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I give Avery a long look before turning to Vale’s door I square etic look, and enter

I as dread truly wasn’t that I know this because now I’ sits low in my stomach as I see Vale in her bed under the covers The blinds are closed, curtains drawn shut, so the roo hour I have her back, her sundy quilt pulled up to her chin

She looks lost, pathetic, and utterly alone A sharp stab of pain hits me square in ives a slight jerk, but she doesn’t respond in any way

"Baby," I say as I take a tentative step toward her I’ht, without a single recollection of it And yet that doesn’t seeht because no matter how drunk I may have been, no matter how out of control, I know deep into hurt Vale

Never

I sit down gingerly on the edge of her mattress and lay an unsteady hand on her shoulder "Vale…are you okay?"

I want to grab her and pull her onto my lap I want to wrap h I don’t knohy I’d be offering it I want her to cling toto fuck all of this up

Still, she doesn’t answeras a very thick and icy wall of tension between us

"Vale," I say, ot to talk to me, honey Are you too sick to take me to the airport today? Because if so, Oliver can do it I’d want you to stay in bed and get better, but I’, babe We have to talk Need to knohy you’re pissed off at--"

"Hawke," she says quietly, cutting loom, and she turns that beautiful facein a completely unconventional way She’s always been a bit of a rule breaker when it comes to fashion and nor her at school after I’d moved here, I was stunned that one side of her head was shaved, while the other side held a long, thick fall of raven-black hair Those crystal-green eyes sparkled, but they did have coh an eyebrow, a Medusa stud piercing just above her upper lip, and one ring through her right nostril She also has one through her tongue, a solid barbell that has slid across ue and even my dick on hundreds of occasions

Her black hair is noorn in long, choppy layers, but she still sports all of her facial s, and her body holds a variety of tattoos she’s had done over the past two years While Dave is an easygoing and laid-back type of dad who had no probleet a tattoo until she turned eighteen That was too perhteenth birthday, I picked her up at Dave’s house and took her straight to a tattoo parlor He just shook his head with a knowing shter would be on that day

With me At a tattoo parlor

He sure as shit wouldn’t have wanted to know that we ended the night with her in ain…quietly, and I’m displaced from my memories Her hair is lank, her skin pale Dark circles under her eyes tell ht