The Little Love He Knew

Memories..

A/N : This chapter is dedicated to my friend, Manthan, who inspired me to write a story of my own. Thanks mate. Hope you all like it. Peace and love ~

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"You're smiling." Lucy said as she skeptically looked at Lucas, while they walked home.

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It's not. But can you please not smile creepily like that?"

"Define 'creepily', please."

"Like you used to smile with Hannah."

Lucas looked at Lucy briefly, then continued looking ahead, without caring to reply.

"That's right! It's a girl, Isn't it?" Lucy beamed at her brother.

Lucas kept silent and walked a little faster, but Lucy caught up with him.

"I should've guessed. It's a girl. Who is it? Is it Rachael? Tiffany? Oh, is it Clara? It better not be, I don't like her. Or is-"

"Lu, can you please stop talking? It's nothing. I just had a good day." Lucas replied, exasperated by her sister's interrogation.

"Sure, I totally believe you." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Good, you should. Now, you tell me. How was your day?" 

"On a whole, it was fine. Like meeting friends was fun. Studying was not. Positive cancels the negative. So you know, just fine."

"Wow, you manage to include math in a general conversation about your day. You should stay away from me." Lucas frowned.

"I didn't mention math."

"You said positive cancels negative, what is that?"

"Common sense."

"Stop being a smart ass."

"I'm not, you are just being incredibly stupid."

"Whatever. By the way, Dad called last night. Wanted to speak to you. You were asleep."

Lucy stopped in her track. "Dad called last night, and you are telling me now?"

"You were sleeping." Lucas shrugged. 

"I was sleeping, I wasn't dead. You could've woken me up."

"It's not like he called for the last time in his life. He'll call again. Or you can call him. Not the end of the world." Lucas continued walking and so did Lucy.

"Did you talk to him?"

"If you consider 'Why did you call' and 'She's sleeping' as talking, then yes, I did talk to him."

"You are such an ass." Lucy shook her head at her brother and walked ahead towards their house which was only a few footsteps away now. Lucas sighed and followed her.

"There's a new girl at school you know." Lucas tried making conversation with his sister as he entered the house.

"Yeah, I heard about her. Did you get to meet her?" Lucy plopped down on the couch, looking at her brother.

"She is in my bio, chem and calculus class. I am also paired with her for the chemistry assignment." Lucas smiled sheepishly.

"Ahh, and you like that, don't you?" Lucy gave him a knowing smirk.

"I am just glad it isn't Snobby Stephen that I have to work with." Lucas huffed.

"Oh please. You stopped disliking him in grade 6, so please. Anyway, tell me about her." Lucy hugged a pillow and turned towards Lucas who sat down next to her.

"Well, her name is Skylar. She seems shy at first, but she is really sociable when she gets comfortable. She moved in with her pare-"

"Is she pretty?" 

"Yea- I mean," Lucas smiled a little to himself, " I guess yeah."

"I knew it. You like her?" Lucy wiggled her eyebrows.

"What? No. I mean I barely know her. Like, okay, she seems like a nice person. But I have known her for just a few hours. What if she is some kind of psycho serial killer."

"Seriously, stop trying to use that nonexistent brain of yours." Lucy leaned back.

"Hello? Some respect for the elder brother, please?" Lucas frowned.

"Keep dreaming." Lucy got up and threw the pillow at Lucas. "Call her over for the assignment, get to know her. If she makes you smile that creepily, I guess she must be worth meeting."

Lucy went up the stairs and into her room. Lucas stared after her, thinking of what her sister had just said. 

Was I really smiling like that?

Lucas got up from the couch and headed to his own room. He threw his bag on his bed and sat down at his writing desk. Taking a deep breath in, he opened the drawer and pulled out an album. Setting it on the table, he brushed away the little dust on the cover.

He hadn't seen the album in months. But the pictures had been engraved in his mind. He didn't need to see them. Every picture, every person, every detail was hauntingly ever present in his mind. Lucy had gifted him the sky blue album on his 16th birthday. She had told him to be a little more fun, and fill the album with all the memories that he would never forget. And if he ever did, there would be the album.

Even though Lucas was elder, Lucy had always been the more daring one of the two. Lucas was one to follow the rules and stay on the line, while Lucy was the rebel, daring to go outside the box. But never causing much trouble.

Lucas flipped open the album, and the first picture was a candid shot of two boys, sitting on a sofa, clutching their stomachs and laughing about something. Lucas was hit hard by nostalgia. He traced his finger along his once best friend's face. He remembered the day too well. It was his sixteenth birthday party. Ashton had been telling him a joke. And Lucy had thought it was the best moment to take a photo. And looking at the photo, anyone could say it totally was. 

Just one look at the picture, and anyone could say the two were close. And indeed they were. Ashton and Lucas had been childhood friends. Inseparable since kindergarten when Ashton had offered to share his muffin with Lucas who had no lunch. 

How did everything change so much? How did you change so much, Ash?

 And just before the memories became too much to be held back, he turned the page. The next picture was of him, with a girl next to him. He had his arm around her waist and she was tip toeing to kiss his cheek while he gave the camera a cheeky smile. Lucas smiled at the photo, and slid it out of the album. He turned it around. There at the bottom, in a very messy handwriting was written Forever After Began Here <3. He turned it around once again, and stared at the picture. 

Forever After ended a little too soon.

Tears started forming at the corner of his eyes. He sucked in air and looked up at the ceiling to stop the tears from escaping. When the tears were no longer threatening to flow, he looked back down at the picture for the last time before putting it back into the album and shutting it close, placing it back where he pulled it out from. 

He got up from the writing desk and threw himself on the bed. Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he went through all the texts on his phone. After replying to Jeremy who wanted to know if he was coming to Blake's party, he locked his phone and kept it back into his pocket. He got up and was about to go out the door when he remembered something. He stopped, pulled his phone out again and when through his texts. After scrolling down much, he stopped at one text he got that morning. 

Weren't you going to burn that shirt?  

He opened the contact details for the message, and saved the number as  'Ignore'. He stared at his screen for a while, then slid his phone back into his pocket.

It's gonna be a long sophomore year. He thought to himself