Chapter 15: CHAPTER 14

"Peace begins with a smile."- Mother Theresa.

Ashley's POV

Lucas!!

Oh my God, Lucas is in!

Lucas is iiinnnn!!!! I can't believe this.

I'm so so dumbfounded. And just looking at him reminds me how much I've missed him. His face, blonde hair, wet and curly. Gosh! he's so tall now— and oh still thin—lanky as ever. Jaw sharp, shoulders broad and muscular, muscles slightly burly. He looks completely ravishing and vivacious. Just wait till Cam sees him.

"Aren't you going to give your favorite person a hug?" he steps in and opens his arms wide, a goofy grin evident on his face. Without faltering for a bit, I take tiny steps forward and engulf him, breathing in his masculine cologne as his arms go around me, he rests his chin on my head.

"I missed you." He says before lifting his chin off my head and lowering his head to peck my forehead letting his lips linger a tad. This action forces a smile onto my face.

"Me too, I missed you more," I whisper before pulling away, he mirrors my actions He untangles his arms and squishes my cheeks together, the action forcing a giggle out of me.

"Come on." I grip his palm and pull him to the dining area.

Once we get close, all eyes including Cam's —struck with recognition— turn to us as we approach the table.

"Luke!" Dad exclaims, "Welcome back."

"Thanks." Lucas flashes him a smile.

Mom gets up from her seat with a bright smile on her face, she heads for Lucas and engulfs him in a hug, "How was your flight?" she asks when she pulls away.

"Honestly, it was..." he turns his attention to Cam, "fun." He flashes her a grin and I hear the sharp intake of her breath.

I see! Having effects already.

"You came right on time for dinner, come on, join us." Mum ushers him into a seat across from Cam.

Cam, I almost nearely forgot her, she's looking at Lucas with wide drooly eyes, I steadily take my seat beside her. I could already picture her reverie, I bet she's in la la land fawning and squealing over him. I can't blame her tho, Lucas looks like those hot models on the face of brand magazines, or better still that drool-worthy actor you can't help but have a silly crush on.

Footsteps wander down the stairs and when I turn my head to the source, I'm met with Dylan's face. I watch him take further steps down the stairs, without taking a real close look he walks to the table and takes his seat on one of the chairs, the one beside Lucas, across me.

"Lucas.." I say and Dylan whips his head to me and then towards the person beside him, Lucas, "...I was expecting you tomorrow, how come you're here today." I slightly furrow my brows questioningly at him.

"Yes, exactly! why are you here?" Dylan spits out harshly and I frown, I thought he was past this.

"Dylan!" Mum scolds disapprovingly, "Watch your words." she shoots him a glare, a daring one at that.

Lucas ignores his rudeness and replies, "I decided to take an early flight just to come see my favorite person." A smile graces his lips.

"Really?" I wiggle my brows, probing further.

"Of course." He gives me an 'I mean it' look and I hear Dylan scoff.  Yet again, Lucas ignores him. He's acting more mature than I expected.

"It's okay with the conversations, you can do that after food." Mum scolds.

And that was how dinner happened.

———–——

After dinner, I escorted Lucas to his car, which his parents brought down for him here, the same one he drove to our house, it was ready for his arrival at the airport.

I decided to help him pack his bags—something that Dylan was supposed to do—into Dylan's room, while there's an available room, the guest room. I think our parents are trying to make them learn how to tolerate each other, be civil with each other, even. I do hope this time around they get along, heaven knows they ought to get along.

While Cam is in my room grasping onto the fact that indeed Lucas has arrived, well Dylan, he's just being himself, it's evident from his actions that he doesn't like it one bit that he has to share his room but whatever, what my parents say is final and nothing's going to change that, not even a whiny attitude.

As we got closer, I couldn't help but admire the black shiny Mercedes parked near Dylan's car.

"Woah!" I exclaim in adoration as we finally get to it.

"You like it?" Amusement dances in his features.

"Did you say like it?"I shake my head disbelievingly, "I loooove it already."

