You Can't Tell Me to Heal

"...just screaming in the middle of the grocery store about how he 'didn't want his food to get spoiled' or whatever! It was so embarrassing!" Avery laughed when I finished one of my many stories about Pat and his Rat Boy episodes. Our date was going pretty fucking well. When she asked me out, I couldn't believe my ears. I've never been asked out by a girl before... well, that's a lie. I've never been asked out by a girl that I actually liked before, until Avery.

I thought this date would be all kinds of awkward, but it wasn't. Avery actually talked to me about things now - her soccer, her hobbies, her fucked up family, herself... It made me so happy. And, I mean, Avery was always easy on the eyes, but she was gorgeous tonight.

We were pretty much just physical therapy buddies, and then she said we were good friends when I helped her out after her house got broken into... That's all I expected. Shannon was right about everything after all! Thank god I didn't give up on us. "Do you have any siblings?" Avery asked after sipping on her long island iced tea.

"Yeah, two brothers - Shane and Ross. I'm the oldest. You?"

"Oh, I'm an only - well, no. My dad got remarried, and she's got a son. I haven't seen him in over a year, though, and I've never met his new wife and child, so...I guess I have a step brother? Whatever."

I nodded, sensing she didn't want to dwell on herself in this topic. I got a steak and Avery ordered some spicy chicken dish. We were sitting together in the same side of the booth, our feet up on the other side of the booth and her hand in mine. It was just so natural. Avery didn't seem to mind. "Hey, Avery - are you doing anything this weekend?"

"Eric has plans for us." I instantly scowled. Avery squeezed my hand and laughed, snuggling into my side. "You look so cute when you get that mad, but you don't have to worry. We're just hanging out somewhere for the day on Saturday, but I think I'm free the rest of the night..." Avery trailed off suggestively, and I felt her fingers dance along my collar bone.

First date, and already I don't want to share her! "Plans, huh? I'll make you some fucking plans..."

Avery laughed and leaned up to kiss my jaw, instantly diffusing my anger. "You have a lot of tattoos. What do they mean? What's the story behind them?" Avery asked, successfully sidetracking me.

Dinner took forever because we talked all the time. It was great, and we learned a lot about each other. We were so alike, it kind of creeped me out, especially in musical taste. Boy, did she know her music. Augustana was her favorite band, but she'd never heard of us. I would change that quickly.

"Oh, god, I really don't want to go home," Avery sighed when I opened her door for her. We were about to leave after a wonderful, wonderfully long dinner, and I didn't want to let her go just yet, either.

I smirked. "Who said I was taking you back to your place?" Avery got into the car without another protest. I just drove us to a park before bringing her over to the swings. "This park... I came a lot here as a kid," I said as I absentmindedly pushed Avery on the swings. "I had my first kiss on these swings," I laughed at the memory. I wonder if I could make Avery feel what I felt when she talked about Eric. "Her name was Sarah. I was in third grade, she was in fourth." Avery laughed at that. "Yeah, I know, I was the man. Well, she had blonde hair, blue eyes, and she broke my little heart."

"Awww," Avery said sympathetically. "What a bummer, John."

She knew I wasn't really bothered by it, and her teasing me about it was fine. I stopped pushing her to go grab my guitar from the trunk of my car. "Which is why I constantly thank god you have green eyes."

Avery blushed so hard when I sat down on the slide in front of her and played Green Eyes by Coldplay for her. She was a big Coldplay fan and I knew from our incessant phone conversations that Green Eyes was one of her favorite songs.

"You know, you have green eyes, too," Avery mumbled after pulling my arms more tightly around her waist. We sat in the big red rocket at the top of the slide, with her sitting between my legs and leaning back into me.

I pressed a kiss to her shoulder before nuzzling her neck. "But yours are much prettier."

Avery giggled before leaning her head back over my shoulder and kissing my cheek. "I really missed you, John."

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to ruin the moment. There weren't enough moments like these. I hoped there were plenty more to come. "Did you have a good time tonight?" I asked when I felt her starting to shiver. I slipped my arms out from around her waist only to grab my jacket behind me and give it to her.

"We need to do this again," Avery said simply. "And I'll bring you somewhere important to me in my childhood, too, ok?"

"Mkay," I muttered, too busy gently kissing the juncture where her neck met her shoulder as I snaked my arms back around her waist.

"John," Avery half laughed, half scolded as she leaned away from me and made it harder to kiss her there. "John, what -!" And she moaned when I proceeded to give her a hickey the size of South America.

"Ok," I said a little breathlessly, scooting away from Avery a little bit so she wouldn't know just how badly her moans turned me on. "I'm done."

Avery giggled before turning around and crawling over to me until she had her hands on my shoulders so she could push me down. "I'm not..."

That girl knew how to use her lips.