Page 15

Lilith found herself in the park with Gabrielle, the cold breeze licking at her bare legs, and a cup of tea slowly losing its warmth in her hands.

Autumn was in full bloom—the kind of fall that looked like a painting, with trees spilling gold and crimson onto the paths.

It was the blonde-haired girl's favorite season; everything about it felt perfect to her—the crisp air, the soft golden light, the way the world seemed to slow down just enough to breathe.

She leaned her head on Gabrielle's shoulder, letting the weight of the day press into her best friend.

Both of them were drained. Not just tired, but hollowed out from the relentless stress of university. It wasn't even finals yet, and it already felt like they were drowning.

"You're getting a cookie tomorrow." Lilith mumbled, the words carried by a breathy giggle that made her exhaustion obvious.

"Am I?" Gabrielle tilted her head, her cheek resting lightly against Lilith's hair. She winked, teasing.

Lilith whined in response, dragging her toes against the pavement. "Should Valentina Salvatore get one too?"

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow as Lilith's eyes dropped to her lap.

"She got you a plushie. I think she deserves a half." Gabrielle said with a sleepy smirk.

Lilith burst into quiet laughter, her breath fogging in the chilly air.

From everything Lilith had described, Valentina wasn't exactly a heartless woman.Maybe she'd had a slip-up and embarrassed Lilith that first day—but even Gabrielle had to admit, the woman didn't sound like a full-on bitch.

Still, Gabrielle didn't trust her. But the way Lilith lit up when she spoke about her? That happiness—quiet and blooming—was hard to ignore.

And so, somewhere between the leaves rustling and the hush of the fading day, Gabrielle kept that thought close: that she'd help these moments happen.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the world move gently around them. Lilith's thoughts wandered again, tugged back to the previous day.

The evening had gone surprisingly well after the conversation—annoyingly well, actually.

Lilith had laughed until her stomach hurt, her voice hoarse from screaming at the screen.

She and Oscar had fallen into that familiar rhythm of competition, throwing themselves into the chaotic comfort of video games they'd played since forever.

Naturally, she lost—repeatedly—and when she nearly destroyed the controller after a particularly unfair round, she'd only laughed harder, slumping onto the couch in a dramatic heap of defeat.

She had so much fun.

And yet, as the room quieted and the laughter faded, a small knot tightened somewhere in the back of her mind.

Something about their talk—it unsettled her. There was a tension buried beneath Oscar's teasing, like he knew something. Like he saw her just a bit too clearly. His questions had been casual, thrown between insults and jokes, but there was an edge she couldn't ignore.

Did Valentina... say anything specific to him?

The unease curled around her ribs like vines, and even as she told herself to let it go, she couldn't.

She just wondered how specific their conversations had been. Had the woman actually quoted what she'd texted her back?

She had promised Oscar that she wouldn't tangle herself in situations with Valentina again.

But Lilith was stubborn.

Stubborn, and maybe a little stupid. A brat, even. The kind of brat that touches the fire just to see if it still burns.

And Valentina? She probably burned like hell.

So, Lilith decided it would be a good day to annoy the woman.

She knocked on the large wooden doors at the top floor of the building—those ridiculously dramatic doors that somehow made her feel like she was walking into a villain's lair. She paused for a second.

Then came the familiar, curt voice.

"Come in."

Lilith could swear she heard a sigh slip through before the words.

Lilith pushed the door open, stepping inside—and stopped.

Valentina Salvatore, behind her mahogany desk, was... eating.

Eating.

Just eating.

Sat there, leaning slightly forward in her chair, holding a flimsy plastic fork in hand twirling some pasta out of a basic catering box. Simple. Normal. Human.

She was just eating.

And for some absolutely unexplainable reason, Lilith found it stupidly attractive.

The woman was wearing fewer rings than usual.

Lilith blinked, pulled herself together, and stepped inside fully.

"Hellooo." she sighed out dramatically, dragging the word like a tired opera singer. Despite her exhaustion, there was never a moment she felt too tired to be annoying.

