Chapter 36 | The next day

Lucas:

As I prise my eyes open, I almost have a heart attack at the sight of a man staring at me as I sleep.

I sit straight up in bed abruptly, which isn't the best move and I raise a hand to my pounding head before taking a better look and realising that it's just Harry Styles.

Harry Styles?...that means that I'm in-

I look next to me and seeing Isabella bundled up in the covers confirms all my suspicions.

I am in her room.

Rubbing my temples and trying to rid myself of the killer headache that I have, I try to recall last nights events.

All I can remember is getting that text message and driving over to Ivy's to walk in on her and Trent and banging him up in the face and then stalking off home and raiding my parents' alcohol cupboard, that they assume I don't know about, and getting shit-faced drunk.

I feel a pang of pain at the memory of seeing my girlfriend cheat on me but I don't have time to wallow in sadness as the rustling of someone waking up next to me catches my attention.

"Good morning," she says, rubbing her eyes and sitting up next to me. Her hair is in a huge mess.

"Good morning," I start unsurly. I pause for a beat before continuing. "Uh Bella, what happened yesterday?"

She cocks an eyebrow before smirking slyly. "You don't remember?"

I shake my head.

I rack my brain for reasons as to why I am in her bed and then I come across the most obvious one.

No...we couldn't have....could we?

"Did we, uh, sleep together?"

She pauses for a few beats before replying. "Uh...yeah we did." Her cheeks tinge pink and she kisses her teeth. "You weren't very good though, you lasted about 30 seconds."

Not very good? What??

Seeing the baffled look on my face causes her to tip her head back in laughter. "I'm kidding," she says in between giggles. "You came over here drunk and then crawled into my bed and wouldn't budge, so we watched Netflix for the rest of the night until you dozed off."

I let out a breath of relief. "Oh, thank God." I rake a hand through my hair. "I should've known you were kidding when you said I was bad."

She rolls her eyes. "Okay whatever, I'm gonna go shower now."

As she treks out of her room and into the bathroom and I fall back down on the mattress with a grunt.

How much did I drink last night? It feels like someone is smashing up my brain with a hammer.

I think I re fall asleep for a couple minutes because the next time I open my eyes Isabella has returned to her room with a towel wrapped around her head.

I smack my tongue gassing the roof of my mouth and grimace at the taste. "Um, Isabella do you have a spare toothbrush by any chance? My mouth tastes like something died in there."

She scrunches up her nose in disgust as she applies moisturiser to her skin. "Yeah, I'll get you one in a second." She continues doing her skin care routine. "Whilst you're at it you might aswell shower here because you stink." She waves her hand in front of her nose.

"You weren't complaining yesterday night when you were cuddling with me," I snort, peeling off my t-shirt and chucking it at her head.

It lands on her face and she screams in disgust, peeling it off with her index finger and chucking it to the ground. "So you do remember what happened yesterday?"

I shake my head. "Not really but there's no way you could've slept in the same bed as me without wanting to cuddle this." I gesture up and down my body and she scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"You're so full of yourself and you're wrong because you were the one snuggling with me." She taps her chin in thought. "In fact you kept pressing your head against my boobs."

I laugh and wiggle my eyebrows suggestively. "Woah I need to give drunk me a round of applause because he clearly has moves if I got to touch your boobies."

She points towards the door of her room. "Get out," she orders and I chuckle before walking out of her room.

I've stripped down to my boxers when there's a knock at the bathroom door. "Lucas I've got you a spare towel and toothbrush," she calls out from the other side of the door.

"You can come in," I reply and she opens the door. Her eyes widen when she sees me and her cheeks flame crimson as she stumbles back in shock.

"You could've told me you were naked!" She yells, shutting her eyes and chucking me the towel and toothbrush blindly.

"Oh shush, I'm not even nude." I tease. "And I know you'd love to see me naked."

"Okay I'm leaving now," her hands search for the door handle blindly. "You're gross."

I tsk. "Aw you're not going to shower with me?"

"Bye!" She scrambles out of the bathroom and slams the door shut behind her. A second later however, she peeks her head back in. "You don't get the privilege of seeing me naked." And with that she sticks her tongue out at me immaturely and leaves.

I laugh and take of my underwear before stepping under the cool water of the shower. I pick up one of the bottles on the shower rack and open the lid and take a sniff. It smells of coconut and vanilla. Like Bella. I squeeze a generous amount of it into my palm and lather it into my hair. Once I'm finished using the matching body wash and soap, I smell exactly like her and I smell very yummy. Like a desert shop.

