Seth's POV

I opened the door to see Carla standing on the other side, looking fresh as ever in a summer dress.

"Hey," she said, flashing me a smile. "Do you mind if I come in?"

If this was a month ago, I would've gladly let her in whilst dying a little inside but trying my best to not show it. However, that wasn't the case this time as I moved out of the way to let her in.

I walked behind her to the living room and watched her sit down on the couch. She flattened her dress out with her palms, buying time.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked, getting to the point.

"I wanted to talk," she started, "about last night."

The sour memories that I had been trying to push away came rushing back to me. I sighed and sat down on the armrest of the couch.

"I'm sorry for-"

"Pushing me away?" she finished for me, cocking her head. With a nod, she added, "Yeah, I thought so. But that's not what I want to talk about."

I waited for her to continue.

"For a while now, I've wanted to reconnect and reignite what we had," she said. "At camp, I saw you with Ava and I instantly knew what you were trying to do. It was pretty obvious, Seth."

I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me and I cleared my throat. "You always knew how much I liked you."

"I know," she agreed, averting her gaze. "After we came back from camp, I heard rumours that you and Ava were in a relationship and to be very frank with you, I was beyond surprised. I didn't expect you to go that far."

"I admit that it was all an act in the beginning," I said, "but I really fell for her, Carla. I love her."

"I know," she said, nodding. "I realised that last night. After you pushed me away, of course. I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have forced myself on you like that."

"It's okay," I said, my mouth forming in a hard line. I inhaled deeply and asked, "What's your point here, Carla?"

"I just wanted to clear the air," she responded, sitting up straight. "I wanted to apologise and let you know that I'm here for you whenever you need me."

My mouth parted, unsure of what to say.

"You don't have to say anything," she jumped in. "I'm happy for you and Ava."

"A little late for that," I mumbled under my breath, exhaling.

"What'd you mean?" she asked, her eyebrows pulling in together.

"She refused to give me another chance," I said softly, looking at the floor. "I don't blame her."

"But why would she not give you another chance?" she asked, confused. "After everything you said on that stage..."

I hesitated before saying, "But then she saw us together. I don't think she'll be able to trust me again."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Of course I have," I exclaimed. I then proceeded to tell her everything in detail. She listened patiently. The look of disbelief on her face when I told her what the note Ava got said was enough to confirm that she wasn't the one who sent it.

My voice caught in my throat. Swallowing the lump, I continued, "I've tried everything. I really screwed up this time."

She stood up and sat beside me. Gently, she placed her hand on mine and gave it a light squeeze.

"Give her time, she's heartbroken," she said. "She'll realise what a great guy you are."

I chuckled sarcastically. "I doubt that."

"Trust me," she said, squeezing my hand once again.

I looked down at her and she gave me a reassuring smile. I forced a smile on my face.

"Thanks, Carla," I said, placing my other hand on top of hers.

*

Carla's POV

As I was driving back from Seth's house, deep annoyance resonated within me. I was pretty much the reason why they broke up.

Seth really loves her.

Green light shone in front of me and I followed the cars in front of me. I just wish I could do something.

I was checking off ways I could help the two of them reconcile and the only suitable way was talking to Ava. However, if Seth couldn't talk sense into her, how was I supposed to? I was willing to try.

Pulling my car over, I dialled Kyla's number to ask her for Ava's address. After Kyla was done with a long interrogation session which involved me lying, she was finally satisfied enough to give me Ava's address.

Entering the address into Google Maps, I followed the directions and arrived at her house in less than twenty minutes. I sat in the car, holding onto my steering wheel as I inhaled and exhaled in a rhythm.

Once I felt composed enough, I got out of my car and walked up her driveway. I rang the doorbell and adjusted my dress as I waited for the door to open.

The door opened, revealing Ava in a pair of pyjamas and an oversized t-shirt.

"Hey," I said, giving her a tight smile.

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately. A beat later, she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," I explained. "Could I come in?"

