The letter was almost finished and Ava didn't know why she felt like she wanted to tear up. She felt this remarkable amount of empathy for Luke for having experienced what he did, imagining what it must have been like to read the words Delilah had said to him the day she ran away, this awful reminder of everything that was disguised as an apology.
Luke deserved more than that—and no one deserved what he had received.
Even though Ava had been kicked out, the memory of which still broke her heart, few words were shared besides a few shouts of anger. There was no spewed hatred, just disappointment in her parents' eyes and the silence of her older siblings who were supposed to be protecting her.
She didn't know what she would have preferred—what Luke had heard or what she didn't.
To be told to your face that you didn't deserve love, that no one could ever love you back; or to know you weren't worth an explanation.
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For once, Ava had found herself to agree with something in Delilah's letter—a letter she metaphorically wanted to burn. She could feel the amount of wreckage behind the words that, putting it lightly, she wasn't fond of.
She reached behind her to grab his hand, but instead of reciprocating, Luke pushed it away and placed his own hands around her hips and stood behind her, hugging her from behind instead.
He bent down a little to place his chin atop of hers pleasantly, his fingers playing with the hem of her t-shirt, as she kept reading to finish the letter. He had stopped reading a long time ago, and now he just stayed in this position because it was comforting to him.
He felt the goosebumps in her skin rise up when he traced and drew random shapes on her stomach under her shirt, lifting up the piece of clothing accidentally, parts of her waist peeking through. One of her hands rested on his wrist as it rested on her torso.
Friends.
He knew that neither of them believed it, but it was all they could be right now. Perhaps there would always be that whisper of something more between them, but it was up for them to decide what to do with it.
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