Nicole

The deal we made was far from ideal. I didn't want to spent six months away from Lucas, something about it seemed... off. But being in a relationship is all about compromising and finding solutions to our problems and that's what we did. Six months will go by fast, I hope. 

I know the last few weeks have been going fast. 

"Nicole?"

"Yes?" I answered as I walked with Lucas by my side while we took a walk with little Lexi at a park in Hampstead, near a small pond. 

The green scenery around me made a feeling of homesickness rush over me, almost as if I was gone already and missing this cozy little town. You don't have places like this in California. 

"I was wondering... when you come back from LA after Christmas, you could come to Bristol and meet my parents."

Meet his parents?

To say his proposal caught me off guard was an understatement. 

"Uh... I guess I could. If-if that's what you want, sure. I would love to meet them."

I knew his parents and Lucas and Melanie had a strained relationship, kept from afar and with wishes to stay that way.

But if Lucas was their son and he wanted me to meet them, how could I say no?

"Yes, of course. I'll change my arrival as soon as I get home."

With the end of the year approaching, so was my time at the apartment I rented back in September so, today, Lucas and Lexi joined me and helped me pack everything I had brought back into my large suitcases. 

Of course after lunch we lost our willpower to get anything done anymore so I braided the young one's blonde hair as per her request and she helped me braid my hair into a braided ponytail, that turned out to be a loose and crocked long braid that fell onto my left shoulder. 

After the rain stopped and the the little rays of sunshine tried to peak through the white clouds in the sky, we decided on leaving all the packing for another day and take a walk in the park near by. Lexi was more than thrilled to go jump on the recent made rain puddles and even happier that she got to drag me with her. 

My white converse all stars were not happy and neither were my cold and wet feet, but at least the five year old was happy and having fun. 

"Lexi, aren't you getting hungry?"

"A little." The blonde girl answered her uncle while splashing little droplets of water all over us. 

"A little? Come on, it's been a couple of hours since lunch. Wanna go to Magic Beans and get some donuts?"

"Oh, I'd love some donuts!" I said enthusiastically, trying to convince the little one to want some too.

"Yay, donuts!"

With her hand in Lucas', the three of us made our way out of the park and to Magic Beans, the place I would definitely miss the most once I leave for America for good. 

"Can I get some hot chocolate too?" Lexi asked while she slid to the corner seat of the booth. Lucas sat next to her and I sat across from Lexi, saving another seat for Melanie, who had texted Lucas and should be getting here any minute now.

"Sure. I want one too."

"Me too!" I added. 

The waitress took our order and while we waited for her to come back, Lucas and I were already engaging in a conversation about Los Angeles. 

"I'm a little... curious about going back to school again."

"You'll be a straight-A student, I just know it."

"Uncle Luc, are you going to school?"

I couldn't help but giggle at Lexi's innocent question, and neither could Lucas.

"Yes, sweetie. Just for a few months."

"I thought you were going to work for the movie factory."

"I am going to work for the movie factory." Lucas and I both chuckled at that choice of words of miss Lexi for Pixar. "But I'm gonna need a few classes first." His explanation was interrupted by the arrival of Melanie. 

"Hi baby!" She said once she arrived at our table and sat next to me, not before bending over the table to kiss Lexi's head.

"I'm sorry, I was supposed to be done with work by three o'clock but things got complicated." 

"Not a problem at all." I answered. "I love spending time with the little one."

Magic Beans smelled like hot coffee mixed with the sweet smell of chocolate and their fresh made pastries, and a hint of the lovely smell of rain. The rain had begun again and the sound of the little drops hitting the windows of the local coffee shop mixed with the sound of the people quietly talking to each other and the coffee machine working was like music to my ears. 

The plate with the mountain of the colorful donuts arrived to the table and so did our drinks, and we all busied ourselves eating and drinking while also talking.  

"I've been working some extra shifts for a little special something." Melanie's words weren't ignored by either me or Lucas and we both turned our heads to her while Lexi  ate the donuts and colored her fingers with the different toppings.

"Can we know?" I asked before Lucas had a chance to.

"I want to go to LA."

"What?" His eyebrows met in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Not permanently!" Melanie smiled and went on. "Your birthday's on April eighteenth, and I want to spend it with you. Plus I know Lexi will miss you desperately the second you leave, and she'll want to see you too."

At the mention of her name, she looked in her mom's direction but not for too long before her focus was back on the sweet and round donuts.

"I would love that." He said with the very same smile as Melanie's. "You're more than welcome at my dorm."

"No way, you're not spending your birthday in a dorm!" I stepped in. "And neither is your sister visiting you there. You'll skip classes that day and we'll meet in San Francisco. Or we'll all meet in LA and spend the day at Disneyland. I'm sure someone would be very excited to go there." I nodded my head in Lexi's direction. 

"She's got an answer for every question, doesn't she?" She asked Lucas with a smirk. 

"She does. I'm still trying to crack her."

Lucas' blue eyes found my brown ones and with shy smiles, the silence between us said spoke what words couldn't. 

 * * * 

December 23rd was the day I was dreading the most. I think the last time I've been scared for a day to come was before I moved to London by myself and I'd have to go inside a plane alone for a flight of several hours. The situation isn't that different now.

My palms were sweating as I clung to the trolley of my suitcase. 

"If you wait any longer you're gonna miss your flight."

Lucas' words caught my attention and I glanced at him, his blue eyes pulling me in. "I know... But let's just wait a little longer, okay?" 

"Okay." He nodded in agreement and replied with his voice barely audible.

 I rested my hand on his shoulder and let my hand find its way to his and smiled when I felt his fingers wrap around my palm. 

