Chapter 32

The warmth of Lucas' bed still clung to my skin as I stretched lazily, blinking against the soft morning light. For a moment, I didn't move, just letting the comfort of the blankets wrap around me.

It took me a second to realize something was off.

Lucas was gone.

I frowned slightly, turning my head. The space next to me was still warm, though, which meant he hadn't left long ago.

I sighed, rubbing my face sleepily before pushing myself up onto my elbows. Maybe he just went to get water or something—

The door creaked open.

I looked up.

And promptly forgot how to breathe.

Lucas walked in, towel-drying his hair, completely oblivious to the fact that I was awake.

And—holy shit.

I froze.

He was only wearing a towel.

A low-hanging towel that barely clung to his hips, leaving little to the imagination. Droplets of water ran down his bare chest, tracing the sharp lines of his collarbones, his toned stomach, disappearing beneath the fabric—

I swallowed hard.

Before I could convince myself to pretend I was still asleep, the words slipped out:

"Good morning."

Lucas jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Jesus—!" He fumbled with his towel, yanking it up before turning to glare at me. "Stop scaring me, damn it!"

I barely heard him. My brain was still very much stuck on the fact that he was practically naked in front of me.

Heat rushed to my face, spreading down my neck. I clenched my hands into the blankets, desperate to not look, but it was like my eyes had a mind of their own.

Lucas caught the way I was staring and smirked. "Do you like the view?"

"N-no!" I blurted out way too quickly.

My voice cracked, and I immediately wanted to throw myself out of the window.

Lucas just grinned wider, clearly amused. "Haha, right."

I groaned, yanking the blanket over my head in pure mortification. Maybe if I suffocated myself, I wouldn't have to deal with this conversation.

Lucas chuckled, running a hand through his wet hair before walking over to his dresser. "Anyway, you hungry?"

Yes.

But not for food.

I wanted to die.

Somehow, I managed to keep my voice steady. "I... I could eat."

"Cool," Lucas said, pulling on a shirt. "Get dressed, and we'll go downstairs."

I sighed and sat up reluctantly. That was when I realized I didn't have my hoodie.

I patted around the bed, confused, before remembering I'd left in such a rush last night that I hadn't even grabbed one.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"I forgot my hoodie," I muttered.

Lucas shrugged and tossed one at me. "Here. You can borrow mine."

I caught it and hesitated for a second before pulling it over my head. It was a little big on me, the sleeves nearly covering my hands, and it smelled just like him.

Lucas snorted. "Cute."

"Shut up," I mumbled, tugging at the sleeves as I followed him out the door.

When we got downstairs, Oscar and Leon were already at the table, eating.

Lucas frowned. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

Oscar barely looked up from his coffee. "They went out to run errands. Should be back in about an hour."

Leon, who had a mouthful of toast, gave me a lazy wave, which I returned as I sat down next to Lucas.

Breakfast was simple—scrambled eggs, toast, and sausages. I focused on eating, trying very hard not to think about the fact that I had seen Lucas half-naked just minutes ago.

"So," Oscar said, glancing between me and Lucas. "You two have fun last night?"

Lucas shrugged. "Yeah. We just hung out."

I, still slightly red, kept my eyes firmly on my plate.

Leon smirked. "Hung out? Or did Adrian break into our house again?"

Lucas snorted. "He used the tree."

Oscar sighed, shaking his head. "Adrian, we have a front door. You know you're always welcome here, right?"

I shrugged, stuffing a bite of eggs into my mouth.

Lucas kicked me lightly under the table. "Yeah, Shorty. You don't have to climb like a raccoon every time you wanna come over."

I swallowed. "It's more fun and I'm not short."

Leon rolled his eyes. "You're both weird."

Oscar stood, grabbing his keys. "Alright, I gotta get to work, and I'm dropping Leon off at college. Mom should be back soon, so don't burn the house down."

Lucas grinned. "No promises."

Oscar ruffled Lucas' hair as he walked past, making him groan and swat his hand away. "Be good."

Leon gave a lazy salute before following him out the door.

And just like that, it was just me and Lucas.

After breakfast, Lucas stretched lazily before getting up to put his dishes in the sink.

I leaned back in my chair, watching him. "You're so lucky."

Lucas glanced at me. "What?"

I sighed dramatically. "Your parents let you stay home alone. Meanwhile, I have to have a babysitter." I rolled my eyes. "It's humiliating."

Lucas smirked. "To be fair, you are kind of accident-prone."

