why she loved him.
She did love him, didn’t she? Nearly no thoughts of Chad came to her as she sat and talked with Constantine. But could she say the same about the past few months? Constantine was always in the back of her mind. She missed him, with every breath she took and every fiber of her being. Now that she had him back, even if things would never be the same, her entire body breathed a sigh of relief. She felt whole again. She was reunited with her soulmate and that’s all anyone could ever ask for.
Avery adjusted in her seat as she sat across from him. She had to turn her gaze away from his stunning features as he told her just how much he missed her, her voice, her everything. He had always been fond of her voice, even though she could never put her finger on why. Realizing that she’d have to stop staring at the floor eventually, she picked up her eyes, biting her lip as she smiled. “A story? Well. Let me see. I can’t top Paris, but I can try to come close.” She smirked and thought for a moment before coming up with a pretty damn good story. “Shocker, Danni and I went on this road trip last summer. We both really wanted to go back and visit California and we both managed to have the summer off, so we figured, fuck it! At the end of June, we packed up her Mustang and took off for the Golden State, not a single care in the world. We took a few stops along the way, visiting various random tourist sites. Remind me to show you the picture of me and the world’s largest runner band ball. It’s a real keeper. Anyway, about a week into the trip, we finally arrive in good ol’ Cali, our home away from home. And we drive and drive, until we come across this little motel so we can spend at least the night there. Little did we know that it was attached to a sleazy strip club. The manager of the motel asked if we wanted to make some extra cash. Being the extravagant spenders that we are, we were down to make some extra cash. But we’re also both dumb blondes at heart and didn’t think this job offer through. Basically, what ended up happening was Danni and I worked a strip club for two nights. We wore our own lingerie, of course, but we worked the poles and everything. Needless to say, I’ll never forget those nights.”
She laughed to herself recalling the experience. Why she decided to go with this story and not another was beyond her, but honestly, how many people can say they worked at a strip club for two nights? “How’d you and Elise meet? How’s your family? How’s…everything? Catch me up!” Avery couldn’t look at him for too long. She’d start staring if she allowed herself to. She missed him. And she didn’t realize just how much she had until he was sitting right in front of her, like he had never left.
Constantine looked down at his phone as he stared at Avery’s number in his phone. He hadn’t slept the whole night, his mind running over the run-in with Avery. He looked at Elise next to him and wished he could feel the same for her. He held a great fondness for her but he was far from being in love. Shutting his phone down after texting Avery the adress of the restaurant, he moved closer to his girlfriend, leaning in to kiss her awake. He put on his best smile as she woke up and kissed him back, closing his eyes as he tried to make himself get lost in it all. He had to let go eventually.
After spending the day in bed, the couple realized that it was time to get ready for dinner. Elise had rolled her eyes when Constantine had told her about the double date. She knew about Avery and did not hesitate to voice her opinion on the whole thing. He simply stayed quiet and assured her that it would all be okay. Standing in the hallway, buttoning up his shirt, he laughed as he listened to Max on the phone. “Do you think this was a stupid idea man?” “Of course it was Constantine but hey, you and I make stupid mistakes all the time right?” Constantine couldn’t help but laugh at that, looking up to look in the mirror, Elise getting dressed catching his eye. “You’re right dude. Look I gotta go. But I’ll text you later to let you know how it goes. Love you dude. Talk to you later.”
Constantine turned around and stared at his girlfriend. She wasn’t usually his type but she was beautiful and intelligent and there was something about her that had always excited him. He could fall in love with her. Maybe. Sighing, he pulled on his jacket and fixed his tie as he stuffed his keys in his pockets before walking over to Elise and kissing her softly before taking her hand leading out the door, noticing that the two were already late. He listened to here talk about the new line she would be modeling next week back in Paris all the way to the restaurant, all to grateful for the break when they pulled up to the valet and he tossed the keys to the man waiting for it before moving to open Elise’s door and holding his arm for her to take. He couldn’t lie, the two looked beautiful together but he would be a liar if he said he wasn’t wishing it was someone else.
