Chapter 37

The pizza arrived exactly as expected, the smell of melted cheese and pepperoni drifting into the living room as soon as the door opened. Henry, looking far too pleased with himself, jumped up from the couch.

"I'll get it!" he said, practically skipping toward the door, his face lighting up like it was Christmas.

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a show-off."

Henry didn't even glance my way, just grabbed his wallet, muttered something under his breath about "keeping the change," and disappeared down the hall to the front door. The rest of us were left to relax and pass the time, with Miles and Alex arguing about the game yet again, and Easton sipping his drink with that smug, "I'm too cool for this" expression. It was honestly kind of annoying, but I didn't care enough to say anything.

When Henry came back with the pizza, it was a relief. Finally, food. My stomach had been rumbling for ages, and I was more than ready to dig in. Henry strutted into the living room holding the pizza boxes like they were trophies.

"Pizza's here!" he said in that overly-dramatic way he always did, like he was announcing some grand victory.

"Finally," Alex grumbled from the couch. "I was about to start eating the cushions."

We all laughed as Henry passed around the boxes. Everyone grabbed a slice, and the room fell into an easy silence as we began eating. The pizza was perfect—crispy crust, cheesy, and hot from the oven. The kind of comfort food you could eat while doing anything, even if it was just sitting on the couch with your brothers.

The movie had started back up, and I sunk deeper into the cushions, feeling that familiar satisfaction of good food in my stomach. Even with all the studying and stress lately, moments like this with my brothers made it feel like everything might just be okay.

Lucas, sitting next to me on the couch, nudged me with his elbow, a mischievous grin on his face. "You're quieter than usual. How's the brain doing after all that math torture?"

I glanced at him, half-smiling. "Math's still awful. You know that."

"True," Lucas said, his grin widening. "But at least now you get to chill for a bit."

I nodded, taking a bite of my pizza and leaning back. "I guess. Better than staring at numbers."

Lucas leaned back as well, still picking at his pizza. "You know," he said, more casually than I expected, "this is pretty fun. Just us, chilling."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, the corner of my lips tugging upward. "Yeah, it is."

The movie continued, but I found myself glancing over at Lucas every so often. He seemed so at ease. It was easy to forget how quiet he could be when he wasn't joking around. Just sitting there, next to me. I was starting to feel comfortable. Maybe too comfortable.

After a while, the pizza boxes were empty, and the show had reached a quiet lull. Chloe, noticing the silence in the room, stood up and stretched. "Well, my mum's coming to pick me up soon," she said. "She can drop Sophia off since we live close."

Sophia nodded, standing up and grabbing her bag. "Thanks again, Chloe."

"No problem," Chloe said, walking toward the door. "Catch you later."

"See you tomorrow," Sophia added, waving goodbye as Chloe led her out.

The house was quieter now, with just me, Lucas, and my brothers still hanging around. I glanced at Lucas, and we locked eyes for a split second before both of us quickly looked away. Something shifted between us, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I felt this weird flutter in my chest, but then the moment passed, and everything was back to normal—except, maybe, I was more aware of him now.

"You good?" Lucas asked, his voice low, almost as if sensing that something had changed.

I blinked, quickly looking back at the TV. "Yeah. Fine."

Lucas didn't press the issue, though I could tell he was still watching me out of the corner of his eye. I could feel his presence next to me, something comforting about it, and at the same time, something I couldn't quite grasp.

A few minutes passed in silence, and then Lucas spoke again. "Wanna go to your room?"

I shrugged, trying to act casual. "Sure. Might as well."

We both stood up, and without another word, we headed up the stairs toward my room. There was something about being alone with Lucas that made me feel both nervous and calm at the same time. As we entered my room, I shut the door behind us, and Lucas immediately flopped down on my bed, tossing the pillows aside like he owned the place.

I chuckled, sitting down at my desk. "You know, you really act like you live here sometimes."

Lucas grinned. "Hey, I'd live here if I could. You've got the comfiest setup."

I raised an eyebrow. "What, just the bed?"

"Not just the bed. The vibe. The whole place." He gestured around the room, then paused for a second. "It's got... character."

I laughed, and then there was that moment again—our eyes meeting, this time for a little longer. The air seemed to thicken, but neither of us said anything. Lucas just smiled, and I turned away quickly, trying to hide the heat creeping up my neck.

"Alright," Lucas said, breaking the silence. "Math time?"

I sighed dramatically. "I don't know if I can do any more studying."

Lucas sat up, pushing himself off the bed and onto the floor with a soft thud. "I get that. But you need to pass, Shorty."

"Stop calling me that," I muttered, though there was no real heat behind it.

Lucas shrugged, his grin never leaving. "You know you love it."

I rolled my eyes. "Only you can call me that, and I'm not happy about it."

Lucas's expression softened a little, his gaze steady on me. For a second, I could feel the entire room quieting around us. I swallowed, unsure of what to say next.

Then, Lucas smiled gently. "Alright. I'll stop. For now."

I blinked, suddenly aware of how close we were. The moment felt heavy, but the sound of my brothers downstairs brought me back to reality. I turned toward the desk, my heart still racing. "You just said you would stop."

Then, Lucas smiled gently. "Alright. I'll stop. For now."

"Okay so what do you want to do?" I said praying he does not say studying.

