13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Myles

A fter I'd found out it was Avery's birthday, I'd gone to the cupcake place to get something, since I, an asshole, had not bought her anything for her birthday.

In my defense, she had been secret squirrely about it.

The gesture would've been much better if I'd had time to plan, but hopefully, she wouldn't hate it.

Tears welled into her eyes.

Panic rushed through me in a fierce torrent. "Fuck, do you hate cupcakes? Are you allergic? Or are birthdays a trigger or something? I'm so sorry." I stepped back with the offending cupcake in hand, ready to toss it into the trash.

Avery put her hand up, a genuine smile beaming on her face, even though her eyes were still glassy. "No, no, I love it."

I clutched the cupcake defensively. "Look, if you get emotional over cake, I'm not going to judge." I paused. "Well, maybe a little, but just over your poor taste in buttercream frosting."

She sniffed as a tear slipped down her cheek, and she swiped it away. "Nah, I'm just relieved. Being around my family is strained sometimes, and fuck, they make me feel so invisible. My brother got some killer promotion, so they're all going to celebrate that on the day of my wellness fair. Today wasn't the best time to hear the news."

I swallowed hard. As an only kid, I'd never had to fight for my parents' attention, and hearing how overlooked Avery seemed to be around her family kicked me in the gut. "Can I hug you?"

She bobbed her head, and I didn't hesitate to step in and wrap my arms around her waist, drawing her in—even as I was careful with the cupcake in one hand. She smelled like lemongrass and cedarwood, so damn distinctive, and the way she sagged against me had me clutching her even tighter.

My mind began to whirl. Clearly, this had been a shit birthday, and a cupcake wouldn't absolve that. Apart from clubs—which I wouldn't know the slightest on how to vet to suggest—we could go out to eat, though that was cliché. I'd killed the option of getting dessert by ordering a cupcake.

Sitting at our house and watching something might've been a perfect night for me, but it didn't fit the burst of energy that was Avery. Something about her screamed larger than life, and I wanted to honor that on her birthday.

"Do you have plans tonight?" I asked, before I presumed she wanted to spend the time with me. "Would you like to go somewhere?"

"Yes, please," she murmured into my shoulder.

I pulled away and gave her the cupcake, careful not to smush it. Then I closed the front door that leaked in cool autumn breezes.

Avery stared at the cupcake, her blue eyes aglow. My heart twisted hard at the glassiness still in her gaze, the slump of her shoulders.

"Hey." I brushed her hand. She looked up at me. "You're anything but invisible, okay?"

She bit her lower lip and nodded. "You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that tonight."

"Are you the surprises sort?" I asked, drawing my hand back to clutch my nape. "Or do you want a plan spelled out?" My mind whirred with ideas, odd spots I'd traveled to over the years, either on a whim or for writing research.

"I'm all about surprises, and I know you're full of them." Avery grabbed my hand and squeezed. Some of her usual spark returned to her eyes, and the sight near bowled me over with relief. "Whisk me away, gorgeous."

After she ate her birthday cupcake and I slipped on shoes, we were ready to roll.

I'd settled on a location about a half hour outside of town. Hopefully, she didn't hate it. Considering how badly her family had borked her birthday up already, I'd feel like a dick if I made things even worse.

Avery hopped into my reliable old Camry, and I started the ignition and drove off to one of my favorite thinking spots. The silence percolated between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I popped on my Baelfire playlist, since his music now reminded me of her and the dance we'd shared—not to mention he was one of my favorite artists.

"Are you sure you want my brand of a Saturday night?" I wrinkled my nose. To say I was nervous was an understatement. "There's a decided lack of people involved."

"Getting to spend more time with my sexy roommate? Sounds like a perfect birthday to me." Avery purred the words, her voice sensual and inviting.

My cheeks burned hot. We hadn't talked about our hookup the other night, so I'd figured we'd tossed that into the try-it-once-and-never-again category. Even though it was all I'd been thinking about. I might have written three new bonus short stories of pure filth, just to try to channel some of my horniness that had amplified afterward.

"That's shocking, considering you've slept with me." I didn't know how to respond to her flirting, so self-deprecation it was.

