By the time the Hale twins made it back to their apartment, the only one awake was their dad. He looked tired but asked them about how the dance was like he normally would.

Kaleb had a lot to say, jabbering on about how much fun he had with Vanessa but Violet simply said it was fine. Prom, unfortunately, hadn't been anything special.

Once Aaron had thoroughly listened to everything they had to say, he excused himself to go to bed. Something definitely felt off but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her answer came the following morning when Nathan whispered that Grandpa had pa.s.sed away last night while they were gone.

No wonder the house had been so quiet when they came back! Violet's heart was torn in two. She hadn't been able to say goodbye to her grandpa because she went to a stupid dance she didn't even have fun at. She would never be able to take that back.

She locked herself in her room and sobbed into her pillow. Grandpa had been sick for a long time but still…Violet really thought she would be able to say goodbye. It had been over a week since she had made time to visit him. Now she would never be able to visit him again.

Her phone rang and she nearly ignored it until she saw it was Noah. He was probably calling to see how the dance went. If anybody would understand her feelings right now, it would be him.

She hadn't wanted to be around any of her weepy family members—especially her mom, who was clearly the most upset—which was why she was hiding in her room in the first place. But being around someone who wouldn't be crying might help her find equilibrium.

Violet picked up and before Noah could even say anything, she sobbed his name, unable to continue.

He went silent for a moment before saying "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Unable to be inside the gloom of her apartment, she went downstairs to meet him still wearing her striped pajama pants and an oversized tee s.h.i.+rt. Right now she didn't care that she looked like a disaster. She just wanted to see her best friend.

When Violet saw him, she threw herself into his arms immediately.

"What happened, Vi?" Noah asked gently as he stroked her hair.

"Grandpa died last night. While I was at the dance. I didn't get to say goodbye," she managed to get out as tears continued rolling down her face onto his tee s.h.i.+rt.

Noah held her even tighter after hearing that. He knew how close she had been to her grandpa as the only beloved granddaughter of the family.

"I'm so sorry. What can I do?"

His kindness made her cry harder. Violet wasn't able to respond. But since they were making a bit of a scene in the lobby he ended up leading her down to the parking garage where his car was.

He led her into the backseat and continued to hold her so she could cry in privacy. Going to that dance really had been such a stupid thing to do.

How could she think it would be worth her time? Nothing was worth missing saying goodbye to someone she loved. Guilt and disgust at herself swirled around in a mental tornado with her grief.

Finally regaining her ability to speak, Violet snorted at herself derisively. "I shouldn't have gone to that stupid dance. I didn't even have fun. It was all for nothing and now I'm never going to see Grandpa again."

"He would never blame you," Noah had softly. "He knew how much you loved him. You told him so every time you saw him, didn't you?"

"Yes," she sniffled. It was a habit to tell him she loved him as she said goodbye.

"You have nothing to beat yourself up over. He left this world knowing you loved him and that's what matters."

How did he always know what to say? The knot of guilt tangled around her grief began to loosen. Noah was right. Grandpa did know she loved him. But that wouldn't make not having him around any easier to bear.

Until he ended up in the car facility he went to every single one of her recitals. He was at their house for dinner multiple nights a week. Robert Hall was an essential member of the Hale family. And now he was gone.

"I know he's in a better place now. He's with Grandma and Uncle Kaleb again. I know how much he missed them, especially Grandma. She died thirty-one years ago and he never stopped thinking about her."

Violet nearly smiled through her tears remembering some of his stories about his wife after they got married. He didn't talk about her much and when he did was always in pa.s.sing. Violet wasn't even sure how they had met or fallen in love.

Once she tried asking him but he said he couldn't bear to think about it. If he did it hurt too much. She hadn't asked him again after that, though the curiosity remained.

"Can you imagine loving someone that much?"

Noah didn't say anything. He looked thoughtfully out the window. Maybe he was trying to imagine it. It was a level of devotion that not just anyone could achieve.

When he finally did speak again, he had a slight smile on his face. "Do you want a distraction or comfort food?"

He hadn't answered her question but he did that sometimes; he tended to be easily distracted. Violet was used to it. She wasn't sure which option sounded better right now to be perfectly honest.

"Can I choose both?" she asked a bit sheepishly.

"Duh. Which one do you want first?"

"Comfort food. I haven't had breakfast yet."

Noah ended up taking her to go get pancakes. She ordered a chocolate chip tall stack for them to split. They had been sharing food for so many years that it didn't even occur to her that they currently looked like a couple on a date to other people in the restaurant.