The Good Boy's Facade

8

Man, now that I found motivation, I have school work and exams 🙄

No one mentioned to her about how much Lucas might have grown.

His jawline, his gaze, hell, everything. These past years, she grew up trying to avoid thinking about the one person who stood before her today.

But she never missed the way he changed, the way his blue sweaters turned to jackets to suits with a tie on him 24/7. She never missed the way he was mentioned ever so slightly in business articles or the pictures.

He grew, and he grew, and he grew into someone she couldn't recognise.

She gulped, as he shot a look at her, a smile appearing on his lips. He lifted a finger, and motioned her to approach, to which Claire blinked at a loss of words at first, but then slowly stepped forward.

She walked towards him, throat dry and sweat accumulating between her upper lip and her nose, which she instantly brushed away.

"Claire?" He sounded unsure, as if he had uttered the wrong name.

"Lucas." She choked out, before clearing her throat.

"It's pleasant to see you."

I wouldn't say the same.

It felt strange, because his voice also had a depth now.

"Yeah, you too." She manages to say.

"So Hailey invited you, I suppose?" He grinned. "It's been long, I've got some news for you."

She tried to put on a smile too, but she hated fakes. "Yeah, you're getting married."

"Absolutely. Wonderful, now that you're here, I'd love it if you came and enjoyed yourself some time here."

She was so fucking confused. What was with this odd behaviour that this guy posed? Something about it didn't feel settling.

Maybe he's trying to be nice. Or maybe he's just greeting a good old friend. After all, it's been seven years, and there's no way in hell he wouldn't have moved on.

A smile broke out on her own lips, the moment she realised that indeed, he moved on. She sighed softly.

"Definitely." She replied, "So I'll get going-"

"Stay for a drink, could you?" He chuckled, "Catch up on stuff."

I wish. "Um, that'd be bothersome to you. I'd be heading now."

And that's exactly how she made a run, on her way out, she pulled out her phone and dialled Adam to get her bag so that they could leave as soon as fucking possible because she didn't wanna stay even a second.

All she wanted to do was get rid of this situation completely.

————

"Claire, wake up, you've been sleeping on an empty page now." And she blinked her eyes couple times, before looking up at the open blank page of Microsoft word open on her laptop. "Here's your coffee." And her gaze fell on a cup of coffee next to her face on the table, with Adam's voice ringing in her ears.

"I don't want." She grumbled, before going back to sleep, just that, her neck fucking ached. She groaned, sitting up.

"Drink the fucking coffee." Adam hissed.

Adam was still pissed at how they pretty much had to run, or more like escape, and he couldn't even have a word with Lucas.

"Fine, fucking Christ." She mumbled, before taking the cup in her hands.

They were in a hotel room, because Claire had insisted that they don't bother her old parents, and would rather spend money on hotels.

They could share a bed, they've done it before, but Adam also gutted and said he'd order an extra bed... to which Claire agreed.

"Any idea for an erotica yet?" Adam asked as he sipped his own drink.

She shook her head, "Does it fucking look like?"

Claire shut the laptop in dismay. "Come here." She heard Adam say. So she rolled her eyes, before getting up with her drink and walking to the bed and sitting beside Adam where he was patting the mattress. "There's something I gotta tell you."

"Go ahead."

"But, before that, I wanna help you in writing this."

Claire let out a tired sigh. "You can't do that, Adam. It's an erotica, and there's nothing you can help with. Hell, I don't even know how to begin it with."

"Lemme think.." he scrunched his eyebrows, and in a span of a second, before Claire knew it, he was grabbing her neck and pulling her close towards his own face, large hands wrapped around her skinny neck.

So close, his breath touching her cheeks.

She gasped, the coffee from the cup spilling a little on both of them. "What are you doing?" She hissed through her teeth.

"Erotica."

And couple seconds passed by, as Adam looked into her eyes. A smirk tugged in his lips, and he let go.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and just looked down at the mess of coffee.

"Apparently, Lucas is hosting three parties this month. One, was a a week ago. Another is tomorrow. The third one, no idea. Hailey called me to invite us over."

Claire licked her lips, while poking the wetness of the coffee on her thighs. "I'm not going."

"You are going." He smiled. "With me. It's a date."

She grimaced. "A date?"

"Well, that is the rule to enter, you either come with your date or you don't."

"Then I won't. I don't have a date."

"Am I dead to you?" He looked offended, and then sipped his drink. "So it's decided. We're going." And stood up, before placing his cup on a table. "I'm heading out to get us dinner, take out, anything that's nearby, by then, be kind enough to clean the coffee you spilled."

Claire presses her tongue to the top of her mouth and rolled her eyes. "Yes, mother."

"You love me!"

And then he was gone.