#◟they say pressure makes diamonds how the hell am i still coal | ↳ lucian scott ft. alejandra ruiz 001◝

[willowswriting]

for @littlewrensx continued from here

Lucian simply nodded when Wren admitted that she wasn't sure that she wanted to come either. He wouldn't have blamed her for leaving him. They hadn't spoken in years, he had had no right to call her yet she was the only one that he had wanted to call. He followed her out to her car, taking a moment to just sit in the seat. Despite the awkwardness that filled the air between them it was still so much better than sitting in a cell with an old drunk man who had pissed himself.

"Some guys mother never taught him manners so I decided to give him a lesson or two." Lucian shrugged as if it was no big deal. Everyone in the bar had been in unanimous agreement that the guy Lucian had pummeled had deserved it. "Bartender probably would have let the whole thing slide but an off duty deputy sitting three stools down from me wasn't so inclined."

[willowswriting]

Lucian had been fine the past few days. He had been able to decompress and nearly forget the life altering information that he had been bombarded with at the beginning of the week. However today was different. Today Bruiser was acting off compared to the way the Boxer would usually act. He had chalked it up to the dog possibly not feeling well, making an appointment for the morning. However in the morning he was awoken by Bruiser barking, as if someone had broken into the apartment. Lucian had grabbed a weapon and gone into his kitchen but nobody was there, however still Boxer was aggressively barking at the cupboard that held his tops and pans.

Grabbing his phone he googled what might be the cause of all this hostility. Of course his eyes landed on the first result 'much like children we suspect that animals can sense the paranormal.' Before he knew it his fingers were moving to click Alice's contact, not even checking the time. Thankfully the women answered on the third ring "Hey, do you think that you could come over?" He questioned. Bruiser was no doubt auditable on the other line. "Bruiser freaking out and I don't see anything wrong but... well I mean I figured that maybe you could." He spoke not wanting to speak out loud the fact that there might be a spirit in his home. The idea sounded ridiculous in his own mind still.

Spirits had a way of sticking with people. No matter how much you blocked them out, you were bound to see one of them slip through the cracks. Apparitions of people long gone, looking alive and well. That could do a number on anybody. Her heart ached for Lucian, and what he was going through at that very moment. Alice could see in him the vision of her past self, the scared and insecure one who felt her whole world change.

She would help him, she had to.

Alice nodded. Such a change was overwhelming, and further pushing of the subject could trigger a breakdown. "I understand." The dark haired woman let her hands fall off his shoulders, but remained close. Fingertips still entwined with his, never fully letting go. "Let's just get you home, okay?" Alice wrapped her hands around his much larger arm than. The first step was getting him to his apartment, and the next would be to give him some space. As much as it hurt her heart to do so, Alice understood that he needed some time alone. Some time away from her.

---

TIMESKIP

Alice was awoke by the rapid ringing of her phone. The woman's hand shot out to grab it, and answered it quickly. She did not even bother to check the caller ID. "Hello?" Her eyes shot at the time, it was around 3 am in the morning.

[willowswriting]

for @missmvrder continued from here

He couldn't help the slight laugh that left his lips at the women's words. Years had passed since the last time the two had spoken and 'you look like shit' was the first sentence out of her mouth? He couldn't be to angry he supposed... he did look like shit and he was well aware of it. "Great, appropriately represents how I feel than." He spoke lowly. He didn't allow his eyes to meet hers.

"Thank you." He spoke, finally risking a glance at Valeria once he had gathered his things and started to head towards his ex's vehicle. "For coming and getting me I mean." He added onto the end as if it wasn't already self explanatory as to what he was thanking her for. He thought for a moment when she offered to drop him somewhere. He briefly thought about his truck in the bars parking lot but thought better of it, he was still to inebriated to drive anywhere. "I've got a place down on Plymouth Street... if it isn't to far out of your way"

[willowswriting]

for @multxfacies continued from here

"Didn't want to bother anyone? Really Leyla?" Lucian questioned with a raise of his brow. "I think that I might be a little more angry to find out that you froze to death on the side of the road than I would be having to get my ass out of bed." He informed her. Lucian ignored the women as she attempted to refuse his jacket "We both know that I'm built like a heater." He spoke, already wrapping the jacket around her shivering frame. "Do you want me to take a look at it now or would you rather come back to my place and I'll drive out in the morning and see what's going on?" He questioned. He didn't mind for himself either way but he would really rather get Leyla someplace dry and warm.

