Lucy's p.o.v

Kai walked into the living room.

"They left you?" He asked, "For real?".

"They went to buy celebratory things. You know.. Because Francy and Remi got accepted into the competition with their idea." I leaned on the couch.

Kai was instantly on defense. "Oh so she left you to try to talk me out of it."

"Nope. She said she'll go on her own if she has to." I lied. A bit. But that stopped him from leaving the room.

He came back and pulled out a chess board from the drawer under the TV.

"Want to play?"

"Sure."

I got white and he got black.

Kai was putting up his figures on the board. "Then you're not here to say anything about it?"

He broke the silence.

I was putting up mine. "That's not true either," I answered.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced at me.

We started playing.

"I can't tell you what to do with your relationship." I started off. "You have your own thing and pace with Remi and I have my own with Francy. If I can help it I wouldn't have this conversation."

"Aha." Kai made his next move with the rook.

"But since this involves you and Francy. I have to say something about it."

"Why does that matter?"

I moved my knight. "Well, we're friends right. And we're close. Like family."

"Okay. I see your point." Kai made another move.

I moved my rook. "That's why I'm kind of disappointed that you're making two friends fight when the situation can be helped."

Kai scoffed and moved his pawn. "I'm not sure how you can let Francy go when you barely saw her these past few months. If anything I'd be worried to let her out of my sight."

That stung. "Francy and I have an arrangement." I moved my pawn.

"I have one with Remi." His next move took my pawn.

"But yours is interfering with mine."

"Then you have a problem. Not me."

That didn't even... Ah he was getting on my nerves.

"I can see why they hate arguing with you." I looked down at the board and moved my next pawn.

"Then why bother?" He smirked and moved another pawn..

"Because if you keep this up you will lose Remi way faster before you reach a house with five children."

I knew that would rattle him.

He faced me. "What do you mean?"

"It's only the beginning. Problems will keep arising that might keep you guys apart. And the way you handled this first problem..." I answered.

Kai moved his rook. "I still don't understand you."

I continued playing.

"When I was worried that Ace might disapprove of my relationship with Francy, do you know what I did? I told Francy all my worries and you know how we solved them.. We broke up."

"Yeah. But that didn't happen with Remi."

We kept playing.

"But she solved your problem now. At the expense of her friendship with Francy. What about the next problem? Of course, she wants to make you happy and quit that trip. Francy was ready to do the same. Do you think I want her to go? " I made my move and took his rook. "But I have to think about her happiness too. What if tomorrow this costs her career and she's sad to have missed this opportunity. Sometimes you have to nudge her in the right direction even when you don't want to. You have to convince her that everything is going to be fine even if you don't know yourself."

Kai looked down at the board and then me.

"I'm not telling you to change your mind right away. Just think about it."

Kai leaned over the board in thought. "Let's play for now."

I smiled. "Sure. "

Now moving on the next matter that was already in my grasp... winning.

***

Francy's p.o.v

I was setting the table in my room with snacks when Kai showed up beckoning me to come.

I turned my head on the other side. I didn't want to talk to him.

My phone vibrated on the table. I glanced at it and I saw it was a message from Kai.

"I don't want to see it." I turned around and told him.

"It's an apology. If you want the rest of it, come to my room." He left.

I sighed. Apology?

Does that mean Elric talked to him and he is willing to let Remi go?

I opened the message.

Oh my god.

It was a picture of Elric doing a pull-up and he was shirtless.

When did he get this jewel?

I ran back upstairs slamming his door open.

"I want the rest of it."

Kai suggested I sat down. I immediately did.

"I'm going to let Remi go with you." He said.

I gasped but he cut me off.. "But with a condition."

"Okay.." I let the air out. "Shoot."

"I'm going to come over, once a week to see her and even help if you need help to get things done faster."

"Uh done and done." I smiled. Like that was an issue.

"And if I see a guy around her, talking to her,  or breathing around her.."

"I will let him taste hell for you." I grinned.

"I called her to come over tonight and I'll talk to her." He sighed defeated.

"Aaaaaa. Thank you thank you thank you.." I attacked him with a hug. "You're the best."

"Now to apologize for the fight this might have been caused because of me." He pulled out his phone and smirked. He pressed send and sent me over 50 pictures.

He might be my coldest brother but you can always trust him to do the right thing and be just.

My phone was going beep.beep.beep like crazy and my eyes turned into stars glancing at the picture.

