the bucket list | lrh

50 - the explanation

Valentine took her time getting dressed. She was in no rush at all to return to her grandmother who she knew held that valuable information she wasn't ready to hear.

She could hear her and Luke laughing downstairs from where she stood in her room upstairs, brushing through her wet hair for the third time that night. To full extents of the word, Valentine was stalling. Eventually, Luke caught on. He had heard the girls bedroom door creak closed quietly, and he figured it didn't really take her that long to get dressed again. But he respected her, and he would've stalled too, so he stayed silent as Rebekah went on about an old high school friend that looked exactly like Luke.

"Hi," the girl finally left her comfort, showing her face on the staircase that Luke had been keeping a steady eye on for some time.

"Hey," Rebekah smiled, a warmth about her that poor Valentine couldn't put her finger on. Luke noticed too though, and he immediately noted the drastically kind tone to be pity instead.

The blonde quietly stood from where he'd found a seat at the island, and met Valentine half way between the staircase and her grandmother.

"I'm gonna go shower now," Luke smiled, trying desperately to send some telepathic message and let her know that everything would be okay. It was getting later and later with each minute that passed, and Luke was worried about the girl. He almost considered not showering at all, but he felt far too gross from the harsh weather to not excuse himself politely.

"Okay, we'll be here," Valentine assured him, some sort of unsaid agreement forming between the two. Luke would shower fast, and Valentine would try her best to stay intact. That was implied by their eye contact and subtle gestures as they negotiated their way around each other and to their desired locations.

"Was your shower nice? The pressure up there has been acting up," Rebekah attempted to make her best casual conversation. It was awkward for the poor older woman. She had known the day would come eventually, and it had been eighteen years of patience as Valentine grew into her beautiful skin.

"It was nice." Eighteen years of waiting just for some awkward, nothing short of tense small talk.

"Is this mine?" The girl grinned and extended her hand out to point towards the plate of toast resting on the counter.

"Yes, of course," Rebekah smiled. Valentine knew it was a casual thing for the woman to do, but she was reading into it regardless. She couldn't shake the idea that it was pity food, and that haunted her. Her view of each and every family member had been so altered in the last three hours of her life, the little girl didn't know how to handle it. She found herself wishing she hadn't allowed Luke to leave her alone, but it was too late then to back out of the confrontation. Valentine had committed to going there, and it was her idea to begin with. She knew it'd be much easier to hear it from the sweet older lady as opposed to the mother than opted out of her own parenthood for eighteen years. The fact just didn't make it any less surreal to the little girl.

"Nana, is it true?" Valentine asked, truth spilling out of her effortlessly. Rebekah always knew the girl would grow up to be a woman who knew how to cut to the chase, but in this conversation she wasn't feeling particularly grateful for it.

"Are you talking about your mom?" Rebekah answered the girls question with one of her own, knowing too well that she couldn't buy much more time. The girl only nodded, waiting for the woman to speak again eagerly.

"It's true," Rebekah sighed, heart beating abnormally fast. Usually she wouldn't even be awake at that time, let alone breaking such big news to the one granddaughter she had left.

"Why..." Valentine wasn't really asking anything in specific, in fact it sounded like she couldn't finish her sentence at all. Rebekah knew that there was no proper answer to provide her with, not now. There was no right way to explain the situation to the girl, and no number of years could've prepared anyone for it.