Getting himself together and taking a deep breath he gave his name to the hostess and smiled when he saw Avery and her boyfriend waiting for them at the table. He had to hold back a laugh as he saw him. He seemed like everything the two had despised growing up. Deciding not to pass judgement he cleared his throat as he reached the table and smiled. “Sorry we’re late, caught a bit of traffic. You must be Chad. I’m Constantine. This is my girlfriend Elise. Pleasure to meet you.” He gave the other man a solid handshake, noticing how he didn’t even get out of his chair. He turned to Avery, and found the smile on his face widening as he took her in. She was beautiful. Always had been. Leaning in, he kissed her cheek lightly and gave her a small hug. “You look beautiful,” he whispered to her before pulling away and watching Avery introduce herself to Elise. They all sat down and Constantine realized that it would probably be up to him to keep the conversation going. “So Chad, Avery tells me you’re an actor as well.” And the conversation never stopped. Chad sharing every story and detail about himself as he could as Elise joined in with the places she had traveled as a model, the two comparing notes and hotels and endless lists of things.
Constantine had travelled a lot but he had definitely done more fun things than they had. He stole a glance at Avery and found her texting furiously on her phone. He raised his eyebrows as Chad ordered her a drink. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his seat. “Uh she doesn’t like whiskey man. She’s more a vodka or gin type of gal.” Avery looked at him and back at Chad and Constantine smirked as he looked back at his menu, listening to Avery inform her boyfriend that she did indeed hate Whiskey. He waited until his girlfriend and her boyfriend were back in conversation before talking to Avery. “So, Miss Lennox how is Danni these days?” He smiled as she put down her phone and blushed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face again. “And I heard that Noah is out and safe now. That’s awesome. Really awesome.” Constantine let out a sigh of relief as the conversation flowed, completely forgetting about the two people next to him.
Once the food came, he found that Elise seemed to be completely ignoring him as well, way too involved in Chad’s stories and obsession with himself. Pushing himself away from the table, he announced that he needed to use the bathroom, looking at Avery for a long moment before leaving. Standing in front of the bathroom sink, he flashed some cold water on his face and stared at himself in the mirror and sighed. “What the hell are you doing man? Get your shit together.” He took a deep breath and wiped his face. He froze as he came out of the bathroom and came face to face with Avery who was coming out of the door across from the Men’s room. Smiling sheepishly at each other, the two looked back at their table, their significant others seeming to fall over each other. He turned to Avery and smiled, “Avery Lennox, would you like to get the hell out of here?” He laughed as she said yes, grabbing her hand as the two ran by the table, grabbed their things and ran out of the restaurant, laughing the whole way.
He let out a long breath, Avery’s arm linked with his as the two walked silently along the loud streets of New York City. He smiled to himself, loving the feeling of having her there. He knew things were way too complicated and there would be a lot to sort out but at the moment he couldn’t think of any reason why the two of them shouldn’t be together at this very moment. He smiled to himself as he thought of their favorite game to play. He turned to her, placing a light kiss on her forehead so she would look up at him. “Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood?”
Avery glanced down at her phone, checking the time. It wasn’t like Constantine to be overly late, but she would excuse his lack of punctuality. She just wished that Chad would shut up about it. He wasn’t one who enjoyed waiting around - he was used to getting whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. As she sat at the unusually lonely table, she began to contemplate her relationship with the pompous actor. It wasn’t just because Constantine was back in the picture. She had been noticing more and more of his unique quirks. While she had originally been attracted to these things because they made him different from everyone else, lately she was finding that they were actually quite irritating. His complete disregard for anyone besides himself was no longer a refreshing change, but a constant reminder of his truly selfish nature.
