Chapter 44
I sighed with acceptance into the kiss, as if my body was waiting for his lips to meet mine.
My hands cupped the back of his neck, bringing him closer to my mouth just as he bit my lower lip.
A gasp left me and he pressed his knees between my legs. Without wanting him to move away from me any further, I hiked my legs up so they were now wrapped around his waist, bringing us closer together.
My heat covered his, and I felt him harden under me as a low groan left him. "Emma," he hissed, removing his lips from mine.
Before I could protest from the lack of connection between us, he latched his lips onto my neck, and a low moan left me as he slowly began to suck on one spot.
"Lucas," I moaned when he moved away, and I opened my eyes to see his icy blue eyes covered with lust.
I could only imagine I looked the same.
Before I could bring him closer to me, he cut the distance between us before his lips crashed to my own.
Lucas rose his hand under my shirt and began to massage my waist, which caused me to moan once more just before his tongue slowly moved passed my parted lips.
Both of his hands gripped my waist before bringing my upper body closer to him as he massaged my tongue with his own.
Before I could enjoy the sensation of how passionate his kisses were, another voice joined us outside.
"You know, the thing about the new doorbell? It's a camera," a static voice said by the front door, and from shock, I unintentionally loosened my hold on Lucas' waist before falling on my butt.
Lucas stepped in front of me, as if he was guarding me from the camera by the front door.
"Jason?" Lucas asked with a hard voice, and Jason chuckled.
"Yeah. My phone rang with a notification that someone was in front of my house a while ago. I thought you guys were talking and let you be... but after a few minutes, a guy gets worried," he admitted, and Lucas' shoulders sagged slightly.
Slowly, I got up from my spot as I rubbed my lips. "Don't worry, I'll delete the footage from our history so my parent's don't see," Jason clarified, and we both nodded before he said his final goodbye.
Lucas slowly turned around, facing me with a blank expression. "Are you gonna stay?" I asked warily, and he sighed before shaking his head.
"No," he began. "I need to go home anyways."
"Okay," I bit my lower lip. "Bye, Luke."
He cracked a smile. "Bye, Hope."
Lucas moved around me and walked down the few steps before heading to his car. I didn't move from my spot until he was driving safety down the street.
When I got inside Jason's house, he was standing arms crossed with a smirk on his lips.
It was only a few seconds before he started laughing.
"Oh, shut up," I grumbled before taking the same spot I sat in before.
â¡
"Wake up fat ass," Jason shouted, flying in mid air to land on top of me.
But little did he know my alarm rang silently next to me before, and I turned it off, anxiously waiting for him to jump me.
He didn't know what came next.
Before he landed on top of me, I threw him on the bed, and may or may not have accidentally kneed his stomach.
Jason cussed too loud, which responding to his mom coming into the room and scold him for his foul language.
Before he left, he looked over his shoulder and glared at me. I responded with a slick smile.
Thankfully, he closed the door behind him, in which I then headed to the bathroom to do the normal routine.
Once I walked out, I put on loose, light washed jeans and a grey tee shirt before heading downstairs with my phone in hand.
"Ready, Jasey?" I asked with a high pitch voice, and he turned around from his spot in front of the table to narrow his eyes on me.
Without looking away, he grabbed the keys from the table behind him before walking passed me, heading to the front of the house to put on his shoes.
I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my bag from the corner of the living room before slipping into my running shoes.
Gotta love Monday.
"My mom said if she hears one more bad word leaving me, she'll fucking sew my lips shut," Jason grumbled once we were both sitting in his car, and I chuckled.
He glared at me once more before turning on the engine.
"It's not my fault you need holy water, a bible, and Jesus," I admitted as he drove down the street, going slightly faster than the speed limit.
Although he seemed frustrated, I saw him crack a smile.
For the rest of the ride, we drove in silence with the radio playing softly in the background.
We walked next to each other as we entered the school, where I began to see Alyssa and Kim come into view, who looked like they were in deep conversation.
"Hey," I smiled at both of them once we reached them, and they turned to us with a matching smile.
"Em, I see Dylan, I'll meet with you later," he whispered in my ear, and I nodded before watching him walk down the jam packed hall, which was where Dylan was standing with one of his classmates.
When I turned back to Alyssa, she was grinning widely. "So, I was wondering... do you wanna come with us to a Chinese restaurant after school?"