I scoffed. "I am not!"

And then because the universe hates me I slipped on the kitchen tile.

I barely had time to react before I slammed straight into the counter with a loud thud.

Lucas lost it.

He doubled over, laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach. "Not accident prone, huh?" he wheezed between breaths.

Groaning, I rubbed my hip where I had hit the counter. "Shut up," I grumbled.

But I couldn't help it—I started laughing, too.

The whole thing was so stupid.

Once we finally calmed down, Lucas grinned. "Come on, let's go watch a movie before you end up actually breaking something."

I rolled my eyes but followed him into the living room.

We settled on the couch, and Lucas picked some random action movie.

I tried to focus.

Really, I did.

But my eyes kept... drifting.

The way Lucas' golden hair still looked slightly damp. The way he was slouched against the couch, completely at ease. The way his fingers absentmindedly tapped against his knee.

I didn't know why I kept staring.

Well.

Maybe I did.

But before I could overthink it too much, Lucas turned his head slightly, catching me in the act.

His eyebrow quirked. "You good?"

My face instantly burned. "W-what?"

Lucas smirked. "You keep looking at me."

I wanted to die.

"I—I wasn't—"

Lucas studied me for a second, then, before I could react, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

I froze.

"You're cute," he murmured against my skin before pulling back with a small grin.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Lucas turned back to the movie like nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, I sat there, gripping my hoodie sleeves, dying inside.

And then the front door opened.

"Lucas! Adrian!" Diana's voice called. "I'm back!"

Crap.

The sound of the front door shutting pulled me out of my spiral of what the hell just happened.

Lucas turned toward the hallway and called, "We're in here!"

I took a second to press my hands to my face, trying to cool down the embarrassing heat in my cheeks before standing up. Lucas shot me a quick grin before heading toward the front door, and I followed, still feeling like I was floating slightly.

Diana was in the process of setting down her purse when she spotted us. The second her eyes landed on me, she beamed.

"There's my favorite honorary son!" she said, pulling me into a hug before I could react.

I huffed against her shoulder. "I'm your only honorary son."

"Exactly!" she said brightly. "How's my boy doing?"

I hesitated for a split second, then shrugged. "Fine."

Her eyes softened slightly, but thankfully, she didn't push. Instead, she looked at Lucas and ruffled his hair, making him groan.

"Mom," Lucas whined, batting her hand away.

Diana just chuckled, clearly pleased with herself, then turned back to me. "I hope you boys haven't been up to too much trouble."

Lucas smirked. "Define trouble."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "That's not reassuring."

I snorted, and Lucas just grinned.

"Well," Diana sighed, shaking her head, "I'm making lunch, so if you two are hungry, you can wait a bit."

Lucas perked up. "What are you making?"

Diana smiled. "Pasta."

Lucas groaned. "Again?"

I elbowed him. "Shut up. I like pasta."

Diana laughed. "At least someone appreciates my cooking."

Lucas rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

After greeting Diana, we retreated back to Lucas' room. The awkwardness from earlier had mostly faded, and we fell into something more normal—playing video games.

Lucas had a bunch of different games, but we decided on a racing one.

Big mistake.

We were both insanely competitive, which meant that neither of us were playing casually. Every time one of us pulled ahead, the other would immediately do something to mess it up.

"Dude, stop trying to push me off the road!" I snapped, jerking the controller as Lucas' car slammed into mine.

Lucas cackled. "It's called strategy, Bunny."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

I narrowed my eyes at the screen, determined to win. Lucas had been ahead for the last lap, but I wasn't going to let him take the win again.

Then, right before the finish line, he threw some sort of bomb at my car, and I exploded.

Lucas threw his hands in the air. "HA! Suck it!"

I scowled. "You're the worst."

Lucas grinned smugly. "And yet, you still hang out with me."

I shoved him playfully. "Unfortunately."

He just laughed.

We played a few more rounds, with Lucas winning most of them (because he was cheating), before Diana's voice floated up the stairs.

"Boys!" she called. "You need some fresh air! Go to the shop and get me some milk—I need it for lunch."

Lucas groaned. "Why us?"

"Because I said so!"

Lucas flopped dramatically onto his back. "Ughhh."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, drama queen. Let's go before she makes us do something worse."

Lucas sighed heavily but sat up, ruffling his already messy hair. "Fine. But you're carrying the milk."

I scoffed. "We'll see."

We grabbed our jackets and headed out. The shop wasn't too far, just a ten-minute walk down the street but Lucas complained the entire time.

