.... Surprisingly, Ava was not on the bed. Rocky looked thoughtfully at the closed bathroom door and sighed. He had put all of his concentration on the door task, so he had not even heard when she had moved from where she was, considering how small the place was.
With Ava out of the room, he gave in to his internal turmoil and sagged down on the floor, anchoring both arms on his knees to support his head.
The rush of adrenalin had left, but in its place was something more dangerous. His sane mind was telling him things that would have never crossed his mind an hour back. Just then, his phone dinged.
In the bathroom, Ava shed what was left of her clothes, leaving them on the floor, and stepped under the shower. Her arms were sore from where the thug had gripped her, but thankfully, because of the colour of her skin, there would not be any visible indications as there had been no cuts, but the pain would remain.
A few bruises were present but one had to be very near her skin to see them. She poured almost half of her shower shampoo and scrubbed her face with her exfoliator vigorously until she felt raw, trying to get the thug’s disgusting scent off of her. Unfortunately, it was like those scents were stuck in her head.
Even after she went against her better judgement and emptied the whole bottle of shampoo, she had literarily just bought. She stood under the running water for a long while as tears ran down her face. As a defence mechanism, she tried her hardest not to think of what would have happened if Rocky had not made it then.
’All because of Marvin! When will this stop!’
However, Marvin was Ava’s only family, and she never had any thoughts of cutting off ties with him. She would have no one if she did that. Family would forever remain family, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Ava had been through a lot in her life as she grew up, and this was never enough to beat her or bring her down. Within half an hour, she had composed herself. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself with the towel.
Ava had grown up with no one to rely on. With Rocky being in the room, it was enough for her. That was the most she had gotten out of anyone trying to console her, and Ava appreciated the fact that he had kept his distance even though it had been a struggle for him. She had seen the way he had tried to distract himself.
The last thing she needed was another man’s touch after what she had been through, no matter how close or harmless that person seemed. However, if she wanted to, she would do that on her own terms.
She put on her bathrobe and stepped back into the room. Rocky was standing with his back to her and staring out one of her windows absentmindedly.
"Thank you," she said, her heart swelled with gratitude, and she avoided eye contact with him as he turned. She went to pull the sheets off the bed only to realize that Rocky had already changed them, and the old one had been bundled up in one corner of the room.
Rocky took in her appearance and her composure. That was so like Ava and one of the things that Rocky loved about her. She was a strong woman who was able to withstand any trial sent her way. That did not mean that he was not worried, though.
"Are you really okay, Ava?"
The concern and softness displayed by Rocky pulled her heartstrings. He really put himself out there with the thugs. Who knew what they could have done to him.
She nodded, and after a brief hesitation, she took a seat on the bed with her back by the wall.
"Josh...." Ava started,
"Ava! Really? What do you see in that creep?"
Rocky snapped. His composure slipped when he recalled Josh.
"It’s not that, I just ...."
"Ava, listen to me..." Rocky looked at her directly in the eyes and then went ahead to explain what he had seen. This time, he did not hold back at all. After he was done, Ava remained quiet for a while before she said, "Let me handle this, Rocky. Please? ... Can you stay out of this? I-"
Rocky took a hard look at her, wondering, ’Is this one if those ’love is blind’ kindof moments?’
He shook his head, feeling a headache start to form.
"Just take care of yourself around that guy."
He walked up to her and took a seat by her on the bed. There was nowhere else for him to sit anyway.
Ava nodded. It had been an emotionally draining period for both of them, and by some tactical unspoken upstanding, they decided not to talk of it.
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
Ava asked quietly after Rocky remained quiet for a while. She could understand him, but- Ava, for once in her very sure life, did not know what to do.
Rocky took another hard look at her as the morning’s proceedings came rushing back. In that brief moment when he had come in and from all that had happened, he had almost forgotten why he had come in to see Ava, but that text message he had received when she was in the bathroom was what blew his mind. It had been enough to get him off the floor and into another train of thought.
"I don’t think it’s important anymore Ava... I-"
"Stop right there Rocky! I am no fragile being and I am okay. You got me here for a reason so spill!"
Rocky found himself slightly lifting the corner of his lips. ’That’s my Ava!’
He didn’t falter after that. He went ahead and explained his mother’s issue as well as his visit to his father that morning. It was quite a lengthy tale. As he talked, he got up to make some instant coffee for her and him as well.
A long silence ensued after he was done ... and he added angrily, "I can’t believe she said those things about her daughter! As for dad, I have always known that he was a prick so-"
"Don’t talk about your father that way!" Ava chipped in.
"I know you love family, Ava, and that is why you still tolerate that stupid brother of yours..."
"Watch your mouth, Rocky! He is way older than you are!"
"Yeah ... what good did all that growing do for him? He is still as useless and burdening as a child!"
Ava’s mouth dropped open. She could not refute that. Marvin was a grown-up who still caused many problems wherever he went, unlike Rocky, who always cleaned up after others.
Ava decided not to talk on behalf of James and Clara anymore because she also felt that they were pricks... exactly like Rocky had said.
Ava set her cup down and gave him her full attention.
Ava opened her arms wide, and Rocky did not hesitate. He shifted and laid his head on Ava’s shoulder, and she wrapped her warm arms around him.
She could see that he was distressed. Ava had no idea why she allowed him to rest on her shoulders in a seated hug even though she was still in a bathrobe. It just felt like something that was right for that moment.
She also then understood why Rocky could not talk to his sister about it.
Rocky disentangled himself and sat upright. It was as if a huge burden had been lifted off of him from just telling Ava all of this. That is why he wanted to talk to her because he knew that Ava would have that effect on him. A sense of satisfaction settled on him from that brief hug. However, Ava felt a brief sense of loss from when he left her embrace.
Ava did not comment about that but continued,
"These characteristics have always been there. I don’t think that their attitude changed at the last moment like you think, especially from your mother. However, you should understand that to your mum, her whole life as she knows it has been overturned, so maybe she is just hurt..."
"I doubt that, Ava. Those words and mum’s expressions tell me that she had a mask on all our lives, and she had been forced to shed it."
"Don’t think of that; just think of what you can do at this moment and what you want to do..."
Ava paused and added,
"... because you are all this family has at this moment. Without James Wendover, you are the man of the house. I doubt Clara can do anything to keep the house and everything afloat, so unfortunately, it rests on you now."
A thoughtful look crossed Rocky, and then he brought out his phone and gave it to Ava.
Rocky trusted her with all his heart and did not hesitate to share everything with her.
Ava started and then gasped. The phone dropped out of her hands as if she had been scalded.
"What the hell?! Where did you get all that money from? .... You didn’t do anything illegal, did you? ...And why are you showing it to me?"
Rocky took the phone and handed it back to Ava.
"I think brother-in-law... no, I know he sent it. I just don’t know why. I called to ask him, and his assistant answered, telling me, it is money that they owed my father or rather our family, so he decided to give it to me to manage instead..."
"That’s an insane amount of money, Rocky. But you did not answer my question; why are you showing it to me?"
Rocky looked at her in confusion and then said, as if it was a ’like duh!’ moment,
"... isn’t that because you are my future wife? Couples should share everything...."
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