I shrugged casually. "That sounds good. Who is taking..." My sentence was cut short when I saw Lucas joining the Jason and Dylan in the conversation.
"We're gonna meet by my car, okay?" Kim said, and I looked back to her with a nod just as the warning bell ring.
"I'll see you both at lunch," I smiled, and the both of them waved goodbye before I turned around and found the staircase to go upstairs to my left.
However, while I was walking, I felt someone walking next to me. Curiously, I looked over my right shoulder, and when I saw Alec catching up next to me, I groaned.
"Seriously, can't you take a hint?" I asked, and he sighed, stomping up the stairs faster so he was slightly ahead of me.
"Can you stop being stubborn and talk to me?"
"I'm not stubborn. I'm just denying that you and I were ever a thing," I snarled, but my eyes flashed with hope when I saw the third floor coming up closer.
Just one more flight of stairs.
Thankfully, for the next few seconds, Alec was silent. But when he reached the top floor, I moved to open the doors when he grabbed a hold of my hand.
I rip my hand out of his grip and he only replied by shoving my back harshly against the wall.
I resisted the urge to hiss in pain.
"I don't want us to be on bad terms anymore, Emma," he whispered, and I rolled my eyes, trying not to let more harsh words leave me.
Before I could tell him to get off of me, loud steps erupted inside of the staircase, and I looked to my left to see Lucas rushing up the stairs, taking almost three at a time.
Alec backed away from me just a step before Lucas reached the last stair.
Lucas' eyes narrowed. I was worried for a brief moment that he would start a fight in school, but instead, he grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together before pushing the door open.
We walked into the hall in silence, our hands still locked together.
But as we walked inside of the class, my heart rate increased rapidly just by the thought of our hands entwined together.
â¡
The final bell for the day rang at 2.55pm, and everyone rushed out of their classes, eager to go home.
Although I was mildly regretted making plans after school, I felt that it would be rude to bail out now, so I just decided to go with it.
True to Kim's word, they were both standing by the front of her car outside of the school, and I greeted them with a smile before opening the passenger door for myself.
Kim drove for ten minutes before we were parked outside of a 1500 square feet restaurant with neon red lights surrounding the front.
"I haven't been here for so many years," I smiled as I remembered the memories of me and my family eating here.
I shoved them back to avoid feeling anything.
You could see the inside of the restaurant through the floor to ceiling windows, and I bit my lower lip at the sight of the red walls with black lettering.
When we got inside, the young, twenty year old man guided the three of us to half a booth in front of the large windows out front. Kim and Alyssa sat beside each other on the side which instead of chairs, was a couch.
For me, I sat on the chair across from them.
"I'll give you a few minutes to decide what you would like to order," the waiter, who later introduced himself as Steven, said, and I slowly nodded.
I didn't want to be a freak and suggest if I could order already because I looked at the menu ahead of time.
The three of us discussed what we think would be an ideal date when Kim's response caught my attention.
"Honestly, my ideal date is being with the person who makes it ideal," she said, blushing slightly as she looked down to her lap in embarrassment.
I cracked a smile. "I agree."
Steven walked up towards us with a soft smile. "What would you like to order?"
After calmly opening the menu, I didn't bother reading anything before saying the dish I wanted to eat. Chicken Lo Mein with the side of vegetable spring rolls.
Both of them ordered after me and Steven nodded once before saying that he will be back with our food soon.
Just as we began our conversation again â this time about how we feel on the Aladdin remake â the bell by the front door rang.
Out of curiosity, I looked over both Alyssa and Kim's head, only to see Alec fucking Bennett striding towards us.
"Why the hell is your brother here, Alyssa?" I hissed once I pressed my elbows against the table while leaning forward.
Alyssa nervously looked at her brother who was nearing us before looking back to me. "I'm sorry, Em. He practically demanded to know where you would be after school."
I glared at her with a clenched jaw, feeling slightly betrayed that she'd go behind my back to support her brother who had put me through hell last year.
"Hey guys," Alec said breathlessly as he took the seat on my right, and my jaw clenched when he hit my knee with his.
When Alec finally looked away from me and glanced at his phone, I glared at Alyssa, who pouted while Kim chuckled slightly before patting her head.