[willowswriting]

for @raven-black-roses continued from here

"I'm not sure that I would say that I'm a god send." He chuckled with a shake of his head "Maybe just at the right place at the right time." he chuckled, glancing at the women's car the was currently off on the side of the road. "Names Lucian." He spoke introducing himself "And lucky for you I happen to work on cars for a living." he informed her "Do you know what's wrong with it?" He questioned taking a step around her and towards the vehicle in question. She had one thing right, the temperature was dropping fast and they weren't doing themselves any favors if they planned to stand around and chit chat.

[willowswriting]

If Lucian was being honest, with both himself and Emily he didn't know where he saw this relationship going. Lucian loved the women that was something that he knew for sure but he wasn't sure what he wanted in the end. It surely wasn't a white picket fenced home with screaming children running around the yard. That was something that he had been up front about right at the start of things. He wasn't even sure what his own future held how could he be expected to pencil in another persons wants and dreams into it? "What stage would you like to enter into next?" He questioned her "I mean hell I'm not sure we're able to move into another stage when there's no trust in our existing stage." He spoke, it was always easier to turn the women's thoughts around on herself rather than actually hold himself accountable and answer the hard questions. He left out a frustrated breath at Emily's apology. "I'm sorry too." He spoke after a heartbeat "I really did plan on being there tonight, it was just a shit day and it honestly slipped my mind." He murmured "We can invite them over for dinner to make up for it." He suggested even though it was the last thing that he really wanted to offer up.

His words addressing what would have likely happened over dinner with her parents were likely true , and Emily knew it. However that doesn't change the fact that she finds herself questioning if the two want the same thing out of their relationship. " Even if that would be the truth that doesn't change the fact that you being there tonight was important to me , Lucian. " The anger that once had been in her tone vanishes and is replaced by hurt as her mind allows the thought of his friends being more important than her. There is no denying that the fem's mind seemed to be her worse enemy , and always has been since a young age. " Be honest with me , " Emily pauses for a moment knowing that once her question was out there that she'd have to accept his answer. Knowing it could make or break them. " Do you not see this relationship going anywhere past this stage? " She can already feel the nervous butterflies growing in the pit of her stomach as she waits for his answer. Emily doesn't understand why it always leads to someone having to explain things to her multiple times to get the point across to her. " Fine , you don't have feelings for her , but I can't help my mind when it puts fear into my mind at the possibility that if you hang around her too much you'll find yourself wanting her again. " Emily does her best to speak in the most calmest tone as she can. " I'm sorry ... "

[willowswriting]

for @gcldenhcurs continued from here.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't." Lucian admitted. He knew that his words held no real weight. If she hadn't showed up than she wouldn't have cared if he blamed her or not and since she had shown up there was no use in telling her that he wouldn't have. He ran his fingers through his hair just eyeing her for a moment. It was strange seeing her like this. It had been so long and if their paths did cross again one day this was the last place that he would have wanted it to be.

Lucian felt like a child who had just been picked up from the principles office the moment the two were sat in the women's car in silence. In fact Alejandra held the same exact expression that his mother had all those years ago. Then she asked the question, what exactly had he done to wind up in the holding cell at the police station. "Had a few to many drinks, completely misread a situation and wound up throwing some poor guy through the window." He spoked, keeping his eyes trained out the window so that he didn't have to see the disappointment in her eyes. "He didn't press charged though... they were only holding me because I was over the legal limit." he muttered.

[willowswriting]

"I haven't had a good time in eight and a half years." Lucian spoke, dark hues shifting to look the women over for a moment. She didn't look like she belonged in a place like this. Skin to soft and although those eyes held a sort of sadness it wasn't the sadness of a women who had been taken advantage of one to many times. Lucian's eyes followed the girls own across the room to where she was looking at a few other women, confirming that she was just another sweet butt, a new one at that. It was always hard for Lucian to watch. As if it was the same as watching a fawn wonder into a wolves den, unaware that they were about to be ripped limb from limb.

