Mafia: Neo Zone ► Lucas Wong ◄

Chapter 7 - Coming Home ✔

My hands were shaking violently. Thankfully, the lighting in the back of the limo was dim enough to hide the true extent of my nervousness from view, but with my heartbeat pounding so loudly, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the city knew my feelings.

Of course, just when I wanted time to stand still, it had moved faster than I would've thought was possible. It must have taken over two hours for me to get properly dressed and done up to Heidi's satisfaction, but it'd felt like mere minutes from the time I sat down until she'd informed me that she was done. I'd thought I'd have a little more time to prepare myself, but she'd immediately put that idea out of my head. Everyone else had been dressed and ready to go long before me, apparently, and it was already time to go.

In less polite terms, she'd told me to hurry up and get into the hallway where everyone was grouping up before heading out, but when I nervously opened the door, Lucas was the only one standing there. My mind had gone blank when I'd seen him leaning comfortably against the wall, eyes on me. The thought had never crossed my mind that Heidi would put the two of us in matching hanfu. Honestly, the sight of him dressed like that and waiting for me had almost made me lose what nerve I had left, and knowing he was sitting beside me now in the dark didn't help matters any.

The fact that I was matching, though it made me uncomfortable, did make a bigger statement to the watching world, and I had to keep reminding myself it was only for tonight. After this, I likely wouldn't see him very much anymore, because he'd be so busy fixing all the problems that Aaron had made. That train of thought had been what had kept me going so far, but despite myself, there was a sort of sinking feeling at the thought that tonight might be the last time we really interacted.

As if he somehow knew I was thinking of him, Lucas reached out and covered my hand with his. Gently loosening my clenched fist, he threaded his fingers through mine, and despite myself, I felt a little more at ease. He had everything under control, right?

But, no. If I let myself rely on him for this, I'd get too attached, and then it would be impossible to leave him—I knew myself too well to believe otherwise. Gritting my teeth, I tried to pull my hand free, but Lucas only tightened his grip in response. In the dim light of the street lamps, I turned to try to get a better look at his face, but from what I could see, he was facing directly forward with no sign that anything out of the ordinary was happening.

"It's to help with the nerves." He said nonchalantly.

"I don't need help." That was a lie, and I knew it, but I couldn't let him know that, so I tried to pull away again.

"Who said anything about your nerves?" He moved our joined hands easily over onto his lap despite my struggles. "It's to help with my nerves."

I didn't know how to respond to that. The thought had never crossed my mind that he might be nervous or uncertain about any of this. Honestly, he'd acted so confidently this whole time, I hadn't been sure what he was thinking. On the other hand, what if he was just making excuses? What if it was a ploy to get me to feel sorry for him so he could hold my hand in peace? Just as the thought crossed my mind and I determined to pull free of his grasp, however, the car stopped.

My heartbeat spiked—if possible considering the bullet-like speed at which it was already pounding. The familiar sight of the colored paper lanterns decorating the front doors of the enormous building and the fiercely stern looking windows sent a wave of nausea washing over me. Maybe there was still time to turn back—

"It's party time." Lucas opened the door before I had the chance to finish my train of thought.

Flashing camera lights blinded me after the relative darkness of the limo. My legs went limp, and I would have stayed inside the car had Lucas not still been holding my hand. As it was, he gently pulled me out to stand beside him, reaching up and gently lifting my chin.