the bucket list | lrh

45 - the birth certificate

"Hey," Luke gleamed, feeling particularly lucky to be able to see Valentine again. It used to be a chore of sorts, to have to make small talk with her and pretend he didn't want to kiss her. Now, he could openly gawk at the laid back outfit she had thrown on earlier that day. He thought she looked so cute, no matter what she was wearing or doing.

"Hi, everyone's already in the dining room..." the brunette trailed off, eyes drawn down to Luke's lips. They were wet from the water bottle he had been drinking before he left his truck, and Valentine wanted to feel them.

"Oh, yeah? So I can—" Lucky for the brunette, she didn't have to ask to seek out that wish of hers. As Luke wrapped his arm around the girl, he leaned her back and placed a lingering kiss atop her lips. The moment had them both feeling quite angelic, and it took every ounce of self control in her body for Valentine to pull away.

"Mmhm, you could do that. We should... uh," Valentine helplessly and wordlessly pointed behind them, still a little too close to the blonde to feel absolutely stable.

"Yeah, lets go," he smiled, twisting her arm in a way that had her hand falling into his. As he intertwined their fingers gently, he scanned her face for any sign of denial. When he was sure that she was content with his gesture, he let the girl lead him back towards the dining room.

Valentine Leonard was many things. She was shy, she was curious, and she was longing. She was so many amazing things put into one being. Everyone around her could see how beautiful her soul was, she was just so bad at hiding it. And despite what anyone may have thought about her, she was not naive. She could actually read people quite well, and she noticed everything. Being the quiet one had people looking down to her from an early age, but Valentine didn't enjoy things that way.

See, Valentine didn't really like being babied by everyone she knew. Of course though, she had met most people she knew through Adeline, and they were all a bit older. Valentine wasn't good at making friends her own age, because she just wasn't very good at making friends in general.

Most people who got the pleasure of knowing of Valentine Leonard might describe her as young and naive. But it just wasn't true.

For hours, after she noticed Kellianne avoiding her, Valentine felt something. Call it instinct, or maybe a hint from the universe. Valentine could tell something was wrong, and the reaction to her arrival solidified that fear.

"Valentine!" Kellianne nearly shrieked, straightening herself as Luke came into her sights. She gasped a little, backing up as if she was caught terribly off guard.

"Hi, Luke," she smiled in the fakest way possible, something Valentine took careful note of.

"I'll be right back," the woman excused herself quickly, disappearing from the kids sights and into the kitchen where Valentine figured her father must have been hiding as well.

"So... what's that about?" Mary finally spoke from where she was seated at the table. The blonde girl had been starving for hours, and she was overly eager to get on with the night—it was making her a little grumpy.

"Oh," Valentine sighed, looking down to what Mary was referring to. Luke's fingers intertwined with hers. Boy, was it a sight to see for Mary, after the extended amount of time spent avoiding their very obvious feelings for each other.

"You don't have to answer," Mary giggled, as she had meant her comment rhetorically. She felt a little guilty for teasing the girl, but alas, Valentine Leonard was not naive.

"Yeah," she mumbled, a nervous little smile creeping up onto her face.

As she and Luke got themselves situated in their seats, Scout was busy facing the wrath of an annoyed Kellianne in the kitchen.