(Willow is back!)
Eden's POV:
I looked at Lucas, worry flooding through me. He looked weaker than he did when he left for his training. Most people wouldn't notice, but I noticed the increasing bags under his eyes, and the way his eyes dropped. He hadn't been resting.
"They miss you," I told him to ease his worries. "Every day. They're proud of you, Luke."
Lucas only smiled at me. I shook my head and reached out to open the door.
"I'm home," I murmured as a force of habit. Dad liked it when I announced my arrival, mostly because he said he usually doesn't hear me coming in, and it scares him.
Dad popped his face through the kitchen, a smile on his face. My parents had me and Lucas when they were both twenty. Although they were old, it was like they'd never aged. My dad still had his soft brown hair and the mischievous twinkle of his eyes.
"Eden!" he exclaimed before he frowned. "Ashley isn't here today? That's a surprise."
I shrugged, moving away slightly.
"I didn't bring Ashley," I replied, walking over to him. "But I do have another surprise."
I looked back, expecting Lucas to pop out. He did, but his steps were slow.
Dad's eyes widened. He looked quite handsome when he looked shocked. Before I knew it, dad walked over to Lucas and engulfed him in a hug.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" Dad asked with a hint of playfulness. "I missed you, squirt. How've you been doing? You look like a mess. Haven't you been taking care of yourself? Kenz will freak when she sees you!"
Lucas attempted to get away from dad, mostly because it was dad's way of embarrassing him. I found it amusing.
"Where is mom, anyway?" Lucas asked, attempting to steer the conversation away.
"Bathroom," dad answered, his face glowing brightly.
It warmed my heart seeing dad happy like that. These days, he had been very stressed. He would spend sleepless nights trying to find solutions for the company. It wasn't a good thing–dad gets sick a lot because of it. Mom scolds him a lot but what can dad do about it?
Seeing Lucas made him happy. I wish he'd stay. Without him, the family doesn't feel complete.
(Yuppers!
Time skip to dinner?)
(Cool!)
Ashley’s POV:
I grabbed my purse from my desk chair and double checked that my hair and makeup were still good. With a slight frown, I ran my fingers through my slightly-messy hair and tamed it a bit. It wasn’t too bad, but I hated when it was a mess.
Dashing out of my bedroom, I headed straight for he front door. “By Mama! By Dad! I’m off to the McArthurs’!” I called over my shoulder as I slipped my shoes on and ran out the door.
Climbing back into my Jeep, I drove to my best friend’s house, music blaring once more. It was only a few minutes later whe I arrived, barely enough time for two songs. But that was fine, because I was getting Kenzie’s pancakes tonight!
Jumping out and locking my car, I walked up to the door and rang the bell. I probably could have just walked in, but I hated doing that. It just seemed impolite.
Lucas's POV:
When the bell rang, I saw Eden perk up. Usually, my little sister didn't display any hesitancy. She just did things. She didn't hesitate. Seeing her act like that made me curious.
"Is that Ashley?" dad questioned, raising an eyebrow at Eden, who nodded in reply. My heart immediately dropped to my stomach. I glared at Eden, but she ignored me. How could she do that? She knew about our situation. Ashely hates me. Does she think Ashley would sit and have dinner with me?
I immediately stood up.
"I feel a little sick," I said, although it wasn't entirely a lie. "I'll go rest for a while and eat later, okay, mom, dad?"
Dad raised an eyebrow at me. I knew he knew about me and Ashley, but he never brought it up. I guess he respected my privacy. That, or he truly believed it happened.
"Eat first," dad told me strictly. Usually, he was all fun and games, but there were times when dad was strict.
"I'll–" I could complete my sentence because at that very moment, a familiar girl walked into the living room, a bright grin on her face as she opened her mouth to greet my parents. Upon seeing me, her grin deflated. It was like a punch to the gut.
Ashley’s POV:
As soon as I walked into the room, I froze. I can’t believe my eyes… What was he doing here? I thought he was oversees, doing some dance thing?
“Oh. Lucas. You— You’re here…” I stuttered, chewing on my lip.