I dry myself off, brush my teeth and pull on the sweats I was wearing yesterday before swinging the towel over my shoulder.

I hop down the stairs and walk into the kitchen where Isabella is making breakfast. She hasn't noticed that I have joined her in the kitchen so continues singing loudly alongside the song that's playing in the background.

I take a seat at a stool at the kitchen island and watch as she bops her hips to the beat.

She finally turns around after pilling pies on two plates and squawks in shock at the sight of me watching her.

"Lucas why are you watching me like a creep," she asks, huffing out a breath and sliding a plate piled high with large slices of apple and pumpkin pie in front of me.

I grin at her remark. "Just like how you were watching me through your window the day of the barbecue."

She coughs awkwardly. "I thought you would've forgotten about that already." She takes a fork out of the draw and stabs it into her pie. She had given herself the tiniest piece of pie which was a significant contrast to the amount and size of pie she had placed on mine but I don't have time to dwell on that as she speaks up again.

"So Ivy huh."

I look up into her gaze. Her eyebrows are drawn together and pity flashes in her eyes.

"Uh yeah." I clear my throat and shuffle in my seat. "To be honest I shouldn't be surprised, everyone warned me that she was notorious for cheating on every single one of her boyfriends and I should've taken that as a major red flag in the first place."

"Damn," she breaths. "Were you serious about her?"

"Um yeah I guess," I pause thinking for a second. "I mean I did really like her but I don't know, I think I always had a feeling that we weren't going to last long time anyways."

She smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

I nod my head and continue eating my pie. I can tell that something else is weighing on Isabella's mind and I'm about to ask her what's up when she opens her mouth to speak.

"Did you, uh," she begins awkwardly pausing for a beat. Hesitation is drawn across her face as she wonders if she should ask the question or not, but she finally spits it out. "Did you love her?"

I stop chewing for a second and stare at her, she looks a tad flustered and I stop to think about her question. "You know what," I begin, my eyebrows furrowed. "I don't think I did. I mean sure I cared about her but loved her? I don't know about that."

I look back up at her and a flurry of emotions flash in her eyes and she almost looks...relieved. I cock my head to the side. "Why do you care if I loved her or not?"

She pretends she hasn't heard my question and quickly changes the subject. "You want more pie?" She shoves more food onto my plate before I can protest and briskly gets up from her seat and busies herself with the dishes in order to avoid my question.

I decide to drop the subject seeing as she's being so weird about it. "So where are your parents?" I ask realising that she's been home alone.

"My mom stayed over at Linh's house because the three went out yesterday night and my grandma and Sofia went to visit her friend Bonnie but accidentally fell asleep so she spent the night there."

I get up from my seat once I gobble down the last slice of my pie and I go over to the sink to help Isabella with the dishes but she swats my hand away.

"You're a guest," she states sternly. "Guests don't do the dishes."

"C'mon," I argue as she shoves me out of the way with her hip. "It's just common courtesy to help you."

"Move."

She tries to grab my plate from my hand but I hold it over my head so she can't read and put it on top of one of the cupboards out of reach.

"Seriously," she growls as she begins to wash her hands in the sink. "Is this middle school? What's with you and letting me not reach things?"

I shrug and a smirk draws its way up to my face. "It's not my fault you're like 5'3."

She coughs. "Actually I'm barely 5'0, maybe 4'11," she mutters under her breath and my eyes widen.

Sheesh we must look like a bloody bar chart standing next to each other.

"4'11? Why don't you just grow already it's pretty easy," I tease, chuckling to myself. "Drink your damn milk."

She shoots a glare in my direction. "I don't like milk."

I tut at her and shake my head slowly, stepping closer to her. "No wonder you don't grow."

Isabella rolls her eyes and finishes off rinsing her hands before turning back to me and flicking water onto my face. "If you're going to be immature so am I."

She continues flicking water at my face, laughing as I squirm in retaliation. "Ah ah ah," I say as I quickly grab her wrists to stop her and shove her tiny ass into the sink.

She lets out a squawk of surprise and her laughter is cut off immediately. A blush rises up to her cheeks and she presses her lips together to stop herself from...smiling.

Huh. She likes this.

I decide to toy with her some more and press myself firm against her. Her eyes widen and her breath hitches as I inch my head down so that I'm eye level with her.

She places her palms flat against my chest in what I think is a manner to push me away, but she doesn't push and instead stares up at me in a flustered mess. "Lucas," she begins, her voice coming out in a high pitched tone.

