Babysitting the Bad Boy

Chapter 41

In the first few weeks following graduation, my time was filled with graduation parties, babysitting, and hanging out with Lucas (alone) and all of us together.

My final summer flew by. It was filled with amazing memories and moments.

 So, the final weekend before I had to move in, since I was the first to go, we planned a beach weekend together. All of us renting a condo down in the Cape for three nights and four days. Plus a shit-ton of alcohol. I'd call that a recipe for disaster.

I was sleeping over Lucas' the night before we left, since we would be leaving early in the morning.

We were laying in his bed, just lounging around. He was playing with my hands, lacing his fingers with mine. He pulled my hand towards him and kissed my knuckles, "I love you Ariel." He said.

I smiled, "I love you too Lucas." 

He reached over to his nightstand, grabbing something out of a drawer and turning back to face me.

He showed me a small velvet box. My stomach dropped as I looked from the box to him, "Lucas is this what I think it is because if it is what I think it is you're fucking crazy." I began to babble.

He laughed, "Don't worry it's not an engagement ring," he said. 

He opened the box to show me. It revealed a diamond necklace.

I looked at him, at a loss for words, "This is because we aren't going to be together on our anniversary. And it's my thank you." He said.

"A thank you for what?" I asked. 

"For saving me." he said. 

I gave him a look and he continued, "When I met you...I was in a really bad place. Like you, I used to fight. I used to fight at the gym. They used to have an underground league. Tournament style. And that was all I would do. All night.  would get concussions and broken ribs and bruises all over." He said.

"My dad knew about it, and would make me sleep in a hotel room most nights so Clara wouldn't have to see me like this. I did sleep around a lot, but not as much as people thought I would. The real reason no one ever came to my house was because I was barely welcome in my own house.

"But then you showed up. And Clara never stopped talking about you whenever you weren't around. Tessa and my dad seemed to love you. So, I knew that I had to know who you were. And I didn't think that you would have affected me the way you did. After we started becoming friends I didn't want to go out and fight anymore. I didn't want to sleep around anymore. I just wanted to sit around and spend time with you and Clara." I smiled at him as he took a breath and continued telling his story.

"And then you started opening up. And I was learning more about you than I'd ever learned about anyone before. And it didn't scare me. It made me want to protect you. But then I soon found out you didn't need protecting. So then I just wanted to be with you. I'd never felt that before and it scared me more than anything. So, as soon as Katie came into the picture I just went with it. Because I'd hoped it would make me forget about my feelings for you.

"And it didn't not even close. And when I saw how much I had hurt you by being with Katie It made me feel like the absolute worst person on this planet. I never wanted you to feel like that again. 

"Ariel I am so in love with you it consumes me. You have changed my life in the best way possible. And I am still changing, and learning. But there's no one I'd like to change and learn with than you. And I just hope that you want to change and learn with me too." He said. 

I smiled and shifted in the bed, straddling him. I placed the box with the necklace off to the side and looked down at Lucas.

"Thank you for opening up to me," I said, leaning down and kissing him deeply, "the Lucas I met a year and a half ago and the Lucas sitting underneath me right now are two completely different people. And I like this Lucas so much better than the old one." I said.