AVA
She stood nervously in front of Blake's place, staring at the door.
Ava took a slow breath before pressing the doorbell. Its rhythmic ringing was somehow deafening to her.
She took another breath to calm her nerves, telling herself that everything was going to be all right, even though she knew it probably wasn't.
Another deep, calming breath.
While she waited for her boyfriend to answer, Ava's eyes wandered over the property.
Blake's lawn was neatly trimmed, the flower beds carefully maintained, and the path leading to the front door was spotless. Even the shrubs along the walkway had been shaped with excessive precision.
It wasn't flashy, but it was neat and beautiful. Everything was clean and cared for.
Ava had always liked visiting here. It really saddened her that she wouldn't be able to continue doing this after she was done with this encounter.
She'd miss the scenery of the place, she thought. And Blake too, of course.
Almost unconsciously, she found herself wondering what Maxim's home looked like.
Ava frowned at herself.
Maxim's home was probably a cold place with few attractive features, she told herself stubbornly.
And why the hell was she thinking about Maxim again?
And now, of all times.
As she grew frustrated with herself, she heard footsteps approaching from inside.
Blake was coming, she realized.
She licked her lips and straightened, any thoughts of Maxim immediately going out of her mind.
The door opened slowly, but it somehow felt too fast for Ava.
Blake stood in front of her, dressed casually in a plain T-shirt and comfortable trousers, his hair neatly styled. His dark eyes were wide as he blinked nervously.
For a second, Ava simply stared at him, saying nothing. She was too... nervous.
"Hey," Blake said, finally breaking the silence.
"Hello," Ava replied awkwardly.
"How are you?"
"Good," Ava answered. "You?"
"Same here."
Ava nodded.
Neither of them moved for a moment, just staring at each other.
Another awkward silence followed.
"Can I come in?" Ava asked slowly when Blake didn't say anything.
That seemed to break him out of whatever state he was in.
"Yeah, of course," he said, stepping aside to let her in.
It was only after summoning some courage that Ava made herself go inside.
Blake's house was tastefully but modestly furnished, with pictures of his parents all around and others of... her.
Cue the unpleasant feelings of guilt.
Shit, Ava thought.
Maybe she should have suggested they meet somewhere else..
"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. I know how busy you are," Ava said to Blake, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.
"You don't have to thank me for that, Ava. I'm your boyfriend," Blake said sincerely, looking into her eyes.
Ava quickly turned her gaze away at his response, fixing her eyes firmly on the living room.
"I know, but still..."
"I get it, Ava," Blake said before gesturing towards the couch. "Let's just go sit."
Ava nodded grimly and went over to the couch, Blake right behind her.
They had spent so much time on this couch, Ava thought as she sat down. They'd watched dozens of movies here and often made out...
Goodness.
She was getting distracted again, she scolded herself. Albeit, it was for a less unacceptable reason this time.
"So, I'm guessing you want to talk about what happened that night at your parents' party," Blake began in a nervous voice. "About the ring."
Ava slowly turned to him.
She was a little surprised by how direct he was being, but she also felt glad about it.
The sooner this was over, the better.
"Partly," she replied cautiously.
She didn't yet want to disclose to Blake that she wanted to break up with him. Ava wanted to find the right moment to say it, to break the news to him as gently as possible.
"Can I please begin first?" Blake asked, getting up from beside her, looking anxious.
Ava really would have preferred to go first, she thought, but maybe it was best to hear Blake out first. To give him an opportunity to say his piece before she broke his heart.
She didn't want him to have any regrets later on.
"Uhm... yeah," Ava forced herself to say.
Blake let out a relieved breath.
"Okay. So, first, can I say that I am so sorry for making everything so awkward at the party with the ring? It was a genuine mistake."
"I know that, Blake, and it's okay," Ava tried to say, but she didn't meet his eyes. "It wasn't that bad, really."
Blake sighed.
"I know you're just saying that." He raked a hand through his hair. "I saw your face when you saw the ring. You looked like you wanted to be somewhere else."
"Blake..." Ava started.
"It's okay, Ava. I'm not holding it against you. I know you just hated having everyone's eyes on you, and not the proposal itself."
"Uh, what?" Ava said in a low voice, her face paling.
