In which alone time is impossible.
She turned off her phone, and left it at the apartment.
Apparently that was what she had to do in order to get some alone time with her boyfriend. It wasn’t completely the fault of her friends. It was tech week, which meant that she was getting home late, sleeping late, and generally not being a very good girlfriend. Never mind that whatever time there was in between was being spent at the theater, trying to make the show better. But she had put her foot down on the night after opening. She was having a day to herself, damnit, where she could relax and take it easy and be a less sucky girlfriend to the boy who had put up with her running around like a mad woman all week.
But apparently, she couldn’t even do that. Because while yes, she did have Alec, and they were out, spending time together, she had wanted-no phone, no interruptions-however, she was pretty sure that she was still the sucky girlfriend of the week. This was the third time that Alec had nudged her awake and now she was starting to feel a little pathetic. If he had wanted to be with her while she was sleeping, he wouldn’t have bothered to take her to the park. They could have slept just as comfortably in their own bed, cats and all.
“You don’t have to do anything Monday, right? Because I’m starting to think that you should just sleep all day.”
“I’m sorry,” she sighed rubbing her eyes as she pushed back against him more. “I’m trying to stay awake. You’re just too comfortable.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked, tilting his head so that she could look at him without turning too much.
“Very good,” she grinned. “Just bad for this conversation.”
“Maybe we should switch spots then,” he suggested with a smirk. “Make you less comfortable.”
“That actually might not be a bad idea,” she nodded, and a few minutes later, Ava was sitting with her back against the tree, while Alec moved in front of her, resting his head in her lap so that he was looking up at her. “Much better,” she nodded. “No falling asleep now.”
“Good,” he grinned, before shifting just enough so that he was more comfortable. “How’s the show going?”
“Good,” she nodded. “Opening night meant over really well. Lots of laughs.”
“Well, considering the opening number is ‘Comedy Tonight’ that’s a good thing?”
“Very,” she laughed. “This is one of the few Sondheim shows where people are meant to laugh.”
“Sondheim does go for the death kinda often, doesn’t he?”
“He really does.” Her hand rest against the top of his head, letting her fingers brush through his hair lightly. “But this show is nice and fun, and would be just what I needed, if it wasn’t driving me absolutely insane.”
“Well, at least it’s almost over. And I should be there tonight, now that Dad’s out of surgery.”
“Right! I knew there was a reason why you went to Indiana. Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. He just shattered his heel, he’s just a fucking baby when it comes to surgery and doctors. He’s worse than me, and I have panic attacks.”
“So what, it was one of those ‘If I don’t make it … ’ speeches while high on morphine, therefore not making much sense?”
He laughed. “It’s kind of sad how well you know my family.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been around long enough,” she grinned. “And Dean gets pretty easy to predict after a while.”
“Yeah, I guess he does.” Then his nose wrinkled. “Since he’s my dad, does that mean I’m going to get predictable?”
Ava’s gave a bit of a head tilt before responding. “You have a problem with me knowing you well?”
He shrugged. “Not you. Just-hate to think I’d be predictable to everyone else.”
“I see.” She leaned back against the tree again, and closed her eyes, just soaking in the ambient silence of the park. It was relaxing, comforting. It silenced the noise in the back of her head and just kind of pushed everything else to the back of her mind for a moment, letting the stress melt out of her and allow her to focus on the person she was with. She felt his fingers close around the hand resting on his chest, his thumb brushing against the inside of her wrist.
“Still with me?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking down at him with a grin. “I’m still here.”
“Good.” He was about to say something else when there was a loud voice coming from across the park.
“There you are!” Ryan was standing not far from her, arms open with a cheerful grin. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“No! Not allowed! This is me time!” Ava groaned, before flopping back against the tree. “They find me. Why do they always find me?”
“That’s it,” Alec sighed, pushing himself into a sitting position and giving Ryan a glare. “I’m kidnapping you on Monday.”
Apparently that was what she had to do in order to get some alone time with her boyfriend. It wasn’t completely the fault of her friends. It was tech week, which meant that she was getting home late, sleeping late, and generally not being a very good girlfriend. Never mind that whatever time there was in between was being spent at the theater, trying to make the show better. But she had put her foot down on the night after opening. She was having a day to herself, damnit, where she could relax and take it easy and be a less sucky girlfriend to the boy who had put up with her running around like a mad woman all week.
But apparently, she couldn’t even do that. Because while yes, she did have Alec, and they were out, spending time together, she had wanted-no phone, no interruptions-however, she was pretty sure that she was still the sucky girlfriend of the week. This was the third time that Alec had nudged her awake and now she was starting to feel a little pathetic. If he had wanted to be with her while she was sleeping, he wouldn’t have bothered to take her to the park. They could have slept just as comfortably in their own bed, cats and all.
“You don’t have to do anything Monday, right? Because I’m starting to think that you should just sleep all day.”
“I’m sorry,” she sighed rubbing her eyes as she pushed back against him more. “I’m trying to stay awake. You’re just too comfortable.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked, tilting his head so that she could look at him without turning too much.
“Very good,” she grinned. “Just bad for this conversation.”
“Maybe we should switch spots then,” he suggested with a smirk. “Make you less comfortable.”
“That actually might not be a bad idea,” she nodded, and a few minutes later, Ava was sitting with her back against the tree, while Alec moved in front of her, resting his head in her lap so that he was looking up at her. “Much better,” she nodded. “No falling asleep now.”
“Good,” he grinned, before shifting just enough so that he was more comfortable. “How’s the show going?”
“Good,” she nodded. “Opening night meant over really well. Lots of laughs.”
“Well, considering the opening number is ‘Comedy Tonight’ that’s a good thing?”
“Very,” she laughed. “This is one of the few Sondheim shows where people are meant to laugh.”
“Sondheim does go for the death kinda often, doesn’t he?”
“He really does.” Her hand rest against the top of his head, letting her fingers brush through his hair lightly. “But this show is nice and fun, and would be just what I needed, if it wasn’t driving me absolutely insane.”
“Well, at least it’s almost over. And I should be there tonight, now that Dad’s out of surgery.”
“Right! I knew there was a reason why you went to Indiana. Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. He just shattered his heel, he’s just a fucking baby when it comes to surgery and doctors. He’s worse than me, and I have panic attacks.”
“So what, it was one of those ‘If I don’t make it … ’ speeches while high on morphine, therefore not making much sense?”
He laughed. “It’s kind of sad how well you know my family.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been around long enough,” she grinned. “And Dean gets pretty easy to predict after a while.”
“Yeah, I guess he does.” Then his nose wrinkled. “Since he’s my dad, does that mean I’m going to get predictable?”
Ava’s gave a bit of a head tilt before responding. “You have a problem with me knowing you well?”
He shrugged. “Not you. Just-hate to think I’d be predictable to everyone else.”
“I see.” She leaned back against the tree again, and closed her eyes, just soaking in the ambient silence of the park. It was relaxing, comforting. It silenced the noise in the back of her head and just kind of pushed everything else to the back of her mind for a moment, letting the stress melt out of her and allow her to focus on the person she was with. She felt his fingers close around the hand resting on his chest, his thumb brushing against the inside of her wrist.
“Still with me?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking down at him with a grin. “I’m still here.”
“Good.” He was about to say something else when there was a loud voice coming from across the park.
“There you are!” Ryan was standing not far from her, arms open with a cheerful grin. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“No! Not allowed! This is me time!” Ava groaned, before flopping back against the tree. “They find me. Why do they always find me?”
“That’s it,” Alec sighed, pushing himself into a sitting position and giving Ryan a glare. “I’m kidnapping you on Monday.”