Actual, Real Boyfriend

Ava slipped out the front door with her phone already in one hand and her pulse hammering against the inside of her throat.

"Bye Mom! Going for a run! Back in a bit!"

Silence answered her. Perfect.

Honestly, making a big deal out of leaving would've been suspicious anyway. Her mother had spent eighteen years mastering the art of protective hovering. One dramatic "I'm going out!" and she'd probably end up trapped in a five-minute interrogation about reflective clothing and whether she'd remembered water.

Better this way.

Besides, Ava technically wasn't even lying. There would absolutely be cardio involved.

The second the front steps were behind her, dark eyes snapped toward the street. Two houses down, exactly where she'd told him to wait, Roy's car idled quietly beneath a streetlamp. Butterflies exploded through her stomach so hard she almost laughed out loud.

He came.

Of course he came. Roy always would. That was the thing about him. Reliable. Steady. Safe. Not like boys her age who vanished for six hours because they fell asleep gaming with their friends or forgot to answer texts because "their phone died."

Roy cared.

Ava started jogging lightly down the sidewalk, forcing herself not to sprint like an idiot. God, she was excited. Not nervous exactly. This didn't feel like sneaking around with Ricky behind the movie theatre after too much cherry slushie and bad flirting. Those moments had always come bundled with uncertainty. Questions. Do I actually want this? Does he even really like me? Is this weird? Am I weird?

Roy didn't feel uncertain. Roy felt permanent. That was the crazy part. Eighteen years old and somehow she'd already found the person she was supposed to be with forever. Some people spent their whole lives dating losers and getting divorced and posting passive-aggressive Facebook statuses about "knowing their worth." Ava skipped all that. Straight to the finish line. Straight to the man she loved.

Lucky her.

And okay, maybe none of her friends would get it. Every girl at school wanted the same things. Sharp jawlines. Abs. Hoodies that smelled like Axe body spray. Loud trucks. Dumb haircuts. Boys who spent forty minutes arranging themselves for gym selfies.

Meanwhile Roy looked like an actual man. Soft stomach. Thinning hair. Work clothes. Tired eyes. Warm hands.

God.

Just thinking about him made her feel melty.

Elaine understood. Michelle too. Zara definitely understood. Those women had seen what Ava saw. Roy wasn't flashy. He wasn't some movie star fantasy. He was better than that. Real. Comforting. The kind of man you could build your whole life around.

The passenger door opened quickly and Ava slipped inside before anybody from the neighbourhood could spot her. Instant warmth wrapped around her. Warm car. Warm air. Warm Roy. Her heart did a stupid little flip when she saw him sitting there.

Boyfriend.

No.

More than boyfriend.

Her person.

"There you are," she said softly, immediately leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Oh my God, thank you for coming."

A small smile tugged at his mouth. "Of course."

"No seriously, I felt horrible about the party." The words spilled out before she could stop them. "Like actually horrible. You should've been there. Every time a relative asked where my boyfriend was I had to introduce Ricky. God. It was so awkward. I felt like I was lying."

Roy grimaced slightly at the word boyfriend. Weirdly adorable.

"The party itself was okay though," Ava continued, tucking one braid back over her shoulder. "Dad and Mum didn't fight, which honestly deserves its own national holiday. Sophia cried because Zoe got more ice cream than her. Ricky kept trying to impress my uncles for some reason. It was exhausting.""

A faint laugh escaped Roy.

Victory.

"And I missed you," she admitted more quietly.

Streetlight glow softened the lines of his face. God, he was handsome. Not in the shiny polished way influencers were handsome. Better. Comfortable handsome. Safe handsome. The kind that made her want to curl up against his chest and stay there forever.

"I'm sorry I missed it," Roy said carefully. "But birthdays are family things. It was good that you were there with them."

"I know." Ava waved dismissively. "Still would've been better with you."

For a second neither of them spoke.

Then she grinned.

"Oh, and I'm done with Ricky."

Roy blinked. "What?"

"Tomorrow officially," Ava clarified. "But mentally? Completely done."

"Ava..."

"No, seriously." Frustration crept into her voice. "He's such a boy. Like, every conversation is hockey or protein powder or whether somebody looked at him weird at school. I can't do it anymore."

Discomfort flickered across Roy's face.

Cute.

"You don't have to break up with him because of me," he said.

That earned him a genuinely baffled look.

"I'm breaking up with him because I don't want him anymore." A smile curled slowly across her lips. "I want you."

The honesty landed between them heavily.

Poor Ricky, maybe. But honestly? What chance had he ever stood?

Ava shifted closer across the seat until her leg brushed Roy's.

"Besides," she said softly, lowering her voice, "I still need to make it up to you."

"You don't owe me anything."

"I kinda do." Her grin turned playful. "I never told you, but a few weeks ago, Ricky and I parked behind the movie theatre after a date and I..." Heat crept into her cheeks briefly before she pushed through it. "Well. Let's just say he had a really good night."

Understanding hit Roy instantly.

God, the look on his face almost killed her.

"Ava..."

"You missed my birthday party." Slowly, deliberately, she moved even closer. One hand settled against his thigh. Warm. Solid. Real. Seems fair that I do something special for my boyfriend. My actual, real boyfriend."

Every muscle in Roy's body seemed to tense at once.

Cute again.

Poor man looked like his brain was trying to flee through his ears.

Ava smiled softly and leaned down toward him.

"Relax," she murmured. "I know what I'm doing."

And she did. Mostly. Okay maybe not professionally. But enough.

Her fingers slid to his belt first. Nervous excitement fizzed through her veins so hard she thought she might start shaking. The metal buckle clinked softly in the quiet car. Then came the button. Then the zipper.

Roy inhaled sharply above her. That sound alone almost made her dizzy.

Slowly, carefully, Ava pulled him free from his underwear, and the second she saw his penis her stomach flipped all over again.

Holy shit.

Ricky really had been just a boy.

Warmth flooded her cheeks as she wrapped one hand around him experimentally, glancing upward through her lashes toward Roy's face. His expression looked tangled up in about six emotions at once.

Ava decided not to think too hard about that.

Instead she leaned forward, let her lips brush softly against him first, teasing just slightly because honestly she couldn't help herself, then finally slid him into her mouth. And judging by the sound Roy made above her?

Yeah.

Definitely worth sneaking out for.