She had just finished sending out a frantic ramble of a text message to Danni when she looked up to see Constantine walking into the restaurant with his girlfriend, presumably. It took all she had to not let her jaw drop. The girl was gorgeous and the couple looked absolutely stunning together. Subtly, Avery nudged Chad, letting him know that their company had arrived. With only a subtle hint of awkwardness, she rose from her chair and was appalled when Chad didn’t follow her lead. He was making quite the impression on their company and the night had only barely begun. As Constantine introduced himself to her current other half, Avery did the same. She complimented Elise on her stunning wardrobe and tried her best to muster up a sincere smile.
The smile was no longer forced the second after Constantine turned to her. She tried to hide the slight blush on her cheeks when he complimented her. Instead, she bounced back. “You look pretty good yourself,” she replied with a smirk. The four young adults sat down around the table. Avery could have smacked Constantine for his choice in conversation starters. She knew that once Chad started talking about himself and his quote, unqoute stellar acting career, he would never stop. Surprisingly enough, Constantine at least pretended to be interested in what the actor had to say. Elise looked quite interested in the topic as well. As for Avery, she had heard this all too many times before and therefore, just tuned out the mindless chatter.
She was snapped out of her reverie when she heard Constantine correcting Chad when he tried to order her a drink. Four months together and he still didn’t know what she preferred to drink? “Whiskey burns too much. And I’m a lightweight. I’ll have a gin and tonic please,” she said directing her attention to the waiter. Chad barely even reacted and returned to his conversation with Elise. Slyly, Avery tried to hide her phone back into her pocket after she was already busted for texting. She almost felt like one of her students that she nailed daily for being on their phones in class. “If you must know, I was just informing Danni about how…unfortunate it is that she isn’t here with us. She’s missing out on an absolutely scintillating conversation. Really, I can barely keep up.” She finished with a small snort and her signature smirk. “Joking aside, she’s great. She’s got a gig working for a costume designer. She loves it. She might even help design the costumes for a Broadway show next month. And yes, Noah is out and safe. Everything worked out. Uncle Robert’s lawyer friends really helped him out.” She smiled, happy that she didn’t have to explain anything. Constantine always paid attention to her when she spoke. Conversation flowed as if nothing had ever even happened between them.
By the time their meals were brought out to the table, the conversation was split. Elise and Chad were wrapped up in each other and their shared interests - mostly themselves. She was actually impressed that Chad was able to hold up conversation when it wasn’t about himself, but she supposed that Elise was interesting enough to hold his attention. Constantine and herself shared stories of all that had transpired in their lives separated from each other. When he rose to excuse himself to the restroom, Avery understood immediately what the shared long look meant. She waited a couple of minutes and then pretended like she spilled some of her drink on her cardigan and followed his lead, excusing herself to the bathroom. Elise and Chad didn’t even notice and Chad barely even let her finish her excuse before cutting her off and resuming his conversation.
Not really needing to use the bathroom, Avery just checked over her reflection. Her hair had lost some of it’s original volume, but other than that she was still pleased with her appearance. Nodding at herself, she exited the bathroom and came face to face with Constantine. She followed his gaze as he looked at their table and had to suppress her laughter. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night.” Hand in hand, they made their way back to the table just so they could grab the rest of their belongings. Their company didn’t even notice that they had come back. They were much too engrossed in each other.
The cool air of the New York night was a refreshing departure from the stuffy air of the restaurant. Walking arm in arm with Constantine along the busy streets seemed like the right place to be in the moment. Sure, things weren’t going to be easy and sure, her life just got much more complicated, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She would just take life as it came. She would worry about the heavy stuff later. Right now, she was going to enjoy herself. She owed herself that much. Her eyes closed for the briefest of moments at the familiar touch of his lips on her forehead. A warm smile lit up her face as she looked up at him and heard his question. It was their game. “Kelly Clarkson, hands down. Madonna or Lady Gaga?”
