Lovebirds

Avery breathed in the fragrant summer air through the open window of her aging Volkswagen, as she sped along the highway through the mountains of British Columbia.

"What's the most meaningful place in this city to you?" Jayce had asked her earlier in the day. Avery didn't need to take any time to consider her answer, and thought of the crisp air and beautiful memories of the lake a short ways out of town. She remembered her childhood laughter as herself and her family watched their loyal golden retriever dive into the clear waters of the lake with determination to retrieve the beloved sticks and branches recovered along the well-worn trail around the water. Trees blanketed the surrounding area, roots weaving through the path below and breached the surface of the soil. The signs of growth underground were evident, with the unfortunate addition of a constant tripping hazard that required those making the journey to keep their eyes on their feet as they traversed through the trees.

As Avery grew older, the lake continued to be a safe haven for herself and her family. Yet, as she ventured deeper into her teenage years, and her pet was no longer around to join these adventures, her laughter faded and the walks became quieter.

Avery found solace in the silents, and once she was able to make her way out towards this picturesque hideaway in the woods without needing her family to escort her, she began to make it a regular activity. She invested in an amateur DSLR camera, and her Canon became a necessary addition to her journeys.

Her favourite things to photograph were miniscule, inconspicuos bits of nature and beauty that she imagined must go unnoticed by the majority of distracted hikers and families who ventured through the forest. Avery's attention would be drawn to signs of new growth and vibrant flowers barely beginning to bloom amongst wild mushrooms and berries sprouting on rotting tree stumps.

Avery would blur the background of her photos, ensuring the focus stayed solely on the greenery and evidence of growth and healing dwelling within nature. Afterwards, she would return home and spend hours carefully editing and retouching her work, careful not to heavily impact the beauty that was already present and simply enhancing it.

After Jayce had posed this simple question to Avery on this early summer morning, he requested to join her on one of these hikes, and they swiftly hopped in the car and began the drive.

Jayce had entered Avery's life a year and a half prior to this day. He had spontaneously sent her a message after viewing her online blog, and they had quickly taken a liking to each other as they began to converse. Their similarities were evident, and those around Avery began to notice a change in her. She was smiling more than ever, and as questions arose, Avery was more than happy to share her newfound love interest with her friends and family.

Her family showed slight concern, as this was a meeting that had occurred online. Jayce lived in the United States, and Avery began to speak of leaving her hometown in Canada to travel to Jayce and begin a relationship.

After some consideration and some video calls with Jayce himself, proving his identity and his admiration of Avery, her family reluctantly agreed to the meeting.

The flight from her hometown to Jayce was long and draining, but on arrival, it became clear that they were each other's perfect match. Avery's time spent with Jayce was blissful, and as time seemed to pass unreasonably quickly, she began to dread her impending journey back home.

As they tearfully said their goodbyes at the airport on an early February morning, they promised they would reunite as soon as they possibly could.

After Avery's return home, she expected it would not be long before she was back in the arms of her love, but as time ticked on, she began to wonder what was taking so long.

Jayce promised to apply for a passport, but he seemed unenthusiastic and neglected to act on his promise for numerous months. During this time and daily calls and video chats, red flags had begun to arise.

Avery was endlessly defensive of her boyfriend, and seemed blind to the problems that were clear and concerning to her friends and family. They fought desperately to open Avery's eyes to the mounting evidence of toxicity, but failed. Avery was in love, and despite her American boyfriend tracking her every activity and movement, she continued on with her beliefs in this perfect match.

She began to pack the clothes she wasn't permitted to wear into cardboard boxes, and blocked the male friends she had had for countless years from her life in an instant at her boyfriend's forceful request. Her mood was wavering, but she never would accurately point the finger at the cause.

Eventually, Avery eagerly answered one of her daily video calls from Jayce, and he informed her that he had his passport and it was time. He was coming to Canada, and planned to stay for three months before returning home.

Avery was ecstatic. Her family feigned happiness for her, and reluctantly allowed the reunion having given up on sharing their opinions on Avery's long distance relationship. They had noticed the shift in her mood and appearance, and kept a close eye from a distance, unsure of how to protect Avery at this point when she seemed so utterly blinded by love.

Jayce's arrival was welcomed by Avery with open arms and heavy tears. They fell back into each other's arms as if they had never been apart at all.

Before Jayce arrived, Avery had hidden anything around her bedroom that may have upset him and tossed it all into a cluttered closet in the house. She was slightly concerned about anything she may have missed, but as Jayce made his home in her bedroom, her anxiety began to ease.

They spent every second together, often simply lounging around and playing video games together, laughing at their prior memories and eager to make more.

Today, on their trip to Avery's favourite place, the excitement grew by the second. Jayce had never seen mountains before. He had never had the opportunity to experience nature and beauty quite like this, and Avery was bursting with joy at the opportunity to share her love of this place with Jayce.

