I can't stop smiling on the way home. No one is paying attention to me and it feels awesome. They have no idea. Once I get off the train at Canada Water, my phone rings and I pull it out of my bag.

Piper is calling me.

My smile widens when I pick up.

“Hey Pip, nice to finally hear from you.” I chuckle. “I thought you might have died and forgot to tell me.”

“Yeah yeah, shut up.” She groans. “I'm sorry. There was this rather big project this week.” I hear her sigh. She sounds really stressed. “But anyway, it's over and I just had an awesome idea.”

I raise an eyebrow while walking down the street. “Which would be? It's either the best idea ever or it might make me want to jump in front of a car.”

“Come on, my ideas are always awesome.” She says proudly. “Anyway, what about I come over and we watch dumb films and drink until we fall asleep on the couch.”

“That's your way or saying you wanna have a sleepover.”

“With alcohol.” She adds.

“Of course.” I chuckle and scratch the back of my head. “I mean, sure. Why not? We haven't done anything as pathetic in a while.”

“Did you just call my pyjama party idea pathetic?”

“What if I did?”

“Well, your face is stupid!”

“No, it's not. You always say I'm adorable.”

“And you are, dammit!” At first she really sounds angry but then she laughs. “So want me to come over? I'll pick up some food on the way. Pizza okay?”

“You seriously ask me if pizza is okay? I thought you were my best friend!”

“Sorry, sorry. Okay, I'll be there in about an hour.”

“Sounds great. See ya.”

She says goodbye and hangs up.

Is it weird that I'm going to have a pyjama party with my girl best friend? Maybe. When we were in high school, we did it quite often though. Even when my mother was still here. She always loved Piper. Those two could really be a pain in the ass though. Of course, whatever it was, those two always agreed that my opinion was wrong.

And don't get me started on me meeting guys. They often gave random guys my number and when they called, let's just say, I was confused as shit! That's not cool. Especially since their taste in men is different from mine. Like, worlds apart.

Once I arrive at my apartment, I throw my bag into a corner and kick my shoes off before falling down onto the couch. For some reason this day was exhausting. Maybe because I found out that I have superpowers. Or I earned them.

I know that they usually freak out in films but I don't feel freaked out at all. Sure, at first, it was quite a surprise, to say the least. Still, I knew about the existence of superheroes, in a way. It makes sense, that when a dying hero hands you something, it might be a tiny bit important.

Like I'm gonna protest! In films and books they're always like “Oh no! I have powers! Why? I just want to be normal and go to school, blah blah blah...”. That's absolute bullshit. Everyone wants to be special, right?

I push myself up into a sitting position and look around the room. The water bottle from this morning isn't frozen any more, neither is the tab. I slowly get up and walk over to it. I turn the water on and it works just fine. Seems like Mr. Hugh managed to get it fixed already. I quickly turn it off before I can do any more damage. I take a step back and my gaze wanders over to the bottle.

Okay, I have ice powers. Awesome. I can accept that. There is one thing I need to think about though. Do I tell anyone? Maybe Piper? Would she freak out? Nah, she's crazy. She would probably start calling me every time she wants some ice for her drinks, which is rather convenient, thank you very much.

I chuckle to myself at the thought when suddenly the doorbell rings. Wow, that was fast. Usually, Piper takes forever to show up.

I jump off the couch and rush over to the door to press the buzzer next to it before opening the door. I hope she brings something to drink as well because the only thing I have is cheap whiskey. It's okay if you mix it with some coke but delicious is something else.

I step over to the kitchen counter and look up at my alcohol shelf. Most of the bottles are empty but there is some wine left from my birthday. I'm not into wine at all but Piper told me that I had to start drinking it at some point.

The door creaks open behind me and I reach up to grab the two bottles. “You better have something with you because if not it's either cheap whiskey with coke or leftover wine from my birthday.” I chuckle and turn around.

I freeze at the sight. Not Piper was standing in my tiny apartment, but Gabriel. He was looking around rather interestedly, a small smile on his lips. “Depends. Do you want to get wasted or enjoy a good drink? It's enough for a good buzz.” He laughs and turns his head to look at me.