Valentina looked up, placing her fork down with a soft clink. She crossed her arms over her black blouse, her brow arching like clockwork.

"And what brings you here today?" she asked, the words laced with a tone of exaggerated annoyance, like she was trying to sound mean and just couldn't quite sell it.

It wasn't awkward. Not even a little.

Lilith smiled sleepily, made a beeline for the couch, and flopped down into the same spot she had last time. Like it was hers now. She sank into the decorative pillows and exhaled dramatically again.

"Maybe I need some advice from a brilliant architect? A project idea, perhaps?" she replied sweetly, her voice thick with mischief.

Valentina picked her fork back up, stabbing a piece of pasta, chewing with elegance before answering coolly, "My work hours are over. You can come back tomorrow between 8 and 5 p.m.—though I can't promise I'll let you in."

Lilith pouted instantly. "You wouldn't make time just for me?" she asked with mock offense.

Valentina didn't even blink. She set down the now-empty container, grabbed a napkin, and carefully wiped her already clean hands and lips, the kind of grace that made Lilith's insides twist for reasons she didn't want to explore.

"No." she answered simply.

Lilith rolled her eyes, letting her body sink further into the couch. That's when she remembered the question that had been sitting at the back of her mind all day.

"Was the therapist recommendation for you?" she asked—way too bluntly, but it was Lilith, and there wasn't any point in pretending she could be subtle when she was tired.

Valentina let out a soft laugh, her voice melting into the room like velvet. It was beautiful like always.

"So interested in my work life?" the woman teased lightly, then added, "No. It was for a friend."

Lilith nodded, not surprised.

"I hope the recommendation was good," she said quietly, the sincerity slipping into her voice without effort. She meant it. Helping people—even indirectly—felt like her job. Her duty. "I called one of the best therapists I've ever met," the blonde haired added. "They helped a little."

The way the dark haired woman nodded after—quiet, subtle, but genuine—made something in Lilith ache in a way she didn't want to name.

"Should I bring you cookies tomorrow? After your work hours or... in between?" Lilith asked with a sleepy giggle, the words light and airy as she sank deeper into the couch.

Valentina leaned back in her chair, her body relaxing for the first time since Lilith had entered. She crossed one long leg over the other, and somehow, just that made her look even more intimidatingly hot.

"Are you actually going to bake them?" she asked, raising one skeptical brow.

Lilith nodded eagerly, her head bobbing like a guilty puppy. "I kind of need to. Oscar was mad," she admitted, her voice turning soft, eyes shifting to the side like she'd just been caught stealing snacks before dinner.

Valentina narrowed her eyes, curiosity flickering. "Why?"

It was a simple question. One word. But somehow, it didn't feel simple to answer.

Lilith sighed, her expression shifting slightly, the playfulness dimming for a moment.

"I mean... I wasn't too nice, was I? It's valid.

I understand it." She shrugged lightly, her voice calm.

There was no defensiveness in her tone, just quiet honesty.

The kind that made Valentina glance at her a second too long.

She wasn't making excuses. That made it almost... adorable.

Valentina tilted her head, her gaze sharpened just slightly as she said, without hesitation and without a single stutter, "Someone needs to teach you how to behave."

The words fell like a spark in the air.

Lilith froze. Her cheeks flamed instantly, the blush crawling up her neck. A dizzying thought seized her: she wanted the woman to teach her how to behave. She'd drop to her knees and beg if that's what it took.

She laughed instead, a little too softly. "I think I'd just traumatize them."

Valentina didn't skip a beat. "That would mean that they're not using the right methods."

Silence.

Lilith's heart stopped. Just for a second.

What methods?

What right methods?

Her methods?

She didn't even get the chance to ask because her phone rang, the vibration loud in the heavy quiet of the room. She blinked, reaching for it too slowly. But the thought stayed.

And it wasn't going anywhere.

Lilith murmured a soft, "Sorry, Gabi." as she glanced at her screen.

Valentina raised an eyebrow at the nickname, a silent question in her gaze. The two girls seemed close.

