AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But first, I'd have to find her.
AN HOUR LATER
I hesitated outside of Ava’s hotel, my thumb hovering over her name on my phone. The screen glowed with a list of calls, all unanswered. I pressed the call button and brought the phone to my ear, listening to the familiar ringing before it gave way to her voicemail once more.
"Hi, you’ve reached Ava Martinez’s voicemail. At this point, you know what to do after the beep.”
Sighing, I ended the call, feeling the void widen with each attempt she didn't answer.
Two days passed like this, a heap of calls and voicemails. I needed to see her, to explain, to somehow bridge the gap that my recklessness put between us.
The lobby was sleek and impersonal, the kind of place that prided itself on discretion and privacy. The receptionist behind the desk looked up as I approached, her practiced smile never reaching her eyes.
"May I help you?"
"I'm looking for Ava Martinez," I said, leaning against the marble counter. "Is she still checked in?"
"Let me see." Her fingers danced across the keyboard, and I watched as her expression shifted. "I'm sorry, sir, but Ms. Martinez is no longer on our guest log."
"Does that mean she checked out?"
"Is there anything else I can assist you with?" She never answered me, but her tone suggested the conversation was over.
"Thanks, no." I turned away, racking my brain for where Ava could have gone, what I could do next.
"Ryder?"
I spun around at the sound of my name. Emily, Ava's friend and colleague, stood there with a look of concern etched into her face.
"Emily." I got hopeful again. "Have you seen Ava? I've been trying to reach her."
She shook her head. "No, she's not answering my calls either.”
“I guess she checked out of the hotel.”
“But you know Ava. When she's on a tight deadline, she goes into hermit mode."
"Hermit mode," I repeated, processing the information. It made sense, Ava always fully committed to her work, but it didn’t make me worry less. It wasn’t only a deadline keeping her away from me. My own jerk behavior was to blame, too.
"Give her time, Ryder," Emily advised. "She wants to do a good job.” Then her mouth twitched. “From what I saw from the two of you at the gym the other day, she cares about you.”
I paused. What all did Emily see between me and Ava?
"Listen," she continued, "I've known Ava for years. When she's ready, she'll come around. Just be patient."
"Thanks." I nodded, appreciating her reassurance even as doubt poked at me.
"Take care of her, okay?" Emily added, her voice soft but firm. It was a command, a trust handed to me despite my unworthiness. “She’s been through a lot.”
"I will," I promised, and I meant it.
Emily’s figure dwindled in the distance. I watched her leave the hotel, the weight of her words settling on my shoulders. She believed Ava cared about me, and god, I wanted to believe it too. But memories of the last conversation with Ava played in my head, a bad highlight reel of every pained expression that crossed her face.
I pulled out my phone again, staring at the screen. My thumb hovered over her contact. I hit call, letting the phone ring until it went to voicemail.
"Hey, it's me, Ryder," I said, feeling foolish stating my name as if she wouldn't recognize my voice. "Call me back, please?"
Ending the call, I shoved the phone into the pocket of my sweats and returned to practice at Warrior’s Den. The gym around me felt empty without her presence. I guess I got used to the sound of her fingernails constantly tapping against her laptop keyboard.
