Alas, I Cannot Swim.

When i can blow you away.

Thomas leant the whole upper half of his body on the handle of the shopping trolley he was being made to push around the supermarket. He was following Matt who was walking a couple of steps in front of him, tossing items carelessly into the ever growing pile of food. Every so often the wheels would decide to go the opposite way from Thomas causing him to sigh in frustration and have a small war against the metal basket.

Oliver was hosting a party that night so Matt and Thomas had been made to go shopping to stock up on supplies. Thomas wasn’t sure why he was made to do as he did even really want to go to the party anyway.

It had been two weeks since Ava had been welcomed into the Drop Dead/Bring Me The Horizon family with open arms. Everyone loved her. She had proven to be the type of person who could be thrown into any sort of social situation and still make friends regardless of who was around her. Thomas was the only one who hadn’t spent time with her on his own. Not by his own choice. If he could have it his way and get over the nerves he possessed when he was around her they would have already gotten married.

Thomas’s phone rang obnoxiously in his pocket. Fishing it out Matt turned to stare at him wondering who was texting the young photographer. Thomas’s heart fluttered as Ava’s name flashed on the screen.

‘I can see you’

Such a simple sentence had such a dramatic effect on him. Suddenly he was aware of every little detail of his surroundings trying to figure out where the small female was hiding. Thomas was sure she and Oliver did stuff like this to him all the time just to see if he would have a heart attack or not.

Thomas admitted a loud yelp when a pair of arms where wrapped around his waist. Matt laughed at the look on Thomas’s face, a mix of pure joy and terror. Ava took her place beside Thomas, smiling at the two boys, a slightly taller girl standing beside her.

“This is Emily” Ava said quietly, the beaming smile never leaving her face.

Emily looked nothing like Ava. She was taller and skinner without any curves, her dark hair and bright eyes a complete contrast to Ava’s light hair and dark eyes. Even her dress sense was different, jeans and t-shirts where all that adorned her wardrobe where as Ava was all over dresses and shorts.

Both boys mumbled a response, Matt cautiously aware of the fact that he already had a girlfriend, Thomas still completely mesmerised with Ava’s presence. After a quick conversation the group continued on their journey around the store, Matt and Emily heading off in different directions leaving Thomas and Ava walking slowly side by side.

“Ye going to Oli’s party tonight?” Ava was much softer spoken than anyone Thomas knew. Her accent was still quiet thick although it seemed that she didn’t feel the need to shout every sentence that came into her head.

“Yeah” Thomas mumbled, unable to get rid of the sandpaper feeling in his mouth. He had been around Ava countless times and she still had the same initial reaction on him.

“Ye aint nothing like yer brother” Ava smiled up at him. “See ye tonight Tommy”

Thomas watched as Ava walked away from him, leaving his mind to run around in circles. Was not being like Oliver a good thing or a bad thing?

*****

Oliver’s flat was filled to capacity, people where everywhere. Thomas sighed making his was through the crowds, holding his plastic cup of alcohol protectively to his body. He had been floating from crowd to crowd all night never really finding interest in any one of them. He walked down the narrow hall way towards Oliver’s bedroom, deciding to sit by himself for a while.

Upon entering Oliver’s room he was met with a body sprawled on the bed in the dark. Noticing it was Ava he tried to leave quietly instead of hanging around and making a fool of himself. She had already seen him before he even had the chance to turn back to the door.

“Tommy, come sit with me” she slurred, holding her arms above her head causing her short dress to rid up her thigh. Thomas took a couple of seconds to compose himself before he slowly made his way over to the bed, sitting down beside Ava, placing his drink down on the counter beside the bed.

Oliver’s room was a tip; Thomas wasn’t so sure how he got so many girls when he obviously couldn’t clean properly. Ava sat up beside him making him jump slightly and her giggle.

“Ye okay?” Ava asked concerned. She placed her hands on his shoulders, pulling him down gently on the bed so they were lying side by side. Thomas nodded the only thing running through his mind was what she had said in the supermarket.

“Ye aint nothing like Oli, Thomas” Ava mumbled. Thomas turned his head to see her face, her eyes closing as she slurred out quietly, “I think I like ye better”