"I'm really sorry for putting you in that position," Blake went on, clearly not hearing her. "I know that's not how you wanted to be proposed to."
Ava looked away from him again, getting more and more concerned.
Blake was definitely getting the wrong impression of why she'd looked so unhappy about the proposal, she thought.
He continued.
"Anyway, I decided to make it up to you by doing this right." He looked at her intently. "The way I originally planned, which is in private."
Ava's heart started to pound at Blake's words.
She hoped he didn't mean what she thought he meant.
"What are you talking about?" she asked slowly, looking at him warily.
She got her answer the next moment when Blake took out a box, got down on one knee, and held out the emerald ring inside to her.
Ava swallowed.
"Ava Morgan, ever since I met you, I knew that you were the woman for me," Blake began in a nervous voice. "So, would you do me the honour of making it official and becoming my wife?"
Shit, Ava thought. She definitely should have gone first.
She licked her lips nervously as she stared at the kneeling figure of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.
She had never wished so much for Blake's mother to be in the same room as her. Maybe she would faint again and distract Blake from this proposal, just as she'd done at the party.
"I can't marry you, Blake. I'm sorry." Ava got up abruptly, backing away from him by one step.
Ava had decided that the time for mincing words was over. She couldn't risk the development of any more misunderstandings.
Biting her lip nervously, she watched the eagerness on Blake's face immediately give way to sadness and disappointment.
"I'm so sorry, Blake," she repeated. Her voice came out low and plaintive.
Blake slowly rose to his feet, his gaze firmly fixed on the marble floor.
When he finally looked up at her, his expression was filled with even greater dismay. The same pained look remained in his eyes as he spoke again.
"I don't understand, Ava," His voice was very quiet but confused and hurt at the same time. "We've been together for a year... We love each other, don't we?"
Blake's question, his face, his voice—the combination of it all made tears spring to Ava's eyes.
Shit, she thought, swallowing hard. He didn't deserve this.
"Please, just say something." His voice carried a note of desperation when Ava still couldn't answer him.
She looked away from him, sucking in a breath.
Ava knew she owed him an explanation, but she also knew she couldn't tell him about Maxim. That would only complicate things further, which was the last thing either of them needed.
However, she still needed to tell him something.
Ava reasoned that she could tell him she wasn't ready to marry him, which was the truth anyway.
The bitter truth, mind you.
With some effort, she looked at him again.
She opened her mouth, trying to articulate her feelings, but nothing came out.
It didn't feel like a good enough explanation, either. Not when she'd been with Blake for a whole year, essentially leading him on.
"I just can't, Blake." The words finally came out in a low voice, an explanation she knew was insufficient the moment she said it.
The look of extreme frustration that crossed Blake's face didn't surprise Ava. Nor did she fault him for it.
"That's not good enough, Ava," Blake blurted out, practically shoving the ring box back into his pocket.
Ava had never seen him look more upset.
"I know." Ava closed her eyes.
"Then give me an explanation. You owe it to me."
Ava brought a hand to her forehead, feeling pressured by Blake's words. She dropped it in frustration.
"I'm not ready for marriage, okay?" Ava looked at him, spreading her arms helplessly. "I'm just not. I still want to figure out my life."
"What exactly is there to figure out?" Blake asked, more confusion and irritation evident in his voice.
"My career, for one," Ava answered in a strained tone. "It's not going very well, if you haven't noticed."
"You can still pursue it after marriage," Blake countered. "And you know I'd help you."
"I want to do it by myself." Ava's voice was low but determined.
"Oh, please. That can't be true." Blake shook his head sceptically. "You had no problem accepting my help in getting that feature from that influencer the day before yesterday."
"I thought you said I got that because of my talent alone," Ava said, displeasure evident in her voice.
"Fine, Ava," Blake conceded, raising his hands in surrender. "It was all you. But your stagnant career is still not a good enough reason to explain why you're rejecting me."
"Well, I don't know what else to tell you."
"How about the truth?"
"What truth?" Ava demanded, frustration creeping into her voice.
"The truth about how this isn't about really about 'figuring out your career'."
Blake paused, his eyes fixed on her.
"It's about Maxim Holloway."