"Trying to impress your friend over in the corner?" He questioned, sitting up in his chair, resting his elbows against the table, really looking at her. Lucian wasn't a saint by any means. There were nights that he had taken an Eater or two to bed, always sure to cut the ties before leaving. He knew what most of these women wanted and he wasn't about to be the one that gave it to them. "You know they aren't your friends right?" He questioned "Because if they were they would have sent you packing the moment you walked through these doors." He informed her. Perhaps it was harsh but he had seen women like her enter into the 'business'. He knew that her chances of winding up in a ditch somewhere was far greater than any happy ending she might be searching for.

↳ @willowswriting continued from here for tracker purposes.

               The clubhouse wasn't the typical scene she would have generally found herself in before being picked up by a member of the Reaper Crew. She enjoyed quiet nights and the loud music mixed with various dancing bodies was far from her typical night. But finding herself driving off on the back of a motorcycle with a stranger felt safer than the situation she had been in for years prior. Did she know this was exactly how she would end up? Not exactly. But it felt more free than the cage she had been in before. It was only recently that she found herself in the new town and with the unfamiliar group, leaving her still quite unaware of all the activities the members found themselves up to. His response had teeth nipping at the corner of her bottom lip as colors drew themselves over to one of the girls who had been sitting with her just hours prior. Drilling in guidelines and advice for her, explaining how to survive in her new world. Yet no amount of advice could entirely prepare you for being in the moment. It had her shifting closer, elbows resting on the top of the table. Unsure she wanted to know just how disappointed the other girls would be if she found herself turning around and hiding off in one of the spare rooms. ❝You don't look like you're having a good time,❞ she dared to express as she allowed her head to tilt a fraction, keeping colors locked on the male as if that would make the interaction easier.

[willowswriting]

Lucian didn't even want to be here. He had never been a huge fan of the Reaper's. The club always seemed to find themselves in trouble, trouble that they didn't need at the moment. However where the President went he was forced to follow. That was the oath that he had taken the day he had accepted the Enforcer patch. There was talk of a merger between the Reaper's and the Rim Reaper's. They might be similar in name but in no way similar with how they operated, it was a recipe for disaster, at least Lucian thought so.

His eyes had been trailing the president from across the room, despite the man telling him to have fun and relax, there would be no business discussions tonight, only fun. His line of vision had been intercepted by a blonde women, ponytail sitting high on her head and her black dress hugging her frame so tightly, as if a second skin. It wasn't hard to guess what she was. "You're barking up the wrong tree darling." Lucian spoke, repositioning himself to look past her.

muse: adelaine 'addy' mathison, 25, bisexual open to: m - 25 + based on: sons of anarchy vibes / adelaine is a 'crow eater' for the reapers mc. she had been picked up on a bike in another state and tagged along until they brought her home. now, she finds herself at her second party at the clubhouse. indie starter page: @indiestarter

               With her body dressed in a tight black dress, heels, and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail — Adelaine found herself at her second clubhouse party. The other girls had taken her under their wings and explained things to her as well as they could for someone thrown into a completely different world. Be there for them, whatever they need. It felt simple but she knew nothing was ever so simple. All she knew before was that she needed to run from the home she had been tormented with before and this seemed safer. ❝Need some company?❞ Adelaine questioned as she approached one of the men alone at a table. The woman attempting to hide nerves and to pull on her best 'I know exactly what I am doing' face.

[willowswriting]

There was an instant comfort that flowed through Lucian's veins at Alice's touch. The women had always had that affect on him. It was one of the things that he had clung to so heavily during their relationship. He had never felt at ease the way that he did in her presence.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Lucian spoke, face still pressed against her hair. He wasn't ready to pull away, afraid that despite her words she might disappear. Alice was always apologizing for things that she had no control over despite Lucian constantly telling her not to during the run of their relationship and he could see that that was a habit that she had yet to break. He had been the one that had come to her about Josie and without Alice he probably would have found himself in a boatload of trouble that he couldn't entirely grasp. He was glad to have her there... and even here now.

