I rest my head on his shoulder and can't believe how happy I am. Lucas goes straight to his bedroom with Nate right behind him, then carefully places me in the middle of his bed.

I can't help but laugh at Nate's giddy expression.

Wasting no time, the kid sits by my side. "Can we watch another film tomorrow? Oh! and play video games? Can you play video games? Julia said girls can play even better than boys, but I told her-"

"All right, chatty boy." Lucas throws him over his shoulder. They immediately start tickling each other and I get the feeling it's a habit between them.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Lucas shouts before putting him down. "Go give Alexia a good-night kiss, so we can get you ready to bed."

"Good night, Alexia." He kisses my cheek.

"Sleep tight, sweetie. Tomorrow after you come from school we can play some video games if it's okay with your dad," I say.

"Is that all right, dad?" Nate asks.

"Sure. Now, let's get going, buddy."

As soon as they leave the room, I head to Lucas's wardrobe and get one of his t-shirts to wear to bed. Butterflies have made a permanent home in my belly, and I can't believe how far we've come in such a short time.

I'm about to get into bed again when something on a shelf by the door catches my attention. I get closer and I'm taken aback when I realize it's a photo of Lucas and Monica. She is holding a tiny baby and they're smiling at each other.

I hate to say I'm not prepared to see how happy they looked together. If I'm honest with myself, until now she was just a thought, a ghost. Taking the photo in my hands, I can see how young they look, how happy... And so much in love.

Even though we've known each other for a very short time, I have never seen this expression on his face before. When I look at him, I see a great man hiding behind his pain. A man whose heart is still broken.

Surely, he is really easygoing. One of the good guys. But his eyes in this photo, the expression of adoration and love he has for her... It makes me wonder if he'll really be ready to move on someday. If he is really ready like he claims he is.

I put the photo back on the shelf and lie on the bed, waiting for him. It doesn't take long for him to come back and soon I feel him by my side.

"Hey..." He touches my face.

"Is Nate okay with me here?" I snuggle to his side, trying to find a comfortable position as close to him as possible.

"Yeah, I mean, I had talked to him about you before, you know? That I wanted to be your boyfriend. He said you were cool and pretty." He chuckles. "We ended up talking about his friend Julia and I guess that was the first man to man conversation we had."

"He is so adorable." I smile.

"He is growing up way too fast. I actually think I got ten years older with that talk." He turns to me so his face is just a breath away from mine.

"I like you here in my bed, wearing one of my t-shirts." He touches his lips to mine.

"Hmmm, me too." I yawn, finally at peace now that we worked things out.

"Good Night, Alexia." He kisses the top of my head.

*****

I wake up alone and it takes me some time to realize where I am. I look at the clock at the bedside table and yawn when I see it's 7 AM. I want Lucas to come back to bed so I can spend the rest of the day entwined with him, but I know he is probably getting ready to start his day.

And knowing my parents well, they will probably stop by before going back home. The last thing I need is for them to see their daughter getting comfortable in her boyfriend's bed. So, I force myself to get up and after a quick stop in the bathroom, I go to the living room.

They are both having breakfast but Lucas's eyes go immediately to me when he senses me approaching them. He gives me a once over, and if it wasn't for the way his eyes glaze over, I'd think there was something wrong with me.

It's not until Nate turns to me and asks why I'm only wearing one of his dad's T-shirts, that I realize how inappropriate I must look. It's the first time I spent the night and I feel like I'm already screwing things up. 

I'm sure this attire covers half of my legs and in theory, I'm more covered than I'd be if I were wearing any of my pajamas, but I can't help but feel my face in flames as I look at Lucas for help.

"She dropped some water on her clothes yesterday so I lent her something to wear." He looks at me and winks.

I'm so embarrassed, I just nod and hope Nate doesn't make a big deal out of it. I know he is just a kid and his mind is not as dirty as ours, but it bothers me I hadn't thought about changing first.

"Why don't you go get your stuff, buddy? It's almost time for us to go," Lucas says.

"Okay." Nate rushes to his room.

"Hey, won't you greet Alexia properly?" Lucas half shouts.

"Oops!" Nate runs back in my direction, surprising me with a hug. "Good Morning!"

"Oh! Morning, sweetie!" I hug him back and he heads to his room.

"Lucas, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking-" I start, but he interrupts me.

"That's fine!" He chuckles. "He will have to get used to having you around." He stands up and pulls me to him, kissing me softly.

"Is that so?" I smile.

"That so." He kisses my neck and turns me in the direction of his room. "Now, unless you want my son seeing me like this..." He pulls my back to his front and I feel how hard he is. "You better go change." He smacks my butt slightly, making me giggle.

"Okay." I shake my head and hurry to change.

*****

After putting my robe back on and making plans with them for dinner, I skip breakfast and go home to check on Lisa. I've missed her like crazy and can't wait to spend some girl time with her.

She is sipping some coffee and checking her phone and as soon as she sees me she smirks. "So...?"

"So what?" I get myself some coffee and head to the sofa.

"Lucas, huh?" She chuckles.

