| prologue |

-•-

Warm, calloused fingers traced over Ava's bare hip, a trail of goosebumps covering the skin Nathan touched. She had fallen asleep after their moment of intimacy, and he couldn't recall seeing anything so beautiful as he watched her. The young girl shivered, peeling her eyes open to meet his brown-eyed gaze.

"Hello." she whispered, a smile tugging at her lips when he gave her a lopsided grin.

His fingers moved to caress her cheek, and before he could pull away her hand grasped his own. Kissing his knuckles Ava moved closer, letting out a deep sigh.

"I don't want to get up." she mumbled, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips as he averted his gaze towards the window. The sun was setting, and he knew her father well enough to know she couldn't be out passed curfew. He looked over his shoulder, checking the time.

"You have about twenty minutes before your dad gets his gun out. C'mon, let's get dressed."

The drive back to her house was quiet, the radio and the rumble of the truck's engine being the only sounds filling the vehicle. Something was on her mind, that much Nathan could tell, and after a brief internal debate over whether it was the right thing to do he decided to bring it up.

"You okay?" he asked her curiously, glancing over at her before quickly turning his attention back to the road ahead. "Did I do something?"

Ava shook her head, "No. No you've done nothing to upset me, I just have some things on my mind right now." she explained, throwing him a reassuring smile.

He pulled into her driveway, parking and cutting off the engine before he turned his whole body to face her. "Talk to me."

"I love you." she breathed out, looking at him as she spoke. They'd been together for some time now, yet neither had brought up the L word. But it was how she felt, and she couldn't go on with the relationship without him being aware.

   Nathan blinked, stunned by her small declaration of love. He'd wondered at first if she could be joking, not sure how she could love him of all people, but as he searched her eyes he found nothing but sincerity. He licked his lips, and without any hesitation he replied.

"I love you too."

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A/N I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks! Let me know and please leave a vote.