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“Hey,” Bethany said, shrugging off her chunky cardigan Underneath she wore a black turtleneck that fit her curves “You haven’t been waiting long, have you?”

Forcing his eyes north, he sot here”

She slid into the booth, tucking her hair behind her ears He loved that her hair was down, spilling over her shoulders Looking around the diner, she bit her lower lip “It’s really cozy in here I like it Sort of homey”

“It’s really nice Great food” He cleared his throat, wanting to kick hilad you came”

Her eyes darted back to his “Me, too”

The waitress appeared, saving them from the aard silence while they placed their drink orders “Do you come here often?” she asked once the waitress left

Dawson nodded “We come about twice a week”

“Your brother and sister?”

“Yeah, Dee and I come every Thursday, and the three of us cohed “It’s kind of bad how often we eat here, actually”

“Do your parents not cook a lot?”

Ah, a bo their parents passed away before any of them knehat they looked like “No, they don’t cook”

The waitress was back, sliding their glasses across the table An oven-baked pizza, extra green peppers, light on sauce, was ordered, along with breadsticks

Bethany fiddled with the straw, folding it into little squares so that it looked like an accordion when she was done “I swear, my mom lives to bake Every day I come home, there’re cookies, fresh bread, or so built in his chest What would it be like to have a o home to? All they had was Matthew, not that he was chopped liver or anything, but he didn’t even live with them At least not since they were thirteen and deeet by on their own Matthew probably would have kept them with him forever, but Daemon had needed space of his own

“That…has to be nice,” he said

“It is” She twirled the straw around, knocking the ice cubes against the glass “She cooks onewith us Food is her copingwhat she’d said about the et sick Like, ever “How is he doing?”

“Better He just looks…worse than how he feels, I think” A half smile appeared as she watched the ice cubes dance “I feel bad, because I don’t knohat to say to hih this…life-altering event, and whatever I say just sounds la there”

“You think?” Hope sparkled in her tone

“Yeah, I do” Wanting to reassure her, he reached across the table and placed his hand over her free one