Nicole

The smell of pumpkin pie filled my nostrils as I got out of the shower and started getting dressed. It smelled like childhood and autumn days, but mostly, it smelled like home and I smiled at the thought of all the Thanksgiving days I spent as a kid, the memories wandering through my mind like they owned me.

After putting on a white long sleeve sweater, I put on my light blue jeans and buttoned them up while I caught Lucas starring at me.

"What?"

"Nothing, you're just... so fucking beautiful." I blushed and I knew he noticed, however, I did nothing to try to hide my red cheeks and instead I just pecked his lips. 

We managed to sleep in today, and after we both showered and got dressed it was already nearing midday. I knew my mom hated it whenever anyone in the house woke up at almost lunch time but I personally didn't care the least bit about it.

We went downstairs to the kitchen, and after grabbing a quick breakfast we said goodbye to them and went for a walk on the beach. This time of the year, with the sun shinning down on us and warming our souls, it almost felt like we were in June and not in November. 

"I almost feel weird walking around in just jeans and a sweater, no heavy coat on top of me." Lucas commented as we held hands and let the tiny waves hit our feet.

"My London boy may be from across the pond but you've gotta admit that the weather is much nicer on this side of the ocean." 

He nodded in agreement and we kept on walking a little more until we found a nice spot in the sun, near some dark colored rocks. We sat down, side by side, our backs resting against the hard surface of Nature's mineral material. 

I pulled my camera out of the small shoulder bag I had with me, and started to randomly take pictures of the ocean, the view, the two Golden Retriever that ran side by side along the shore, and ended up taking pictures of most beautiful soul I had ever met in my entire life, and that sat next to me. 

I was bringing my camera everywhere with me for two reasons: because it was research for my book  as the main character is a big photographer, and because I got to take nice pictures of all the places I went to, and I liked that. 

I was by no means good at taking pictures, but I sure as hell had fun trying.

It took a while for Lucas to notice I was taking shots of him, but when he did, he started contorting his face into all kinds of funny expressions at the lens - tongue out, cross-eyed, winking, duck face, pouting, - and I ended up literally shaking as I laughed out loud at his adorable faces, uncontrollably. 

"Gimme that." His voice snapped me out of my laughter attack, and I effortlessly handed him the black and silver device. 

Knowing all too well what he wanted it for, I started posing for the camera just like he did before, my goofiest side, that not even I knew I had, coming out of me. Snap after snap, I was feeling more and more light, fun, at ease and laid back - qualities that only Lucas could bring out in me. Lucas only. 

"Let's see these masterpieces." I giggled as I took the camera in my hands and started going through all the pictures we took, each one making us chuckle more than the previous one.

I felt his arm loop around my waist, and he inserted his hand inside the front pocket of my jeans. He laughed out loud with me, his breath hitting my neck from the side and causing a tingling feeling to run down my spine. 

"I want a couple of photos of us together. Should we ask someone?" 

The wheels in my head started to slowly turn and I turned in my place, changing my position so my back was facing the clear blue ocean, and asking Lucas, who understood my idea, to do the same. I put the camera on a timer and placed it on top of the rocks. 

We posed for a bunch of photos that were taken - some making silly faces like the ones we had made on our own individual pictures before, some just holding each other, others just smiling and most of them of us kissing. 

Yep, this must be what happiness feels like.

  * * *

The sound of my aunt Ruth's annoying voice filled mine and everyone else's ears in the afternoon while Lucas and I were in the living room watching a movie they were airing on television, and my parents were in the kitchen working on tonight's dinner. 

I rolled my eyes as I exhaled loudly and gave Lucas a look, hinting him for what we were about to face.

After my aunt and my parents got all the pleasantries out of the way, and after my aunt told my mom she was sorry she didn't bring anything and that she would undoubtedly do so next year (although we all knew she wouldn't, like she never does), I could hear her old clogs hitting the wooden floor, and making her way to me and my boyfriend. 

"Nicole! You are a sight for sore eyes! How are you? How is London?" 

I put on my best fake smile and hugged her back, telling her I was doing great and that London was an amazing city.

"This is Lucas, he's my boyfriend." Like the nice guy Lucas is, he gave her his best smile - a real one, unlike mine - and pulled her in for a hug. 

"Well, aren't you a surprise?" I don't know if she meant those words for me or Lucas, but either way, it was plain rude. 

A couple of hours of chit chat and of my aunt getting to know Lucas a little more while I avoided any type of direct contact with the person I feared the most tonight, led to dinner time, and sooner rather than later, we were all around the large dinning room table, sharing a nice Thanksgiving meal that my mom had made.

"I was looking forward to seeing Matthew tonight, but I guess that won't happen."

My father wiggled his eyebrows and continued eating his food in silence. He wasn't exactly a part of her fan club either. 

"No, that will not happen and you probably won't ever see him again. But if you miss him that much I can always give you his number, I'm sure he'd be happy to have a chat with you over the phone." 

"Nicole!" My mom sternly called me out, her face being a good indicator that she wasn't happy with my sassy response.

"Eloise, you don't need to have your daughter on a leash, let her say whatever she wants. In fact, I would love to hear her out about what in the world happened to that very nice man." 

One look at Lucas was enough to let me know he was in pure shock at how out of hand this was getting. Well, in all fairness, I did warn him. 