Lucian was relieved when Alice didn't push him on his past and instead kept the conversation focused around their present. Most would've pushed and pried into his past out of pure curiosity. He nodded as she attempted to reassure him about his beliefs. "I appreciate that." He spoke, finally pulling away. It was hard for him to accept help but if he would accept it from anyone it was going to be Alice... it had always been Alice.

He rubbed at his face after a moment "I'm just not ready for that right now." He admitted

Alice's mouth was open in shock. She did not expect this reaction, and she certainly did not mean to make him upset. Believing her was a difficult thing to do, she understood that. In the loneliness Alice felt, she had forgotten how hard it was for some people to accept such a thing. "Lucian..." She linked her hands with his once again, looking up into his eyes. She did not know what to say. Alice wrapped her arms around him, her palms laid flat against his back.

"I'm sorry..." Alice whispered into his neck. Perhaps if they had not gone to save Josie, perhaps if they had never met, he would not be hurt like this. Alice hated seeing him like this. "I know it's a lot for you, right now. But you are not alone in this." Alice let her hands rest on his shoulders, her eyes were glassy with tears. "I didn't go through what you did, but this I did go through. When I first understood that I could actually see spirits, it completely shattered me." It was a process. One of isolation, bargaining, denial and then finally, understanding and acceptance.

Alice would not ask any further questions about what Lucian said, seeing as she was sure he did not mean to express them. "I am sorry that you were exposed to this, but I promise you that not everything has changed. Just because spirits exist and they wander around, doesn't mean heaven and hell are real. And some people don't stick around after they go..." Alice did not know how to explain everything in this moment.

"I want to help you if you let me."

[willowswriting]

"I couldn't believe you." Lucian admitted as he allowed the women to drop his hand although all he wanted to do was grab it back "I mean I told you when we got together that I didn't believe in heaven or hell." He spoke "that God was simply a fairytale and the Devil was something that parents told their children about so that they would finish their dinner..." That was still true but now there were more moving pieces in the equation and if the afterlife was real than that meant that all those things that he was told in Sunday school as a child had a chance of being real as well and he didn't want to believe that.

"I took so much comfort in the fact that once you're six feet under there's nothing left for you... no more worry or fear or hurt and you're telling me that's wrong." He whispered. "Fuck Ali I've seen some pretty brutal shit and you're telling me that those men I left behind could still be wandering those battle fields believing they're alive?" He questioned "That the people I've put a bullet in are out there somewhere just wandering?" He questioned. Voice raising with each word he spoke.

At this point he had come to a complete stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Here it was, the unraveling of his own belief system. He was crumbling, speaking of and admitting to things that he had never spoken to her about. Things that he had thought he had laid to rest alongside the bodies. His hands shook now, without the steadiness of Alice's to prevent it.

"No, to me she was every bit as real as you are now." She remembered everything feeling normal. And then she was locked in the attic for 4 hours when she mentioned it to her father. "I have learned to block them out. It's like a switch, but I can't control it always."

Alice laughed. For the first time in days, she'd laughed. "You make it sound like I'm the secretary of the after life." The woman realized that that was the only normal description of her ability. The funniest she had thought of by far. "No, it uh...they just appear to me when they choose to. I can tell when they're dead, but they can't sometimes. Some ghosts know what they want and they come to me to communicate it, but others just wander around." Hopeless and hollow. Alice always felt cold when she saw a spirit, no matter what weather it was. It was a deep, bone scratching chill that engulfed her.

"I can tell bad spirits too. It's a feeling that you get instantly, like your fight or flight response." Alice looked on to the distance, finally she let go of Lucian's hand. It was too much, too much to think about and deal with.

"You never believed me, did you?" Her big brown eyes stared into his, unsure of what else to say. "When we were together, you never believed me, not fully."

[willowswriting]

Lucian didn't say the words not because he didn't feel them. He didn't speak the words because it put him in a vulnerable position... a position that he hadn't allowed himself to be in since the last time the pair had seen each other. "That must have been hard." he spoke looking at her "I mean at that age I'm sure that you didn't exactly have a grip on the meaning of death." He spoke "Did you know that like it wasn't actually her? I mean I guess I mean physically."

