𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦, ʟᴜᴋᴇ ʜᴜɢʜᴇs

fourteen

IT was a rainy day at the NICU. Charlotte-Alexandria changed a baby's diaper, humming to herself quietly, the buzz of machinery giving the room an eerie feeling. She checked the time and took one more lap around the room before scanning out.

When she stepped outside, she realized how far she had parked the car. With a resigned sigh, she started the long walk to her car, the rain steadily soaking her. By the time she reached it, she was drenched, her clothes clinging to her and her hair beginning to curl from the moisture.

"Great," she muttered to herself, shivering as she got into the car. She drove home, her mind on how to salvage the evening after such a soaking. As she pulled into the driveway, she could see the lights on inside, signaling that Luke and Jack were already home.

Charlotte ran from the car to the front door, trying to avoid the worst of the rain. She burst inside, water dripping everywhere, and let out a frustrated groan.

"Man, I got so wet," she complained, kicking off her soggy shoes.

Luke and Jack turned to look at her, and their jaws dropped. "Oh wow!" they exclaimed in unison.

Charlotte looked at them in confusion until she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair, which had been hinted at being curly, was now a full cascade of curls, framing her face wildly.

"Oh my god," she mumbled, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. She barely had time to process their reactions when she heard a familiar voice.

"Charlotte-Alexandria, you look lovely," said Ellen, Luke and Jack's mom, standing in the living room with Jim and Quinn.

Charlotte's embarrassment reached new heights. She hadn't expected to meet Luke's parents and brother like this. "Uh, hi," she stammered, trying to smooth her hair down with little success.

Jim smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. We've all had our fair share of rainy day mishaps."

Quinn gave her a friendly nod. "Nice to finally meet you, Charlotte. Luke's mentioned you."

Charlotte shot Luke a look, her face still burning. He gave her an encouraging smile. "Mom, Dad, Quinn—this is Charlotte. Charlotte, these are my parents and my brother."

"It's nice to meet you all," she managed to say, still feeling flustered.

Jack, picking up on her nervousness, cleared his throat. "Lottie, you should go change out of that. You're gonna get sick," he said. Charlotte-Alexandria nodded, awkwardly waddling towards her room.

The Hughes heard her bedroom door close and Ellen whipped around towards Luke and Jack.

"She's beautiful," she whispered.

Quinn smirked at Luke's flushed face. "Yeah, she is. I can see why you like her so much, bro."

Luke's ears turned red, and he shook his head. "We're just friends, guys."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure you are. Just friends who sneak around and make goo-goo eyes at each other."

Luke shot him a glare. "Whatever, Jack. I'm going to the restroom."

Instead of heading to the bathroom, Luke made his way to Charlotte's room. He knocked softly before entering, finding her towel-drying her hair.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"I just needed to see you," he admitted, closing the door behind him. "Are you okay?"

Charlotte smiled, the tension in her shoulders easing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit embarrassed."

Luke walked over, gently taking the towel from her hands and helping to dry her hair. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You look beautiful."

Her heart fluttered at his words. "Thanks, Luke. I just... didn't expect to meet your family like this."

He chuckled softly. "I didn't expect it either. But you handled it well."

Charlotte looked up at him, her eyes softening. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Luke's gaze locked with hers. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going anywhere."

Their faces inched closer, and before they knew it, their lips met in a soft, reassuring kiss. It was slow and intimate, Luke's hand cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, feeling a sense of security she hadn't felt in a long time.

When they finally pulled away, Luke rested his forehead against hers. "Don't freak out on me, Alex, okay?"

She pulled back, "Alex?" she asked.

He nodded, "Lottie is for everyone, Alex is for me." He smiled down at her, and she smiled back up at him.

"Okay," she whispered, her fingers gently tracing his jawline.

Luke gave her a final peck on the lips before stepping back. "I should get back before they start wondering where I am. I told them I had to, you know..."

Charlotte nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Thanks for coming to check on me."

"Always," Luke replied, giving her one last look before quietly slipping out of the room.

Back in the living room, Jack and Quinn were still teasing Luke when he returned. He rolled his eyes, trying to hide his own smile. "You guys are the worst," he muttered, but the warmth in his eyes betrayed him.

Ellen, watching the interaction, leaned over to Jim. "I think our boys have found something special here," she said softly.

Jim nodded, squeezing her hand. "I think you're right."

Just then, there was a commotion near the hallway. Ellen let out a small scream, and Jim jumped back, his hand over his heart. "What on earth is that?"

Charlotte, emerging from her room in dry clothes, hurried over. "Oh no, I forgot to warn you about Shrimp!" she said, scooping up the odd-looking, one-eyed dog. "He's harmless, I promise."

The Hughes family chuckled nervously, still eyeing Shrimp warily.

"He's definitely... unique," Quinn said, trying to hide his amusement.

Luke laughed, reaching out to pet the dog. "Yeah, he takes some getting used to. But he's part of the family now, right, Charlotte?"

"Right," she agreed, feeling more at ease. "Welcome to the chaos."

Ellen smiled warmly. "It's a good kind of chaos. We're glad to be here."

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