LOVE, INTERRUPTED

Ava

The sun dipped lazily behind the treetops, casting gold over the park’s picnic benches, fairy lights, and the small crowd of twenty-somethings sprawled across blankets with open wine bottles and loud playlists.

Ava had been back in the country for less than a week, and already she missed the chaos of her previous life, but not the people. These were her girls. They laughed too loud, drank too much, and weren’t afraid to call her out on her very dry romantic life.

“You’ve been back five days and already your love life is dustier than this grass,” Nina teased, plucking at the wine label with a smirk.

Ava rolled her eyes. “Some of us are working on getting our spark back. You know, emotionally. Mentally. Physically.”

“Physically?” Chloe grinned. “Sooo, you’re saying there’s a chance?”

“God, no. Men are...” Ava stood, brushing crumbs off her jeans. “I’m gonna get more drinks before I insult an entire gender.”

She jogged toward the outdoor bar kiosk, her sandals clapping against the gravel path. A breeze tangled in her hair just as the screech of tires tore through the air.

A matte black car sped around the corner, swerving just a little too close. Ava jumped back with a scream.

“Fucking douchebag!” she yelled, heart pounding.

The car stopped sharply, window rolling down to reveal the sharp edge of a jaw, smug mouth, and sunglasses that screamed I’ve been in a frat longer than medically necessary.

“Watch it, scheming bitch!” he barked back before peeling off toward the other side of the park.

Ava stood there, stunned. What even was that? Scheming?

Still fuming, she got the drinks, three canned mojitos and a bottle of white wine. She opened one can and made her way back toward the group. As fate would have it, the universe was still on its “torture Ava” setting.

Someone slammed into her shoulder. The drinks leapt like startled frogs, arcing through the air and crashing down all over her white blouse.

“Seriously?!” she gasped.

The man turned, already scowling. It was him. The douchebag from the car.

“You,” she spat.

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh great. You again.”

She stood there, drenched and sticky. “You. Are. A plague.”

He smirked like it was a compliment and walked off, leaving her in liquid-sugar misery. She stormed back to her friends like a storm cloud, muttering curses in three languages.

“I need your car. I’m changing,” she snapped at Nina.

“Yikes. What happened?”

Ava glared. “He happened.”

Ten minutes later, clad in an oversized hoodie and dry pants from her emergency stash, she returned to the group.

And there he was.

Sitting cross-legged on their blanket. Smiling. Like the prince of petty.

“You,” she seethed.

He took a slow sip from someone’s soda. “Easy there, mama bear.”

The table went quiet.

“You two know each other?” Nina asked, eyes darting between them like it was reality TV.

Ava folded her arms. “He’s the reason you’re all drinkless and I smell like canned lime.”

“Can’t blame me if she’s a clumsy bitch who can’t walk straight,” he said with a too-perfect smile.

“You bumped into me!”

“You were blocking the entire path with your, whatever that outfit was.”

The bickering crescendoed like a badly tuned symphony until Rachel, ever the peacemaker with her sunshine voice and desperate smile, clapped her hands together like a kindergarten teacher trying to stop a riot.

“Okay, okay! Ava, ignore him.” She shot him a pointed look. “We are going to the lake house this weekend. You’re the one who just got back, that calls for a proper welcome-back celebration.”

Ava narrowed her eyes, arms still crossed and sighed. “Do I have to?”

“Yes,” Chloe chimed in without missing a beat, kicking Ava’s sneaker with a grin. “There’s a pool, wine, and plenty of wilderness for you to do those terrifying 6 a.m. runs you love. You’ll love it.”

Ava hesitated, her glare softening just a little.

From the other side of the blanket, he scoffed. “No way she can agree to having fun. She’s too... controlled. Probably allergic to it.”

Ava’s jaw ticked. “Oh, I can have fun. As long as he stays out of my way.”

He leaned back on his elbows, the picture of smug. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

You driving?” Chloe asks.

“No. I haven’t gotten my license yet, thank you very much.”

He muttered, “Of course. Would constitute half the accidents in town...”

Before she could fire back, a girl in distressed denim shorts and a tube top bounced over, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him, not a cute peck, but a full, lingering, glossy, open-mouthed moment. Ava blinked once, then looked away, her stomach twisting in a way she immediately scolded herself for.

Gross. Disgusting. And what kind of woman kisses like that in front of strangers?

She picked up her hoodie from the edge of the bench. “I’ve got plans tomorrow. I should go.”

Chloe tilted her head. “You sure? We could drop you off.”

Nina raised a brow. “He lives close to your neighborhood. He could drive you.”

Ava turned, fixing them both with a dramatic expression. “I’d rather fly,” she said, flapping her hands like awkward wings. “Anyway, my Uber’s here. Can’t trust myself to not commit vehicular manslaughter if I stay.”

She gave a quick wave, ignoring his amused smirk and the way his girl was now biting his earlobe like they were alone on Earth. Her cheeks burned, from either frustration or secondhand embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.

As she walked away, she didn’t look back.

But she knew he was watching her leave.