"Are these from the team bonding party?" I asked.

"Yes. I had all the guys send me the pictures they took and I forwarded the ones with Elric to you."

Ohohohoho. This will do nicely to my collection.

 Elric was in all sorts of poses shirtless and wet..oh my ..

"Come downstairs for cake and champagne," I told Kai and went back to the room to look at the rest of the photos in detail.

Remi's p.o.v

"What if she tries to kill me again?"

Kai pulled my hand again. "She won't."

We were standing in front of the house, ready to go in.

"What if she gives me an ugly piece of cake? She could, you know. She's petty like that. "

"I'll switch plates with you." He pulled me again.

"What if she decided to get drunk and spill all of my secrets in front of you?"

He turned around to face me. "Are there any secrets that I need to be worried about?"

I smiled and pulled his hand. "You know what. We wasted so much time. Let's just go in."

He followed me to the door and I stopped again just as he was about to reach for the door handle.

"Are you sure?" Are you really really sure?" I turned to ask him. "I know we talked about it on the phone and you said you changed your mind and you want me to be successful but what happened to our summer together, or the kisses you promised...what if I miss you so much that I can't stand it? What if you miss me so much that you decided to try to forget me with another girl"

He stared at me, shaking his head in disapproval. "I already cleared up everything about that over the phone."

I took both of his hands in mine "Again. Tell me again. I want to see your lips moving when you say it."

He looked down at my hands, pulled away and then cupped my face leaning over my lips.

"I will be there once a week. I'll call you every day. I'm going to be all over you this summer until you're sick of it. So that part still counts."

"What about you know...your promise.."

He straightened up and covered his eyes with his hand. I could see his ears burning red. "I should have never done that. I went too far. Forget that. Erase it. "

I took a step closer and played with the button of his shirt. "Why? I liked it."

He shook his head. "Nope. Those kinds of kisses can wait. We have our whole lives ahead of us."

"Our whole lives?" My mouth hung open.? "Did you not like it?"

"Uh of course I like it. I'm thinking of you. You need time." He explained.

"What time? Time? I don't need time." I wrapped my arms around his waist and tried to kiss him.

He tried to nudge me off. "Come on, we need to go inside."

I hugged him tighter and puckered my lips.

"Remi we can't do this.." He started glancing around if someone was peeking from the window or the neighbors were watching.

" How long are you planning on making me wait?" I smiled and then puckered my lips again.

He suddenly tripped me and I fell into his arms over his knee. I gripped his shoulders as a survival instinct.

He smiled and pressed his lips on mine.

I returned the kiss and slowly started getting into it. And just as it was getting good he pulled away from me and swooped me up.

"Time to go in." He opened the door and left me outside in a daze.

Ah.... that's what I get for dating such a tease. It's okay Remi. You can deal with his cold mysterious aura. After all, as he said.

You got your whoooole life ahead of you.

***

Francy's p.o.v

Remi carefully walked in the room. Kai who walked in first, sat down next to Ace leaving the space next to me empty.

Remi took a step closer watching me as I'd snap at any given moment. She walked over to Kai pointing at him "Is this seat empty?"

"That's my lap." Kai said.

Remi glanced at me like a scaredy cat and then dropped in Kai's lap. "I know what I said."

"Wohohooo." Ace and Elric made sounds in the back like children.

Kai tried to signal to Remi to get off but she was looking at me.

"I'm not mad." I smiled and opened my arms. "Come here. I forgive you."

"Really?" She asked suspiciously.

"Of course. Kai paid the due for everything and fixed things."

She leaped from Kai's lap and hugged me. "Sorry for everything."

"Sorry for being pushy. I know you didn't want to leave Kai as much as I didn't want to leave Elric." I tapped her back.

She pulled away with a grin. "We can start planning for everything then."

"Yes. And celebrate." I gave her a glass of champagne first and then slid over the table a plate with cake on it.

A ruined thin piece of cake.

She looked at the piece, me and then at Kai. Then she sighed. "It's okay. I knew you were going to be petty."

I raised my glass. "To our future."

Everyone raised their glass and clinked. "To our future."

Kai secretly switched Remi's plate with his.

Aww, I guess everything worked out in the end. Remi and I were going to work on the project, Elric was okay with it and Kai and Remi remained in love. Life really had a way of working things out.

Please don't forget to vote on the chapter besties ❤ I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

See you in the next one