The whole time we were waiting for our food felt longer than ever.
After what felt like thirty minutes, the food we all ordered was delivered in front of us, and presented in nice plates.
Steven's presence must have broken the awkward tension between all of us because right when the food landed on the table, the bad energy lifted.
The things food can do.
But not even food was gonna make me talk to him.
But Alec Bennett didn't like taking the hint. "Emma," he said quietly so he wouldn't interrupt Kim and Alyssa's separate conversation. "Look at me."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Just because I finished my food doesn't mean I'm a happy rainbow.
Is it wrong to want to throw him across the room?
"Can we talk?" He asked, and I took a quick peek at him to see him eyeing the girls in front of us before looking back to me. "Alone?"
I let out a sigh before getting up from the table without another word.
Without having to look back, I knew he was shocked before following me to an empty table that can hold up to two people.
Thankfully it wasn't busy, so they wouldn't mind. I sat on the opposite side of Alec while his gaze roamed around my face before sighing.
My eyebrows rasied. "Are you gonna start or..."
Alec hung his head low and laughed with a shake of his head before looking back to me. "Sorry, it's just weird for you to listen to me willingly."
"Considering how you won't leave me the fuck alone, I'm just getting this over with."
He nodded. "Understood," he cleared his throat with his eyes cast down before looking at me.
"I'm sorry."
My gaze shifted to my lap to avoid staring into his intense brown eyes.
"I know I have no excuse. I know that. I was stupid, hormonal, and I'm sorry," he began. "I don't want us to be on bad terms, Emma."
"And why's that?" I said quickly when I looked back to him, and he sighed.
"No matter what thoughts you have about me in your head, Em, I still care about you," he said before adding, "also, you're friends with my sister. We'll see each other whether we like it or not," he said with a small chuckle, and I slowly nodded.
I got what he meant. We'll be in the same school for the next year and a half, and it's obvious that we would be seeing more of each other.
So, deciding to be mature about the situation, I slowly nodded. "Fine."
Alec grinned, and he leaned forward slightly, but when he saw my confused expression, he moved back with a small smile.
"Let's head back."
â¡
We spent the last hour talking about things that when I look back at it now, I hardly remember most of it.
When it was time for us to head home, Alec offered to drive me home, but thankfully, Kim noticed my struggle to say no and offered to take me instead.
Alyssa rode back with her brother while Kim and I headed to the direction of Jason's house.
When she dropped me off, I waved one final goodbye before rushing to the front of the house.
Pulling out the spare key Daniella gave me when I first started living with them, I pressed it into the keyhole and unlocked the door, but who was waiting on the other side made my heart stop.
"Lucas," I said slowly. "What are you doing here?"
He looked at me for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "Jason and I were chilling. He wanted some snacks so he went to get," he explained, and I slowly nodded.
"Oh," was all I managed to say.
Lucas looked like he was struggling to hold himself back from me, but I knew he lost the battle with himself when he tugged himself closer to me.
Within a few seconds, Lucas was standing in front of me and cupped both of my cheeks.
"Do you still have feelings for him?" He said with a whisper suddenly, and my eyes widened before taking a step back from him.
"Who?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious.
He didn't fall for it. "You know who."
A sigh left me before my shoulders decided to sag. "No. I don't have feelings for him. Not for a long time," I whispered, and he slowly nodded.
"Why are you asking this, Lucas?" I asked after a few seconds passed when I noticed he wasn't responding.
He clenched his jaw and looked off to the side. "I saw you and him eating together when I was driving passed the restaurant."
First, I wanted to ask why he was in the area, considering it was no where near Jason's house, or his. But when I noticed why he was asking those type of questions, I sighed.
Without giving him enough time to comprehend what I'm about to do, I took a step forward and used one hand to wrap it around his neck so I was touching the hairs behind his head before I brought his head lower.
Our lips met, and I sighed into the kiss as he slowly placed his hands on my waist. Our kiss stayed slow as we enjoyed it through every second.
When we moved back, my eyes fluttered open to see his gaze already on me. "Alec means nothing to me because I'm in love with you, Lucas," I whispered.
â¡
Ah, there's one more chapter left until the epilogue! That's so crazy to think about!
I hope you lovelies enjoyed this chapter, I love you so much!
I'll see you lovelies in the next one xx