Chapter 90

Shana POV

"He's still not here yet?" James asked as he entered the cozy little coffee shop the next morning.

I was currently nursing a cup of warm coffee, and anxiously looking toward the front door for a few seconds.

"No, he's not here yet," I said, taking a sip of my coffee. "He's probably running a bit late."

James sighed, pulling out the chair across from me. "Well, he better hurry up. I'm dying to hear what happened."

James and I spent the whole night worrying about Lucas and waiting for some kind of news. After he called me, he called James, and then James texted me immediately: WTF???!!!

All of us had a restless night, worrying and wondering what was going on in Lucas's world.

As if he'd just heard us talking about him, the door to the coffee shop jingled, and there he was. Lucas walked inside with his usual cool swagger, but if you knew him well—like I did—you'd be able to see the turmoil that was beneath the surface.

"Dude, we were just talking about you," James said as Lucas slid into the seat next to me.

I noticed that there was a darkness under his eyes, and faint lines of fatigue painted around his eyes. He attempted to give us a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Not even close. I could tell that he was far from being okay right now.

"What?" James asked once Lucas had settled in. "No hello?"

"Hey," he greeted us, his voice trying too hard to be casual.

"Hey yourself," James replied, smug and happy that Lucas had listened to his command. But then he raised an eyebrow, ready to get to business after the pleasantries. "So?"

"Yeah, I guess we should just dive right into the reason why I invited you guys here," Lucas said.

"That would be nice," James spoke, "considering I couldn't sleep at all last night because I was freaking out—What the hell Lucas?! You ended the engagement?"

Lucas let out a sigh, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Yeah, it's officially over. I ended the engagement."

James and I exchanged a look. I mean we knew Lucas wanted no part of this arrangement, but I don't think we actually considered he might end it all together so quickly.

"I'm guessing nobody took that well," James spoke the obvious.

"There was a lot of arguing." Lucas sighed. He spied the coffee I was drinking. "Can I have some of that? I'm exhausted."

"Of course." Our fingers brushed as he took the cup I slid into his hands. "Tell us everything from the top. I want to hear every last detail."

And so Lucas told us everything — from the beginning of dinner to the end.

When Lucas told us that Victoria ultimately agreed with him, I was shocked, to say the least. That was a curveball I hadn't expected to ever come into play.

But James's reaction was different. He looked intrigued, pained—almost confused to hear that. Almost every single emotion flashed across his face.

"She agreed?" James asked.

"She did. She kinda came to my defense at the end." Lucas nodded. "I didn't think she would do that..."

"Well, well, well. It looks like you both shook things up," James sounded relieved, but something in his voice conveyed something I couldn't quite place.

"Yeah, I guess." Lucas shrugged, but the uncertainty still lingering in his system was clear to see.

James leaned forward, his eyes narrowing playfully. "So, what's the plan now? You need a place to crash? My couch is always open."

"Thanks, man. But I think I'll crash at Grandma Jo's for a while." Lucas chuckled, showing a fleeting moment of lightness that broke through. "That's actually where I went last night when my dad kicked me out."

"Are you okay, though?" I leaned in, resting my chin on my hand in careful thought. "That all sounds like a lot... And what your father said about never forgiving you — I know how much his approval means to you."

"I'll be alright. I think I just need some time to sort things out." He met my gaze, and for a moment, I glimpsed the vulnerability he rarely showed to anyone.

After my coffee was finished, the three of us decided to go spend some time together at James's house. He had a new video game that he wanted to show Lucas and thought that a little competition would do him some good to get his mind off things.

But as we sat around James's living room, playing video games, I couldn't help but feel like Lucas's mind was somewhere else the whole time. This turn of events affected him more than I thought it would.

It was almost nighttime when Lucas said, "Do you guys wanna go on a drive? I feel like riding the bike around for a bit."

"Sure, man," James agreed. "Shana you in?"

"I'm down," I said.

"Cool. When we're out..." Lucas trailed off, looking at the both of us nervously. "I think I'm going to go stop by my dad's place."

"What?" James blurted. "Why?"

"Didn't he kick you out?" I frowned.

Kendrick was still in a bad mood. I didn't want him to go to his father's house.

Who knew what kind of state he was in...

"Yeah, but I left some stuff there that I need to get," Lucas explained. "If you guys don't want to come, you don't have to."

"Hell no, we're coming with you," James said, already readying himself to leave.

"There's no way we would let you go there all on your own," I backed James up. "Either we all go, or nobody goes."

Lucas looked between the two of us and a genuine smile formed on his lips. "Thanks, guys."

It turned out that James's father had a motorcycle that he stole to ride around with Lucas.

"He won't even notice it's gone!" James assured us, but I highly doubted that was true. But James never really cared about following the rules, or the repercussions of his actions.

I found myself on the back of Lucas's motorbike. The wind whipped through my hair as we cruised down familiar streets.

The lights in the city began to come to life as the sun set below the horizon. I couldn't help but admire the way everything looked and felt traveling like this. So carefree.

I stole a glance at Lucas and wondered what he was thinking.

What sort of thoughts were going through his mind right now?

"This feels so freeing," I said loudly into the shell of his ear as we turned down a street. "I can see why you like it."

"You're not scared anymore?" Lucas asked back, a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"I was never scared," I answered. "Not with you."

Lucas said nothing else as we drove to his father's house.

The only light illuminating the space around us came from the street and the array of porch lights at his father's large mansion.

Even though it was well-lit, it seemed eerie. As if some kind of monster lived behind those doors.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, concern lacing my voice as Lucas parked his bike on the driveway.

Lucas nodded. "I'll be in and out real quick. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you guys."

"I could take Kendrick," James snorted with all the confidence in the world. "Don't worry about me, bro."

Lucas and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

We approached the house and our footsteps echoed in the silence.

Just as we were about to reach the front door, it swung open, revealing Lucas's father, Kendrick.