It was probably for the best that Alice opted into being an orphan instead of disclosing the horror that her family had put her through. Despite Lucian not believing in the after life during their relationship, and his belief still being a tad hazy, he never would have stood for the things her father had done to her. In fact he probably would have hunted the man down himself to serve his karma on a silver platter, assuming that the man was still alive to receive it.

"You see them often anymore?" He questioned raising an eyebrow. The fact that their hands were still entwined heavy on his mind but he would chalk it up to him wanting to add comfort to Alice while she spoke of her experiences. "Is it like a waiting line where they come up to you wanting you to fix something from their life so that they can 'see the light?'" He questioned, his words infused with such a tone that you could see the quotation marks he placed around the words. "Or are they just wondering around and you mistake them as someone still alive?" He asked. He was interested in getting more of an understanding of what Alice went through on a daily basis more than the existence of something out there after they died.

Alice did not let go of his hand, and she tried to avoid the heartbroken feeling at him not repeating the words back to her. It was a difficult time, she understood but part of her wondered if he was truly done with her. As they walked toward the street, Alice tried to remember the details. "I was about...five, I wanna say. Can't remember exactly." The memory started to come back to her, little by little. "I was standing in front of a window and uh, I saw my nan in the garden. She was checking on the tulips my mother had planted." She remembered being so happy, jumping up and down on the sofa while shouting 'Nan!' "My nan had passed away at that point, she was long gone, but she felt so real." Alice would never forget the screaming of her father, the berating and the shouting before she was locked in the attic. 4 hours she stayed in there, until her father let her out.

During their relationship, Alice had always said she was an orphan. In a lot of ways, she was. Abandoned by her father and brother after her mother died. Alice never told Lucian about anything they'd done.

They turned a corner, they stepped into the park near the hospital. Alice still held onto Lucian's hand. "I used to see them a lot when I was a kid, but when I was a teenager, not so much." Alice continued to explain. She cast her glance at him, unsure of how he was processing the information. "I learned how to deal though. And there are a lot of ways you can protect yourself, if you don't want anything to attach to you or something to haunt your space."

[willowswriting]

Lucian's gut launched into a spiral the moment Alice's fingers interlaced with his own. His mind immediately falling down the hole of every other time the women had touched him. From light forehead kisses when she had thought he was asleep, jumping into his arms out of pure excitement over the smallest thing, and well to less innocent and more intimate moments that they had shared together throughout the coarse of their relationship. His stomach further spiraled when her brown hues met his own, asking him what is was that he had meant truly by those words. He allowed himself to get lost in those eyes for a moment, avoiding the conversation that was about to happen for just a fraction of a moment longer.

Lucian hadn't wanted Alice to change who she was to be with him. It was why he had left all those years ago. He had made the decision to walk away because he couldn't believe what Alice was telling him and he knew that she would fold in on herself as best she could to keep him around. However now, now he had seen things. Things that proved that there was something more out there and although he wasn't entirely sure how to cope with that here Alice was ready to help him to the best of her ability.

She still loved him. There was a part of his heart that broke at those words. She deserved so much better than him. He wanted to tell her that he still loved her too but the admittance of that... to admit that he had ended their relationship over something that he was now forced to face was all to much. "When did you first realize that there was more after death?" He questioned "Like when was the first time you saw one of them?" He asked. He figured this was a good starting point. He didn't have to fully start questioning his entire belief system with a story. He didn't let go of her had though, swinging them slightly as they began to walk down the street again.

Alice was confused. She could not sense or see anything attached to him. But maybe that's not what he meant. Alice swallowed the lump in her throat, unsure of what to say or what to do. She knew this was a lot for him, it was a lot for her when she finally understood what was going on. Her hand instinctively grabbed his, fingers intertwining with his. "You don't mean a ghost attached itself to you, do you?" Alice whispered, big brown eyes looking up to the man she loved. Alice wondered if they could return to what they had, if she could win his love back and forget saying anything about the other side. As pathetic as it sounded, Alice knew she would never let herself have what she had with Lucian, with someone else.