The game went on like this for hours. Back and forth, questions about absolutely anything and nothing, all at the same time. As they walked through the streets, they passed a cute little coffee shop. “It’s getting kind of cool out here. What do you say we go inside?” Avery asked, nodding towards the cafe. When he agreed, the pair walked inside and she found a little table near the window where they could sit. Draping her jacket over oen of the chairs to save the table, she walked over to the counter to place her order. This cafe actually turned out to be one of her favorites in the entire city. It was one of the few places where she could get a caramel hot chocolate. Drink in hand, she walked back over to the table.
“Crazy, isn’t it?” she started. “Turns out, our significant others have been with the wrong people this whole time. And they never would have known, had you not barged in and interrupted my class.”
When Avery said that the class was dismissed Constantine told Max to head to the car and wait for him there. He took a moment to take in the woman in front of him as the students moved out of the classroom, stopping to say a few things to her. She was just as beautiful as she had been in high school and he couldn’t ignore the way his heart jumped just by seeing her. When the room was finally empty, Constantine started to feel nervous, not sure what to say but luckily she started the conversation. He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth slightly. “Great, I’ve been great,” he finally said. He smiled at her and asked the same, waiting for her answer as his mind ran over the past six years.
He would be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t missed her. He did. Every single day. Their break-up had been horrible and extremely hurtful and neither of them had wanted it but distance was just too much for them. He thought of his stupid, drunken nights after the break-up and shook his head, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room, jumping when his phone buzzed. “Sorry,” he said with a sheepish smile as he took his phone out to check who was bothering him. His eyes widened when he saw a message from his current girlfriend, remembering that she was flying in from Paris early tomorrow morning. Shoving his phone awkwardly back into his pocket he turned to Avery and gave her a small smile. “So, uh, are you seeing anyone?” He cringed as the words left his mouth and he quickly tried to cover up. “It’s just that uh my girlfriend is flying in tomorrow morning and I mean she doesn’t have many American friends and I figured if you were dating someone we could all go out to dinner and uh I mean we’re friends now right? Would that be okay?” Constantine looked up at her nervously, hoping she would go easy on him. He was trying not to make things weird but felt as if he was failing. He thought about Elise and how he had constantly compared her to Avery and he felt horrible for it but it was inevitable.
Even though she knew that not many of her students were seriously considering acting as a career, Avery did feel a sense of warmth and pride as they took time to talk to her and ask questions before they left the class. Tucking the same strand of hair behind her ear after it got loose, she tried to control herself. She was an actress. She could pretend to be fine, just fine in front of the one person who could always read her like a book. She could control her nerves. She had to. “Good. I’m glad to hear that you’ve been great. Max mentioned something about you travelling the world. That’s amazing. I know you’ve always wanted to.” Her voice grew quiet as she finished. This was the hard part. They knew every intimate detail about one another. How do you separate that knowledge and the feelings that tagged along from the current situation? “I’ve been pretty good myself. Picked up this job. Auditions have been slow, so I have to do something to make ends meet, y’know?” She wasn’t complaining. She just wanted to clear up any confusion he had about why she was teaching his younger brother in their old high school.
Their eyes had locked just long enough to send a wave of feelings through her body, straight to her core. Luckily, his phone went off, breaking the intense eye contact. She used the opportunity to take a deep breath and compose herself. She was a strong woman. She could be friends with someone that she went out with, albeit for a very long time. She could ignore her feelings, even if she knew that they were there. Her eyes widened at his question. Avery opened her mouth to reply, but Constantine cut her off. “Oh, uhm. Yeah. That would be fine. Of course were friends. We can totally go out on a double date.”
She made sure Constantine had her number and they made plans to go out tomorrow evening. As they parted ways, her thoughts drifted to her current boyfriend, Chad. He was a tool and an actor, a subspecies of men she had originally sworn off. If she was honest with herself, she was only dating him to keep a closer tab on all that was going on in the acting universe. Maybe that made her terrible, but so be it. The relationship most likely wouldn’t last much longer anyway.
