His Identity

49

|Aveline's POV|

"You should get a tattoo," Nat blurts and I look at her, my brows raised.

Sometimes she says the most random things in the most random times. I can't keep up with that woman.

"Why?"

"I'm just suggesting," she shrugs, grabbing a box of cereal and putting it in the cart. "Get something meaningful, you know? We could get matching ones. That'd be fun, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I suppose it will." I mutter. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"This charity gala thing," I bring it up finally after days of thinking about it. When I followed Amelia in the alley and she brought up the gala, said something about me wanting to be there, I didn't pay attention to her mostly because I believe everything that come out of her mouth are bullshit. But somehow, her words have been staying on my mind, consuming my thoughts like some sort of virus.

"There's a charity gala next week. You might want to go," she'd said.

I need to go to that event. I have to see what's so important about it that she'd want me to go there. Maybe it's a stupid, reckless idea but it's something. At this point, I'd do anything to stop feeling confused and weird all the time. It's like there's this thing out there, right in front of me and I can't reach it and it's annoying as hell.

I've been ignoring Nick for four days now. Mostly because he's messing with my head even though he's not here. He's not the most truthful person and he's hiding a lot of things from me, he made that clear on several notes. I chose to ignore it, but I can't anymore. Brian's return was a wake up call. I like Nick, I really do. He's a nice person — beyond all that. But he's not honest and what I need is honesty.

"What about it?"

"I was hoping you'd forget Rhys and take me with you instead." My brother doesn't want to go anyway. He hates events like that as much as he hates white chocolate. Rhys thinks any chocolate that aren't brown or black is illegal and he's right.

Nat turns to me and blinks once. Then twice as if she can't believe what I've said. I can't blame her, I get it. Me wanting to go to a party where there will most likely be a lot of people doesn't sound like me at all.

"You—" she swallows, turning to face me fully, "you want to go to the charity gala with me?"

I dont want to. But I do, however, need to. For my own sanity, I have to know what it's all about. Why Amelia wants me to go, there's got to be a reason. I want to find out. I owe it to myself.

"If you'll let me, of course."

"Jesus," she whispers, shaking her head, her eyes wide. "Of course, I want to! I've always wanted to go to some sort of ball thing with you, Ave. You're the one who always say no but look how far you've come. This is good," she squeals, "this is great even. Fuck Rhys. We'll go, just the two of us, as dates. We'll shop for dresses, get ready together, look damn hot and everything else girls usually do."

"Okay." I don't know what else to say. She looks excited, we've never done something like that before. Well, at least one of us will be having fun.