"What about him?" I take a sip of my coffee to hide my smile. I know she is curious about us, but I just love teasing her.

"Really, Alexia?" She scoffs. "The guy was ready to kill Greg yesterday... He left you all alone in the hospital then you spend the night at his place. Talk about mixed signals, huh?"

"It's complicated..." I sigh.

"I'm afraid you're going to get yourself hurt again. I can see how much you guys are into each other."

"I'm afraid too, Lisa. But at the same time, I'm ready to start over. I can't wait to go back to work. I love this place and Lucas is... It's hard to explain, but there's something about him, you know? My heart is just so full when I'm with him, and the way he looks at me as if..." I smile shyly and look down.

"You're in love, girl," she whispers

"But how? I mean, isn't it too soon? I feel like I've known him forever when it's been just the opposite."

"Maybe it's not about the amount of time itself, but the intensity of our feelings," she says, staring into my eyes, and after two seconds we both burst out laughing.

"Ouch! Ouch! Damn!" I chuckle, holding my side. "Don't make me laugh."

"Was it weird seeing Greg after the break-up?" She probes after a moment.

"He is... familiar... I don't know. In a way, I think I'll always care about him..."

"But?" She  gives me a small smile.

"I want Lucas," I say and frown when I see she is biting her lips. Never a good sign with her. "What is it?"

"I think Lucas is right about Greg." She flinches.

"What do you mean?"

"He called me yesterday and told me?" She bites her nails. Never a good sign with her.

"What?"

"He said he misses you and can't stop thinking about you. That seeing you at the hospital did something to him..." She sighs.

"Oh? And, what did you tell him?"

"I told him he broke your heart and that you were finally moving on."

"Well, he can feel whatever he wants. It won't change my feelings. I want Lucas, Lisa. I've never felt like this before."

"Yeah, that's what I told him." She searches my eyes but after some time she decides to change the subject.

"Are you feeling better? Your parents should stop by any time now before they go back home.

"Yeah, I'm still a little sore but I'm good," I say, ready to put this whole mess behind.

*****

My parents and grandparents stopped by to check on me again, along with Greg, but they all left too soon. I sensed he wanted to talk, but I just focused on talking about my plans for now, the school, and my students.

I never thought my grandparents would make the trip to visit since they rarely go out, so I spent the little time we had together being grateful I had all my family here. I have nothing left to tell Greg, so he's either my friend and supports my choice to move on or there is really nothing more left for us.

After they left, Lisa and I spent the rest of the day catching up and pampering ourselves. After all that time at the hospital, I needed some girly time to feel like me again. We decided to watch How to lose a guy in ten days and as usual, we had a lot of fun together.

I'm now on the phone with my mom, and I can sense she wants to know more about Lucas. I know she didn't want to make a big deal out of it in front of my dad, but now that she is alone, she has nothing holding her back.

"Lucas seems like a nice guy..." She says.

"He really is, mom."

"Are you two together?"

"We are taking one day at a time, but yeah, we're together."

"I see, and what about Nate?"

"What about him?" I can't help but feel defensive.

"You know dating a single dad comes with expectations..." She tries to sound cool, but I know her better.

"What kind of expectations?"

"Come on, Alexia! That kid is adorable, but... But what if things between you two get serious? Lucas is a package deal. Are you ready to be involved in Nate's life like that?"

"Mom, I don't have all the answers right now. I just know that I really like both of them. I don't see Nate as an obstacle. He is part of who Lucas is, and I really like Lucas. So, why not take one day at a time?"

"You've always planned every tiny detail of your life. It's just-"

"I know you're worried, mom, and I understand why. But you once told me life is not so black or white, remember? Maybe I need to relax and enjoy the present a little.

"You're right, sweetie. But I'm a mom." She chuckles. "Worrying about our kids is what we do."

"I know and I love you for that. But I'm good. It's all good!"

*****

"This is delicious," Lucas says, his mouth full.

He and Nate are having dinner at my place again and after spending the day taking it easy, I decided to cook us a simple dinner. I made us some salad and pasta. Nothing fancy, but I'm glad they seem to enjoy it.

"Thanks." I kiss his cheek.

"Hey, Nate, something wrong with your salad?" Lucas asks.

"I'm full, dad..."

"Nice try, buddy," he says and I smile

"Aren't we playing video games later? Why don't you finish eating so we can get it started?" I wink at him and he starts eating the rest of his food.

*****

"Wow, how did you do that?" Nate asks Lisa.

"Hey now, I can't just go telling you all my secrets." She laughs.

After realizing I sucked at video games, Lisa stepped in and blew Nate's mind with her skills.

We're at Lucas's and it's getting late. After yawning for the hundredth time, I decide to call it day when Lucas pulls me to him.

"Will you spend the night with me again?" he asks.

"Hmm... I want to, but how about Nate?" I whisper.

"He'll be fine." He rubs my arms. "I like having you in my bed," he whispers in my ear.

"You don't play fair." I smile, knowing too well I won't be able to say no.

_____

A/N: Thanks so much for reading voting and commenting! You guys are the best! ❤️

XOXO

- Celeste