Colton and Av sat impatiently at Settler's Park. Rory and Paige were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.
"Ugh, what's taking them so long?" grumbled Colton.
Av shrugged. "Paige does have to drive all the way out to Caldwell just to pick up Rory so I'm not surprised they're late."
Colton and Av talked among themselves until Paige finally arrived with Rory, and the couple got out of Paige's mother's car.
"What took you guys so long?" was Colton's greeting.
"Traffic," muttered Paige.
The four sat in a circle and talked and gossiped- their usual routine. They fed the ducks with seeds Paige had brought, and all laughed. Av noticed the way that Rory would look at Paige as she laughed, and noticed that Rory would smile, too.
Paige and Rory had gotten together when Paige first moved to Idaho from California. They met at an Easter party, and instantly hit it off when they both bonded over the fact that neither of them wanted to be at a party celebrating a religious holiday considering they were both atheists. Less than a month later, the two were dating. It was late July now. so they were together for around three months. Av could tell that they were deeply in love with each other, yet Av felt guilty. Paige had introduced Colton and her to Rory a couple of months ago, and as soon as Av met Rory, she immediately fell in love with their smile. Not only that, but also their eyes, and the way laughed. But it was more than just looks- they had a beautiful personality, too. Av had texted Rory as much as she could, but most of the time Rory was talking to Paige or doing something with her. Most of the times Rory would talk to Av, they would just rant or share a couple of memes, but Av felt like she could tell them anything. She didn't know why she felt like this, and she felt like a terrible friend to Paige for crushing on her partner. She knew better than to even attempt to go for Rory- Paige and them had way much more in common than herself and Rory. Paige and Rory would bond over music, and their beliefs that capitalism sucks. The two shared a similar punk style and would make patches for each other. However, every time Rory would post a picture of Paige and them together, or the couple holding hands- sometimes even kissing... Av couldn't help but to wish that it was her with Rory. She couldn't talk about her feelings with anyone- she didn't know how.
"Av?" Colton nudged her and brought her back to reality.
"Huh?" Av looked up.
"You zoned out there for a second," Paige laughed.
"Yeah, you were just staring at the ground," teased Rory. Av blushed.
"We're gonna walk to Dutch Bros," explained Colton.
"Oh.. rad," smiled Av.
The group began to make their way to the coffee shop, which was a little over a mile away. That wouldn't seem so bad if it wasn't over 90 degrees out. Rory and Paige walked slightly ahead, holding hands and walking in sync.
"Are you okay?" Colton quietly asked to Av.
Av hesitated. Should she tell him? "Colton, I..." She lowered her voice. "I think I might like Rory."
"What? Like as a friend?"
Av shook her head and Colton gasped.
"I'm not sure if I should tell them or not," Av sighed.
Paige turned around. "Hey do you guys have a couple extra bucks? I need help covering Rory's drink."
"I can pay for myself!" Rory blushed. "My dad gave me money!"
The couple began to ramble off into their own conversation again.
"How long have you liked them?" Colton inquired.
"A couple months... Since we met them, I think."
"Holy shit, Avrie," Colton whispered. He thought for a moment. "Maybe you should just tell them."
"But what about Paige?" Av worried aloud. Before Colton could respond, Rory and Paige began to interact with him and Av again.
---
At Dutch Bros, the four stood in a long line. Everyone was here to get a cold drink considering the weather. Rory eventually left to sit down at a table so that no one else would take up the few spaces available. Av handed Colton $5.
"Will you guys buy my drink for me? I think I'm going to go keep Rory company," Av laughed nervously and explained what drink she wanted as Colton and Paige excused her to go sit down.
Av walked over to see Rory sitting on their phone.
"Hey," Av casually said as she sat next to Rory. "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure I guess," Rory responded with a hint of anxiety in their tone. Av looked into their eyes. She tried to search for an emotion, but the way their golden-brown eyes glimmered in the light revealed nothing to her.
"I need to confess something," explained Av, and she immediately felt butterflies in her stomach.
"Okay, go ahead," replied Rory, looking away from Av.
"Well..." Av took a deep breath. This was happening quicker than she thought it would, and more suddenly. "Rory, I think I like you. As in, more than a friend. You don't have to say anything, but I've been holding this in since I've met you. I've tried to ignore this feeling because I don't want to hurt Paige- but I just can't! You're all I can think about and I don't know why. I feel connected with you and I can't explain why! It's so frustrating, but I just need to know... have you ever felt the same? I want to believe we might have something... anything..."
Rory stared at Av in shock. Where was this all coming from? They didn't say anything for a few moments. They had to think about what they were going to say, but they had to think fast. Colton and Paige would be returning with the drinks soon.
"Look, Avrie," Rory answered with an unfriendly tone. "You're a pretty girl and all, but I love Paige. I don't know why you'd want to come between us, but this is the first relationship I've actually been happy in. I'm not going to let anyone ruin that." They stood up to leave. "So if you think this fucked up shit is okay, then I think- actually, no, I know that it'd better if we weren't friends." And with that, Rory walked away.
