Everything That Glitters Ain't Gold by Danielle Martin (most popular novels .TXT) 📕

head over the counter and eyed the food cooking on the stove.  Ava watched him closely. He was very attentive to whatever was brewing in the large black pots. All these years, she had no idea Blake could cook. For heaven’s sake, she could not recall the last time a man cooked for her. Desean hadn’t touched a stove in over four years, claiming he was not a man that was made for the kitchen. Foolishly, Ava accepted it. She faithfully prepared breakfast and dinner for him every day without skipping a meal or asking any questions. It was nice to see the roles reversed for once.  

Blake turned back to her and flashed another attractive smile. In return, Ava shuddered. She couldn’t put her finger on it nor did she understand why this was happening so suddenly. It was something about Blake and the way he looked at her that was extremely getting to her now.

“Why do you stare at me like that???” Ava abruptly asked. She couldn’t help the desire to want to know. Immediately, the room grew quiet as the question slipped past her lips. She didn’t mean to blurt it out that way but could not help her curiosity any longer. Blake had fallen silent, which instantly made her regret asking. Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe she convinced herself into believing something that was not real. Daydreaming was typical of her.  Slowly, Blake began walking towards her. He kept his eyes locked on her, refusing to break contact as he approached. Her eyes widened watching him come closer. For some reason, she could not look away. His gaze was drawing her in.

“Why???” he repeated her in a deep, almost whispering tone.

Ava continued to stare with wide eyes. She did not verbally respond. Instead, she silently nodded her head.

Once again, Blake slipped his finger underneath her chin. The same way he had done yesterday. He tilted her head up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Ava’s heart rate quickened. She stared up at him in awe while secretly wandering what the hell had gotten into her. Once upon a time, Ava would have never allowed Blake to get this close. She had spent so many years fighting him off, resisting the temptation. But for some reason, her body would not allow her to pull away. She had tried mentally and physically, but she could not…

“Isn’t it obvious, Hazel???” he continued speaking to her in a sexy voice, practically patronizing her. Ava could feel her bones quivering in fear underneath her dress. She hated this feeling that had suddenly come over her. This was not a feeling she was a used to.   Politely, Ava reached up and grabbed his hand, removing it from underneath her chin.

“No, Blake…” her voice was trembling as she spoke. “I don’t get it… I don’t understand what you want from me…”

A disappointed look spread across his face as he drew his hand away and took two steps back. He looked at her as if he were tired of explaining it to her. But there was a lot Blake didn’t know. A lot that he probably wouldn’t understand. “Why do I have to want something from you???” he asked, hitting her with a trick question.

Ava pressed her lips together in fear that she would say something wrong. She remained quiet, allowing him to do the talking.

“For years, I have been here in your corner…” he continued. “I’ve been right here right in front of your face. But you never gave me a fair chance. I did everything, you never accepted me.” Immediately, the memories came rushing back as Blake spoke reminiscing on their past.  “Just when I thought I was getting over you Hazel, you cut me off. You said you didn’t want anything else to do with me… I know your boyfriend put you up to it, so I never got angry with you about it… But I never wanted to lose you…. You didn’t give me an option. You didn’t even give me a chance to be your friend…. I could only buy drinks from you…. That hurt. That hurt bad…”

Her heart flustered with guilt listening to him speak. She could hear the hurt in his voice as he described what happened although he was doing a terrific job at masking it. After all these years, Ava had no idea just how much distress she had actually caused him.  As hard as it was to admit, Blake was telling the truth about everything. She was a horrible person. A horrible friend. Ava took a long deep breath. Her insides were boiling. The urge was becoming harder and harder to fight with each second that passed. She could hear Susan’s voice replaying in the back of her mind. You will feel so much relief once you let it go… Stop holding on… Let it go…. Let go Ava….

 “I left Desean!” she blurted it out in a hurry, being sure to confess quickly before she changed her mind.

Silence.

 The room went quiet. The truth was out now.  Ava stood frozen with her eyes still closed tightly shut. She was too embarrassed to look at him and see the expression on his face.

Blake murmured under his breath but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Hesitantly, Ava crept her eyes open to look at him. She noticed the shocked look that was now plastered on his face. Obviously, he was thrown off by her confession. There was no undoing what she had started. Ava’s eyes dropped to the floor as she nervously began to tell him everything. “I’ve been lying…. I’ve been lying for a very long time…. I’m not happy with Desean…. In the beginning, I was… but not anymore… He’s not a good person, Blake…” Tears began to well up in her eyes as she explained it but she quickly brushed them away. Ava hadn’t cried since leaving the house and had no intentions on doing it now in front of Blake. He walked directly to where she was standing and planted his feet firmly in front of her. He wasted no time jumping straight to conclusions. “Did he put his hands on you Hazel??? Tell me right now!” he demanded an answer in a stern tone. Blake was growing agitated which didn’t take Ava by surprise. He was a protector. He had always been that way.