Lilith answered the call. "Gabi?" she asked gently, voice instantly softer. There was a pause, then an audible sigh as Gabrielle's voice filled the other end—pleading, dramatic, and slightly slurred.

She practically begged Lilith to come over, promising a night of horror movies and wine. "And maybe vodka?" she added. Lilith giggled, cutting her off. "I'll text you in a bit, okay?" She hung up and looked up to see Valentina still watching her with that unreadable expression.

"Sorry," Lilith said with a shrug and a sleepy smile. "College student things are calling."

"Drinking?" Valentina asked, her tone flat, if not slightly disapproving. The image of the blonde girl at the bar, tipsy and curled up like a doll, flashed in her mind. She didn't like that memory.

"Safely, at home." Lilith assured quickly, her smile turning playful. She looked so proud of her responsible behavior, like she'd just earned a gold star.

Valentina nodded softly, her features relaxing just a little. And then Lilith kept talking, letting her thoughts spill out without filter.

"And I'll bake the cookies. I'll make sure Gabrielle doesn't ruin them," she pouted dramatically. "She can't bake or cook to save her life. Last time she tried to make brownies, she forgot the flour."

Valentina actually laughed.

There was something about the way the womanlaughed—like she didn't do it often, but when she did, it was because she couldn't help it.

And it was kind of adorable, how this blonde-haired girl shared so many little pieces of her life so easily, like it never even crossed her mind to hold back.

"Do you have any plans for the evening?" Lilith asked, shifting the attention away from herself. She was genuinely curious. She wanted to know what someone like her did in her off-hours. Did she read? Go to some mysterious rich-people yoga class? Stare out a window with wine glass in her hand?

"Maybe I do." Valentina replied, her voice unrevealing.

Lilith pouted, feigning offense. "You know that if you tell me, I won't go around saying that Valentina Salvatore likes to relax after work sometimes."

It was the first time she said the full name in front of the woman.

Valentina Salvatore.

It rolled off her lips like a whisper, almost reverent. Way too soft. Almost too... whiny. But in the most innocent, dangerously sweet way.

Valentina didn't respond right away. Her eyes were on Lilith now—fully. There was something unreadable in her gaze again. Like she was analyzing, cataloguing the way her name had sounded in that voice.

"I'd rather you tell them I've committed tax fraud."

She raised a brow, lips twitching like she was barely holding back a smile. "It's less damaging."

Lilith chuckled as the woman added, "But before you could say it, I'd have you locked up for defamation."

There was no eye roll this time. Just a slow, sleepy smile tugging at Lilith's lips. The woman was... she couldn't even describe how the woman was. Stunning. Somehow warmer in moments like this.

"So you won't tell me what you're going to do?

" she asked, voice filled with soft hope, like a dismissed puppy, a golden retriever one.

She actually looked like it sometimes. People had told her that more than once.

It wasn't even the blonde hair—it was the way she stared, those big, earnest eyes, always a little too open, a little too trusting.

Valentina didn't answer immediately. She just looked at her, unimpressed by the act but clearly not immune.

"I'll sleep, Lilith." she finally said, calm and precise. "And I would advise you to do the same. Instead of drinking."

Lilith tilted her head dramatically. "Boring. " she muttered, eyes flicking to the glowing screen of her phone, where a storm of texts from Gabrielle waited.

She stood up from the couch, grabbing her bag, her body moving with that unbothered exhaustion only a student at the end of a long day could master. Valentina's eyes followed—how her thighs brushed softly with every step, how her long blonde hair swayed like silk.

"Sleep well, Valentina." Lilith said, voice soft and genuine.

She turned and left before the woman could respond.

For the first time, it wasn't the brunettewho had the last word.

Valentina's gaze shifted slowly to the red roses resting in the glass vase on her coffee table—the ones the blonde girl had given her. Their petals, once vivid and alive, had started to droop, losing their spark and intensity.

They looked like they should be thrown out soon.

She made a quiet note to dry them.

Just like she'd told Lilith, Valentina did sleep that night.

Though maybe not in the way the girl had imagined.

Not with the way some woman in her guest room bed had moaned—loud enough to echo through the walls.