So Gray did. He held her close and tight, kept whispering comforting words, heart clenching.
When he arrived home, Amanda was startled, but one look from Gray quietened her questions. Gray gently set Violeta on the couch, never removing his hold from her. He didn’t want to. He wanted to hold like this forever, but Amanda ushered him away.
“I’ll take care of her,” she said to him. “She’ll stay with me.”
Gray wanted to refuse. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted her where he could see her, know she was safe. But he swallowed thickly. Violeta still hated him. His foster mother was the best choice, so he began to make his way to the kitchen.
Hot chocolate. She loved hot chocolate.
Violeta curled her body into a tight ball, eyes squeezed firmly shut. “I—I’m so sorry,” she kept telling Amanda, drawing shuddering breaths in between. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—shouldn’t have—“
Why was she still trembling? Why had she been affected this badly? So many had been through much worse…
Amanda wrapped her arms around the younger girl, holding her tightly.
“It’s not your fault,” she said to her softly. “Whatever happened is not your fault. You are not to blame.”
She massaged Violeta’s scalp soothingly in an attempt to calm her down.
A faint whimper escaped her lips, which she pressed into a hard line, before launching back into a series of frantic apologies. “I was so stupid——I thought I could walk home alone—there was a man—I-I shouldn’t have let Gray bring me here—“
“It’s okay,” Amanda whispered gently. “You’re safe. You’re okay. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”
Gray, who was leaning against the wall, waiting for Violeta’s drink to finish preparing, clenched his fists. It was his fault. His stupid decision put her in such a situation. He should have pressured her a little more, but like a complete idiot, he let her win. He let her walk home alone. It was his fault.
Violeta drew her knees up to her chest and buried her tear-streaked face in them, struggling to calm herself down.
Years of sprinting home after dark, watching each shadow, each dark corner… and her bad luck had finally caught up with her. She should have expected this, but for some reason, it was infinitely painful. It was as if the man’s roaming hands had branded her skin, leaving burning trails behind. Violeta couldn’t bear to imagine the possibilities if Gray hadn’t found her…
Gray finally returned with a steaming cup of hot chocolate, desperately praying it would help her feel better.
“Vy,” he said softly, kneeling before her, his voice breathing. Amanda said nothing. She just watched the exchange. “Hot chocolate. Please.”
“Vy.”
The unfamiliar nickname broke through the endless cycle of apologies, causing Violeta to raise her head from its current position. When she saw Gray, kneeling in front of her with a steaming mug in hand in the sweetest, most concerned expression on his face… she just about crumbled.
She accepted the hot chocolate——how could she not?——but her eyes remained on the mystery of a boy in front of her, the saviour of the night. She found a million ways to thank him without speaking at all, temporarily tearing down the walls that constantly kept them apart. This was genuine—it had to be. How could he fake all of this? Why would he fake all of this? Maybe he hated her every second of the day, but st least he had the immense decency to carry her to safety when she was broken and scared out of her mind.
Gray wanted to wrap her in his arms and make sure she never had to face anything like this ever again. When she looked up at him, her expression broke something inside of him. Violeta. His Vy. He would never let anyone touch her like that again. She accepted the hot chocolate and Gray moved out of the way as Amanda pulled the girl towards her, holding her protectively.
Violeta cradled the warm mug in her hands, taking tiny, slow sips of the sweet liquid every few seconds. But she kept her eyes on Gray’s for a few more seconds, silently willing him to stay.
After a few seconds, she turned to Amanda. “I-I want to thank you, Ms. Reeves,” she whispered shakily. “Please, don’t—don’t pay me at all this month for Aria’s lessons. Or the next month. Or as long as you’d like.”
“No,” Amanda shook her head. “That isn’t up for any debate. Drink up and feel better.”
Gray’s fists clenched again, but he knelt by her again when she looked at him. She wanted him to stay. Why was she thinking it was her fault? It wasn’t.
“But—“ Violeta faltered. “Ms. Reeves, I have to repay you in some way—I can’t just—“
Her desperation rose. She had caused so much trouble for this family, first by throwing up, and now with this.
“It’s my fault,”’Gray interrupted, hesitantly reaching out for her hand. “I shouldn’t have let you go off on your own. I should have walked you home. I’m sorry, Vy, for not getting there sooner. I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”
Violeta stiffened imperceptibly at the nickname, from surprise rather than anything else. She didn’t notice his outstretched hand, though, too caught up in her endless cycle of guilt and shame. “It’s not your fault,” she told him quietly, “I shouldn’t— I shouldn’t have agreed to meet you that late.”
Gray flinched, looking at his foster mother. She ran her fingers through Violeta’s hair gently, looking back at him, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s not your fault,” he repeated. “I should have known better. Don’t ever blame yourself for something that isn’t your fault.”
But it is my fault, she wanted to protest. But she stayed silent for the next few minutes, sipping at her cocoa. “Thank you for the hot chocolate…”
“Do you want me to stay with you?” Gray questioned softly. “I will if you want me to. If not, you can stay with Amanda.”
Confusion clouded her eyes. “Wait—shouldn’t I—shouldn’t I got back to me dorm?” Violeta asked hesitantly, pulling her legs closer to her chest.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Gray answered, casting his eyes on the couch rather than at the girl. "But if you want to go back, I'll drop you off."
Violeta hesitated. She couldn’t stay——she had intruded on this family enough already. And besides, she had her own dorm to return to. So, averting her eyes, she shook her head. “I—I think I should go home.”
He wanted her to stay, he realized. But if she didn’t feel comfortable, he wasn’t going to pressurize her into staying.
“Okay,” Gray nodded in understanding. “It’s okay. Come on, I’ll get you home.”
Violeta swallowed the last of her hot cocoa, finding a strange sort of solace in the familiar taste, and nodded. “Shouldn’t I wash this mug first?”
“No,” Gray shook his head, taking the mug and putting it away. “You don’t have to do that.”
Violeta rubbed at her eyes, moving to get up from her comfortable position on the couch. "Thank you for letting me stay.." she told Amanda quietly, meaning every word.
Amanda hugged the girl again gently.
“You’re welcome any time, any day,” the woman said. “Don’t blame yourself for something that was out of your hands.”
