Fractured

16. Pity

Lucas grinned, like he had been expecting me to bring it up. "Yeah? Where would you like to start?"

His calmness threw me off. I felt flustered, my thoughts scattering in every direction. How could he just take this so casually? Here I was, practically spiraling, like I was still new to dating or something. Meanwhile, he was just... relaxed.

I swallowed hard, trying to shake off the awkwardness that clung to me like a second skin. "You said... you had—or have—feelings for me."

He raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "I did, didn't I?" His tone was light, almost teasing, like we were discussing something trivial.

I blinked, feeling a wave of nerves crash over me. "Yeah, you did," I repeated, my voice quieter now, unsure. I glanced away, my fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the edge of the blanket. "And I don't know what that means for us."

There was a pause. Not an uncomfortable one—more like he was giving me the space to find my words. When I finally looked back at him, he was watching me, his expression a little more serious than before.

"Jessie," Lucas started, his voice softer now, dropping the playful edge. "I wasn't messing with you. I meant it. But I also didn't want to overwhelm you. That's why I didn't push it further."

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears. Everything between us suddenly felt heavier, like the air had thickened, pressing down on my lungs. A minute ago, things were simpler, but now—now everything was different.

My mind raced, desperately searching for the right words, for some way to process what was happening.

"It was... bad timing, wasn't it?" I sighed, locking eyes with Lucas.

My gaze lingered, searching for any sign of dishonesty, any deviation from the sincerity in his voice.

It felt impossible that someone like him—put together, smart, attractive, and so much more—could really feel this way about someone like me, where the only thing I knew how to do was spiral in negativity.

He shrugged casually, his expression soft but confident. "I don't believe in bad timing. I think things happen when they're meant to. Words, actions—it's all part of something bigger."

How could he do that? Take something so simple and twist it into something that made my heart race even more? It was frustrating and infuriatingly attractive at the same time.

"I don't know what we're supposed to do now, Lucas," I whispered, my voice barely audible. The uncertainty gnawed at me, and I hated how vulnerable I sounded.

He shifted closer, his hand reaching out to rest over mine. The touch was gentle, warm, and steadying, like he was pulling me back to the present when I was on the verge of unraveling. "We don't have to figure it out all at once," he murmured, his voice soothing. "There's no rush."

His words were calm, but it was the way he looked at me that made my throat tighten. It wasn't nerves this time—it was the overwhelming care in his gaze, the patience that seemed endless. I didn't know how to respond, my emotions too tangled to untangle. So, I just nodded.

Lucas leaned back slightly, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips, like he knew something I didn't. "We'll get there, Jessie. Whatever 'there' looks like." He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, but his eyes stayed on mine, lingering for just a moment longer. "No pressure. Just... us."

The tension that had weighed us down moments ago seemed to ease, just a little. The air felt lighter between us, though not completely free of the things we still needed to work through. There were so many words left unsaid, so many unresolved feelings hanging in the space between us.