I managed to avoid looking directly at him; I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I do, however, manage to send a glare at my best friend. I’m sure she knew he was going to be here. That was probably the reason I couldn’t come over earlier, too. And why I’m not spending the night.
Not that I’d really want to. Not with him here. Not after what happened.
Lucas's POV:
Seeing Ashley standing there made something flutter in my stomach, but I forced myself to ignore it. She looked at me with anger and I flinched.
"I… I remember something I have to do," I stumbled on my words a little, addressing my father but keeping my eyes on Ashley. She'd gotten prettier than the last time I saw her, but she still looked the same to me. Those soft, silky hair, her usually twinkling eyes… "I'll be back soon."
I hoped dad would let me go. He should because he knows the consequences of letting Ashley and I stay in the same room. My dad sighed. Before he could answer, Eden's voice interrupted us.
"You take one step out of this room," she started, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "And you'll regret it. Lucas, I will hurl you across the wall and will gladly watch you break."
I shot a glare at her, but the look in her eyes deepened. I knew I couldn't test her. Eden was dangerous, I knew that, and I also understood she did what she said she would do.
"I need to have a word with Lucas," my father spoke up, a tire in his tone. "We'll be back in a while. Kenzie will be here shortly, so you don't have to wait that long."
Ashley’s POV:
As soon as Lucas and Hunter left, I turned to face Eden, glaring at her fiercely. “You knew about this. Why? Why didn’t you tell me he was going to be? You know what happened! I don’t want to see him. Not right now. Not after what happened…”
Eden's POV:
I sighed, closing my eyes, rubbing the back of my head before I moved to meet Ashley's eyes.
"No, Ashley, I don't know what happened," I answered quietly. "You don't know that, either. You're merely assuming things. Luke hasn't even opened up about it, and you haven't given him the chance to do it, either."
It was the first time I told her this. I'd kept quiet about it, but I knew my brother wouldn't do anything like this. He was anything but someone who'd take advantage of a woman. He was too much of an honest guy to do that.
Ashley’s POV:
I knew she was right. I knew Lucas wouldn’t do something like that. But I also knew that he hadn’t denied it. And then he just left. Without a goodbye. Without even telling me he was leaving.
“I think I should go home,” I eventually choked out, moving to get my things from beside the door.
Lucas’s POV:
Dad seemed upset, I could tell from the way his eyebrows had been furrowed. Dad usually wasn’t upset, especially not at Eden and I, but things seemed to be a little different now.
“Let me tell you a short story, Luke,” dad said, eyeing me up and down. “There was a man who was in love. That girl meant everything to him. But because of a small mistake on his part, she ended up dying. The girl’s brother blamed him for something that was out of his control; the boy didn’t even deny it. He just accepted it because it was the easy thing to do—it was easy to make himself the one at fault.”
I frowned. I’d never heard a story like that before—not from dad, not from mom. If I didn’t know my dad better, I would have assumed he was making it up.
“Four year’s had passed and the girl still haunted him. However, once he told the truth, from scratch, about what happened, he felt better. He was ready to walk forward in life again.” Dad paused, staring at me with his unwavering eyes. “The reason I’m telling you this isn’t because your situation is the same, but because you’re avoiding confrontation. You’re avoiding it, and you’ve made even yourself think it was your fault. It isn’t. You have to stand up for yourself once in a while and tackle that problem. Lucas, do not be like that man in my story.”
I felt speechless. I didn’t know what to reply, but my dad wasn’t waiting for a reply. He simply turned on his heel, motioned for me, and disappeared behind the door again. I hesitated for a while, but followed him.
He was right. If I didn’t want to end up like that man in his story, I would have to clear it up with Ashley.
I entered the living room again, but I probably was too much in a rush, because I bumped into someone.
(gasps Was he talking about who I think he was talking about?)
Ashley’s POV:
Someone bumped into me as I was grabbing my things, and I stumbled back, murmuring an apology. When I looked at who’d run into me, my guards suddenly went back up, and I blinked at him.