"I am too exhausted to continue studying so let's leave it for today" Luca said as he threw his back onto my pillow.

"I agree, what do you want to do" I said as I turned around to face Lucas.

"No idea , many just watch some more tv or just chat. What do you think shorty?" He replied.

I blinked, suddenly aware of how close we were. The moment felt heavy, but the sound of my brothers downstairs brought me back to reality. I turned back toward the desk, my heart still racing.

"You just said you would stop calling me that," I muttered, trying to keep my cool.

Lucas chuckled softly and shifted in his seat. "I did," he said, leaning back slightly, "but you know, sometimes it just slips out. Like right now, Shorty."

I froze, my eyes narrowing at him. "Did you really just—?"

Lucas grinned, completely unbothered by my reaction. "What? You're my Shorty. You know I can't help it."

I huffed, trying to ignore the little flutter in my chest. "Seriously?"

He shrugged, still smiling. "You just make it too easy."

I turned toward the desk again, hoping the tension would melt away. And my red cheeks would disappear.

Just as I was about to say something back to Lucas, there was a knock on my door before Easton pushed it open. He leaned against the frame, arms crossed.

"It's getting late," he said casually. "Lucas, you staying over or heading home?"

I glanced at Lucas, suddenly hoping he'd stay.

Lucas didn't even hesitate. "Staying."

Easton smirked. "Figured. I'll let your parents know." He pointed at me. "Try not to keep each other up all night, alright?"

I rolled my eyes. "We're literally studying."

Easton raised an eyebrow like he didn't believe me, then shook his head. "Right. Studying." He turned and walked out, muttering, "Good luck with that."

As soon as he was gone, I stretched and let out a yawn. "I'm getting changed."

Lucas grinned. "Ooh, do I get a fashion show?"

I threw a pillow at his head. "Shut up."

Laughing, I grabbed my pajamas and started changing. I pulled the shirt over my head first, then turned to see Lucas watching me, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Those are cute," he said with a smirk.

I paused, looking down at myself. "They're just pajamas."

"Yeah," Lucas said, still smirking, "but they're cute pyjamas."

I huffed, feeling my face heat up as I grabbed my pillow and smacked him with it. "Stop being weird."

Lucas just laughed and leaned back on his hands. "I don't have anything to change into, by the way."

I frowned. "You can borrow something of mine."

Lucas gave me a look. "Adrian, no offense, but your clothes are too small for me."

I crossed my arms. "Rude."

Lucas just grinned. "Not my fault I'm bigger."

I scowled. "Rude."

Lucas laughed. "What? It's true."

I huffed. "Whatever. So, what are you sleeping in then?"

Lucas shrugged, tugging off his hoodie and tossing it onto my desk chair. "T-shirt and boxers, I guess."

I stiffened as he casually pulled off his jeans, leaving him in just his t-shirt and boxers like it was nothing.

Meanwhile, my face was on fire.

I quickly turned away, suddenly very focused on fixing my hoodie sleeves. "Cool. Great. Good for you."

Lucas chuckled. "You alright over there, Shorty?"

"Fine," I muttered. "Absolutely fine."

Lucas didn't push it, but I could hear the amusement in his voice as he said, "Alright then. Let's get some sleep."

I nodded quickly, climbing into bed and trying to ignore the fact that Lucas was half-dressed in my room. I pulled my blankets over me, hoping my face wasn't as red as it felt.

Lucas stretched before flopping onto the bed next to me, lying on top of the covers. "This bed's way softer than mine," he murmured.

"Then sleep on the floor," I shot back.

Lucas chuckled. "Nah, I'm good here."

I sighed, closing my eyes and trying to ignore how aware I was of his presence next to me.

This was going to be a long night.

Lucas POV:

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up to warmth pressed against me.

For a second, I was disoriented, my brain sluggish as I tried to figure out why I felt so... weird. Then I realized—Adrian.

He had shifted closer in his sleep, his small frame curled into my side, his head resting against my shoulder, his breath warm against my neck. His fingers were loosely curled into the fabric of my t-shirt, as if he had grabbed onto me at some point and just... never let go.

And I... I couldn't move.

I should have. I should've shifted away, even just slightly, but I didn't.

Instead, I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, my heartbeat picking up in a way that had nothing to do with being startled awake.

Because this—this was messing with my head.

It wasn't like we'd never fallen asleep next to each other before. We'd had sleepovers a hundred times. But something about this felt different.

Maybe it was because I was older now—because we were older now. Because at some point, my feelings had shifted from just friendship to something else. Something more.

Something I couldn't say out loud.

Not to him.

Not when I had no idea if he even felt the same.

Not when risking it meant losing the most important person in my life.

I swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of every little thing—how soft his hair looked, how steady his breathing was, how easily he had curled into me, like it was natural.

Like he felt safe here.

And that was the part that really got to me.

Because even if I wanted more—more than just teasing and sleepovers and the easy closeness we had—I'd rather have this than nothing at all.

So I didn't move.

I let him stay close, let myself savor the moment, even if it made my heart race, even if it made my stomach twist with things I couldn't say.

Because this was Adrian.

And I'd take whatever I could get.

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Word count: 2080

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.

Hope you like this part with Lucas POV .

Thanks for reading this chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*