Love Like Her

Preying

Song: Where Is My Love (Acoustic) - SYML

"Thanks again for driving us to the airport." Finneas says as he grabs his luggage.

"It's no problem I needed to pick Violet up today anyways. Text me when you land, let me know you're safe." I say wrapping him in a hug.

"Will do." he says taking Claudia's hand and heading inside the airport.

Just as he goes in I get a text from Violet.

V
-just landed, see you soon-

Fuck. Why does reading that make me feel so nervous? My heart starts beating out of my chest. She's gonna fucking hate me after I tell her. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Violet's smiling face. Her cute singular dimple popping out, makes my heart melt. She goes in for a hug and I can't help but cup her face and kiss her with a passion that I'd forgotten existed. She makes me feel things I haven't felt in a long time. She makes me want to be a better person.

I pull away, my nose brushing against hers. "You ready babygirl?"

She gives me another huge smile. "Yes I am."

I go to her side of the car and hold the door open for her. She tosses her back in the back seat and climbs in. I hop into the drivers seat and head in the general direction of my house.

I should tell her.

No, don't ruin the moment.

What if I can't do it later?

Don't ruin this.

Say it, spit it out.

"Vi..." I say gripping the steering wheel a little harder than I need to be.

"Yeah?" She says resting her hand on my thigh.

"I- when you asked me about the girl in the pictures, my ex, I didn't exactly tell you the truth. Her name is Hayden, I met her my freshman year of college. I needed to take a fine art credit so we ended up in a drawing class together. Even after that semester was over we stayed in touch, mainly because she was an art major and she liked drawing and painting me. I was her muse more or less. Things between us got... heated and me being the person I am, she just- she couldn't handle it. We ended up arguing over the way I was treating her, I saw it as being protective, she saw it as being overbearing and controlling. Needless to say, she ended up having this all out brawl of an argument and I mean an actual physical domestic dispute. She ended up slapping me in the face over something I said and I bound her wrists and ankles and restrained her against her will, even though she was screaming 'no'. I ended up in jail for the night. My lawyer made a deal with the judge to do community service at a rehab facility and it would be scrubbed from my record. I was also served with a 90-day restraining order, so there's that." By the time I've finished confessing, I pull into my driveway. I don't dare look over to see Violet's facial expression.

"Thank you for telling me the truth." She starts, twiddling her thumbs and picking at her nail polish. "I just need some time to process what you've told me."

I give her a nod and grab her bag out of the backseat, slinging it over my shoulder and heading inside. "Look, I get it if you don't wanna be with me after hearing that. It's not exactly ideal girlfriend material..."

"I'm not ideal girlfriend material either Billie, there's still a lot you don't know about me. But that's the thing, I'm enjoying getting to know you... the good, the bad, and everything in between. I do have a question, do you still love her?" She asks the one question I hadn't expected her to.

I can't lie to her.

"Yes I do, but I'm not in love with her. Do I regret what I did? Yeah I do. Do I regret figuring myself out in the process? Not one bit. Did Hayden deserve better? Yeah she did, but looking back on it, I wasn't in the headspace to be what she needed me to be. We just weren't compatible aside from just being friends and neither of us realized that until it was too late and the damage had already been done." I explain, but her question reminds me of something. "When you called me over break, in hanging up you said 'I love you', did you mean to?" I ask secretly terrified of her answer.

"I-... in all honesty, no. I do like you A LOT more than I let on, but I'm not in love with you, yet." She says, the last part, nearly a whisper.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Change the subject.

I open the fridge to grab some food. "How was your break?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"It was good. My brother and I reconciled things between us, I'd missed being able to tell him everything. He's my person, ya know?" She says with the first genuine smile that I've ever seen grace her lips. She's beautiful when she smiles.

"Oh? I didn't know you had a brother. But, I do get that though. My brother is my person too." I say popping a grape into my mouth.

"Well you didn't ask Billie..." she replies, wrapping her arms lazily around my waist and sticking her tongue out, waiting.

a/n: sorry for the update taking so long, I've had horrible writers block. But bounced some ideas around and that helped. I've also been on my period the past few days and it was physically and mentally exhausting. I spent one whole day crying and the next full day sleeping.

Anyways, I love you bubbies!! Stay safe and be good or be good at it! 💕😉