"Isabella," I drawl in reply, my voice low and menacing, a contrast to hers.

She's about to open her mouth to say something when the door to the kitchen flies open and in strolls in Valeria, abuela and Sofia. They stop short at the sight of us.

"Ne No Ne No step away from the daughter," Valeria booms playfully, her hands cupped around her mouth and I spring away from Isabella in shock.

I scratch my neck awkwardly and Isabella tried to compose herself by patting down her hair.

Abuela snickers beside her daughter as Sofia looks up at us in absolute mortification. The poor baby is probabaly scarred. "Guys it's like 10 am in the morning, it's way to early to be doing anything."

I open my mouth to retort something when Isabella slaps my arms to prevent me speaking. I guess she knew what I was about to say was going to be dirty.

"You guys weren't doing anything." Valeria narrows her eyes at us and crosses her arms across her chest protectively. "Right guys?"

Isabella and I nod our heads simultaneously. "No ma'm."

Val nods her as face softens and a smile plays on her lips. "Good, no holding hands until you two are married."

"Ma," Bella snorts, taking another step away from me. "You're funny."

Her mother's smile drops and her expression wilts away into a serious one. "Who says I'm joking?"

Abuela rolls her eyes and drags Valeria out of the kitchen, Sofia trailing after them. "Don't worry guys," she calls over her shoulder. "You can still have sexy times. But remember protection! I don't want to be a great grandma thank you very much!"

"Abuela," Bella groans, hiding her face in her hands. "God my family is something else."

I laugh and reach up to take down the plate from the top of the cupboard. I place it in the sink and begin washing it, to which Isabella finally doesn't argue to.

Once I'm done I rinse my hands and flick water in her face like she had done only moments ago but she doesn't retaliate.

"I'm gonna go get ready," she says turning around to leave the kitchen. "Mia is making me and Grace go on a double date with her and Sammy for brunch but seeing as Aidan can't make it, Grace and I are going to go as a couple."

I could change that. I find myself thinking and I quickly brush away the thought.

What the hell? How am I thinking about getting into another relationship when I just came out of one. Especially with the girl who has made it very clear she isn't interested in being with me and has made it clear that she doesn't like me at all, even platonically.

"Okay," I reply after I snap out of my daze. "I'm gonna go home, thank you for breakfast...and um yesterday too."

"No worries," she says as we both walk into the hallway and up the stairs so I can go retrieve my clothes.

Once I locate my things and shove on my shoes I stand up straight and face her again. She's at her chest of draws, pulling out various make up items.

"Alright well, I guess I'm leaving now-"

"Wait a sec," she interrupts, reaching further into her drawer and rummaging through the items. After a beat she pulls out something so small that from where I'm standing, I can't tell what it is.
"Here, catch." She throws the item at me and I swiftly catch it with one hand.

With an eyebrow raised curiously, I open my palm to see what it is. A large smile breaks out onto my face.

"To make you feel better," she explains sheepishly, her cheeks tinged pink, fiddling with her fingers.

I brush my thumb across the fluffy fur of Mr Bellucas, my smile only growing as I take note that she's embarrassed by the little gesture.

She gives me a small smile and I pull her into a friendly hug. "I feel much better, thank you," I say into her hair as she melts under my touch.

"Okay um, no worries...you can leave now." She pulls away and pats my arm awkwardly, her blush deepening as she shoo's me into the landing.

"Bye Val, bye Abuela," I call out and the two peek their heads from their rooms.

"Goodbye cariño, pop by for dinner some time this week okay?" Abuela smiles, to which I nod to in reply.

Valeria begins to speak up and she nags a finger my way menacingly. "Remember no holding hands until marriage."

"I'll make sure of it." I laugh, running a hand through hair. I see Sofia peeking her head from around Valeria's legs and I wave at her. "Bye baby."

She chuckles and runs towards me and collides with my legs. I ruffle her hair before heading back downstairs and leaving the Quintero home.

As I walk down the porch steps and into my own house, I'm met with the sound of utter silence. My home is dark and quiet; a complete contrast to the bright and loud atmosphere of Isabella's house.

My smile drops as I clamber up the stairs and into my room, already missing the bustling warmth of the Quintero home.

I drop head first onto my bed, the sudden feeling of loneliness creeping up inside of me. I'm finally rid of all distractions and the pain of Ivy cheating on me courses through me and I allow myself to finally wallow in sadness, which I spend doing so for the remainder of the day – the small teddy clutched in my hand all throughout.