the counter.
Needing to raise her voice over the incessant chatter and incomprehensible babbling, Ava managed to hand over her credit card in exchange for her room key. Within minutes she was squishing herself into the elevator and on her way to her top floor suite.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Ava headed back through the chaotic lobby and burst out onto the bustling street. With her stomach grinding, dinner was a necessity. Within one hundred metres of her hotel, Ava had passed more than a dozen different restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world. But for some reason, nothing captured her interest. Grabbing a chicken sandwich and a bottle of juice, Ava headed back to the hotel and fired up her laptop. Maybe it was the change of scenery. Maybe it was the stillness in her suite. Maybe it was the silence that helped her hear James and Anna’s voices, because right now they were screaming. They wouldn’t be ignored and Ava wasn’t about to start now.
The next time Ava looked up it was almost three in the morning.
Collapsing into the bed, Ava’s set her alarm before her bleary eyes fell shut and she passed out.
When the sun broke through the gap in her curtains and the alarm destroyed the silence, Ava was startled awake. Swinging her arm out, Ava flailed about desperately, trying to shut it up, managing to knock the glass of water all over the bedside table and the pillow beneath her head.
“Shit!” she grumbled as she sat up and kicked back the covers.
Stumbling across the room, Ava caught sight of her reflection and couldn’t contain her shudder. After a restless night, tossing and turning and fighting the comforter trying to fall asleep, she’d barely had a couple of hours and the huge black bags under her eyes would ensure that everyone knew it. Her stomach lurched and Ava grabbed at it, trying to hold everything together. Running to the bathroom, Ava slammed the door behind her.
Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, her dripping hair wrapped in a towel. Staring into the mirrored doors of the wardrobe, Ava hated what she saw. She dropped the towel and stared at her pale skin but couldn’t see past the imperfections. Hating herself wasn’t a new thing for Ava. Dealing with her shortcomings was a daily battle. In some moments it was bearable and in others it was so overwhelming it was almost paralysing. Taking in her flabby thighs and too wide hips, Ava cringed. Unable to look a moment longer, Ava grabbed her clothes from the pile on the floor and pulled them on as quickly as she could manage.
Dressed in a knee length navy blue dress and black heels, higher than she’d ever tried to walk in before, Ava wobbled bleary eyed down the corridor and stepped into the elevator, the exhaustion weighing heavily on her. But Ava was determined. She was to make the best of this even if she could barely see straight. A moment later, she emerged on the street, only to be surprised to see how crowded it was, considering it wasn’t even five in the morning yet. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before a yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of her. Slipping into the back seat, Ava quickly gave the driver her destination before settling herself against the tattered plastic covered seats and shot a text to Tyler.
Ava: Hi
Tyler: Been waiting to hear from u.
Ava: ???
Tyler: Freaking out yet???
Ava: More than you know.
Tyler: Don’t.
Tyler: You’ll do great. You always do.
Ava: Thx.
Tyler: Anytime Short Stack.
Ava: Gotta Go. Just arrived.
Tyler: Knock’em dead. Talk later.
Ava: <3
Tossing some cash at the driver, Ava slipped from the cab, feeling at ease for the first time since she’d arrived. Tyler made everything better. He just made Ava’s life easier. Even swapping a few meaningless texts with him first thing in the morning made her smile, and today that was a miracle.
Tightening her grip on her bag, Ava strode as
Needing to raise her voice over the incessant chatter and incomprehensible babbling, Ava managed to hand over her credit card in exchange for her room key. Within minutes she was squishing herself into the elevator and on her way to her top floor suite.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Ava headed back through the chaotic lobby and burst out onto the bustling street. With her stomach grinding, dinner was a necessity. Within one hundred metres of her hotel, Ava had passed more than a dozen different restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world. But for some reason, nothing captured her interest. Grabbing a chicken sandwich and a bottle of juice, Ava headed back to the hotel and fired up her laptop. Maybe it was the change of scenery. Maybe it was the stillness in her suite. Maybe it was the silence that helped her hear James and Anna’s voices, because right now they were screaming. They wouldn’t be ignored and Ava wasn’t about to start now.
The next time Ava looked up it was almost three in the morning.
Collapsing into the bed, Ava’s set her alarm before her bleary eyes fell shut and she passed out.
When the sun broke through the gap in her curtains and the alarm destroyed the silence, Ava was startled awake. Swinging her arm out, Ava flailed about desperately, trying to shut it up, managing to knock the glass of water all over the bedside table and the pillow beneath her head.
“Shit!” she grumbled as she sat up and kicked back the covers.
Stumbling across the room, Ava caught sight of her reflection and couldn’t contain her shudder. After a restless night, tossing and turning and fighting the comforter trying to fall asleep, she’d barely had a couple of hours and the huge black bags under her eyes would ensure that everyone knew it. Her stomach lurched and Ava grabbed at it, trying to hold everything together. Running to the bathroom, Ava slammed the door behind her.
Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, her dripping hair wrapped in a towel. Staring into the mirrored doors of the wardrobe, Ava hated what she saw. She dropped the towel and stared at her pale skin but couldn’t see past the imperfections. Hating herself wasn’t a new thing for Ava. Dealing with her shortcomings was a daily battle. In some moments it was bearable and in others it was so overwhelming it was almost paralysing. Taking in her flabby thighs and too wide hips, Ava cringed. Unable to look a moment longer, Ava grabbed her clothes from the pile on the floor and pulled them on as quickly as she could manage.
Dressed in a knee length navy blue dress and black heels, higher than she’d ever tried to walk in before, Ava wobbled bleary eyed down the corridor and stepped into the elevator, the exhaustion weighing heavily on her. But Ava was determined. She was to make the best of this even if she could barely see straight. A moment later, she emerged on the street, only to be surprised to see how crowded it was, considering it wasn’t even five in the morning yet. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before a yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of her. Slipping into the back seat, Ava quickly gave the driver her destination before settling herself against the tattered plastic covered seats and shot a text to Tyler.
Ava: Hi
Tyler: Been waiting to hear from u.
Ava: ???
Tyler: Freaking out yet???
Ava: More than you know.
Tyler: Don’t.
Tyler: You’ll do great. You always do.
Ava: Thx.
Tyler: Anytime Short Stack.
Ava: Gotta Go. Just arrived.
Tyler: Knock’em dead. Talk later.
Ava: <3
Tossing some cash at the driver, Ava slipped from the cab, feeling at ease for the first time since she’d arrived. Tyler made everything better. He just made Ava’s life easier. Even swapping a few meaningless texts with him first thing in the morning made her smile, and today that was a miracle.
Tightening her grip on her bag, Ava strode as
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