 “No…” Ava sulked after finally answering. Blake raised an eyebrow. He didn’t believe her. Quickly, Ava held up her hands in her defense, being quick to reassure him. “I’m serious… he’s never touched me…” she rolled her eyes and shook her head. “He didn’t have to… he’s done other things…”

Blake stepped in even closer. Their bodies were now brushing against each other. He was pressuring her. He gave her a stern look, hinting for her to finish. She did.

“I’ve been staying at Jade’s house because I left him… The other night, he asked me to quit my job and I refused. He got so angry.” Her mind drifted thinking about that night. She could not forget the crazed look on his face when she told him she would continue bartending at the club. She smacked her lips. “That asshole! He told me I will never leave him… And then he stole my keys, hopped in my car and drove off on it… I haven’t seen him since.”

Immediately, Blake’s jaw dropped in astonishment upon hearing her confession. “He did what???!!!” he shouted out in a loud voice, startling her. Ava winced, noticed his fists were balling up by his side. The veins in his forearms were beginning to show.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to fix this…” she placed a hand on his shoulder attempting to relax him.

There was no calming him. To her surprise, he had been extremely triggered by what he just heard. “Damn, Hazel…” Blake cussed and walked away, turning his back to her. “All of this time, you made me believe he was taking care of you! I thought you were safe with him! You lied to me!” he shouted at her, turning his anger to her now.

Ava followed Blake with her eyes. She stared in disbelief seeing how flustered he had become. Finally, Ava was realizing what she had been avoiding all along. Finally, she was realizing how much he truly cared about her. For once, there was someone in life who she knew the truth. Someone she no longer had to lie to...

Slowly, Ava followed him to where he stood at the bar. His back was turned to her silently facing the wall so he didn’t see her approach. She planted her feet behind him and pressed her lips together. Surprisingly, she stood extremely close to him. Close enough to touch him but she was afraid to cross that boundary. Instead, she reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder again.  “Blake…” Ava softly called his name. He did not turn around right away. Instead, Ava used the hand on his shoulder to turn him around to look at her. He did. Twisting his body around, Blake turned, their bodies now facing. He stared down at her and shook his head. He didn’t say anything immediately, so Ava spoke first.

“Blake… be honest…” She looked up at him with big eyes. Her knees were shaking, but she continued. “Tell me the truth…. Is this real??? Do you really have feelings for me??? Do you really care???” she asked him. For the first time in over 11 years, Ava sincerely and genuinely needed to hear his answer. This was her first time asking him to elaborate on his feelings. Now she was desperate and desired to know the truth.

 Blake sighed deeply. His angered expression melted instantly. “I can’t keep doing this, Hazel…” he looked away. “I can’t continue expressing my feelings if they are just going to go unnoticed… I want you… I’ve told you this a million times… I don’t know what else to say to you…”

Ava stared at him. She felt something strange boiling inside and didn’t know how to explain what was happening to her. But she didn’t care about making sense of things anymore. Ava had spent too many years beating herself up for not being perfect. For not being worthy of a real man’s love. She had grown used to judging Blake by his persistency rather than genuinely listening to the reason behind his persistence. Finally, she was realizing what she had been ignoring all this time. He stared at her. He could sense she was studying him.

“What???” he asked now turning the tables on her. Ava didn’t respond. She continued to stare at him as if she were really seeing him for the first time. She heard all she needed to hear. Seen all she needed to see. She stepped in even closer. Surprisingly, his entire body tensed up. “Hazel, what are you doing???” he asked. Ava did not respond. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. She was so close her nostrils were practically in the nape of his neck. Clearly, her sudden closeness took him by surprise. “Hazel…” he called her name again.

She gazed at the handsome man standing over her. It was something about Blake that made her weak. It wasn’t just his looks or his physique. It was his mind. His generosity. It was the compassion in his eyes when he looked at her. Ava’s entire body was shaking now. She couldn’t fight the urge anymore. It was time to face the truth once and for all. Without processing another thought, Ava reached up using her tippy toes and grabbed him by the neck. Blake’s eyes widened as soon as she pulled him in close and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Kiss me, Blake…” she demanded him without hesitance. She demanded him before she came to her senses. Before she changed her mind.  He obeyed. It felt as if time were moving in slow motion as he leaned down,