Chapter 72

The next morning, I woke to the sun blinding my eyes through the open blinds. However, I didn't mind.

How could I when the view outside my window was crystal blue water and pearly white sand?

I wished I could wake up to a view like this forever. I guess James had a point when he said he'd want to buy a house like this someday. It was the perfect place to escape from reality and just feel completely at peace.

As I gazed out at the clear waves, I realized that two days had already passed by and I still hadn't spent any time catching up with Lucas.

I mean, don't get me wrong, we'd hung out in a group with everyone else on the beach or at the beach house during meals... but we haven't had any quality time together just the two of us.

We were only here for another three days and I wasn't sure if there'd be any opportunity for us to spend that time together.

I decided that I would make it my mission today to steal a moment with Lucas, away from everyone else.

Yesterday, he seemed tense after the conversation with his father and I wanted to take his mind off of all the unnecessary stress back at home.

This was his vacation, too, and he deserved to enjoy every bit of it.

I got ready for the day, throwing on my yellow bikini and jean shorts before heading downstairs.

Everyone else was already awake, sitting around the kitchen island drinking coffee.

"Look who finally decided to wake up," James teased, handing me a warm mug of caffeine.

"Thanks," I muttered, then said, "It's only eight in the morning. That's not even late!"

"We've all been up for the last hour," Emily smiled over her coffee mug.

"James and I have actually been up since six," Victoria said casually. My eyes darted in her direction, then went to James who looked away from me.

Huh...

"Don't let them bully you," Lucas said beside me. "I just woke up not too long ago."

"Really?" I asked, turning toward him. "Actually Lucas, I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a walk down the beach with me?"

Lucas looked at me with a smile, one that told me he had just been thinking the same thing. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Oh! A walk down the beach?" Victoria said, and from the expression on her face, I could tell she thought that was a great idea.

I was afraid she might ask to join us and spoil my plan to be alone with Lucas...

But before she could make any moves, James swooped in like the perfect wingman he was.

"Hey Victoria," he chimed in, his tone obviously too innocent and sweet to sound like himself. "Do you and Emily wanna join me on a thrilling journey to the grocery store? We're in desperate need of some food since we kinda ate our entire supply last night."

"You mean, you ate our entire supply last night?" Lucas said with a smirk on his face.

James held his hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me. I can't control my hunger when I'm under the influence."

Victoria's brows furrowed as James spoke, her eyes flicking between me and Lucas.

But then she put on a smile that was a little too cheery. "Sure, James. I guess Emily and I can join you since you accidentally ate all our food."

As James led Emily and Victoria away, I could've sworn I saw a mischievous glint in his eyes. It was as if he knew exactly why I had asked Lucas to go to the beach—

for some alone time.

As Lucas and I walked along the shoreline, I felt a sense of comfort wash over me.

Everything always felt right with Lucas. Even in our silence, it felt like I belonged right in that moment. I belonged right by his side.

"So," Lucas finally said, his eyes glued to the ocean. I noticed how similar the colors were; his eyes and the water. "Are you enjoying this vacation so far?"

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. "Well, aside from the unexpected arguments between James and Victoria, who are like a comedy duo on a continuous loop, it's been... interesting."

"Interesting?" Lucas chuckled, a familiar sound that put me at ease. "What's been the most interesting thing for you?"

"I didn't expect Victoria to be so..." I stopped, trying to think of the right word. "Nice?"

"That sounds like a question."

"It's not." I shook my head. "She is nice. She's just surprised me, is all."

"Yeah," Lucas said. "I don't know why she acted that way the first time the two of you met. She really isn't that bad once you get to know her."

I grinned. "Well, I'm pleasantly shocked to find that out. She's like a completely different person now."

Lucas looked at me, a playful glint in his eyes. "What do you think about her and James's constant bickering?"

I shrugged, "They fight like siblings. It's kinda nice to spend some time away from them. It's so much more..."

"Calm?" Lucas asked, nudging my shoulder playfully.

I smiled, nudging him back. "Exactly."

We shared a knowing smile.

"I agree. It's nice to have this time alone together," Lucas admitted, his voice softening. "I've been wanting to catch up with you, but it's been a chaotic few days."

"Tell me about it." I nodded in agreement. "I've missed having some one-on-one time with you. It feels like we haven't talked in forever."

Lucas laughed. "I didn't know you were feeling that way."

"What?" I asked, a quirk to my lips. "I can't miss spending time with my best friend?"

He gave me a nervous smile, looking down at the sand. "You can."

We continued our walk for a little bit longer before deciding to head back to the house when my stomach started making noises. Lucas compared me to James, and I tried pushing him into the water with no success.

When we walked into the beach house, I was surprised to find a different atmosphere to the one we had grown used to the past few days.

Instead of the usual shouting and arguing, James and Victoria were sitting side by side on the couch, watching a movie out of all things.

And it wasn't even awkward.

They were...

talking?

And laughing?

What the hell was going on?

I nudged Lucas, nodding toward them. "Do you see what I'm seeing?" I whispered so no one else could hear.

He chuckled softly, whispering back, "Well well well. What do we have here?"

"I'm so confused?"

"Me too."

We exchanged a glance, trying to hold back our laughter.

Who would've thought that James and Victoria could actually spend time together without wanting to kill each other?

"Maybe this beach house is a magical place after all," I said to Lucas.

He grinned, his blue eyes meeting mine. "Who would've guessed that they'd end up here? All it took was some sun, some beach—"

"Don't forget the sand," I butt in.

"Some sand." Lucas smiled. "And suddenly... everyone is getting along."

"Sounds like a miracle to me," I said before bursting out into laughter, capturing Victoria and James's attention.

They both shushed me aggressively.

"Shana! Quiet! We're trying to watch a movie!" James shouted.