Avery flicked me in the thigh. "None of that bullshit. The other night was hot, and I'm sure as fuck down for more whenever you are."

Okay, I was lighting up like a bonfire now. I clutched the steering wheel a little tighter as we soared across the highway, heading out of town toward Jamaica Plain.

"Whenever you want," was all I could manage to push out. My heart was doing cartwheels. When I snuck a glance at Avery, she had this little smirk on her perfect lips and the sort of confidence that had drawn me in like a moth to the flame.

"Oh, don't tempt me. I'll ask for a birthday fuck tonight."

I licked my lips, my skin suddenly too hot. "Guess the only question I've got is if you want my cock or my ass, then."

"Best birthday gift ever." She fanned herself. "Pick your favorite cock and do your damage, gorgeous. The more creative, the better."

Had she seen my array of fantasy and sci-fi cocks? I'd started collecting a while ago, and considering buying and testing them helped my research, I hadn't stopped. But if I was getting the green light to try any of them out on her? My pulse hit the gas.

Fuck yes.

"I think I can handle that."

The entrance of Forest Hills Cemetry looked majestic as ever, a central pointed archway with intricate details that appeared sharper in the late afternoon light.

"No way." The delight in her voice calmed me. "How the hell did you know about this place?"

"It's one of my reflection spots." My heart thudded a little harder. I already knew she was perfect, but how was she this perfect? "You've been here before?"

"Babe, I'm gothy. Of course I know about the cool local cemeteries. We did a photoshoot in this one once."

"God, why is that so hot?"

"I can show you the pictures later," she said, the flirtatiousness ever-present. Fucking hell, if she kept this up, I would pass out before I parked. Her talking to me alone got me burning up with lust, so the idea of handling all her charisma leveled my way was far too much. I slipped into a spot, the parking lot empty this time of day.

The gravestones stretched out for miles, the cemetery stunning, but I wanted to go to the Dearborn Pavilion, which was one of my favorite areas. The trees this time of year exploded with color, oranges and reds and golds, especially against the aching blue of the sky. New England autumns were unparalleled, and this was one of my favorite ways to witness it in all its splendor.

"Let's go." Avery got out of the car. I followed suit, the blast of chilled air perfection. As much as summer brought everyone outdoors, I found it too noisy and too loud. The autumn was where I lived, the slight bite of darkness, of coolness in the air beckoning me. I hadn't walked a few steps before Avery slipped her hand in mine.

I'd traveled the route through Forest Hills Cemetery so many times before, but this felt so different approaching with someone rather than by my lonesome.

While sometimes I craved the solitude, having Avery at my side summoned these immense feelings I didn't know what to do with. Go figure. I wrote romance for a living but couldn't identify my own bullshit. However, she hadn't been scared away by my weird midnight kitchen hauntings, my random babbling, or even the way I placed the toilet paper roll on top of the holder instead of putting it on. Yes, she was living with me for the room, but the potential that gripped me by the chest had nothing to do with that.

"God, the art here's beautiful." She swung my hand back and forth as we walked down the pathway. "Why don't more people visit cemeteries instead of galleries?" The breezes swept errant dry leaves to skitter across the ground, and the chill from the granite tombstones and sculptures seeped in through my canvas jacket.

"Probably worried about getting dead person on their shoe," I joked. Shit, had that been too dark?

Avery snorted. "Well, the normals never know how to have fun anyway." She licked her lips. "Too bitter? Visiting my family always puts me in this complicated headspace. I've spent my whole life trying not to make problems or stir the pot while also doing so by merely existing. I didn't even start figuring out I was bigender until five years ago, and the estrogen's only been in the past two years."

I rubbed my thumb across the back of her hand, my heart squeezing tight. I'd been lucky with my parents; I knew that. "Hey, family means what you want it to. People see you now, Avery, and you're breathtaking."

Her throat bobbed with her swallow, and she clutched my hand. "You're pretty breathtaking yourself, Myles Nelson."

Well, damn.

