๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ but that didn't stop you from trying. the truth is; you were always kind of a loser. you never fought for anything in your life. you simply took your Ls ๏ผ kept it pushin' with a goofy smile. but for the first time , ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ. it was like clockwork. you wake up , hatch up an escape plan , execute it ๏ผ then ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ. you lost count after your 438th attempt but never the motivation to leave. you thought of her voice every waking second ๏ผ dreamt of her smile every night. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ? ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ? you don't really know. this is your first ๏ผ only time ever being in love. when you finally made it out , things looked a little different , yeah , but your priority was to tell her ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ป'๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ --- you got held back. you would've turned the town upside down to find her ๏ผ part of you almost did , as exhausted as you were. then you considered -- maybe a lot of time has passed. maybe she's moved on. ๏ผ you might be a sucker for giving up ๐ฎ ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ through a dangerous locator spell but you'd never be able to live with yourself if you didn't try. now , you're not sure what kind of reaction she'd give you or even the one you'd give her. but when you locked eyes again; ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง. your stomach was in knots , your face flushed ๏ผ heart was beating so hard you thought you were about to go into ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐. you were in such a state of shock that you could barely react to ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ ๏ผ given her vampiric strength you already assume she's left a handprint on your face. did that bother you though? no. there was something a lot more pressing. at this very moment is when you realized that ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ด๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด in a prison world , then nearly selling your soul only to be met with a wicked slap to the face ๏ผ hard shoves didn't come close to ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐. your resolve crumbles , your happy-go-lucky resting face is nowhere to be seen. you look as defeated as you feel. ๏ผ despite it all , as though it were an instinct , your arms close around her ๏ผ you cradle the back of her head with a large hand. โ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ดโฆ โ so maybe you're trembling a bit. this is new to you. you swallow thickly , breathing a little more shallow than before. โ ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ข, ๐ช'๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ. ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ - โ you squeeze a little tighter , involuntarily , but she's tougher than you in every way possible -- she can handle it. โ ๐ - ๐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ. ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต.. ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ. โ you rest your chin atop her crown , voice barely above a whisper. โ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆโฆ โ