Brighter Places [🗸]

28. i want everything to stay this way

As laughter fills the air, Lucas grabs onto my wrists, pulling me further into the party. There seem to be lights everywhere, as people move and laugh and live. 

Not too far away from us, Angie is swept away by her friends, and I let Lucas hold onto my hands, his fingers carefully tangled in mine as he moves backwards, that smile never falling.

"How do you feel?" Lucas asks, his eyes flickering up to mine, one of those small grins teasing at his lips.

Running a hand through my hair, I exhale an incredulous laugh. "I feel fucking insane." Shaking my head, I continue, "I honestly can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday."

Lucas' smile wavers as his eyes widen into one of those soft looks. "That's shitty."

"I feel like you get used to it after a while," I say, lips pursing as a few people brush past me and the music swirls to the air, tangling with the lighting, the laughter, and the dancing.

"Well, I don't want you to," Lucas says, bringing his bottom lip beneath his teeth. He trills his lips. "As long as I'm here," his hands slide around my neck. "Your birthdays are always going to be celebrated."

"I guess I'll have to live with that," I say, lips quirking upwards as my hands carefully slide onto his waist. He sways from side to side, laughs rising to the air as his eyes gently meet mine.

The door slams open, snatching me out of my thoughts as Lucas and I glance over at the entrance.

"I'm finally here. Dios. This place is like a damn maze."

And sure enough, Lucas' mom is at the doorway, a DQ cake held on a tray in her hands. She kicks the door shut behind her, running a hand through dark curls and finding my eyes with a wide but slightly-exhausted grin.

"Mamá," Lucas says, pulling away from me only to grab onto my hand, linking our fingers together as his wristbands fall further down his wrist and he tugs me after him. His mom hands him the cake as she turns towards me.

"Feliz cumpleaños," Lucas' mom smiles, throwing her arms around me. She murmurs something that sounds like a quick prayer as she pulls away, eyes shining as my heart tugs painfully at the way she grins at me like she's known me my entire life.

There must be something fragile that crosses my face because her expression seems to soften. "You're Lucas' love. And by extension," she continues with a gentle smile, "that makes you my honorary child."

Nothing like that has ever been said to me before. I've never been claimed like that. Never been seen as someone's child in place of someone's responsibility, someone's burden.

With a quick kiss on my cheek, she takes the cake back from Lucas and sets it onto the center table, waving at the entire crowd to gather around. Somewhere along the line, Angie's pushed right next to me, and she slings her arm over my shoulder as two candles are placed on the cake. An 18.