Turning around in my room and setting the lantern down on my nightstand, I slipped a traveling cloak over my plain dress that somewhat resembled the color of an eggplant. The black fabric draped over me as I pulled the hood over my head. My hair just was starting to grow out, its natural chestnut appearing in my roots.

      I leapt from my seat on my bed as a light tap reverberated through my room.

      Pulling my cloak around my shoulders, I scurried over to my window, a curious smirk curling to my lips at the sight that met my eyes. As soon as I pushed it open, the night air greeting me, a very sarcastic—and annoyingly enticing—voice called up to me.

      “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

      “Shut your mouth, Romeo,” I hissed. “You’ll wake the whole neighborhood and my mother will beat you with her handbag.”

      Victor hooked his hands in his pockets, giving me an impish grin. “Oh, to get beaten with a handbag—the horror.”

      I snatched my lantern from the nightstand a few feet away from me and shook my head. “You mock now, but you won’t later. Her handbag is oddly heavy. Here. Catch this.”

      I slowly lowered my lantern down to Victor’s awaiting hands after he’d climbed onto our stone fence.

      “Must I catch you too? I dare say you would crush me.”

      I narrowed my eyes, swinging a leg over the windowsill. “I’ll be climbing down, but thank you ever so much for your confession of weakness.”

      He scoffed, but did not hop down from the fence, only stepping to the side, staring up at me.

      I grasped the windowsill, swinging my other leg over it and hooking my foot on the tree branch just below me. I somehow maneuvered to where I was almost completely on the branch, only using the windowsill as a handhold.

      “Be careful, Ava.”

      I almost lost my footing as Victor’s nickname for me fell from his mouth. Past times he had called me that when we’d snuck out to the lake together flashed through my mind.

      My face heated.

      “Yes. Being careful didn’t cross my mind, Victor. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.”

      I could almost hear him roll his eyes at me.

      I grasped a higher tree branch, managing to begin my descent safely. I got down to the lower branches and moved to climb onto the wall.

     “Caref-“

      My hand slipped off the branch I was holding onto and I hurriedly tried to catch myself on top of the stone fence. Before I could tumble off or regain my footing, strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back and steadying me.

      “That wasn’t very careful.”

      I pushed out of Victor’s grip and began climbing down the wall. “I could have caught myself.”

      Victor huffed. “Yes, and I’m sure the ground makes a lovely pillow.”

      “You would know.”

      “And so would you.”

      The words meant for a joke that he tended to fall a lot were thrown back at me with an entirely different meaning.

      The memories of the nights where we’d lain on the grass, the stars as our blanket, washed over me. Memories of falling asleep, not waking until dawn, and racing back to our homes before either of our parents could find out appeared with them.

      “I don’t mean to cause you to fall for me again but…”

      I realized I’d stopped moving and quickly leapt off the wall, landing on the ground and stumbling a bit. “You think too highly of yourself.”

      “Possibly.” Victor was next, landing with the grace of a feather. “Or maybe the facts are simply in my favor.” He turned to me, a smirk on his face, and picked up my lantern he’d placed on the ground. “Lead the way.”

      I took it from him when he held it out to me and started on the short walk to the lake. “May I ask why you invited me to ignore my morals and come sneak out with you only the eve after my best friend’s murderer was put in prison?”

      “You know why, Ava.”

      I spun on him, feeling pain at hearing that nickname again, the word reminding me of the agony I’d felt after he’d thrown me away. “Stop calling me that.”

      He frowned, stepping back. “I’m sorry.”

      I felt a new wave of pain at his hurt expression. “No, I’m sorry. I just… It hurt. What you said. You hurt me. And it hurts to be reminded of something I’ve been trying for so long to forget. To keep experiencing the emotions I’ve been trying for so long to tamp down.” I stepped away from him, running a hand through my hair.

      Why did you confess all of that? What happened to playing your cards close to your chest?

      I looked away as Victor’s expression turned surprised. “Emotions?”

      I felt my face burn and I clenched my fists. “Forget what I said, alright?”

      He didn’t say anything, only moving a few steps closer, his eyes wide. “I thought…” he swallowed. “I thought you didn’t feel that way anymore.”

      I blinked. “What?”

     “You were…cold towards me every time we saw each other since your ‘death’. I was under the impression that you harbored nothing but resentment towards me.”

      “Resentment?” I shook my head. “I understand why you were angry with me. You thought I’d betrayed you. I only wish…you’d trusted me enough to allow me to explain, to hear my side of the story.”

      Pain flashed across Victor’s face. “I know. I should have allowed you to explain. And for that I’m deeply sorry.”

      A sort of relief washed over me, but the hurt and frustration I felt was still there. I nodded, turning from him and continuing towards the lake.

      I knew he was sorry.

      He’d already told me.

      “Please say something, Avalon.”

