Chapter 218: Being ridiculous

The words escaped in a whisper.

He stared ahead. His thoughts began crashing into each other.

The kiss. The way he'd felt relieved seeing Vince last night. The way his heart reacted whenever Vince looked at him. The fact that he'd smiled three separate times while reading a simple note. His face slowly paled.

"No."

He immediately stood. Then sat back down. Then stood again and started pacing.

"What is wrong with me?"

He ran both hands through his hair.

His thoughts spiraled.

"What about Alex?"

The question struck him hard. The person he'd been thinking about every night. The person whose goodnight calls he waited for. The person who made him feel safe. The person he'd kissed. The person that had expressed his true feelings to him in many ways.

Lucas groaned and covered his face.

"Oh my gosh, am I falling for Vince too? Why does his kiss make me feel the same way as Alex’s?”

His voice echoed through the empty room.

"What the fuck is wrong with my head?"

He sat heavily on the edge of the bed. Completely confused, because it didn't make sense to him.

Alex made his heart race, made him smile, made him want more kisses.

So why was Vince suddenly occupying his thoughts too? Was this caused by the amnesia or what? Should he go and see the doctor? Lucas couldn't understand what was happening to him.

He looked at the note again, and looked away instantly like it had personally offended him.

"This is ridiculous."

His heart disagreed, yet his heart was causing the problem.

Lucas grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room. Then groaned again. The worst part wasn't the confusion. The worst part was that he already knew he was going to save Vince's number.

The moment Vince's number was saved, another name flashed across it.

Alex was calling...

Lucas’s heart immediately skipped.

The timing felt almost as if Alex was somewhere hearing him.

For a second, he simply stared at the screen.

Then he walked over to the bed and settled comfortably. He inhaled slowly and swiped the answer button.

"Hello."

The response came instantly.

"Hello, baby." The familiar voice sent a strange warmth through him.

"How are you?"

Lucas leaned back against the headboard. "I'm okay."

"Did you sleep well?" Alex asked.

A small smile appeared despite everything.

"Well... I did sleep well."

Then his smile faded. "But I'm restless."

The concern in Alex's voice was immediate.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?"

Lucas sighed. Where was he even supposed to begin?

"First..." He rubbed his forehead.

"Last night Derby tried to drug me."

It was absolute silence first.

Then…"She tried to do what?"

The shock in Alex's voice made Lucas pull the phone slightly away from his ear.

"Baby, where are you right now?"

His tone had completely changed. It was sharp and protective.

"You're not at home with her, are you?"

"No." Lucas shook his head even though Alex couldn't see him.

"I'm okay."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Vince's place."

The silence that followed somehow felt different, longer, and heavier.

"The gardener's place?"

"Yes." Lucas smiled faintly.

"He's nice."

A beat passed, then another.

When Alex spoke again, his voice had become dangerously calm.

"Nice?"

Lucas blinked.

"Yeah."

"Baby..." Alex's tone carried a warning now.

"Did you sleep at his place?"

Lucas frowned before responding.

"Yes."

Another silence.Then..

"What?"

Lucas groaned. "Oh come on."

"Lucas, you told me he was cute."

Lucas nearly choked.

"When did I…"

"And now you're sleeping in his cottage?"

Lucas buried his face in one hand.

"Alex,come on."

"Do you want me to get jealous?"

That actually made Lucas laugh.

A genuine laugh.

The tension eased for a moment.

"You're ridiculous."

"No." Alex immediately countered.

"I'm serious."

Lucas could almost picture the pout on his face.

"He let me stay because I was upset."

"And?"

"And nothing."

"He lives alone."

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Alex, come on."

"What?"

"He's a nice person."

Alex sighed dramatically. "That's exactly how every terrible story starts."

Lucas laughed lightly again.

"He won't hurt me."

The laughter faded when Alex quietly asked, "What if he likes you?"

Lucas froze.

His heart gave a strange, uncomfortable thump.

The question landed much harder than it should have. For a second, he didn't answer, and Alex noticed immediately.

"Baby?"

Lucas forced a laugh.

"Why would you even think that?"

But the question remained, lingering, and unanswered.

Lucas quickly changed the subject."Tell me your plans for today."

A pause.

Then Alex answered suspiciously.

"Trying to escape my question?"

"Yes."

"At least you're honest."

Lucas smiled.

"I want to see you later." The words slipped out naturally without thought.

And hearing them seemed to soften Alex immediately.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

A brief silence followed. The comfortable kind. Then Lucas added,

"But first I need to go to the registry."

Alex frowned.

"The registry, for what?"

Lucas nodded. "I'm going to start drafting divorce papers."

Everything went silent.

For several seconds Alex didn't respond. Then a smile curved his lips. “At last my baby is about to take a bold step.”  He muttered to himself happily.

Lucas checked the phone.

"Alex?"

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded completely different. It was low, careful, and almost disbelieving.

"...Did you just say divorce papers?"

"Yes."

Another silence followed.

"Lucas."

For the first time, Alex sounded shaken.  No joking, no teasing, no jealousy but completely shaken. “Baby, you're serious?"

Lucas stared out the window. The morning sunlight filled the room. For the first time since the accident, his answer felt certain.

"Yes."

The word came quietly, but firmly.

"I'm serious."

On the other end of the line, Alex stopped breathing for a moment, because after everything.  The marriage, the confusion, the lies and the uncertainty… Lucas had finally chosen something.

And somehow that decision changed everything.

Lucas frowned at the silence.

A moment ago, Alex had sounded shocked.

Now he was simply... quiet.

Too quiet.

Lucas shifted on the bed and looked at the phone.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?" The response came immediately. Yet something felt off.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Why do you sound like that?"

"Like what?"

"Strange."

Alex laughed softly. "I always sound strange."

"No." Lucas shook his head. "You're usually talking nonstop."

"Wow."

"Yes you are."

"That hurts, baby."

Lucas smiled briefly before becoming serious again. Then the question that had been bothering him finally slipped out.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

A little silence and Lucas continued. "Don't you want me to be free from her?"

His voice softened. "Are you not happy?"

For several seconds Alex said nothing. The silence stretched long enough for Lucas to become nervous.

Then finally, a laugh escaped Alex.

It was warm, soft, and almost disbelieving.

"Of course I'm happy, baby." His voice dropped lower. “In fact, I'm thrilled."

Lucas relaxed slightly, but something still felt wrong.

Alex continued. "You have no idea how happy I am."

And that part was painfully true, because for so long he'd imagined hearing those words.

I'm getting divorced. I'm leaving her. I'm choosing my own future.

He should have been celebrating.

Instead, his chest felt tight.

Because something had changed.

Something he hadn't expected.

Alex stared at his phone. Thinking about the conversation earlier.

Thinking about Vince. Thinking about the way Lucas had smiled while talking about him. Then the kiss last night. He had often carried away and Lucas had fallen into the kisses happily.

Then again the way he'd called him nice. The way he'd stayed the night.

And suddenly, for the first time, Alex felt something dangerously unfamiliar.

Fear.