Healing Hearts ✅

39. Roommates

The sun is just barely sneaking through the clouds when my eyes flutter open the next morning. Lucas is sat up in bed tapping away at his phone. "Who are you texting so early?" I ask softly, propping my head up on my pillow.

"My Uncle Buck, he's my mom's brother. We have to start planning the service" he explains and I nod in understanding.

"But at-." I trail off, looking over my shoulder at the clock. "Five in the morning?" I ask, looking back at him.

"I have to go look at funeral homes, I should actually get going-." I grab his phone and shake my head.

"You're a nineteen year old boy. Your uncle can handle that on his own. You need to process this before you go diving into the deep end of funeral planning."

"She's my mom-."

"And she wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. You slept for what? An hour. We just laid down at four!"

He shrugs. "Maybe I haven't slept."

"Luke you need to sleep. I'm taking this." I hold up his phone and toss it onto the nightstand. "And we are going to sleep."

"Riley-."

"Goodnight Lucas" I reply, closing my eyes and lying there pretending to sleep until I know he's finally given in. His eyes flutter shut and eventually his breathing evens out and a smile pulls at my lips. I know the last thing his mom would want is him spreading himself out so thin and not taking the appropriate amount of time to grieve.

Lucas had spent the last couple of years taking care of everyone in his life and now, it was everyone's turn to take care of him.

~ 💟 ~

When I wake up hours later my boyfriend is still asleep beside me. I glance at the clock and I'm satisfied to find that it's past noon.

I decide to let my boyfriend sleep but take his phone before I head downstairs where the sound of my parents talking pulls me into the kitchen. "Hi" I greet them.

"You're up. How's Lucas?" my mom asks curiously.

I sigh, sliding onto a bar stool. "He's a mess but he's trying to be strong. I finally got him to sleep."

"That's good. He needs to rest." I nod in agreement and glance over at my dad. "Are you going to say something?"

"No" he shakes his head. "I'm not sure what I would say even if I had something to say. Both of you have made it clear that you're not planning to break up and I'm not going to stand in the way."

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "I sense a but."

He nods. "I don't like him. I think he's taken advantage of his place here, used your sympathy to get closer to you and I think he's extremely disrespectful but he's the boy you've chosen so" he shrugs.

I scoff. "Yes dad, because he didn't already work here before we moved in. What was he supposed to do? Quit because an attractive girl moved in? And he may have been disrespectful last night in his execution but what he said is true. You felt sorry for his loss and so suddenly it was okay for us to be together. And lastly, my sympathy for him isn't what got him into my pants, it was more so his personality and impeccable body but believe what you want."

Silence hangs over us. Neither of my parents make an effort to speak so I simply roll my eyes and head back upstairs.

I open my door and find my boyfriend sitting on the edge of my bed. "You kind went off."

I sigh, closing the door behind myself. "I can't take him insulting you anymore. I just-I want to get out of here."

Lucas smirks, pulling out his keys. "Wanna go for a drive?"