The Next Day
“I hope this isn’t a bad idea. This isn’t a bad idea, right?” Avery called out as she paced back and forth in the bathroom of the small apartment she shared with Noah and Danni. She took a deep breath as she leaned her hands on the base of the sink and faced her reflection. She really did want to make sure that things between she and Constantine could go as well as possible. “For the last time, chick. This is fine. Two former soul mates can totally go out on a double date with their current significant others,” Danni said from the bedroom the girls shared. Avery tried not to roll her eyes at the obvious tone in her best friend’s voice. She knew what Danni really thought. She knew that the other girl thought she was completely ridiculous for trying to go out on a platonic date with her former lover.
“Okay, okay. I just have to get this over with. There’s no time like the present. And plus, Chad’s gonna be here any second.” Avery paced her way out of the bathroom and to her closet. She pulled out a heather grey cardigan to complete her outfit - a vee-neck cobalt blue shirt and tight, dark washed skinny jeans and blue pumps. Demure, yet sensual. She wasn’t sure who she was trying harder to impress, Constantine or Chad. She ran her hands though her hair at the fact that she even had to ask herself that. The answer should have been obvious. So why wasn’t it?
As if her thoughts were being read, the doorbell chimed. “Your, oh so wonderful and talented boyfriend is here, Ave. Time to get a move on.” Taking a final deep breath, Avery composed herself and headed for the door, grabbing her purse on the way out. “You look nice. Come on, let’s go,” Chad said. She made a face at Danni behind his back and headed out the door.
The car ride was quiet and quick as they drove to the restaurant that they had decided on. They pulled into the parking lot and Chad didn’t even get up to help her with her door. A real winner, he is. As they walked inside, he kept his distance yet left his hand resting territorially on the small of her back. Avery gave the hostess the name on the reservation and she led the pair to their table. Now, all they had to do was wait for their company to join them.
Home. It was a strange word to think of for Constantine Hollow who had spent almost two years away from New York, travelling the world and bettering it as much as he could. He smiled and said bye to the older woman who he had spent the long flight back from India talking to and gripped his bags as he walked out of JFK, the fall weather greeting him and putting a wide smile on his face. His smile grew as he spotted Walter, the chauffeur who didn’t seem like much of a chauffeur anymore, seeing how close he had become to the Hollow family over the years. “Mr. Hollow! Good to have you back!” Constantine laughed and wrapped Walter in a big hug as he set his bags down. “Please Walter you’ve known me since I was in diapers, I think its about time you call me Constantine.” Walter simply shrugged and threw his bags into the back, Constantine deciding to sit in the passenger, seat, ignoring the look from Walter. The drive back home was quiet and gave Constantine the chance to clear his head, taking in just how much he had missed home. Soon they were out of the city and back in Westchester County and Constantine finally felt at home.
He took the steps two at a time as he ran into the house, smiling as he saw his mother sitting in the living room watching tv. Her eyes brightened as she saw him and she let out a small yell as he wrapped her in a hug and laughed. “Oh goodness you put me down now Constantine and let me see my grown up boy!” He smiled at her as she placed her hands on his cheeks, kissing his forehead, as she looked him up and down. “Healthy and handsome as always. Are you hungry? I just made some lasagna. Come on, have some. Your father should be here any minute.” He followed his mother, catching her up on everything from his trip. His father pulled him in for a big hug when he got home and the three sat down for a late lunch, laughing and enjoying each others company as if he had never left. When his mother announced that she should probably go to pick up Max, Constantine smiled as he cleaned up his plate. “Can I do it? I miss my brother and plus, I think he’d like the surprise.”
