If you keep coming here and not ordering anything, we're going to have to ask you to leave, Miss DeLoughery.

Ava read the paper that had slid onto her table and whipped her head around, offended. She saw Marley quivering a smile. "I'll have you know," she began, "I'm actually here for your festivals, Mister Mason. They are exceptional."

For the past three days, when Ava DeLoughery came into Jah-Jah's, Marley did not pretend to not see her. In fact, each day he went straight for her booth and, each day it got a little easier. Normal.

Marley squinted his eyes and nodded. Riiiiight.

Exhaling, Ava's eyes flew to the ceiling. "Fine," she admitted, levelling her gaze with the boy's again. "You caught me red-handed. I'm really here for your amazing way with words. You're such a great conversationalist, Marley. Riveting, truly."

Marley laughed openly, his smile sticking to his cheekbones like bubblegum.

"Excuse me!" a faceless voice called in the restaurant.

Fumbling back down to Earth, Marley cleared his throat and held out a single index finger at Ava. Smiling briefly, his eyes told her that he would be back soon. Then he turned back around and left to attend to a customer that was not Ava DeLoughery. But the boy, unknowingly, had taken other things with him. As he walked away, subtle commodities like reassurance and heat retreated after him, and bigger things took their place. Things that Ava had learnt that she probably deserved, like sweat washing the colour off her face till she was old and noir, and pain jutting through her stomach in an attempt to make it to her heart, all the blood-letting a casualty, greeted her again.

Sinking into her seat, Ava had plenty company without Marley Mason. She returned her attention to idly swiping through old photos, ones she took after school in Richie's car. Candid ones of him she got quickly before he noticed. Ones that they would send to each other when they said their goodnights. Was it wise to text him again? Was love ever wise, anyway? Was this even love?

Although she promised Marley she would forget the things she could not change as long as she sat at this table, she couldn't help it. After all, who knows, maybe she could change this.

Ava imagined that Richie was laughing loudly in his family beach house without her, his best friends Duncan and Jeremy laughing back. But equally, she couldn't help but question if was he swimming in the ocean or in alcohol? Did he miss her? Would he come back for her or had he already moved on? Ava scrolled through their old texts, all blue for a while before she got far enough to relive their paradise. Where there were long grey boxes and equally long blue ones. Heart emojis and stupid selfies.

Who was she kidding? This was one of the things she could never change. He had to. And that will never happen.

She slammed her phone face down onto the table.

She waited for her lungs to fill.

For a second, they didn't.

A hand covered hers.

Marley was looking down at her, his eyes scrunched in concern. His short locs swung over his forehead, squaring out his jaw and Ava realised this Marley was so different from the sarcastic boy she had come to know. She wasn't even sure when she began breathing again.

"I'm okay," Ava said.

He raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," she promised.

Sliding into the booth, Marley exhaled, then realized his hand was still on hers. He snatched it back and kept his eyes off her face. There was only one rule between them at this otherwise deserted table in Jah-Jah's Jamaican Jerk Foods but in moments like these, where silence danced and gazes collided like supernovas, there felt like the rule was being re-duplicated in each moment. Of course Marley wanted to stare at her until he took his last breath but the moment she looked up at him, he felt something deep within him withdraw and fall. And undoubtedly Ava wanted to watch the other boy but only when he was already looking at her and their eyes grazed like tentative sins across bare skin.

Clearing his throat, Marley fetched something out of his pocket. He slid it across the table.

Ava read it.

So...

He slid another piece of paper.

I was thinking...

Then another. Ava laughed and everything that had left with Marley all came swimming right back to her.

I don't know about a beach house, but I can take you to the beach.

"Marley, there's a hurricane coming," she reminded him.

The boy only continued looking at her, as if her words meant absolutely nothing compared to the way she was smiling.

Ava laughed again. "You're insane," she paused, "in a good way."

Marley didn't care.

"Fine," she said, mostly because when she was around Marley her head felt a little clear and she was desperate for anything resembling clarity, "When?"

If I could sit here and write all day, I would.

This chapter is dedicated to because she's been waiting on an update and she really let me know in her comment (in a nice way). So this one's for you! Thank you so much for supporting me and I hope you keep reading! Remember, readers, if you and the next dedication could really be !

Y'all don't even know how incredible writing is for me. I want to be published fr fr and make a career out of all this. If that was the case, I could invest more time and money into my writing but alas, I'm still a broke college student. But on God, ONE DAY! Pray for ya boy. But thank you guys so much for supporting this book! Let me know your interpretation of Marley and Ava's relationship so far because the next two chapters are both gonna be the climax and things will be revealed! Drop a comment below!

Also, in case you didn't hear (in that case, you should probably follow me) I turned 20 last week. I can't even say that without losing my mind. But I also dropped a blog post where I talk about all the valuable lessons I've learnt in the last 20 years so if you're interested in that, hit the link in my bio! Thanks again for reading.