      I froze, my back to him. “You want me to say something? Alright. I will. I’ve heard your apology, Victor. I understand, you are sorry. But words don’t change anything. I need you to trust me. If we were ever going to go back to how we were, I would need to know that if a situation similar to that ever came up again, you would not assume, you would trust me enough to ask me, to hear me out. I cannot place my trust in you if you don’t do the same to me. You tell me you’re sorry, yes, but what I want is for you to show me.” I let out a breath.

      I’d said what I felt. That was good, wasn’t it?

      Communication was important.

      “Ava.”

      I groaned, turning around. “I told you to stop calling me that-“ The words were wiped from my mouth as Victor’s arms engulfed me, pulling me into an embrace I hadn’t felt in so long.

      My entire body stiffened as he pulled me tight to him, burying his face in my neck. Immediately, my arms wrapped around his waist, a comfort and safety surrounding me even though I was still angry.

      I suppose playing your cards close to your chest has completely been thrown out the window then.

      “I am so sorry Ava.” Victor tightened his grip on me as he spoke. “I promise I do trust you. You are the only one in my life I’ve ever trusted this much.”

      “Then why did you not trust me about the letters?” I realized tears had worked their way into my eyes, choking my speech.

      Victor ran his hand down my back. “I was not in my right mind. I could not think logically. Those letters….well they were such a special thing—the last thing I had of my mother. And after confiding in you about them and then finding them burnt….I just wasn’t thinking straight. I simply reacted.” He pulled back, looking me in the eye. “But I trust you, and though I hope there isn’t a next time for something such as that to happen, if there is, I promise you I will go to you before assuming the worst.”

    I searched his eyes, seeing honesty, trust, and something else I didn’t quite think I was reading correctly brimming within them. He was looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. “I believe you.” The words came out breathy and quiet, but I knew he heard them as his face relaxed.

    He grasped my hand in his, his warm skin enveloping mine, and we began walking towards the lake again, the silence between us comforting instead of suffocating.

      “Thank you.”

      Victor’s eyes met mine, confused.

      “I’d meant to tell you sooner. But thank you for giving me the journal, without it… Well, I don’t care to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t.”

      He squeezed my hand, his touch sending a pleasant sensation across it. “You’re welcome, Ava.”

      The nickname warmed my heart as he spoke it, and this time, that feeling didn’t bring a wave of pain with it.

      We continued walking, the sound of the crickets the only thing breaking the silence.

      The grass was coated with dew, the moisture absorbing into the bottom of my cloak. My eggplant-dress didn’t brush the ground so it was saved, but I figured it would get wet eventually.

      Finally, I saw it.

      The lake I’d spent so many nights at.

      The cloudless sky allowed the moonlight to fully illuminate the water, the glassy surface sparkling merrily.

      My eyes met Victor’s and I saw the childlike excitement flitting around within them. “I do believe this is our destination.”

      I smiled, beginning to feel lighter than I had in months. “Yes, I believe so.”

      Slowly, we made our way over to the shore and sat down on the grass.

      I decided I didn’t care about the moisture beneath me and collapsed onto my back.

      The memories I felt kiss my mind as I lay there staring at the stars almost brought tears to my eyes.

      I’d had thought I would never be able to get my life back.

      I’d thought that Victor and I would never become friends…or anything more…again.

      I turned my head, staring at Victor as he lay down on the grass beside me. “Victor.”

      He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his elbow. “Yes, my dear Juliet?”

      I snorted, a sound that would’ve made my mother feint like a brick once again had she heard it come from me. “Would you consider…giving it another go? Us, I mean.”

      A soft expression overcame his face. “What do you mean? I’ve been considering it, Ava. Really, I thought you were smarter than that.”

      I rolled my eyes.

      “The question is,” he sat up slightly, “How do you feel about more than considering it…?”

      “More?” I forced my face to stay blank, not allowing him to get a glimpse of the excitement swelling within me at those words, or how my heart had quite literally skipped a beat, or how-

      I sat up, pretending to be disinterested. “I suppose I could be persuaded.”

      A grin slowly made its way onto his face and he moved towards me. “Good thing I am excellent at persuasion.”

      A thrill shot through me. “Do you have evidence to back up this claim of yours?”

      “Oh, I have evidence.”

      “Evidence as concrete as the journal you gave me?”

      “Even more so.”

      “Really?” My tone was skeptical.

      “Allow me to demonstrate.” His arms enclosed around me and he pulled me close, his hands cradling my face in a familiar way as his lips found mine.

      Let me simply say, I found his evidence quite convincing—and persuasive.

      As we lay by the lake, watching the stars, I realized that, ever since Patience had been murdered, I’d been only a shell of myself. Even though I’d been alive for the past few months, I hadn’t felt that way.

      But now I did.

      I had gotten justice for Patience, realized that my parents did care for me at least a little bit, and I had Victor.

      And though there were still hardships to overcome, problems to face, and struggles to battle, I wouldn’t be alone.

      This was my life.

      I was finally living.