“Lucas. Sorry, I was just leaving. I’m not going to be in your way anymore,” I told him with a wry smile as I started toward the door.
Okay… So that comment was probably unnecessary and rude, but I didn’t know how to react around him anymore. I wanted to snap and yell at him for leaving me, for just disappearing after what happened between us. But deep down, I also wanted to cry and hug him and go back to the way things used to be. Or the way things could have been…
(Yes, he was! XD)
Lucas’s POV
Hearing my name coming out of her mouth was harsh. She never called me Lucas.
“You used to call me Luca,” I teased, not knowing whether the sudden burst of confidence came from. I could only assume it was because of my father. He was always like this; confident, sly—a huge tease. “Always trailing after me. Now you’ve started to call me Lucas. I’m upset, Ashley.”
I didn’t know why I was saying that to her, but an aching part of me only wanted to hear her voice a little longer. I craved it—I craved her. I wanted things to go back to normal, but even if I broke down and told her the truth, why would she believe me?
Eden shouldn’t have invited her over. Sometimes, she’s infuriating. She does things without approval, especially if she thinks it’s going to work. Things seem too easy for her. She’s tough, so she can handle it. She just doesn’t think about the consequences for everyone else she ends up involving.
(Aw… Even though I already read that part, it almost made me cry in this context… 😭)
I froze in my tracks and slowly turned to face him. His words made me want to cry, to relive those sweet days… I just wanted my friend back…
“Oh, yes? Well, Luca, you called me Ash. And that seems to have changed as well. We are older now than we were back then. Those were childish nicknames, and we are no longer children," I retorted, refusing to blush at his teasing.
How could he make me feel this way? Even after all this time? I should be mad at him; mad that he left me; mad that he had the audacity to come back after all these years.
But I wasn’t. I was hurt and a little broken, but I wasn’t mad. I might look like I was, but that was only because I didn’t know how to show how I really felt. I hated crying, and crying would get me nowhere. Granted, neither would being angry…
(;^; I was too cruel to my baby…)
Lucas’s POV:
When my nickname slipped from her tongue, despite it being mockery, it felt good. Her words, however, had a negative affect. Maybe dad was right. Maybe I should confront her about it. I couldn’t stand being hated by her.
“Ash…” I started, eyeing Eden, who, despite her back to us, was listening. My dad looked at me with urging eyes, and I knew if I bailed out, he’d be disappointed. “We need to talk.”
(Nah, it’s good!)
Ashley’s POV:
I blinked. If he was saying we need to talk, rather than asking, he must be serious. He just wasn’t this forward about things usually.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded slowly. “Yeah… I think we should. We need to clear some things up. Can we go somewhere more…” I glanced around at the others in the room. “Um, private?”
(It’s to develop characters! :D)
Lucas’s POV:
I nodded, knowing I couldn’t do this in front of my family. I almost walked Ashley outside, but she moved on her own. I felt stupid to forget she knows every inch of this place. It made my face burn, but I quickly tried to regain my composure.
Once we were outside, she turned to face me, and all words were lost in my mouth.
(Exactly! ;D)
Ashley’s POV:
When I turned to face Lucas, he seemed to freeze. That was the boy that I knew, the boy who hardly knew how to form words for what he was thinking. Once he did, though, it was sweet.
At least, it was sweet when he actually spoke. About things that could be considered sweet. This, on the other hand, was not going to be so nice.
“Lucas? Are you going to talk?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Yeah. Real charming. He’s definitely going to want to be your friend again if you keep treating him this way…
Lucas’s POV:
I took a deep breath, opening my mouth, but closing it again, my heart beating faster. Why was it so hard to tell the truth? It was the truth, for God’s sake! You’re the McArthur’s son. Confidence runs in your veins. Just tell her the truth!
“I…” I stammered, fumbling with the buttons on my shirt. I shouldn’t have confronted her about this. This was a mistake. This was a terrible, terrible mistake. What do I even say? She’s not even going to believe it! Why wasn’t I born with my father’s confidence like Eden had?
Come on, Lucas, you can do this!
