compass point .

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"With your balance and my dexterity, together we're almost a fully functioning human being," she said, landing her hand in his outstretched one in a weak high five before resuming her grass bothering. He presses her on the subject of her metamorphosis and it makes her uncomfortable, not because he's crossing any sort of line, but because she wasn't proud of the changes she had made and she didn't like having to talk them through with someone she respected so much. "My hair for one," she says with a smile, looking up at him and forcing herself to stop fidgeting. "You're not supposed to tell people until three, I'll pretend you didn't say anything," she said, making a note to wait a few more weeks before she texted her congratulations. Suddenly she remembers his previous relationship, and her heart breaks for him a little. She drops the subject. "There's nothing to tell! I make coffee, I torture myself hanging out with August, I bolster my flagging self esteem by taking the compliments of fourteen year old boys on Twitch to heart. Nothing else to report."

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He laughs, eyes squinting as his grin widens. "My boys actually said you were pretty good for someone who spends 90% of their life on a sofa," he returns the high five, her hand so small as it contacts his larger one. "And for two? For three?" he presses further, smiling as he does as to not lay any pressure on her. He presses his lips together thoughtfully, "seriously? I didn't know." She drops the subject of his love life and he's thankful. His ego still hurt from Lainey even though it was too long ago, the thought of his ex-girlfriend left a heaviness on his mind. "That's not good enough. We'll have to tear up the city and fill you with enough news to make it more interesting. Maybe you should take the skateboard? A broken arm would be a great story. "

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"Thank your boys for their very loaded compliment," Ava says, though she gets a small thrill out of the idea of not being completely terrible. She was an overachiever and disliked doing anything unsuccessfully, so to have achieved anything at all made her feel better. She laughs at his persistence, tactful as it was. "For two, I've been partying a lot." She holds her hands up, "I know, I know, you'll die of shock. For three, I'm finally on Tinder, so that's fun." She nestled down next to him on the grass, settling her head on his chest. Reaching out, she spun the wheel of his skateboard, mimicking him, enjoying the satisfaction of the weighted wheel spinning under her fingertips. "How about literally never? We don't need to manufacture drama, it always comes around."

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He tilts his head towards Ava and makes a puzzled look. "Have you?" He can't picture brunette Ava getting comfortable in a club let alone wearing a skintight dress and heels. She's so quiet and pure. "And tinder? You're out doing me, Avs. I've never tried it." He wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her in for a snuggle, grinning a little when she joins him in spinning wheels. With her peanut sized body tucked in againsf him, it would be easy for passerbys would assume their relationship status as dating. "We'll make good stories. Like scholarships and lottery wins. Maybe August will fall out with his girl or you'll find a Prince Tinder."

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His reaction sends a rush of blood to her cheeks, sending them a deep crimson. Here she was, caught out. It wasn't like she hadn't been to parties before, she'd had a boyfriend all throughout high school and Adam had been a popular guy. But the idea that she was not the partying type had persisted, mainly backed up by the fact that she hated partying and much preferred gaming, or even studying. Ignoring the fact that Ben knew her too well to just absorb this news, she laughed airily, shrugging, "yeah! I mean, what else is college for?" He wraps his arm around her and it's like having a warm blanket pulled over you when you're freezing cold, she's so comforted by it. Turning her face into his chest and breathing in his familiar scent, she tries to calm herself down. "Honestly, it's a waste of time," she admitted, feeling comforted by having his body against hers, "everyone on there is a total dick, I hate it. And I don't want August to break up with his girlfriend, she's such a nice girl."

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There is a part of him that's glad that she seems to be branching out. As much as he teases her about it, he genuinely worries about her losing contact with the world. As someone who spends more time outside than inside, he goes stir crazy just thinking about Ava locked up in her room. "You'll have to show me how wild you've gotten," he hesitates as he says it, for there's another side of him that worries that she's trying harder to be something she isn't than she should. "I know I shouldn't have to say it, but you're both sides of the coin. Beauty and brains. You could have anyone and someone great is going to find you... but have fun on Tinder," he squeezes her closer, the warmth of her body feels cozy and familiar against his. When they were kids, cuddling like this was always an accident. They'd fall asleep on the couch, or in the car. This would have made a younger Ben scream about cooties but be secretly gleeful about his childhood crush.

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His body warmth is immensely soothing. Though she would blush if his hand brushed against hers accidentally, or when he looked her straight in the eye, there was something about these intentional moments of intimacy that put her at ease, that felt natural between them. Whether it was looping her arm through his, or ruffling his hair, or this, lying practically on top of him for all the world to see, this was comfortable. "I might look the part but I don't feel it, I'm always counting down the hours until I can go home and get online," she admits. His voice, so deep now compared to the Ben of her memories, makes his chest vibrate as he talks and she tries to focus in on that, to no avail. He was free and sincere with his compliments and it always made Ava feel conflicted; on the one hand she was delighted by them and truly flattered, but on the other, how freely he gave them made her think he couldn't possibly feel the way she felt about him, since complimenting his looks felt too much like giving the game away. "You say that like someone great couldn't possibly be on Tinder... anyway, you're one to talk," she said, emboldened by the fact he couldn't see her face, "you're the dictionary definition of a glow up, you must have girls throwing themselves at you left, right and center."

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Ben had missed this friendship. It was easy and it was there without judgement. In many ways, he was closer with Ava than he was with his own sisters. His sisters loved him, but couldn't help but judge him so harshly. They had been more upset about Lainey than he was (and he was completely devastated and heartbroken) and were still critical about what had been done wrong in the relationship. Ava was a good kind of simple and she was accepting. He's hurt when she says she doesn't feel the part. It's not a bad idea to go out and try, but if you're completely miserable then it seems counter productive. He squeezes her shoulder again to try and comfort her, "you don't have to go out.. or maybe you haven't found a good crowd. You seemed fine going out with us, or maybe you're a good faker." He laughs at her observation, shrugging his shoulders at the idea of online dating. "I don't know, it just doesn't seem organic." Her compliment makes him a bashful and he's unsure what to do with it. Is she just being factual or is she being forward? "Jeez, if twelve year old Ben knew that Ava Anderson would be calling him a glow-up... I'm not sure if he'd be jealous of twenty year old Ben or ecstatic."

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Ben's hand squeezes at her shoulder reassuringly, and it's not until it's offered that she realises how much she needs reassurance. He had always had that knack with her, anticipating what she was going to feel before she had even had a chance to feel it, ready with a soothing remark before the sting had even set in. Being surrounded by people who barely understood her at all made this tremendously refreshing, though she also disliked how vulnerable she suddenly felt. Of course he felt sympathy for her, he must pity her. "I have a good time," she said defiantly, as if she hadn't just said something to the contrary. "I'm not a total loser." She sounds hurt and even she can hear it. Embarrassed, she loosened herself from his grip, sitting up and glancing around the park. "Mm, I just mean you don't look like a kid anymore," she said, downgrading her compliment through sheer awkwardness.