Episode Twenty-One: Wonderdrug

"I’m not leaving; you better call if you need me." Ava scolded kindly and left the room.

"Is she all right? What’s wrong with her?" Sebastian hit her with questions. She had forgotten the drive over. Forgotten Bowie and Lila were headed for whopping hangovers.

She began straightening up, unopened catalogs, a stray sweater here or there, nothing that needed fixing. "She’ll be fine; it’s just a little Soap Opera disease."

"Of course she’s fine, I know I always turn twelve shades of pale when my mother has the sniffles," He thought it was a cute joke to cut the tension until he saw the disheartened grimace on Ava’s pretty face. "I’m sorry, I’m not- this isn’t my area,"

She ran a finger under the rim of her eyes, cursing Lila for convincing her to wear liner for the first time. "Don’t apologize, you’re like the most reliable taxi service I know, I’m just grateful you don’t need to write the traffic manual on your hands too."

Bas was too stunned to hear the dig about his earlier stunt, and totally unaware that he was blushing. "My name and reliable have never been synonymous, well, maybe for my father, he sees all these admirable things in me, its pretty tough to keep up with,"

For the first time Ava felt comfortable smiling with him. "According to my mother, I’m Miss America and the first female President all rolled up into one glorious package,"

It was impulse, all his worst ideas were. They’d missed midnight but he kissed her just the same.

Episode Twenty-Two: Smoke And Ashes