Houston, Texas, in the Clarke Home, on Thursday, September 19th, 2030 at 7:30 pm

Rachel

My story is interrupted by Lucas' phone ringing. He gives me an apologetic look as he reaches for it.

"It's Cooper," he says.

I nod at him to answer it as I slide down until my feet touch the floor. He looks down disappointedly at his empty lap and I giggle at him as I sit back down on the wine colored loveseat. It's not velvet like the couch in Dr. Wilson's office, but it is very soft. I gently rub the fabric with my palms, tracing the seams with my fingertips. Lucas is watching me closely.

"Oh man, that's terrible," Lucas says, half-listening.

I shoot him a cheeky grin as I play with my hair. He looks like he's zoning out as he studies my movements. I decide to tease him a little and begin to slowly untie the strings that hold together the neckline of my dress. He blinks slowly, as if he's imagining something. His eyes are full of lust, and it feels like there are embers burning in my stomach as I wonder what he's thinking about.

"Yeah, yeah," he clears his throat and adjusts his position in his chair. I blush at Lucas' obvious lack of attention to his phone call.

"Of course you guys can stay here," he looks at me for approval as he offers this. I nod quickly, feeling worried. "Okay, see you soon. Yeah, yeah, that sounds great. Okay, bye Coop," Lucas hangs up and sets his phone down.

I wait expectantly for him to fill me in.

"Cooper and Anne have termites, and they need a place to stay while their house gets fumigated."

I audibly gasp and cover my mouth. My sexual appetite has faded at the thought of gross bugs crawling around in Anne's walls. Lucas chuckles at me and nods.

"I need to make up the guest room for them," I say, waiting for Lucas' response. He nods slowly before making eye contact with me.

"That's fine, I can take the couch," his tone sounds sort of defeated. I can feel my hands start to sweat a little.

I don't know why I'm so nervous.

"You don't have to do that," I say flirtatiously. His eyes light up in anticipation of what I'm going to say. "I want you to stay in our room," I get the words out slowly as I push my hair behind my ears, not breaking eye contact with Lucas. "With me."

His lips curve into a sweet smile as he stands up. He grabs my hands and pulls me up off the loveseat.

"I would love that," his voice is sultry, and I find myself wishing Anne and Cooper weren't on their way over right now.

Lucas pushes the rest of my hair behind my ears but leaves his hand on the side of my head. He presses a soft kiss to my lips, making my knees feel weak. He pulls away from me far too soon. I tilt my head back up at him to show him that I wasn't ready yet. He immediately kisses me again, restarting the flames in my abdomen. I run my palms along his chest and tug on his t-shirt. Lucas deepens the kiss, looping his tongue around mine.

We let our hands explore each other for a moment before Lucas pulls away. He rubs the side of my face with his thumb and gazes at me, frustrated.

"I really wish that they could've gotten termites another night," he jokes. I laugh out loud at Lucas as I run my fingers through his thick locks. "I can help you clean up the room. We can finish our conversation another night."

I search his face, trying to figure out what he's feeling. He didn't say much during my story, but he did laugh at some parts.

"I can't believe you went up on a stage in front of that many people." He shakes his head and smiles. "I'm proud of you."

My heart starts to flutter at his words.

"Thank you, Lucas." I kiss him on his cheek before pulling him out the door and into the hallway full of photos.

"Oh, and they're picking us up milkshakes," Lucas exclaims.

I pump my fist in the air as I run up the stairs to get ready for Anne and Cooper to visit.