Upon their arrival at the lake, Avery slung her camera around her neck and tossed a bottle of water towards Jayce. He caught it with ease, and they set off. Avery watched Jayce with glee. He seemed mesmerized by the trees, the clarity of the water, the crisp mountain air. Avery shared her camera with him and allowed him to take photos of everything he found beautiful. She was curious to see what his eyes locked onto, how her photos would differ from his.

Towards the end of their hike, the two lovers were breathless and smiling. Avery heard the footsteps alongside her drift slightly away into the crunch of leaves, and she turned to see Jayce had perched nearby on a massive boulder that overlooked the lake. He beckoned for her to come over to him, and Avery happily stumbled through the tree branches towards his open arms.

She sat down beside him on the boulder, and as she did, Jayce stood and walked a few feet ahead of Avery. She furrowed her brow in confusion, but the confusion quickly became overwhelming joy, as Jayce carefully bent to one knee and held out a tiny box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful ring of diamond and rose quartz, Avery's favourite stone.

Avery could not be happier as she returned home to inform everyone of the wonderful news. As she began to reach out to friends and show off the beautiful ring to family, she was mildly offended at the reactions that she received.

Rather than celebrating, her loved ones would ask Avery if she was alright. They questioned this decision and failed to hide their concern. This lack of congratulations left Avery with a twinge of doubt, but she abruptly pushed it as far down in her body as she could manage, and sank back into her joy.

Jayce's opportunity to spend time with Avery began to come to a close, and the two of them dreaded the upcoming flight that would bring Jayce far from Avery once again. Attempting to distract themselves from this painful realization, they planned a day trip to a nearby animal rehabiliation center.

It was a zoo without the ignorance of the contained animals' best interests. The only animals the location allowed were those injured, recovering, or unable to safely return to their homes in the wild.

Jayce and Avery both shared a deep love of any and all animals, and they agreed a trip here would please them both and distract them from the negativity floating through their minds.

Upon their arrival, Jayce and Avery eagerly leapt from the car and began to walk through the wildlife park. Together, they marvelled at the bears, giggling as the animals lounged and played with buckets and watermelons in the running water of their massive enclosure. They watched the wolves stalk along the tall fence of their home, watching the visitors with curiosity. Another enclosure housed a small bobcat, seemingly unwilling to retreat from it's den to inspect those watching with hope that they could snag a quick photo of the elusive cat.

Avery and Jayce eventually came towards the final exhibits of the massive park, and entered a carefully crafted building of knotted wood. Inside, they found themselves standing amongst enclosures with fences on every edge, blocking the entrance to the sky from the birds inside.

Jayce had always been a birdwatcher and had endless knowledge of the creatures, and shared his random facts with Avery, who was eager to listen and indulge him. The two approached the owl enclosure, and their eyes searched amongst the few small trees, low hanging branches, and burrowed holes in the ground, attempting to catch a glimpse of the animals wherever they may be.

Avery was first to spot the barn owls, and skipped closer, pointing Jayce towards them in the corner. There were two, huddled close together amongst the leaves, watching with unblinking eyes towards the two lovers marvelling at them.

The pair of owls seemed unbothered by this interruption, and seemed to relax into the comfort of the other.

Avery caught Jayce smiling, and smiled back.

"They remind me of us." Jayce says with a hint of a laugh. Avery nods in agreement, and they stay with the creatures as they lose track of time.

As day begins to turn to evening, Jayce and Avery ensure they have all of their belongings and return to their vehicle. Avery wished she had brought her beloved camera on this adventure to forever capture the memories she had made today with her fiance.

A few days passed, and it was time to say goodbye. Avery was even more tearful than she had been at Jayce's arrival, and failed to restrain herself from sobbing in Jayce's arms in the airport terminal. Other passengers nearby attempted to avert their gaze, offering the pair silent condolences.

Avery returned to her bedroom, which was now full with an overwhelming emptiness. She felt a sense of homesickness, feeling that her home was with Jayce, not here anymore.

Their daily video calls resumed, and the two continued their usual days of lounging and playing online video games together, Jayce always being the one to carry the two to a win. Avery preferred cozy farming games and comforting puzzles, but was always happy to attempt to share Jayce's love of the more violent and competitive games he thoroughly enjoyed.

Over time, Avery began to notice a change in Jayce. He seemed quieter, more reserved. Avery had been in a darker place herself and became concerned that her own mental health issues had begun to have a visible impact on her fiance. Jayce seemed quicker to snap than usual, and Avery found herself walking on eggshells to avoid his abrupt ending of the calls that were incredibly important to her.