I didn't say anything back—what the fuck would I even respond with?—but the clasp of our hands together was enough. My heart careened all over like tires to ice with the unstoppable force of the feelings growing rampant in me.

Dearborn Pavilion cut a mark on the cemetery a little down the ways, the roof of the mausoleum standing out. Granted, all the buildings scattered throughout the place were beautiful, and I'd spent many a day walking and exploring. The quiet was quieter here, if that made sense, a hush from the dead resting over the place, and sometimes I found my respite here as well.

The familiar bronzed sculpture in front of Dearborn Pavilion marked the path, a femme figure holding up her skirt with one hand while releasing a bird in the other. The dynamism of it fit perfectly against the clear blue sky, and beneath the sculpture sat a collection of autumnal mums in oranges and dark reds. Serene places like these helped my brain calm down, which was a rarity in and of itself.

"So, why don't your parents know you're an author?" Avery asked, dragging me from my silent reverie.

A multitude of excuses rose to my lips. In the end, I just admitted the truth. "I'm terrified of disappointing them."

Avery shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. "Coming from the family disappointment, I can understand that. It seems like you have a close relationship with your folks, though."

I heaved a shaky sigh as we wandered past the sculpture and headed toward the mausoleum. "I do, which is part of the problem. They're so damn successful with these big careers. Dad's a dentist, and Mom's a professor. What are they going to think when they find out their only kid writes horny alien romance? They were so supportive of me when I transitioned in high school, and I feel like if I had some nobler profession, like a doctor saving lives or whatever, I could pay them back somehow."

"Pretty sure you living your best life is all the payback they need."

We stepped under the shade of the mausoleum, the columns on either side casting deep shadows over the individual grave markers spread out like tiles. Her words burrowed under my skin, sticking there. I'd been so consumed in my fear of being a disappointment to them that I hadn't considered as much.

"Shush with your making sense." I found a spot to lean against one of the columns.

She stood before me, our hands clasped together, staring at me with unvarnished affection. I couldn't help myself. I reached out with my free hand, curled it around her nape, and drew her closer.

Avery stepped in at once, catching the cue like it had been burning there in her mind just as much. The tension weighted the air between us, so heavy even the crisp fall breezes couldn't clear it away. She pressed her chest against mine and wrapped her hands around my waist as I guided her in for the kiss.

The moment our lips touched, electricity sparked between us. A magnetic pull existed that I didn't want to deny, and my ears roared with the hunger that welled up within me. I tightened my grip around her nape and drank in the taste of her, sweet, like the cupcake she'd eaten, and the soothing scent of her lemongrass perfume coiled around me. I tasted her lush lips over and over again, soft and delicious, but far too fast, I craved more.

I licked into her mouth, driving my tongue inside, and the moan that came from deep in her chest flared the need within all the stronger. She'd slotted into my life perfectly, which was a miracle in and of itself. I knew how odd I was, how different from the average person. Yet she made me feel normal, and in my world, that was a rare and beautiful gift.

Our kisses grew hungrier, more voracious as the minutes melted away. I clutched her nape, her waist, and she gripped my hips hard. The coolness of the stone column behind me seeped through my canvas jacket and hoodie, but I welcomed it, a contrast to the heat licking up through me. Maybe because being surrounded by the dead made me feel more alive, but my whole body had never awakened like this.

Avery's curves were soft and alluring, and I drank in the taste of her with each kiss as we both grew a little more desperate. She nipped at my lower lip, her hardness flush up against my packer, and I incinerated.

If we kept up like this, I was seconds away from dropping to my knees and blowing her in the cemetery.

I pulled away, my breaths coming out fast. Her blue eyes were swallowed up by her pupils, a feverish glaze to them that made me think of twisted sheets and echoing moans.

"Want to take this home?" She licked her kiss-swollen lips.

I squeezed her hip. "Soon. Let's just linger here a moment longer."

She stuck out her tongue. "But now I'm horny and can't focus."

A grin burst to my lips. "All the waiting will make it that much sweeter when we get back and I fuck you until you can't feel your legs."

Her responding smile was radiant, one I wanted to capture and keep in my memory banks.

"Best birthday ever."