Lovesick

Chapter IX

For the next two weeks, Lucas kept his distance. He didn't talk to me, neither in nor out of school. I did try to respect his boundaries at first, but after enough time had passed, I came to terms with the truth I had chosen not to see before: all trust between us had been lost. I could no longer believe anything Lucas said, and his excuse that he 'needed some time to think' was just that—an excuse. I left him alone for a while because I was under the impression that I was giving him the space he needed to sort things out, but I became more and more convinced he intended to forget about me for good. And I couldn't let that happen.

I began following him around like a stalker, which was only the next logical step for me given the degree of my obsession. I figured that if Lucas didn't want to welcome me back into his circle, I simply needed to make myself welcome. He would never make a scene in front of his friends or family, because he was a control freak who cared far too much about keeping up appearances. So, rather than approaching him when he was alone, I waited until he had company.

I knew all the places where he liked to go, so it was easy to 'accidentally' bump into him. He could barely hide his annoyance whenever I showed up, but I was right—he couldn't just walk away from me. He did everything in his power to make me leave, though. His retaliations were ruthless. Aside from the typical bullying I was always subjected to as his friend, he now used what he knew to be my greatest weakness—himself.

I once invited myself to his table when I saw him at the library with a few of our classmates, preparing for the upcoming exams. They knew me as Lucas's friend, and also as the one who had the best grades in our class, so they naturally assumed he had asked me to help them out in their study session. They welcomed me with open arms before he could say a word in protest, and I took the seat in front of him. He glared at me and aggressively flipped a page from his book, a non-verbal warning I didn't take to heart.

Ten minutes later, while I was helping the girl next to me with a part she struggled with, I felt something stroking my ankle. I froze in my seat, but managed a discreet glance under the table. Lucas's foot was sliding up the side of my leg, getting dangerously close to my thigh. I gave him an admonishing look, but he pretended to be focused on his reading and didn't meet my eyes. There was a faint, barely noticeable smile on his lips, but apart from that, he was the picture of innocence. He won that time, because I had to pretend I had an emergency and leave before I lost my composure.

He liked to toy with me, tease me with seductive, tantalising touches that made me shudder. It was cruel, to say the least.

Thankfully, I had another card up my sleeve. Before our fight, Lucas's mother had invited me to a 'little get-together' she had planned to throw at the mansion. I had a good relationship with her, she even had my number and called the day before to ask if I was still coming. She suspected that something was going on between me and Lucas, since me not visiting in two weeks was highly unusual. I lied that everything was fine, and confirmed that I was going to the party. Lucas wouldn't do anything inappropriate with his family around... surely.

I was a bit nervous when I arrived, because I didn't know how to navigate social situations without Lucas. Still, it helped that most of the people at the party were relatives of his, and I was acquainted with many of them already. Lucas couldn't hide his shock when he saw me at his front door, and his mother greeted me with a hug like she hadn't seen me in months. All I got from him was a glare, and he then left me to my own devices.

Guests were mingling and catching up in the living room, and it would have felt awkward inserting myself into one of their conversations. Lucas seemed busy greeting everyone as well, and I decided to wait for a better opportunity to talk to him. After pouring myself a glass of water and exchanging a few pleasantries with the people who spotted me, I isolated myself in a remote corner of the room, where most eyes wouldn't venture for long. Even after all the socialising I had done the past few days to be around Lucas, I still rather disliked it.