I simply blink at him in shock before realisation hits and I place the bottles on the counter before stomping over to him. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I hiss and cross my arms. “How do you even know where I live?”

Gabriel smirks down at me. “I asked your boss.” He revealed proudly. “You know, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot here. I mean, who could've known that there's so much personality behind a cute face like yours.”

Lydia! I'll freaking kill that woman! At least a little. She's still my boss. I groan in frustration and roll my eyes. “Did you just come here to insult me again?”

“That was never my intention, sweetie.” He purrs and leans down.

I step back quickly and grimace. “Don't call me that. Ew.”

Gabriel watches me briefly before his facade seems to fade a bit, making way for confusion. “Okay, we got it. You're a special one. Tell me what you want.”

“What I want? I want you to leave my apartment.”

“Something else. I'm here to apologise.”

“Oh? You were doing a horrible job so far.”

He rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Fine, I'm sorry I wanted to sleep with you.”

“You think that's what I'm mad about?”

Gabriel frowns at that. “Uh, yes? What else could it be?”

I glare at him. Is this guy for real? “I am not mad because you wanted to sleep with me.” I tell him slowly. “I am mad because you think I'm a poor little guy who needs someone else to take advantage of him so he finally gets some.”

He blinks at me motionlessly. Okay, I think I broke him.

“Do you understand?” I ask carefully.

“But I bought you flowers.”

“Yes! And I made the bouquet myself!”

“So? It was pretty!”

“Oh my God. This conversation is so over.” I groan and pull my hair in frustration. “Leave my apartment or I'm calling the police.” He opens his mouth to say something when the doorbell rings again. I look over briefly before glaring at him again and pushing past him to open the door and push the buzzer.

“Who's that?” He asks and steps towards me but I quickly raise a hand to stop him.

“That is my best friend who I am planning to have a good time with so please get out of my face.” I say and hold the door open for him.

“Well, what if I don't?”

“Huh?”

Of course that's when Piper decides to show up. She walks inside like she owns the place. “Aven! You won't believe this!” She cheers happily. “The pizza guy accidentally gave me pizza with cheese crust. We got it for free. Is this the best day ever or what?” She places the pizza on the counter and kicks the door shut. Then she finally turns around and notices Gabriel. “And hello mystery guy!” She greets, holding her hand out for him to shake.

Yes, Piper is quite weird. On the outside, she looks like a nice girl. She dyes her hair bright red and it looks really good with her natural curls. Kind of wild. Her style of clothing is interesting. Sometimes she looks like a gothic princess with black lipstick and black everything and on other days she dresses like something out of an anime with pastel colours and cute accessories. Today she looks rather normal though. Probably because she came here right after her classes and she hates to get up early and take time to get ready. So a simply white top and black skirt it is.

“You could've told me someone would join us. I only got two pizzas. This is so rude.” She whines and punches my shoulder before her dark eyes take in Gabriel again. “Who are you, huh?”

Gabriel seems taken aback and doesn't answer, just staring down at her. Piper hums to herself and leans towards me. “Is he fucked up in the brain? Is that the only kind of men you can get into your bed nowadays?” She asks quietly, but not quiet enough so he doesn't hear.

“I did not get him into my bed, neither do I plan on doing so. He is kind of fucked up though.” I mumble and step past her to grab one of the pizza cartons. “His name is Gabriel. Would you mind being a good best friend and kicking him out?”

She looks after me before inspecting Gabriel again. “But he looks good.”

“I am right here.” He finally says and looks from Piper to me.

“So he can talk after all!” My best friend cheers. “Why are you here?”

“He got a bouquet of roses from me and tried to hand them to me later, telling me he wanted to do me a favour in sleeping with me.” I explained while plopping down on the couch and opening the box to grab the first piece of pizza.

“How generous of you.” Piper told Gabriel. “You see, Aven is a bit more complicated than that though. He's kind of like a girl. You need to take him on dates and buy him nice stuff and compliment him until he's ready to take off his clothes.”

“That is so not true!” I whine between bites and glare at her. She ignores me though.

“Unless you are a 26-year-old banker. Sadly, you don't look the part.”

“Leave Cam out of this.”