"Excuse me? You didn't even like him that much!" Offended wasn't a good enough word to describe what I was feeling right now. 

"Well, I liked him better than Lucas." 

Talking about my man like he isn't even in the room?! Oh, hell to the no! 

"First of all, you don't get to talk about him like that and secondly, you don't even know him to start judging him left and right."

"No offense, Lucas," She shifted her gaze directly to him, and I could swear I had smoke coming out of nostrils as I watched her bring him down. "But I just don't think you are reliable for Nicole. You want to draw for television and movies, what are you, a child? I personally think you should think about getting a real job, you know... something that can actually provide you a proper life." 

"Aunt Ruth, that's enough!" I said out loud, not giving a shit if my parents thought I was being a rebel. She was asking for it. 

"Nicole, I'm just opening your eyes, that seem to be closed! It's not like you have a job that's even that great. And will you even have one waiting for you once your little adventure in London comes to an end?" She talked with her chest puffed while taking sips of the white wine, looking unbothered after tearing me apart. 

"Okay, you know what? I need some fresh air." Without thinking twice or looking back, I excused myself from the table and made my way outside, taking deep breaths to calm myself down until I heard a familiar voice from inside the house. 

"With all due respect, I'm gonna have to ask you to not talk like that to Nicole anymore." Lucas' calm, soothing voice managed to make me feel a little calmer, just from hearing it alone. 

"What are you, her knight in shinning armor?" She sounded almost offended by his words, and that only brought a smile to my face. 

I heard him chuckling and he stood up to her, for me. 

"No, Nicole doesn't need one. I'm just her boyfriend and I love her. As someone who loves that woman more than anything and anyone in this world, I feel the right speak up about the disrespect towards her that I just witnessed, and that means your hurtful and spiteful words."

What the actual fuck?

I felt my breath hitching in my throat and my heart started beating rapidly, feeling like it was about to beat out of my chest while my blood rushed to my face quickly.

Did he just say he loves me? 

"My words may be hurtful, but they're true. And sooner or later, she is going to realize that the life she's living now is nothing, and she's gonna regret not settling down with someone better, with a better job."

"Why do you think there's anything wrong with that way Nicole is living her life? It's her life, first and foremost. And I don't understand why you can't support our dreams."

"Dreams don't pay bills, sweetie."

"Well, it's a good thing I don't live for money then. And if you think Nicole does, you should probably try to get to know your niece a little better. Excuse me."

I heard the high pitch sound of Lucas dragging his chair against the floor - he had gotten up and left dinner. Somewhat unconsciously, I turned my attention to the back door, where I walked out of short minutes ago, and saw my London boy walking towards me. 

He sat down next to me, on the steps, and kissed my forehead while he threw his arm around me.

"Thank you." I said, my voice barely audible as I was still trying to make sense of everything I had just heard.

I could see his face twisting as he realized I had heard him the whole time. "Oh, you... heard me." He flashed me a shy smile.

"Did you mean it?" His blue eyes captured me, asking the question I knew he wished he could have verbalized. "Do you love me?"

The only answer I needed was in the earth shattering kiss we shared. He was taller than me and with him sitting in the same step as me, he towered over me as his lips smoothly met mine and moved in sync with them. My neck stretched as I kissed him back, not wanting to stop tasting him, my body and soul already so fully attached to his.

"I love you too, Lucas."

I saw the little wrinkles form around his blue eyes as he curled his lips into a smile, and I couldn't help but do the same as I took in the sight in front of me. 

It's not that we didn't know how we stood, as a couple, - we knew. We met, we fell in love, we kissed, we had mind blowing sex every time we were more than fifteen minutes alone, we shared our hopes and dreams, we trusted each other, and most importantly we loved each other. We just never said it out loud.

But it felt so damn good to hear him he say he loves me and to tell him I loved him - it felt liberating, freeing, as if we had no more secrets between us, as if nothing could ever hold us back anymore. 

"You make me so happy." I leaned in to kiss him one more time, and he closed his eyes before kissing me back passionately. 

When we pulled apart, with eyes dark with lust and cheeky smiles, Lucas burst the bubble we were in. 

"They all probably hate me now." 

"That's okay, they probably hate me too." He gently rubbed my back up and down and kissed my head again, as he chuckled at what I had just said. 

"You're family, they can't hate you." I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder. "Come on, we have to go back, finish dinner."

"No!" I whined before showing him my pout. "Let's just stay here." 

"As much as I would love to spend the rest of the night here outside with you, and especially with this nice temperature at," He lifted his wrist and checked the time. "eight o'clock at night, it's my duty as your boyfriend to tell you that you should go back in there. They're your parents. Forget about that evil woman, but your mom and dad miss you and you miss them too. It's Thanksgiving, this is what you came here for, we should go back and eat the rest of the food."

"You really are such a nice person." I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in the crook of his neck, holding him tightly. 

I listened to his words and we both ended up going back to the table. Without any words exchanged between my aunt and Lucas or me, we got through dinner. 

  * * *

Author's Note:

Hey loves, how's it going? THEY JUST SAID THE L WORD!!! God, I love these two so much ❤

Don't forget to turn the star orange and to leave a comment or two, I love reading your opinion! 🌟

By the way, have you read my interview with @Creativity_Community ? Go on their profile and check out some of my answers on their Interviews book and get to know me a lil' better! 💙

Xoxo, Mars