"Well..." he smiles, "..since you're my favorite person, you can ride in it anytime you want."

"Anytime I want, are you serious?!" I jump in excitement.

"Yes," he pinches my cheeks.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome." He chuckles shaking his head.

Lucas opens the backseat and pulls out his suitcases—three heavy suitcases, if I may add— and shuts the door once they're all down.

"You know, I'm more than capable of carrying these into the room." he gestures to the suitcases.

"I'm just trying to help here, can't blame me." I shrug.

"Well, I've got muscles to do just that, so why don't you do me a favor?"

"What favor?" I crease my brows in confusion.

"You're gonna watch me carry them upstairs, let me do it."

"Okay." I concur, it's not like he'll listen to me anyway.

"In the meantime, while I'm doing that you could enjoy the comfiness of my car. How does that sound?"

"Oh my God! Great, that sounds..." I wink "Superb!." So without wasting time I open the passenger seat and climb in as I watch him pull the first suitcase into the house. I quickly pull out my phone from my pocket, I shuffle through a list of songs before finally settling for Unstoppable by Koryn Hawthorne ft Lecrae.

They told you that you couldn't do it...

I dance and sing along till it gets to the chorus.

Cause I'm unstoppable, I can only win...

Just then Lucas approached the car for the second suitcase but I ignored him, girl was getting some fineness.

The second song on my love emojis playlist starts playing

On the edge of a cliff, nothing below but tragedy...

I get so lost in singing that I don't realize that he's done with all the suitcases. He enters the driver's seat and I pause my music.

"Wanna go for a ride?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I squeal.

"Do you have any place in mind?"

"Yeah"

"Lead me then."

"Yes, boss" I mock salute.

We spent half an hour just roaming around. I showed him the ice cream parlor, our school, and a little bit of our neighborhood since he's now going to be living here and all of that.

When we come back, he parks his car and locks it before we enter the house.

"I wanted to ask who the girl present at dinner was, do I by any chance know her?" he questions as we climb the stairs.

"Her name's Camilla, my best friend, and no! I doubt you know her."

"I see..." he smiles "she's pretty."

"Oh my gosh! Are you freaking trying to hit on my friend?"

"She's pretty," he shrugs and winks before entering Dylan's room.

Immediately I entered my room, I find Cam by the door, pacing. Whoa! I thought she would have been asleep by now.

"He's so hot," she mutters with a pout which is later replaced by a frown.

Was she waiting just to tell me this?

Should I tell her Lucas called her pretty?

But what if he was just being flirty?

I chuckle. "Get over yourself Cam, you kinda zoned out at dinner. He does have that effect on you?"

"You won't understand, maybe if he wasn't your cousin, you would have maybe been in my shoes." She crosses her arms over her chest.

"I wonder what's gonna happen at school on Monday." I dreamily sigh.

"I definitely have to get over him," she says with determination "his hotness I mean, it calls for trouble."

"By the way, he said you were pretty."  Her eyes gleam with delight.

No shit Sherlock. Am I trying to help her get over him or worsening the case? How did that even slip from my lips?

"Really?!!" She giggles.

"Yeah," I say and a goofy grin spreads out on her face.

"I'm definitely going to have a good sleep," She walks over to the bed and climbs into it, she covers herself with the duvet and shuts her eyes, "Goodnight." She mutters.

"Sound sleep." I chuckle and join her.

_______

I stir in my sleep as I'm being shaken vigorously by an unknown human specie.

"Wake up," a voice whispers in my ears, "Come on."

"Ugh!!" I groan.

"Wake uuuup." The voice which I now decipher as Cam's uttered louder this time.

Slowly and grudgingly I tear my eyes open and shoot her a frown, for waking me up.

"Why are you waking me up at this time?"

"Let's make pancakes."

"What?!!" I yell.

Did she hit her head while sleeping? Someone tell me!!

***********

Hey! Lovely and amazing people. What's new with you?

Lucas is in. Do you like him already? Or?

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