"This better be worth my time," I heard her mutter before she turned around and began walking towards the stairs in her house.

Taking that as my invitation, I quickly walked in, shut the door behind me and speed-walked behind her. She led me to a room that I assumed was hers. She waited for me to enter and closed the door before turning to face me.

Upon closer inspection, I could tell she had been crying all night. She had puffy, swollen eyes.

"I-I know you might not be happy to see me," I started, "but it was important to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Seth."

Her gaze snapped to meet mine.

"If he's sent you to talk to me-"

"No! No, he hasn't. He doesn't even know I'm here," I said quickly. "Just hear me out okay?"

"I'm listening," she said firmly.

"He really loves you, Ava," I began. "What more do you want? The boy poured his heart out in front of you last night. Everyone messes up. Are you telling me that in all your past relationships, you've done everything perfectly right? That you haven't even screwed up once?"

"What he did was completely different and you know that," she seethed.

"I know, he started off on a bad note and yes, he was an asshole," I agreed, "but his intentions were never to hurt you. Nor were his intentions to fall for you. But he did. He fell hard. And I promise you, Ava, he will try his very best to keep you happy. Just give him another chance."

"How am I supposed to trust him?" she asked, leaning away from the door. "The note that I got-"

"That note is bull-crap," I cut her off and proceeded to then tell a lie that I knew I wasn't going to regret. "I wrote that note."

Ava's mouth parted as she registered what I said.

"I wrote it," I repeated myself.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I was jealous!" I exclaimed, trying my best to sound convincing. "I wanted Seth back."

Well, at least the second part wasn't a lie.

"But whatever you wrote in that note, it was true," she stated. "How did you find out?"

"I could tell by the way he was behaving at the camp," I answered. "I was ready to take him back when we returned. But then I found out that he was in a relationship with you. I wanted to see how long he could go on with his little act. Turns out, it was longer than I thought it would go on for...because he had actually fallen for you. I didn't know that, of course. I thought he didn't have enough courage to break up with you so I decided to help him out."

Ava's gaze lowered to the floor as she allowed what I said to sink in. After a moment, she looked up at me and said, "You're a nasty person."

"I didn't know he actually loved you. I only realised that last night."

"Yet you tried to kiss him?" she accused me.

"I didn't follow him with that intention," I said. "I just wanted to be there for him but in that moment, I felt something between us and that's why I tried to kiss him. He pushed me away, though, so don't worry."

"Why are you here to tell me all of this?" she questioned.

"Because I don't want you to ruin things between the two of you because of my mistakes," I said. "Don't punish him for my crimes."

She stayed silent.

"If I didn't write that note, you would've never found out," I explained further. "And your relationship with him would've been perfectly fine."

"But you're not the one who forced him to use me," she gritted out.

"Ava, does what happened in the past really matter?" I questioned. "He loves you and he's willing to start anew, that's what matters."

She slid down and sat down on the floor, her knees propped up.

"I don't know what to do, Carla," she admitted, her voice cracking.

I got up and crouched in front of her to meet her eyes. "Give him another chance."

"I don't know if I can trust him again," she said, a silent tear rolling down her cheek as she sniffed.

"I'm not telling you to give him another chance now," I said gently. "Take your time, think this through and then, go see him. He's dying inside just like you are."

She sniffed again.

"If he screws up again, I promise you I will become his worst nightmare," I said in the most intimidating voice I could muster.

She snorted, making me smile.

"I'll think about it," she said in a voice so small it almost sounded like a whisper.

"Thank you," I responded. "And I'm sorry...for what I did."

"It's alright, you're not to blame," she answered.

After she had calmed down, she walked me down to the front door.

"Keep me updated," I said, walking out of her house. "I am emotionally invested in the story now."

She laughed softly and nodded.

A/N- Carla saves the dayyy! Woohooo! 

What do you guys think about the fact that she told a little white lie? And what do you think Ava will dooo? 

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