Avery's Game Of Revenge
Chapter 38: Are You Gay?

Chapter 38: Are You Gay?

Neil dumped half of the papers in his arm into Donald’s arm and kicked him.

"Get up, Idiot. Single brats like you can never appreciate a break when they get the opportunity to have one," he scolded, knowing that all three of them would be punished for this if Archie got more annoyed than he already was.

Both of them hurried to the elevator to join Ian, thinking they had successfully escaped when Archie’s voice came from behind them,

"Since you seem to enjoy working so much, we will have the meeting 4AM tomorrow. Any more objections, and it might be shifted forward."

Meanwhile, Avery was in the kitchen, completely oblivious to the commotion her clothes had caused in the living room. She was staring into the fridge, her head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity.

"What is that doing in there?" she whispered, her brown eyes fixed on a very familiar Cookie package that was resting inside the fridge. That was Arthur’s. He used to bake it himself and then gift it to people he considered particularly close to him. Even their grandfather had never gotten a whole pack from him. But it was here in Archie’s kitchen.

"What are you wearing?"

Shivers were sent down her spine as she jolted at the husky voice which came from behind her ears, making her turn abruptly on her heels.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked back.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

"Yeah! Yeah, it is. But... weren’t you in a meeting just now? I made sure to walk as silently as I could so I’m very sure my coming here didn’t disturb you."

"Unfortunately, your coming here not only disturbed us but also led us to end the meeting early. What are you wearing, Ava?"

She looked down at her body, and back up at him, questions vividly expressed in her eyes.

"A baggy t-shirt and shorts?" she replied, her answer sounding more like a question than a statement.

"Do not—" Archie sucked in his own words, biting his lips down to prevent himself from talking. He would only scare her; Yeah, she had no reason to understand his absurd commands.

Avery, on the other hand, could not help but check herself all over again. "What is wrong with what I am wearing?" she asked.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, of course." He raked his hand through his hair in frustration and sighed, "Why are you here?"

"I was hungry and it didn’t seem like your meeting was going to end soon," Avery replied, remembering the cookie she had seen in the fridge earlier. "I have a question, Archie, this is... Don’t consider it as disrespect to your dead wife."

’I never said my wife was dead, I only asked you to consider her dead,’ Archie almost corrected, but decided not to in the last minute. "I won’t consider it as disrespect. What’s your question?"

Avery hesitated before speaking, trying to find a way to present her question in the most respectable way possible. But even after several attempts within herself, she found out there was no good way to present her question. She could just...ask. And that was what she did.

"Did you really love your wife, Archie?"

"I did," he answered immediately. "And I still love her."

"That means you are not gay then?" she asked again.

Archie’s brows raised in surprise, almost unable to believe his ears, "Did anyone say otherwise?"

"Not that," Avery sighed. She turned slowly and pulled open the fridge behind her to point at the pack of cookies lying innocently inside. She began, "Archie takes extra care and spends a lot of time in baking those cookies and when he’s done, he only gives people he super cares for. If he gave you a whole pack like that, when even I only got it once, and you are still keeping it weeks after he’s gone, am I to believe there’s something between you two?"

Silence ensued for the next five minutes after she was done speaking, with Archie staring intensely at her face as if there was something he needed to see there while she shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Was your brother gay, Ava?" he finally asked.

"I really can’t trust anyone at the moment. Archie, want to believe he’s not but then..." she trailed off, and Archie knew what she had wanted to say. She had been totally clueless even when her fiancè was gay, how was she expected to be sure her brother wasn’t gay? She had also thought it to be ordinary friendship between Roberts and Brian but it turned out to be a real relationship, under her nose. What if...Maybe she was so stupid she had merely seen her brother and Archie as simple best friends then.

"Come here, Ava," Archie instructed, and she complied. Bending slightly till they could make eye contact with Avery having to strain her neck, he slipped his arm around her waist and lifted her up to place her on the cold surface of the counter.

"How many weeks has it been since your brother died?"

"Almost 5 weeks," Avery replied. And she still hurt...a hurt she knew wasn’t going to subside anytime soon. She forced an awkward smile and glanced up to meet his eyes.

"I think it’s time to stop mourning. What about you?"

Avery’s brows furrowed in confusion. Had Archie been mourning her brother before? Unable to decide which answer was most appropriate to give him, she decided to just nod.

"I think so...too." As long as mourning didn’t mean she was giving up revenge and forgiving herself, then she could agree it was over.

"Good girl," Archie whispered, bringing his face closer to hers until they were sharing the same breath.

His next actions were too fast for Avery to comprehend. Archie taking off his glasses and placing it on the countertop beside her, lifting his hand up to dig his fingers in her hair while the other hand settled on her naked thigh, and pulling her close to engage her in a wet, passionate kiss.