Sitting in his old car, Constantine couldn’t help but laugh. Even at 25, he still felt like a little kid every time he sat in his old Camaro. He had saved up forever to buy it and when he finally did he wouldn’t let anyone else drive it. Pulling out quickly he made his way towards his old high school, smiling as he drove towards the Arts wing. Apparently his brother wanted to try out acting this semester. Walking through the hallways of his high school he tried to shake the nostalgic feelings but it was inevitable as he thought about all the times he had spent in this hallway, flirting with girls, especially one girl in particular who he tried to shake away as he approached the classroom he knew Max would be in. He didn’t even hesitate as he saw his brother sitting in the front room, assuming that Mrs. Nielson was teaching the class and wouldn’t mind the interruption he opened the door so Max could see his face and found himself tackled into a hug. “CONSTANTINE!” He laughed as he wrapped his arm around his brother. “Well damn its good to see you too.” “Dude how was seeing the world! You have to tell me all about it!” Constantine laughed as he looked up at Max, both of them freezing as they heard someone clear their throat from behind them. He pushed his brother off of him and laughed as he moved to get up. “Sorry Mrs. Nie-“ Constantine felt his words catch in is throat as he looked up to find the girl he had just been trying to shake from his memories only moments ago. Standing up, he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. “Well, you are definitely not Mrs. Nielson.” He looked back at Max who looked apologetic and shrugged. Turning back he met the teachers eyes and tried to put on his best smile. “Avery Lennox. It’s been a while.”
New York City. The city of possibilities. The city where anything could happen. The city where everything possible did happen. At least, where everything began. LA was the place where everything fell into place. Almost everything. One thing had fallen through the cracks. One person had slipped through her nimble fingers. Avery would never be able to forgive herself for losing the one person that finally understood her. She would never be able to forgive herself for hurting him.
The days were starting to run together. Day in and day out, she had picked up a teaching job at her old high school. It wasn’t what she wanted. Avery wanted to be acting. She wanted to continue her big break. But it never came. The role in the indie film that she had landed at the end of high school should have kick started her career. She blamed no one but herself for it not working out. So, now at the ripe old age of 24, she was teaching basic acting classes to a bunch of snot nosed teenagers, many of whom were only taking the class to get an easy A.
The high school brought back many memories. Old friends, different parties, plenty of drama, various flings…there was no escaping any of this. As hard as she tried to forget the past and move on, it was impossible. She didn’t even entirely want to. She certainly didn’t want to forget one guy in particular. And she never did. His brother was in her acting class, every day for at least forty five minutes. Maybe an hour and a half if she was lucky.
“Body language is key in acting. You have to make sure that your body language lines up with your facial expression. And your facial expression has to be in sync with…what, Mr. Hollow? How about you tell the class what we discussed yesterday in class?” she pursed her lips, trying to hide the smirk from her features. “Uh. Facial expression has to be in sync with the emotion you’re trying to portray? Right?” Avery had to give him credit. For someone who didn’t seem to be paying attention much of the time, Max Hollow actually impressed her. “Are you asking me or telling me, Max?” “Telling. I’m telling you, Ms. L.” She just nodded her head and turned her back to the class to scribble a few notes down on the board.
When she turned around, Avery saw a figure present that wasn’t there before. Clearing her throat, she tried to regain control of her classroom. Her breath was taken away when the man turned around. The one guy that she thought she had lost was standing right in front of her. “Uhm, no. No I’m not. Mrs. Nielson hasn’t worked here in a while. I’ve been working here since the beginning of the year.” Hiding the growing blush on her face, she turned around to look up at the clock. What could be the harm in letting the class out a little early? “Uh. Class dismissed. Everyone have a good weekend.”
She crossed in front of her desk and leaned up against it, her hands supporting her weight. Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, Avery looked up at Constantine. “Long time no see, Constantine. How have you been, stranger?”
-pats the spot next to him- Then get your cute ass over here.
-climbs into the bed next to him- There. Now my cute ass is over here.
You sound like me. Now come on, are you going to leave me all lonely in this bed?
Maybe you’re rubbing off on me. Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.
