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Six years after her parents got back together Ava was conflicted about one of her friends. So she decided the best person to get advice from was her Papa but, unfortunately for her he was working at the local hospital on one of his many long nursing shifts. So the next best person was Anathema but of course her bad luck the woman was out of the country with her husband. So she was stuck with her Dad. Not that Dad didn’t give good advice it, just usual turned out to be a disaster when put into practice. Her Dad usually needed to have a sounding board like Papa to bounce ideas off of. Not to mention this particular problem was not one she wanted to mention to her boy scaring Dad.
See Ava had this friend, Connor. He was two years older than her and she was more then sure he was in love with her. She wanted to ask him about it but she didn’t know how to go about it. She had no idea if she should even ask him. She didn’t want to be made to be the laughing stock of the whole school not to mention her cheerleading squad. With the school’s first formal dance coming up she wanted to ask Connor to the dance but she didn’t know if that was tacky.
Ava sighed just deciding to bite the bullet and go find her dad. She found him working on his beloved Bentley with her brother, Noah.
She softly knocked on the garage doorway. “Daddy, can I talk to you?”
Crowley looked up in surprise. Ava hadn’t called him that in years. “What’s up Ava?”
Ava’s face flushed slightly red. “Can I talk to you in private please?” She didn’t want her little brother to hear about her boy troubles because then she’d never hear the end of it.
Crowley grabbed an oil rag and wiped his hands down. “Sure darling, let’s go to the patio.” He lead his daughter to the back patio and took a seat at the family table used for grilling. “What’s going on?”
Ava folded herself into a chair and took a few deep breaths. “I have a problem..”
Crowley’s face went white as a sheet. “Oh god, this is really something you should discuss with your Papa. He’s the medical professional you know..”
Ava’s face twisted in confusion, a classic Aziraphale face. “What are you thinking?” Ava thought for a moment before realization came to her. “Oh god no, it has nothing to do with my body!”
Crowley let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank god, I don’t think I could handle another period talk.”
Ava groaned slapping a hand against her face. The first conversation disaster came to mind. “No it’s NOTHING like that. There’s this boy I like..”
Crowley’s face turned a sickly green color. “Oh god, yes you should definitely have your Papa for this.”
‘I haven’t had sex jesus! No, let me just say it!” Ava was suddenly wishing she hadn’t even decided to talk to her Dad. “There is this boy, I like and we have a formal dance coming up at school. I was wondering how do I go about asking him?”
Crowley blinked in surprise. “Is that all? Well you just walk up to him and ask.”
Ava gave her dad a typical teenage girl look as if to say,’ Are you kidding me? I need more to work with. It’s not that easy.’
Crowley pursed his lips together. “Well, what does this boy like?”
“He likes video games, driving his car on a long dirt road the music up loud as he sings along, his favorite color is red, he’s terrified of clowns and spiders. His parents are super strict on him and he hasn’t slept without some form of light on since he was a baby. He also loves babies and is so good with them.” Ava gushed the heat spreading across her face.
Crowley raised an eyebrow. “Ava Nicole have you been stalking this boy? Because we are about to have a completely different conversation that I am for sure going to screw up.”
“God no!” Ava buried her face into her knees. “It’s Connor, my best friend.” She whispered hoping her Dad hadn’t heard her.
“Connor Rogers? The same boy who has been over to this house multiple times? The same kid who you snuck liquor with and then proceeded to puke in my rose bush?” Crowley questioned with a sly smile on his face. He had just won a huge bet against his husband.
Ava groaned into her knees. “Yes! The very same one! God, I am in such deep shit. I love him!”
Crowley was smacked with reality at those words. “Woah kid, love is a very strong emotion. You sure you don’t just like him?”
Ava glanced up from her knees, her face still resting against her legs. “I am beyond positive I love him. It hurts being away from him and when we hang out but he has to leave I get sadder every time. I just want to spend all my time with him. He makes me laugh all the time and I don’t worry about school or my grades. He takes my mind off the anxiety. I never once have a panic attack around him. I feel like I breathe around him.”
Crowley let out a low whistle. He knew how hard Ava struggled with anxiety, it was so bad that they put her medication last year. He took a deep breath and bit his lower lip. “Darling, I wish I could tell you what to do. The only advice I can give you is to tell him. Tell him how you feel.”
Ava licked her lips and pouted slightly. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”
“Then at least you know where you stand. You can’t force someone to have feelings for you but, you can control what you say and do around that person.”
“So, you think I should just ask him to the dance as more than friends?”
Crowley leaned forward and pulled his daughter into his arms. “If you don’t ask you will never know the answer and you might regret it forever. Just ask, the worst that can happen is he says no.”
Ava hugged her dad a smile back on her face. “Thanks Daddy, I’m gonna ask him tonight at the bonfire.”
Crowley smiled at his daughter. “You’re welcome darling.” He watched his daughter go back inside. He pulled out his phone and called his husband.
“Hey babe, you called me just in time, I just clocked out for lunch.” Azriapheal answered his voice sunny.
“You owe twenty bucks. Ava is totally in love with Connor.” Crowley stated smugginess in his voice.
“Well shit. She actually told you that?” The angel’s voice held doubt.
“Oh yeah she did. She’s going to ask him to the big formal dance tonight.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Shouldn’t the boy ask the girl out?”
Crowley chuckled. “Times are changing my dear. It’s equal opportunity.”
“What if he says no?”
“Then we deal with it but, I highly doubt he will. Have you seen how he looks at her? Because I certainly have and that boy has the love bug bad for our red haired beauty.” Crowley was smirking still riding the high of being right against his always right husband and finally giving good advice for once in his life.
“You realize if they date and break up then a lifelong friendship will be ruined don’t you?” Azriapheal’s voice was laced with uncertainty.
“Well shit...I didn;t think of that.” Crowley sighed. “But, if they date and end up happily ever after then that will be all my doing so ha.”
“If you say so. Just keep an eye on her after the bonfire will you? I worry about.”
Crowley blew air out between his lips. “Psht, everything will be fine. Just wait and see. I’m right about this and she will be fine.”
The husbands said their goodbyes and Crowley waved goodbye to Ava as one of her friends came and picked her up. The whole time she was gone he was worried sick, he couldn’t get his husband’s words out of his head. He was sitting in the living room waiting for Ava, trying to distract himself by watching TV but it wasn;t working. When he heard the car pull into the driveway he sprang to his feet. He stood in the hallway by the door preparing himself to catch his sobbing daughter in his arms. Instead he was greeted by his daughter holding a large vase of a dozen roses and a poster board sign that read, ‘We’ve been friends forever and I can be myself around you. We always have a blast in everyday clothes so how about we step it up and have a blast at a formal as boyfriend and girlfriend? What do you say?’
Crowley read the sign and smiled at his ear splitting grinning daughter. “I take it everything went well?”
Ava had tears in her eyes. “It was the greatest night of my life. Connor confessed his feelings for me before I could and he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes!”
Crowley hugged his daughter to his side. He softly pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I am so proud of you sweetheart.”
Ava hugged her dad before going up to her room. Crowley watched her go his heart feeling a little heavy at seeing his daughter reach another milestone.
They all have to grow up but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.