“By the way, when was the last time you two did the do?” She turns to face me and smirks. “You've been quite the drama queen lately so I bet it was about a million years ago.”

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

Suddenly, Gabriel steps forward to get some attention. “Who is Cam?” He looks at Piper and then at me while the two of us exchange glances.

“He's jealous already.” My best friend laughs and reaches for her own pizza.

I make some room on the couch but ignore her otherwise. “No one. Leave.” I hiss.

She plops down next to me and grins up at Gabriel. “Cam is his fuck buddy. Whenever little Aven feels lonely they meet up for a night of- ”

I quickly reach over to cover her mouth with my hand so he shuts up. “That is not something you tell a stranger, Pip.” I hiss before glaring up at Gabriel. “And you never heard any of this. Get out.”

Gabriel blinks at me and chuckles. “So you're into older men? Interesting.”

I gasp and Piper giggles through my hand before licking it, making me jerk away in disgust. She smiles sweetly at me and licks her lips. “I met Cam a few times. He's an okay guy. I don't understand why the two never started dating for real because that guy is so head over heels for Aven like you won't believe. Once I was here when Cam wanted to pick him up and he was wearing a suit and had this giant bouquet of flowers.”

I groan and reach for another piece of pizza. “At least he gets them from another shop.” I mumble to myself.

“Got it. Bad idea.” Gabriel sighs.

“He's a diva.” Piper laughs. “So are you planning on standing there all day? Because I give you two options. Either you get on his bad side and make me a drink to get on my good side, or you leave. Option one is recommended.”

“Piper! Don't fucking stab me in the back.”

“I don't intend on stabbing anyone but it appears that there's a hot dude in your apartment and I think he would like to stab you with his- ”

“Shut up!” I hiss and place the pizza carton on the table before getting up and stomping over to Gabriel, looking up at him. “I will say this once, so listen closely.” I take a deep breath. “I am not interested so please leave me alone.”

He narrows his eyes and watches me closely for a few seconds before turning away. “Fine, I'll leave.”

“You stupid...wait, really?”

“Yeah, but I won't give up. I know where you live and your workplace so prepare to see me again.” He smirks at me over his shoulder before making his way over to the door. “And thanks for the advice.” He adds while reaching for the doorknob and smiling at Piper, who was chewing happily while staring at her phone. “What was your name again?”

“Piper” She mumbles. “You're welcome. Good luck.”

I turn around to glare at her but she takes another bite and laughs at something as she keeps scrolling. “Traitor” I hiss quietly.

“So, see you around, pretty boy.” Gabriel cheers and before I can send a sarcastic remark his way, he's gone.

After locking the door and grabbing the whiskey bottle, I sit down next to Piper again. “Thank you so much for your help.” I say sarcastically.

She finally puts her phone down and looks up at me boredly. “Honestly, I don't see your problem. He's determined and good-looking. Why don't you just roll with it and see where it goes?”

I lean back and sigh as I unscrew the bottle. “He's an ass. You should've heard what he said. He just handed me the flowers and asked me to come to his place.”

“I still don't get it. What's the worst that could happen? You getting laid?”

“Why does everyone think that I'm looking for a quick fuck?!” I whine and quickly take a gulp from the bottle, grimacing at the taste.

“Aven, you're twenty years old and only ever had sex with the same guy. Don't you think it's time for a change?”

“What if I'm looking for something serious?”

Piper huffs and reaches out to take the bottle from me. She takes a sip without showing any sign of discomfort. That woman is incredible. “That guy first tried to hit on you, got rejected and went back to your workplace to ask your boss for your address. I know Lydia. She may be a bit naïve but she wouldn't do such a thing if she wasn't certain that this guy means no harm. He came here because he probably couldn't get you out of his head. You know I'm not one for lovey-dovey stuff but that shit right here? This is so cute.”

I cross my arms and look away. She is right. She always is. Still, his words hurt me. “Can we stop talking about this, please?”

She takes another sip of whiskey and hands the bottle back to me. “Well, what do you want to talk about?”

I hold the bottle with both hands and look down at my lap. Should I tell her? It would get her mind of Gabriel and my love life, so I would definitely benefit from it. And she is my best friend and we shouldn't have secrets. Yes, that's the reason. Of course.