"Look, Lucian I want to help you. When I was dealing with this shit, there was no one to help me. I don't want you to deal with this alone." She thought back to all the days she spent locked up in the attic, begging her father to let her out. The ghosts were loudest then. "I tried to tell you all this before...I didn't want to further push you away..." The details remained murky. After the first few things she revealed, the woman figured it was best to keep quiet.

Alice's grip on his hand tightened only a bit. "I know maybe it's too much to say it right now but...I still love you, Lucian. I will help you, with whatever you need."

[willowswriting]

Lucian didn't stick around long after Alice had disappeared into the kitchen. There was an awkwardness that had seemed to invade the space shortly after his apology, his admittance. He had went home, washed himself up, desperately needed after the things that they had encountered. He retrieved Boxer from the friend that had been watching him, getting the dog settled back into his own space before receiving the text from Alice 'She said we're free to stop by any time after 3.'

---

Lucian was relieved to see Josie smiling when they visited her. The women was obviously drained of any energy still but she no longer carried the terrified look on her face that she had been sporting when Alice and he had first found her. She wasn't awake very long throughout their visit but once she had drifted into a seemingly peaceful rest the two had talked to Bella. They assured the women that if either her or Josie needed anything that they were merely a phone call away.

Something tugged on Lucian's heart when Alice had spoke of putting this whole thing behind them once the pair had left the hospital. Yes he wanted to push the events far from his mind. Wanted to unlearn the things that he had learned this past week. However what he didn't want to loose was the bond that the two had rekindled during their week. Perhaps it was only a spark but it was still enough to warm Lucian's cold soul, even if only a smidge. "I don't know Al I think I might've received some sort of attachment." He muttered, risking a glance in her direction as they walked towards their respective vehicles. Whether Alice realized he meant to her and not some ghostly anomaly he wasn't sure.

Alice returned his gaze. A moment of confusion washed over her, but it soon clicked what he apologized for. Alice was used to people not believing her, even the people that knew. Alice suspected that to a degree, they all thought she was crazy and they claimed to believe her to 'spare her feelings.' "I know..." That was her only answer. Deep down, she wanted to say that it was okay, but Alice could not go on letting people just walk over her in this regard. Lucian hurt her deeply, so forgiveness was not on the table...yet. "I'll text you the time." Alice got up from where she was sitting, plates in hand and she disappeared into the kitchen.

---

The visit went well, even if Josie drifted off into sleep half way through. Alice and Lucian caught up with Bella, who informed them that Josie would be discharged soon. Alice was happy, it was perhaps the happiest news she'd heard in a while. "Thanks for coming, you two. It really means a lot..." Bella whispered. Alice placed her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Of course. If you need us to bring you anything, just let us know, okay?" The two embraced. Even though Alice never had much interaction with Bella, she could tell she was a good woman. A good spouse to Josie as well.

Once she was alone with Lucian, Alice was unsure of what to say. "So..." She was searching for something to say. "Uh, none of you have attachments so uh...don't worry about that. We should just, put this all behind us." That meant that Alice and Lucian would go back to being strangers, to not speaking, to avoiding gatherings the other attended. It scared Alice, but he was not hers anymore. She needed to let go...but she hoped he would stop her.

[willowswriting]

There would be nobody in his bed waiting up for him to return home. Well that was unless you counted Bruiser, his rescue Boxer. He wasn't sure why but there was a part of him that wanted to inform Valeria of that information. He was sure that she already knew. What kind of man would call an ex to come and pick him up if he had a new women waiting at home for him? The old Lucian would have. Lucian could see the hurt in the women's eyes when he answered her question. Honestly he wasn't sure why it had been her number that he had given the officer when he had been given his single phone call. There were other people he could have taken a risk on. The odds of actually being picked up would have been better with a buddy than the women whose heart he knew that he had broken all those years ago.

"I think the only one who might be offended is Brice." Lucian chuckled, referring to an old friend that the both of them knew. Brice had gotten him home on more than one occasion when the two were still together. Lucian chuckled softly at her comment on having never changed her number "I can say that I am thankful for that, would have been really awkward if I had called a complete stranger this early in the morning." He chuckled "Who knows though maybe I could have laid on the charm a little and convinced them to front the money." He shrugged. He was only joking, trying to lighten the mood a little. It was just like Lucian to attempt and use comedy to lighten up a serious situation.

