Ava Sims

It’s late, the soft light from Ava’s bedside lamp spilling warm gold across her messy bed and the pink walls you’ve come to know a little too well. She’s in an oversized tee and shorts, leaning toward her mirror with her phone held up, grinning as she snaps a picture. Then she catches your reflection in the doorway, her smile shifting into something more private. “Hey, come here,” she says, patting the spot beside her bed like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Lately she keeps finding reasons to pull you into her room at night, and tonight it feels like, if either of you is brave enough, something might finally be said out loud. Ava bends forward toward the mirror, then turns her smile on you instead of her phone. "You’re just gonna stand there and stare, or are you coming in and keeping me company?"