The cacophony of noises that only an airport like Heathrow, on a couple of days before Christmas day, could manage to achieve was like a buzz in my ears. 

"The security line is getting a little long."

"Do you want me out of here?!" I asked sarcastically. I felt his chest rumble as he laughed. 

"Not at all. But the line is getting long and your flight is departing soon. I don't think we can extend the wait any longer than we already have."

I was leaving for Los Angeles today to spend Christmas with my family but the goodbyes at the house were too hard so, Lucas came with me to the airport and we've been waiting until the very last minute until I really really have to go. 

"It's just a few days, then you'll be back."

"Still." I replied, changing my position to look at him and then take a look around, take in the surroundings.

There were couples saying goodbye to each other, mothers and fathers saying goodbye to their kids... this is why I hate airports. 

"Alright, if we stay here for one more minute they won't even let you go pass security much less go inside the plane!"

I knew he was right, so I got up from my seat and he followed suit. 

"Are you gonna cry?" He put his best funny expression on and gave me a knowing look.

"Maybe. Are you?"

"I'll cry if you cry."

"Fine, I'll save my tears for the plane ride." I giggled as I answered him, knowing all too well that joking was barely going to help me right now. 

"I hid your Christmas present underneath your jeans." He said, pointing to the bag next to me. 

We decided a few weeks ago that we'd buy each other Christmas gifts but we agreed that we'd only open them on Christmas morning, wherever in the world we were. That way, we'd have our own little moment, even being thousands of miles away from each other.

"I hid yours in your sock drawer." 

"Smooth." He winked at me and my arms involuntarily wrapped themselves around his neck, pulling him down to meet my lips. 

"I don't want to go." 

I was fully aware I sounded like a six year old child, but I could not care less about that. All I cared about was Lucas and me and all I wanted to do was turn around and take the tube back to Hampstead and just make love to him all day long until we were too tired to keep going and then sleep by his side. Was that too much to ask?

"Don't be dramatic, it's just four days. And plus, your parents miss you, they are looking forward to have you there with them for Christmas."

"I know, I know. But I just... wanted you to come with me, that's all."

"We'll be together on New Year's." His thumb caressed my cheek and I could feel my skin grow goosebumps underneath his touch. "And we'll talk every minute of every day."

"Now who's being dramatic?" With my head tilted I laughed at his expression of embarrassment, with his lips in a thin line and his cheeks all read.

Were we being too dramatic? Yes.  But love makes you be dramatic over four days apart doesn't it?

He bowed his head enough to capture my lips with his again, and with my eyes closed, I felt myself transcend as our kiss went on and on. 

"I love you." He whispered against my lips, his breath hitting my skin before we kissed again. 

"I love you too." I got on my tiptoes and kissed him passionately once more, not wanting the previous kiss to be the last one.

With my arms still wrapped around his neck I hugged him tightly against me and felt his breath tickle my neck as he hugged me back. I inhaled his scent and right then and there I my only wish was to be able to bottle that smell I adored, having the the mixture of his aftershave cream and his perfume in a jar so I could smell anytime and anywhere I wanted. 

"I'm gonna be flying back and forth this week more than I usually do in a whole year."

He loosed the embrace and I fell back on my heels. "You're my hero." His eyebrows shot to his hairline as he said those words out loud and I couldn't help but laugh. 

I've got to hand it to him, he has been trying his hardest to make me laugh in a situation where that's the very last thing I'd want to do. 

But that shouldn't come as surprise to me, as that's exactly who he is - the guy who says things that make you laugh when all your eyes seem to do is betray you and spill the tears that have been pooling in the corner of my eyes.

"You were already my hero, for doing all you've done, for your courage and determination, but taking eleven hour flights four times in the same week? I would die."

The inevitable happened, and when my phone buzzed with the reminder I had set up the previous night to buy trashy magazines and a good bag of chips for the flight, I read the time, and so did Lucas.

"By this time I would be surprised if they even let you board the flight." Another joke. But this time, there was some truth behind it. 

I pressed my lips against his again in a long and final kiss. "Bye, Lucas. See you soon."

"Bye."

My fingers wrapped themselves around the trolley of the suitcase and I rushed my way through security. With my passport and boarding pass in my other hand I tried my best to skip lines so I could get to my gate as soon as possible and not miss my flight home. 

By the time I was done with all the bureaucracy of airports like taking off my shoes unnecessarily or being scanned by their machine a couple more times than I probably should, I stood by the side and, from afar, I could see Lucas waving at me. My heart skipped a beat, my lips curled upwards into a smile and I waved back at him. 

He turned around in his heels to leave the airport and I turned around in mine to go to my gate.

Spending four days away from him on Christmas was heartbreaking, was unbearable, was sickening. This is how I'm slowly realizing that I love Lucas more than I've ever loved anyone else. 

Thankfully, the plane wasn't taking off just yet and they still allowed me and an older couple to get on the plane and take our seats. And most importantly, I still managed to buy my magazines and snacks.

As the flight attendants explained all the procedures in case of an emergency during the flight, I tied my hair in a ponytail and held my phone in my hands to text Lucas.

N: On the plane.

Shortly after, the device vibrated in my lap. 

L: Good. Let me know when you land. Love you.

And so it began, the most technological Christmas I'd experience.

* * * 

Author's Note:

Hi lovelies! I need your help, so please read it until the end - The Fiction Awards 2020 are finally here! If you think "The Missing Gem" should be nominated for any of their categories, please choose the one(s) you want, read their rules so the nomination is eligible and that's all! Go on thefictionawards 
profile and start nominating ❤ Thank you so much in advance! 

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