He ran a hand down over his hair and then his face. Taking a moment to just sit in the silence that enveloped them. It was hard to believe that there was once a time where he could talk to Valeria about everything and anything. Now he couldn't help but rack his brain for the possible subjects that they could discuss just to fill the awkward silence that kept blanketing them. "I'm sorry if my calling you put anyone else out." He spoke, deciding that it was only fair of him to test the waters on the subject on significant others since she had.

I threw the first punch. Somehow, these words were also like a punch to the gut to Valeria. She couldn't help but think that he had thrown a lot of these in the past hours, even if someone were only emotional. Maybe they were created solely in her mind. The woman knew Lucian, or at least she once had, and she knew he never intended any harm by calling her. Even if hearing his name hurt like hell. Even if knowing where he was, in the drunk tank, was soul crushing. Valeria no longer winced when she heard his name, even when it belonged to someone else, when it was her Lucian that was talked about. But on the inside, her love for him never entirely healed. Valeria had resigned herself with having that story never entirely closed, the so called closure never coming. But maybe this was their chance to do just that. Because one thing suddenly became clear to the woman, Lucian still hadn't forgotten her. Or maybe that was just what she needed to tell herself, the smallest straw she could hold onto.

Lucian wasn't hurt, that was good and Valeria softly nodded as he reassured her. She knew that if he had been hurt, her instinct would have to take care of him. But he didn't need that and it was a relief. It would only made things harder on her because she didn't dare think he could feel the same, that his heart could be beating as wildly as hers. "Well hopefully you'll also be in yours too," she said at his comment about the other being in the warmth of his sheet. Was there anyone waiting for him in that bed? Surely he wouldn't have called her if there was but Valeria couldn't be certain of that. All she knew was that if there was someone waiting for him, she would not make things harder for that person, would not linger and rub into their face the fact that Lucian had called her and not them.

Valeria held her breath after she asked the dreadful question, the reason she was here in the first place. She no longer wanted to know the answer, too afraid of how painful it could be. What did she expect by asking that? For Lucian to confess his feelings? This wasn't a fairytale, their story hadn't ended like one despite how it had began. The woman didn't dare look at him as she heard him swallow. Muscle memory. Such a simple explanation, something that brushed off everything she had wanted to believe. Of course it was nothing more than that. "Right," she tried to say lightly. "Guess it's the night for that. It's why I'm here too." She wouldn't push, wouldn't make it harder on herself. It had meant nothing, that phone call. And she didn't need to make it something meaningful that she had came. "Lucky for you I never changed my number." There was the faintest hint of a smile as she spoke. "Hopefully it won't make anyone confused, that you called me and not them." She couldn't help but roll her eyes at herself for trying to pry into his life.

[willowswriting]

That was fair. Lucian supposed that he deserved that. He felt the hint of honesty in her words despite her attempt to cover it up with a chuckle. "I am sorry about that." He admitted lowly, dropping his usual guard just a little. "Honestly I'm not sure why your number was the first one out of my mouth but once it was there was no taking it back, they only give you one phone call." He shrugged.

"Handiwork, mechanic work, carpentry." He shrugged "Just call me Mr. Fix It." He chuckled. It was a bit ironic seeing as he had been the one to break everything in their relationship. "Why you got a leaky pipe or squeaky door that could use some attention?" He questioned "I mean it's the least I could do for waking you up in the middle of the night." Lucian knew that she wasn't looking for free work. If anything she was attempting to fill the awkward silence that would surly envelope them if they allowed it to.

Wren didn't really assume he lived in his truck. More so if he had to stay somewhere she would've offered her couch. But now that she thought more on that, the more ridiculous it sounded. Why would she offer him that? Last time she saw him he had caused her so much pain. "No, you only want to call me to bail you out of jail." She threw back at him with a chuckle.

She remembers the nights they'd spend at that bar. Sitting in the corner, laughing as they drank. Then they'd go back to her place, not being able to keep their hands off each other. It seemed like a totally different lifetime ago. "Odd jobs? So like handiwork or something?" She asked, mostly out of nosiness but also because otherwise it'd be an awkward silence in the car.