She began to bury her sadness within herself, and neglected to reach out to her friends and family as she normally would during these episodes of depression. Their worries for her grew by the day, but Avery continued to insist she was just fine.

In reality, amongst this change in Jayce's behaviour, Avery had become more aware to all of the red flags she had been warned about in the past. She noticed them growing by the day, and missed her time spent with old friends and the freedom to go where she pleased. In this age of social media, despite her fiance being in another country, he was capable of knowing where she was and what she was doing every moment of every day.

Avery began to sink deeper into isolation, fearful of making the situation with Jayce even worse than it had already become. She noted that he seemed eager to spend time with his own friends, and jealousy grew as Jayce enjoyed his life around female friends, barhopping and attending numerous parties with strangers.

As Avery's life began to shatter, her love for Jayce only grew. She desperately needed him and couldn't imagine living her life without him occupying the majority of it. His unhinged rules and regulations, despite abnormal, offered Avery a sense of routine.

One day, as Jayce continued to ignore Avery's desperate attempts to call and spend time together in their only available avenue, Avery broke down.

She redialled until her fingers numbed, and tears fell from her face onto the glowing screen of her phone. Finally, she received a notification, and opened it with lightning speed. Her eyes briskly skimmed the message she had receieved from Jayce, and her eyes widened as she absorbed what she was reading.

"Avery, I can't do this anymore. It's not healthy. Everything is always about you, never about me. It's over."

Avery's tears grew into rage. How could he ignore so many of her desperate calls simply to leave her stranded over text? How could he claim Avery's selfishness when she had given every ounce of her life and freedom to him?

As her family and friends' prior comments resurfaced in the forefront of Avery's mind, the rage remained, but somehow, her pain eased.

She was free.

Avery's first task was to mend the friendships she had thrown away for this American stranger. Surprisingly, her male friends welcomed her return to them without hesitation. They had understood that Avery was trapped, and left with no choice but to follow the rules of her abuser. They had understood that she was blinded by love, and had held onto hope that one day, she would come back.

In this moment, Avery was shocked at her lack of suffering. It was as if a great weight had lifted from her shoulders, and her lungs expanded into a full breath for the first time in months. Her heart rate slowed to a pace of peace. Anxiety floated out of her body, and dissipated into the air around her.

Realization abruptly hit that Avery was free to leave her home without requesting permission, or information on her destination and accompaniment. Rising to her feet with a new strength, she embarked.

Avery sang along to her favourite songs blasting through her car stereo, the diamond ring regretfully still on her left hand, as she drove towards one of her final memories with Jayce.

Arriving in the parking lot of her destination, Avery climbed from the driver's seat and slammed the door behind her. Her feet carried her with determination directly towards the owl enclosure.

Stepping up towards the chain link fence, Avery caught sight of the two barn owls, huddled together just like they had been before. She considered these lovebirds the definition of what love should be, and Jayce had been wrong. They did not represent Avery's relationship with Jayce - they represented hope for the future.

Avery kneeled on the packed ground below, and found a loose patch of dirt towards the enclosure's edge where the fence met the wooden walls. Amongst the loose feathers from the neighbouring birds and misplaced scraps of their meals, she cautiously dug a small hole in the ground. Slipping the diamond ring off of her finger, she placed it down in the burrow she had created and replaced the shifted dirt. Dusting off her hands on her black jeans, ignoring the dust stains and onlookers confused by her activity, Avery retreated and allowed herself one final glance at the barn owls, who had been watching her task with curiosity.

Avery smiled in the pair's direction, and offered the birds a simple promise.

"I'll get it right next time."

Retreating from the park, Avery returned home to retrieve her camera, and placed it in the front passenger seat alongside her aging purse that had been falling apart at the seams for months. Turning the key, the vehicle reluctantly churned to life and Avery began the drive towards her favourite place.

She would hold no resentment towards the memory of her engagement's occurrence here, and would not allow the memory to taint the beauty she had been witness to for countless years amongst the rippling water and dusty paths at the lake.

As Avery arrived, tires clumsily bumping against the rock-filled dirt of the unmanaged road, she turned off the engine and collected her belongings. She climbed out of her car again, but unlike before, she closed the door with care. No hint of anger remained to be set free anymore, and there was no need to upset the peaceful forest with the representative loud bang from the vehicle.

She approached the clear lake, admiring the sounds of wind brushing through the leaves and creaking wood, and small mammals scuffling amongst the branches below her feet. A flock of geese flew with ease in the blue sky, the gentle sounds of wings flapping echoing off of the water below. Avery raised her camera to her face, and with every photo she took, she reclaimed herself and her comfort in this place of utter solitude and beauty.

The homesickness that had once overwhelmed her retreated, as Avery had returned to her home amongst the trees. Watching the sunlight break through the branches, Avery vowed to never allow her own light to fade again.