Fourth dawn, part two

Clearly, Valentino's never been taught that he shouldn't get in cars with strangers. There isn't even an ounce of hesitance, a pint of wariness, in him—nothing. He hops into Julien's car like he's known him forever.

"Don't talk to strangers." Julien shuts his door, adjusting in his seat. "Ever heard of that? Bet it'd be easy to kidnap you."

"You're not a stranger," Valentino says. "Besides, you wouldn't kidnap me. You're too sad to bother."

Julien just scoffs.

The sun's starting to rise, and Julien drives straight towards it, towards golden rays splattering a golden beach. Through his peripheral, he catches Valentino staring out his window with strange purpose. Like he's looking for something.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to get my flower."

Julien sighs. And the next thing he knows, he's making a U-turn, going back for Valentino. He's not sure why he's doing this. Maybe it's that soft, quiet disappointment in Valentino's voice. Maybe that's what burns Julien's heart.

He parks by the diner again, and Valentino quickly hops out, picks a flower out of the pots decorating the entrance, then slips back into Julien's car. Valentino smiles while he admires the flower, restless energy returning to his body. And that smile is why Julien doesn't regret going back for the flower.  He's not sure why it makes Valentino so happy, but he knows that it feels nice.

Other people's happiness is nice to watch. It's fullfilling, and it's distracting. And it makes Julien feel less alone and sad.

He had his chance. And he missed it, and he messed it up, and he knows that he doesn't dererve happiness anymore.

"What are you thinking about?" Valentino asks.

Julien snaps out of his thoughts as he swerves the car. "I'm thinking that you stole this flower."

"No, I didn't,"  Valentino says, laughing, beaming for whatever reason. This guy has eternal sunshine in him. "I asked the owner if I could take one everyday and she said yes."

"Ah. So...ever gonna tell me who all these flowers are for anyway?"

"You can have it if you want."

Julien makes a face. "I'm good. Also, go for someone your age next time, kid."

"Don't flatter yourself," Valentino says. "I have a crush and I'm very loyal to her."

"Really?"

"Yeah! She's really pretty, and she has a nice smile. And she's funny. We laugh a lot whenever we talk."

Julien nods. "That's nice." It must be nice.

"My ex actually suddenly blocked me and started pretending I don't exist. She hasn't talked to me since, and I still have no idea why."

Julien's eyes widen, and for a moment he wonders why Valentino thought sharing this was a good idea. "I'm sorry," he says. "That must've sucked." He let out a chuckle. "Takes balls to have a crush after that experience, though. I'll give you that."

"What, did you think I'd never want to love again because of my ex?"

"That's definitely what I would do."

"Why would I punish myself for someone else's mistake?" Valentino asks, his voice serious, his brows furrowed. "Having a crush makes everything more exciting. And being in love is a beautiful thing. Why would I deny myself something like that because of a girl that had commitment issues? Makes no sense to me."

This simplicity is baffling, because as stupid as it sounds, it takes Julien a moment to be able to respond.

Why would I punish myself for someone else's mistake?

Geez, this kid.

"Because it's not a punishment. It's more like fear," Julien says. "You get scared, and you don't want to feel pain and betrayal again." He shrugged. "Besides, it's not that simple. Just because you were able to love again doesn't mean everyone else can do it."

"I never said everyone should react like me. I'm not judging what people decide to do, and I couldn't care less about that. I was just talking about me and my logic and my opinion."

Julien opens his mouth and closes it again, frustrated with himself for not focusing enough.

He was really out here getting outsmarted by a fifteen-year-old.

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a/n: i literally forgot about this book :D I had this chapter in my drafts for 2 years pfft. Sorry for the wait and thanks for reading!