810 Two Whole Days
The moment Lucy and Tom walked into their bedroom, a grin stretched across Tom's face as he dropped her luggage on the rug beside the bed, before pulling her into a tight embrace.
Two days. Just two days separated from Lucy, but it felt like an eternity. Even though he'd seen her every day, it wasn't the same as having her right here in the sanctuary of their bedroom.
"I missed you so damned much, my homecoming queen," he whispered and Lucy smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement at his obvious joy.
Lucy giggled, playfully pushing him away. "Slow down, Romeo, I was only gone for two days."
He feigned hurt, clutching his chest dramatically. "Two days, Juliet," he declared, his voice mock-serious. "Two whole days without your sunshine gracing this bedroom."
Her smile softened, a touch of warmth replacing the amusement. "You make it sound like I was gone for years, not just a couple of days."
"It might as well have been," he confessed, his voice sincere. "The house felt... empty without you. And the bedroom was cold without your smile. You know your smile warms the room more than any lamp."
She swatted his arm playfully. "Exaggerator."
"Maybe," he conceded, pulling her closer. "But it's true. You light up this place, babe. Having you here feels... right. It hasn't felt like home without you these past two days," He said as he brushed a strand of hair from her face, his gaze lingering on the hint of exhaustion in her eyes.
"I missed you too even though I knew I would be back soon, it felt like a part of me was missing while we were apart," she admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper as she leaned into his touch.
"Welcome home, Lucy," he murmured as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of perfume and sunshine that was uniquely hers.
"Home," Lucy echoed as her arms went around his waist.
In that simple word, spoken in the familiar haven of their bedroom was the feeling of belonging, of two pieces finally clicking into place, and they both knew, with a certainty that settled deep in both their hearts, that this was where they truly belonged, together.
"You look pretty exhausted, babe. I will run you a bath so you can relax and go to bed while I go share a nightcap with Lucas and Tyler," Tom said as he pulled away from her.
"Really? Just a moment ago you sounded like you couldn't afford to let me out of your sight again, now you're leaving me?" She asked dryly and he chuckled.
"Yeah, so you can light up the bedroom with your presence," he joked, and she giggled.
16:53
Lucy frowned, "He is leaving in the morning? Where to? He told me he would be around until Monday," Lucy said and Tom nodded.
"I guess his original plan changed because of the turn of things with Amy," Tom said and Lucy's frown deepened.
"Why is he leaving because of Amy when he can stay here?" Lucy asked and Tom smiled at her misunderstanding.
"He is not leaving because Amy is at your apartment. He is leaving because he wants to go help Amy resolve things with Miley's family," Tom explained.
"Oh! I see. That makes sense," Lucy said thoughtfully.
"Do you think that maybe Lucas likes Amy?" Tom asked and Lucy shook her head.
"No. Why?" She asked, wondering why Tom was saying the same thing that Sonia had said.
Tom shrugged, "Nothing. I'm just wondering why he is doing what he is doing," Tom said and Lucy nodded.
"Well, since Lucas is leaving tomorrow, I need to talk to him too. So, why don't we do it this way. You freshen up while I go have a word with him, and when you're done you can have your nightcap with him while I retire for the night?" She asked and Tom nodded.
"Alright then. By the way, Lucas told me that you now know about my job offer to him," he said and she looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Why are you asking? Did she say something to you?" He asked, and when Lucy shook her head, he sighed.
"Listen, Amy is cool. She is pretty and stuff, but I'm not cut out for any of that right now. I'm doing all I can for her for two main reasons. One, because I knew her and Miley, and I admired their friendship. It would be wrong to sit back and do nothing when she is being treated this way by Miley's parents when I know she only respected their daughter's wish. Secondly, I'm doing this because I know she is a good person. She stood up for you when you were in the middle of that scandal, so it's only right that I stand up for her too," Lucas said and Lucy nodded in agreement.
"Alright. I wasn't asking because I'm against it or anything. I just wanted to know how you feel, that's all. You know I like Amy," Lucy said and Lucas nodded.
"Yeah. You should check on her tomorrow. She was in a pretty bad shape when we saw her earlier today. And please, don't tell her anything about me going to meet with Miley's parents," Lucas said and Lucy arched a brow.
"Why not?"
"Because I just don't want her to know about it," he said with a shrug.
"Alright. If you say so. How do you feel about Miley's death though? Are you okay? I know you liked her," Lucy said and a smile touched Lucas' lips as he thought of her.
"I'm fine. It wasn't unexpected after all," he said and then Lucy looked at him with a serious expression.
"I saw you, Harry, Tom, and Jeff talking earlier. It looked pretty serious. Does it have anything to do with Mia and Tyler recognizing her? Is that the reason Tom wants to talk with Tyler?" She asked and Lucas nodded.
"I think so. Tyler feels pretty bad about it even though I've assured him that Harry said it wasn't a problem," Lucas said and Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"I would feel bad too if I were in his shoes. He let his curiosity get the best of him and now he has presented a wrong first impression. They're all going to think he has loose lips," Lucy said with a sigh.
"Let's talk about something else," Lucas said with a grin and Lucy raised a brow.
"What do you want to talk about? And why are you grinning like an idiot?" She asked with an amused smile.
"Your engagement. What's the plan? Are you going down on one knee with a ring?" He asked and she giggled.
"Or are you just going to ask? What's an engagement without a ring?" Lucas asked and Lucy nodded in agreement.
"Sonia suggested I don't get a ring for myself, so that Tom would have the opportunity to wear me a ring of his choice. But I plan on getting him a ring," she said and Lucas chuckled.
"And going down on a knee?" He asked, mirth dancing in his eyes at the prospect of seeing his sister do such a thing. He was certain he was going to die from laughter that day.
"What's with you and going down on a knee? No, I'm not doing that. And there is no way I'm telling you my plan," Lucy said and Lucas laughed out loud.
"I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeves for my beloved brother in-law. And in case you haven't figured it out already, I totally approve of him," Lucas said and Lucy giggled.
"You're good, right? How are you feeling up here?" Lucy asked, touching her head.
Lucas smiled, "I'm very fine," Lucas assured her.
"Sure?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Sure. I can't wait to move down here. A lot seem to be going on around here, and everyone seems to be dating everyone. It's hard to keep up," Lucas said and Lucy giggled.
"Yeah, there is no dull moment around here. And our cousins? What do you think about them?" Lucy asked and Lucas smiled.
"Harry is pretty cool. I can see why he is Tom's best friend. Andy is fun to be around, and Candace... she is... I don't know how to place her, she seems a bit reserved. She reminds me of you in a way. You before you met Tom," Lucas said and Lucy smiled.
"The more time you spend around her, the more open she becomes," Lucy said and Lucas nodded.
"I'm sure. So, tell me more about Andy. I was expecting two cousins. How did I end up with three?" He asked, and Lucy went on to tell him about Andy and Candace.