•flawed with benefits•

Speaking to Dallas cleared the fog from Violet's mind. If Dallas had been here months ago, maybe the fog would never have formed and perhaps Violet would've found herself exactly where she wanted to be right now: with Cal.

What she believed was purely sexual turned out to be so much more. She thought it was too much more when he admitted to her that he wanted to try thing out as more than the friends with benefits they'd agreed to be to begin with, but Violet even questioned herself after she turned him down.

Violet pulls a hand through her dark hair, smoothing it down as the wind tried its very best to ruffle it as a father would do to his child, no ill intent meant but the child would frown as it fixed its hair.

She smiles into the autumn glow of the sun. Radiant in every element of its being; a gift from the gods to the mortals of the world. She tucks her hands into the pockets of her long coat and faces into the chill without a worry in the world.

Her fingers fold around the paper of the letter from Dallas. She was glad Dallas was back at last, but she worried for her because things were different now. It isn't at all alike to what it was back in their final years of school. People have moved on, changed and developed into almost entirely new people. Some for the better, some for the worse.

An example was Marnie. Violet knew that Dallas had been told all about Marnie and Harry's situation, but Violet didn't think she was taking it as seriously as she should. It wasn't just a fall out, it was the end of something none of them thought would ever finish. Like an endless ocean, their love for one another spanned the years, but now it was over in a sudden wave of drama and now the ocean was still: empty even.

Violet breathes in, not wanting to think about Marnie anymore.

Marnie was gone.

-

Stepping into the elevator, Violet pushes her hair over her shoulders and fixes it in the mirror. The wind, although refreshing, was not kind and Violet was regretting walking instead of driving. But driving wouldn't have cleared her head like walking did.

When the elevator doors open, a sudden rush of anxiousness comes over her. It was too sudden. As if she'd been blocking it out, not realising the full extent of what she was about to do. To open up your heart was a terrifying thing because, once it was open, it was hard to close off again. Once the flood gates were open, there was no stopping the tide.

There was the temptation to dart into her own apartment, to sink beneath the blanket and watch endless hours of tv shows, but Violet was someone who knew when she'd regret doing something and she knew she would regret it if she never told Cal how things really were.

She thought about it as she walked down the corridor and to his door. She thought about it as she knocked, feeling it wrong to barge in, but all those thoughts were swept away and replaced with a buzz of impulsive confidence as the door swung open to reveal him stood there.

He looked nice. Like he'd made an effort, but Violet ignores it and pushes past him into the apartment as she says her greetings, "Hey, Cal, I just wanted to come and talk to you about everything because-" She cuts herself off when she comes eye to eye with Elora stood in the middle of the room, her hands clutched together in front of herself. She looks like a deer caught in headlights.

Violet stops. She presses her lips together into a tight smile. Exhaling, she says, "Hi, Elora, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Yeah," She says, obviously trying to contain a smile as she continues. "Cal was just about to take me out for dinner."

Cal doesn't know what to say as he looks at Violet's face drop. She looks down at her shoes for a second, a short breathy laugh escaping her, which only Cal heard, before she looks up again with a forced look of happiness. "That's great. I hope you both have a good time."

She turns around, digging her hand into her coat pocket and pulling out the letter. "I just came by to drop this off," She lies, handing it to Cal. He takes it with confusion. "It's for Simon from Dallas. She asked me to give it to him, but I don't know when I'll see him."

"I'll make sure it gets to him," Cal promises, trying to peer behind her mask, but it was on too tight to even come close. All he knew was that she was lying and he was dying to know why.

"Thanks," Violet mutters, shoving her hands back into her pockets and exiting the apartment as quickly as possible wishing she'd never been convinced to come and explain herself.

She was almost at her door when she heard her name being called out.

"Violet!"

It was just the once, but it was enough. She spun around on her heels, looking right at Cal with her mask peeling at the sides, splitting down the middle, as the tears bubbled in her eyes. They weren't sad tears, they were angry tears. Whether that anger was at herself or at him, she wasn't sure, but she hated the feeling of it in her throat like nothing else.

"What do you want me to say?" She replies, exasperated. Holding her arms out in defeat and her brows folding into confusion and hurt.

"You're mad at me for asking Elora out?" Now Cal frowns, his blue eyes rendering her immobile, despite her lust to run into her apartment and slam the door behind her. "You gave me the choice and, when I chose you, you ran in the other direction."

"I was scared!" She cries back, the feeling in her throat being released all at once. She brushes away the tear.

Cal reels back from her claim. "Scared? Of what?" He questions, beginning to walk down the corridor towards her. He wasn't angry anymore. When Violet can't respond, he tries again. "Violet?" He was close to her now and she made no attempt to step away.

"Of getting hurt again," She admits quietly. "That's why I said no strings, no feelings attached, because feelings lead to heartbreak."

"I'm not whoever hurt you," He tells her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against him. She relaxes into him, pressing her cheek against his chest and closing her eyes.

"Thank you, Cal," She whispers as she pulls out of the embrace, looking up into his paralyzing blue eyes. "But you should go on that date. Elora's waiting for you, you shouldn't disappoint her."

"I should break things off with her."

"As much as I'd like that, you shouldn't. You should see how things go with her because she's a good person and clearly she likes you a lot. Give it a shot for me, yeah?"

"Ok," He says, wondering where this had come from.

She steps onto her tip-toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But if things don't work out, you know where to find me." And in those words she let him know exactly how she felt, whether he picked up on it or not.

Violet, as much as it hurt her pride to do so, let the choice between her and Elora remain. It would be cruel to yank Cal away whenever it suited her, so the decision still stood as broad as an elephant in the room.

She gave him one last smile before slinking away into her apartment, gone again before he could say a single utterance of disagreement.

-

1328 words
Violet's learning how to value others' feelings and I find that so sweet