Chapter 113

Lucas and I woke up early the next morning because we had to leave the cabin to head to school.

It was difficult to peel myself away from the bed. I wanted to rest in bed all day. I wanted to cocoon myself in the warmth and comfort of Lucas's arms.

After what the two of us shared last night, I feared I'd never be able to sleep as peacefully ever again.

I was surprised to find out that Lucas hadn't let me go all night. We had slept next to each other soundly.

But as much as I wanted to live in the memories of yesterday, Monday was calling for us to start our week.

Lucas drove us back to Grandma Jo's house. For the entire car ride, Lucas held my hand in his and used his other hand to steer.

Even this felt nice. Just us being close to one another and soaking in each other's company.

I felt so much closer to him now. He had suddenly started to feel like an extension of myself, as absurd as that sounds.

But... there was still something that Lucas and I hadn't fully discussed. We had both admitted our feelings for one another and gone as far as we possibly could, but I wasn't exactly sure what that meant.

Were we dating now? Was Lucas officially my boyfriend? The question lingered in my mind, the uncertainty gnawing at me like an itch I couldn't scratch.

He hadn't formally asked me, but he had mentioned that's what he wanted.

And as my thoughts drifted back to the unforgettable night we'd shared, I couldn't help but feel that our connection had deepened to the point where we were more than just friends.

And that's exactly what I wanted – to be with Lucas in every sense of the word.

I wanted the security of a relationship with him.

I wanted to have many more nights like last night and explore what this could be.

If Lucas didn’t want that… then I wasn’t sure what I would do. I have given all of myself to him. I wasn’t ready to let it go especially since it feels like we just stared.

But thinking about this wasn’t helping me.

I needed to have this conversation with Lucas, and there was no better time to bring it up than now.

"Lucas?" I asked softly. Outside, the trees zoomed past as Lucas drove us further into town, away from the forest.

"Shana?" Lucas said in a mocking tone, giving me a smile from his side of the car.

"I..." I paused, unsure of how to word what was on my mind. "What are we?"

"What are we?"

"Yes, I mean, are we... dating now?" I asked nervously, feeling shy for not being able to say it confidently. I raised our hands which were intertwined. "Is that what this is?"

“Oh my God, Shana,” Lucas looked down at our intertwined hands. “I should’ve made that clearer to you sooner. I’m sorry for not saying anything.”

“It’s okay,” I assured him. “We can talk about it now.”

Lucas nodded, giving me a quick glance. "I want you to be my girlfriend, Shana. I’ve wanted that for a long time now, and I’ve just finally come to my senses and realized it. Last night was… probably the best night of my life.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Are you kidding me?” Lucas shook his head. “Yes. I don’t know what could’ve made it better.”

I felt myself blush at his words.

“We let each other know how we feel, and you trusted me. We trusted each other. There’s nothing more that I want than for you to be my girlfriend,” Lucas snuck a look at me as he continued to drive. “Are you okay with that?”

I smiled, giving him a nod. "I'm more than okay with that."

"Good," Lucas winked at me. "Because I wasn't going to take no for an answer."

When Lucas and I walked into Grandma Jo's house to get ready for school, the two of us were still holding hands. Grandma Jo had just come from the backyard and still had her gardening gloves on when she spotted us.

"Well, well, well," she said, looking from our connected hands to our smiling faces. "What do we have here?"

"What? This?" Lucas asked, swinging our arms back and forth. "This is nothing."

Grandma Jo smiled, shaking her head at his playfulness. "It's about damn time you two lovebirds got together. Took you long enough. Go get ready for school. I'm going to make us a big breakfast to celebrate."

I looked up at Lucas who was smiling down at me.

"Did we just get dissed by your grandma?" I asked him in a hushed whisper.

He laughed. "I think we did."

---

Grandma Jo wasn’t lying when she sat that she wanted to make a big breakfast for us to enjoy. She pulled out all the stops, making enough food to feed James… which was a lot of food.

“Grandma,” Lucas said with wide eyes as he took in the array of food. “I appreciate all of your effort in making this for us, but this is too much.”

“I usually just have one of your famous blueberry muffins,” I said, stealing one of them off the table. “That’s enough for me.”

“You two are young! You shouldn’t be worrying about what you can or can’t eat.” Grandma Jo gestured to the table. “Eat whatever your heart desires. The two of you need to celebrate, and I better see this table empty by the time you two go off to school.”

“Um, should we call James over here?” I asked Lucas in a teasing tone. “He could eat all of this in five minutes.”

“Where’s James when you need him?” Lucas sat down in the seat next to mine.

As I poured myself a cup of coffee, I noticed Grandma Jo observed Lucas and I carefully.

Her eyes kept darting back and forth between the two of us.

“Are you going to say something?” Lucas asked in between chewing his pancakes. “Or are you going to keep staring at us like that?”

“Can I not stare?” Grandma Jo asked innocently.

“Not when I know you’re thinking something… what is it?”

“Nothing!” Grandma Jo clasped her hands in front of her on the table. “It’s just nice. This is nice… the two of you together.”

I looked at Lucas skeptically, eating my muffing.

God. It tasted amazing. I don’t know how Grandma Jo did it.

Lucas stared back at me, not fully convinced by Grandma Jo’s sincerity.

“It’s nice, but?”

“How do you know there’s a ‘but’?” she said back.

Lucas quirked a brow. “Grandma, I know you. There’s always a ‘but.’”

“Do you really want to know what I’m thinking?”

“Well, of course we do.” Lucas looked at me to check if I was picking up on Grandma Jo’s sudden hesitancy. “Your opinion means a lot to us.”

Grandma Jo sighed, taking a sip of her mint tea that was resting beside her on the table.

I started to feel nervous about what she would say.

Was she going to say that she doesn’t approve of Lucas and I being together?

I thought she would be happy for us.

Grandma Jo opened her mouth to speak.