"I don't get why we have to go," he muttered.

"Because we're the only ones here," I said, rolling my eyes.

"We could've sent Leon."

"He's literally at college."

Lucas sighed dramatically. "This is cruel."

I bumped my shoulder against his. "You'll survive."

Lucas grumbled something under his breath but didn't argue.

The air was crisp, but not too cold, and the streets were quiet. It felt... nice. Peaceful.

For a little while, we just walked in comfortable silence, our footsteps in sync.

Lucas stretched lazily as he shut off the console, tossing the controller onto the couch beside him. "Alright, Shorty, time to go."

I groaned, sinking further into the cushions. "No."

Lucas smirked. "Yes."

"I don't wanna," I mumbled, folding my arms stubbornly.

Lucas rolled his eyes and stood, grabbing my wrist and tugging me up with ease. "Come on, Diana's cooking for us, and all we have to do is get some milk. You'll survive."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "And stop calling me that."

"Stop calling you what, Shorty?" Lucas said, completely innocent.

I huffed. "I hate you."

Lucas only laughed, grabbing his wallet off the table before heading toward the door. "Hurry up, before Mom yells at us for being lazy."

I sighed dramatically but followed him out.

The walk to the shop wasn't long, but the wind had picked up slightly, making me pull Lucas' hoodie tighter around myself. I glared up at him, annoyed at how he seemed completely unaffected by the cold. "Why don't you ever get cold?"

Lucas smirked. "Because I'm not tiny like you."

I shoved him, making him stumble slightly as he laughed. "Shut up."

Lucas reached over and ruffled my hair. "Relax, Shorty. You'll hit a growth spurt eventually."

I scowled, swatting his hand away. "I hope you trip and fall into traffic."

Lucas grinned. "Aw, you love me."

"Do not."

"Do too."

I groaned. "I should've stayed home."

Lucas chuckled, nudging me lightly as we reached the shop. "But then who would carry the milk for me?"

I shot him a look. "You're literally stronger than me."

"Exactly, which is why you need to build some muscle," he teased, holding the door open for me.

I muttered something under my breath about how unfair the world was as I stepped inside.

The shop was warm compared to the chilly air outside, and the scent of fresh bread and coffee filled the small space. Lucas led the way toward the dairy section, grabbing a carton of milk.

"That all we need?" I asked, rocking back on my heels.

Lucas nodded. "Yep. Unless you wanna grab something for yourself?"

I glanced toward the sweets aisle. "...Maybe."

Lucas snorted. "You and sugar."

We grabbed a pack of my favorite chocolate before heading to the counter. Lucas paid, and within minutes, we were back outside, walking toward the house.

"You know," Lucas said casually, "if you ever need to escape your house for Christmas, my family will take you in. No questions asked."

I looked at him, my chest tightening slightly. "...Thanks."

Lucas just smiled. "No need to thank me, Shorty. It's what friends are for."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the warmth that spread through my chest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When we got back, the smell of something delicious filled the house. Diana was at the stove, humming softly as she stirred a pot.

"You boys took your time," she said without looking up.

"Blame Shorty," Lucas said, grinning.

I smacked his arm. "Shut up."

Diana turned, raising an eyebrow. "Shorty?"

Lucas smirked. "New nickname."

I scowled. "I hate it."

Diana laughed, ruffling my hair. "I think it's cute."

"I think I'm leaving," I muttered, making Lucas laugh as he set the milk on the counter.

"Lunch will be ready in five minutes," Diana said. "Set the table, boys."

Lucas sighed. "Slave labor."

Diana swatted the back of his head. "I heard that."

I chuckled as we grabbed plates and utensils, setting everything up while Diana finished cooking.

Lunch was grilled chicken with roasted potatoes and vegetables. I hesitated at first—there were carbs—but after a full morning of running around, I was starving.

Diana must have noticed because she gave me a knowing look but didn't say anything.

We all sat down, and as soon as I took my first bite, I let out a small, content sigh.

Lucas grinned. "Good?"

I nodded, still chewing. "Your mom is the best cook ever."

Diana beamed. "See? Someone appreciates me."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I appreciate you."

Diana scoffed. "You complain every time I ask you to do something."

Lucas grinned. "That's just how I show love."

I chuckled, feeling lighter than I had all day.

For the first time since overhearing my brothers' conversation, I wasn't thinking about my parents.

I wasn't thinking about Christmas.

I was just... here.

And that, for now, was enough.

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Word count: 2379

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

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More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*