“It was a misunderstanding,” I finally blurted out, wanting to slap myself. If Eden was listening in, she definitely would hurl me across the wall for being too ‘cowardly.’
Ashley’s POV:
“It was a misunderstanding,” he finally blurted out.
And that was it. That was all he said. No “Sorry for leaving you,” or “Sorry that I didn’t explain earlier,” or “Sorry, Ashley, I wanted to tell you what happened, but I was just too much of a coward to do so…”
Okay, so that last one was mean. Really mean… Gosh, I needed to get my thoughts under control tonight. It was a good thing he couldn’t hear them.
“Of course. I’m sure that it was,” I said tightly, trying to keep from yelling at him.
Even I knew that wouldn’t help right now. Especially not when he had a hard time taking in the first place. My yelling would just scare him even more…
(Lucas is so darn adorable!)
Lucas’s POV:
I flinched, understanding that Ashley was this close to whacking me. Or murdering me.
“I’m… sorry for not telling you this sooner,” I continued in a small voice. “I didn’t… kiss you because of the dare. Nobody dared me to do that. Justin… liked you and they all dared him to do it.” My voice turned bitter when I mentioned Justin. “I… got jealous. It’s pretty pathetic, I know…”
(He is!)
Ashley’s POV:
He was jealous? Because someone else wanted to kiss me? That was actually… not what I was expecting…
“Lucas… I wish you would have told me this sooner…” I whispered, looking at my feet with a sigh. “Do you know what I’ve been thinking about you all this time? I just thought you were a jerk. I mean, you kind of were because you never told me this. And you just left without saying goodbye. And you didn’t even tell me you were leaving! Eden told me! Do you know how much that hurt?” I had raised my voice by now, so I was practically yelling at him. I needed to calm down, but I don’t know if I could.
“Do you know… Do you know how much I missed you?” I whispered, barely looking up at him.
Lucas’s POV:
I flinched at the loudness of Ashley’s voice, but I also knew I deserved it. She was right. It was a jerk move to leave without telling her. I should have been the one to tell her I was leaving, not Eden.
“Do you know…” Ashley’s voice dropped to a low whisper, her eyes refusing to meet mine. “Do you know much I missed you…?”
That sentence hit me like a slap to the face. She missed me? Even though that all happened, she missed me?
“I didn’t know how to tell you,” I admitted quietly. “You were angry, and you know an angry Ash terrifies me. I thought you were done with me, and I couldn’t show my face around anymore. But Ashley,
I’d be lying if I said I never think of you at all. You’re the first thought that crosses my mind when I wake up. You’re my motivation when I dance. You’re the last thought in my head before I go to sleep. I think of you ever day, every minute, every second, and I regret not speaking up. But think about it, Ashley. How would you feel if the one you loved claimed you used them just for the sake of a dare, like they didn’t even know you at all?”
(Oh… Okay… Yeah, I guess I wasn’t using my heart, anyway… Huh…)
Ashley’s POV:
I’m an idiot. And absolute idiot. I can’t believe I thought that about him, and he seems so hurt that I could have.
He thought I knew him, but then I broke that by thinking he would use me. And he wouldn’t. He never would.
Gosh, I am an absolute idiot.
I don’t even know what to say to that. He’s right, too. I should have known better. But I was surprised and hurt. And he wasn’t there to tell me otherwise.
“I’m sorry…” I whispered after a spell, willing the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes to just disappear. “I think… I’m so sorry, Lucas… I should, um, go…”
And with that, I turned and walked toward my car. Silent and doubting that our friendship would ever be able to come back from what he— what I did…
Lucas’s POV:
When I saw tears well up in her eyes, it felt like someone was squeezing my heart. I felt like diving under a car, honestly.
When Ashley turned around and began to walk away, I didn’t know what came over me. I just knew that I couldn’t let her go like that. Before I knew it, I pulled her to me from her arm and slammed my lips on hers, ignoring the embarrassment that threatened to coat my face in pink.
We were both at fault. But I couldn’t let her walk away from me without fixing this mistake.
