Sapphire Angel / Lucas Wong (Wong Yukhei)

Part 73 - From Home

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He apologized and led me inside.

His place looked very similar to Johnny's. The living room connected to the kitchen, a small dining room and two bedrooms up a staircase.

It was nice, neat. Everything had a place and there wasn't a speck of dust on a single thing.

I wasn't surprised. Everything on their ship was always in order and clean.

After he gave me a super brief tour, he took me to the front door that had a window in the center of it.

"That's it? You're kicking me out?" I joked.

He chuckled but didn't reply. He was looking out to his front yard.

I came up beside him and his eyes were on Biyu, walking to a car and climbing inside the driver's seat.

My mind of course thought the worst, seeing sadness in his eyes.

But before I spoke, I looked down at my hand, the ring I could finally wear on my finger after all these months of gathering dust in a box.

"Your house looks a lot like Johnny's." I told him, trying to avert the subject completely at first.

He let out a quick laugh through his nose.

"Does uh ... does Winwin's look the same, too?"

He finally turned to me and laughed.

"No, he uh ... lives in an apartment." He said.

"Lucas?" I finally said, as the car drove away.

"Yeah?"

"If I never showed up ..., would you have married her?"

"I mean, yeah."

His immediate response didn't make me feel good.

He quickly continued his sentence.

"But you know it wouldn't be my choice. If you didn't show up, I would still be doing what my parents wanted. I wouldn't have a reason to leave."

I just nodded in response.

I didn't know what answer I was expecting but that was not what I wanted to hear.

Unfortunately, I let another stupid question leave my mouth.

"Do you think you would have fallen in love with her?"

He shrugged.

"I can't say I wouldn't."

Why was I doing this to myself?

"But I'll tell you ... I think it would have happened by now. It's been four years." He laughed.

"Well ... what have you guys done like ... how much time did you even spend together?"

Lucas laughed and shook his head, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Zeda."

I looked up at him.

"Did you know that .... We've never actually been alone?" He asked, looking into my eyes.

I didn't reply.

"Every time we've been together. Every minute we've spent there's been someone less than twenty feet away from us."

"I guess technically my neighbors aren't far ... but right now ... this is the first time we've been truly ... alone."