Harmony

After what seemed like forever, he turned and walked away. Gina followed him very quickly, eager to leave the office and pretend like it never happened. Ava turned to David.

"David, I have to-"

"Go."

She quickly put her clothes back on and ran out of the office after Liam. She caught up to him in the parking lot.

"Liam!"

He kept walking. He wasn't walking so fast as to outpace her; he was just determinedly keeping his back to her. She ran the remaining distance and got in front of him just as he reached his car.

"Liam, please."

"Please what?" he shouted, startling Ava. "Please don't leave? Please don't be mad after seeing you with another man? Please understand that I mean nothing to you?"

"Liam, I'm sorry. I knew it was a bad idea, I just needed something to get me past you."

"Did I really mean that little to you? I thought we were both feeling something, I thought we could have given an actual relationship a shot. But apparently it's 'done with one, on to the next' with you."

Ava was incredibly embarrassed by what she had done, but her defensive reflexes were kicking in. "You know, you were very clear about how you felt. You had 'better things to do from this point on', remember?"

"It was a stupid thing to say, and I'm sorry for it. But I still didn't think you would fuck the next guy who came along."

"What does it matter to you who I fuck? And I'm glad that you're sorry you said it, but how was I supposed to take it? What were you expecting me to do?"

"I expected you to try!" Liam yelled at the top of his lungs. That shocked Ava into silence. Liam hung his head. "You're the better person here, not me. I wanted you to keep trying. I wanted you to come to my place and tell me how much you wanted this to work, and how this was obviously more than just sex, and would I be willing to give it a go. I wanted you to swallow your pride so that I wouldn't have to. I know it wasn't fair of me to expect that from you, but I did.

"I freaked out at you in the park because I scared myself. I allowed myself to say something I was only thinking. I told you how I was feeling, actually feeling, which isn't something I usually do with women. When I didn't get the answer I was looking for, I panicked. I overreacted. And I'm sorry for that. That's what I came tonight to tell you. I wanted to see if you would still have me."

At that moment, Ava realized how deeply she felt for him. "Liam, I'm sorry too. I totally froze up in the park. I never expected to hear anything like that cross your lips, and I just didn't know how to handle it. What you saw in there...that was just a poor decision made by me in an attempt to get you out of my mind. I'm not going to say I'm in love with you, but I really would like to give a relationship a try. You mean a lot to me, Liam. You're a good man."

Liam smiled briefly at that last comment. "Bet you didn't think you would ever say that about me."

"I definitely did not. But I've seen a lot of you these past few months. Parts of you maybe you weren't even aware that you were showing me. I see how deeply you care for those around you. I've seen how loyal and fierce a friend you are. You hide all these things in an attempt to come across as a rich kid above it all, but I saw them. And I'll say it again: You're a good man."

"The thing is, Ava, I'm not sure if I can do it now."

Ava felt like she had been punched in the stomach. "What?"

"I get why you did it, I really do. But you still did it, and now I can't get the image of you undoing your boss's zipper out of my head."

"Liam, please, I told you-"

"I know, Ava, I know. Call me petty, tell me I have a double standard, whatever you need. But I don't know if I can erase that image. I just need some time, okay? Can you do that?"

Ava nodded slowly. Liam looked absolutely crestfallen by what he had just said. "I can do that."

She moved out of his way, and he got into his car and drove off. Ava stood in the parking lot for a little while, and then realized she needed to get back into work. When she walked in, she went straight to David's office. Knocking on the open door, she asked, "Can I come in?"

David looked up and smiled. "Of course."

Ava sat down in front of the desk. "Liam came to apologize."

"Of course. And?"

"He wanted to make something happen, but now he's not sure."

"Because of what he saw? What we were doing?"

"Yeah."

"What about you? What do you want?" David's brown eyes were looking very earnestly at Ava.

Ava didn't even hesitate. "I want him."

David leaned forward. "Then do whatever you have to, Ava."

Ava let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Thanks, David."

"You bet. Now go sling some beer."

******************************************

The next few days were torture for Ava. There was no avoiding Liam. They were rehearsing 5-6 hours a day for the performance. They were polite to each other, and Ava was determined to give Liam what he asked for. She didn't crowd him, she wasn't overly nice to him, she tried as best she could to give him as much space as he needed. Still, all of their duets were love songs, and it was hard to look into his eyes and sing about true love. Jolene was now in full drill sergeant mode, forcing them to work on the theatricality of the pieces, not just the vocals. All in all, it was just a while lot of awkward.

When the day of the performance arrived, Ava had never been less nervous. All she could think about was the relief that would follow performing. Not only would the event be over, but she could finally back away from Liam and give him the space he wanted. No more would she be compelled into spending hours a day every day in a small room with Liam. She had a busy day to begin with, as she had appointments to get her hair and makeup professionally done, as well picking up the dress from the stylist. Still, Ava was the first one at the venue.

Jolene was a bundle of nerves when she got there. She scurried around, barking orders at random people and wringing her hands a lot. Finally Liam showed up, and did he look amazing. He came around the corner and they both stopped, just taking in the other's appearance. Liam was in a midnight blue suit, tailored perfectly for him. His dark hair was smoothed away from his face, letting his bright blue eyes take the spotlight. Ava was wearing an emerald green gown, meant to set off her reddish hair. It was off the shoulder with gauzy fabric that gathered and billowed in all of the right spots. Her hair was mostly up, with a few tendrils curled and left down to create what the stylist called an "ethereal" look. She was sure Liam had never seen her with this much makeup on.

Ava spoke first. "You look really handsome, Liam. Very dapper."

"And you, you look, I mean, you look...stunning."

Liam looked like he was going to say something more, but Jolene rushed over right then. "Okay, you two. You're the first act up. We're going to need you over here..." and from that moment right up until go time, they didn't have another moment to themselves. Jolene was running them from person to person, getting all of the last minute specifics of what was going to happen. It was a televised event, so they had to over all of the cues and staging with someone. All of this had been covered with them on their trip out to the venue last week, but it was important to make sure they knew it all backwards and forwards. Finally the big moment came. Ava took and deep breath and looked at Liam. "Knock 'em dead."

He held out his hand, and they went out onto the stage. For a moment, Ava panicked. Liam tightened his grip on her hand and led her to her mark. Leaning in, he said quickly, "You can do this. I'm right here."

Ava nodded, and the music started. She got through one, two, three songs, each resulting in thunderous applause. On the fourth and final song, she could feel the relief start to flow through her. They finished the song with a flourish, and the audience exploded. Through all of the clapping, Liam had taken her hand. He leaned in again and said, "See? Nothing to it."

As she looked up at him to respond, he kissed her. Right there, right on the stage in front of the cameras and everyone in attendance. She knew from that kiss that he had made his decision. She kissed him back, only increasing the applause from the audience. She was sure it made for good entertainment, if nothing else. When they broke apart, she smiled up at him. "Yeah. Nothing to it."