"luke!" anna shrieked, she couldn't believe her eyes. she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"nuh-uh uh, i am LUCILIA!" luke said while shooting his wand up in the air. he had on a sparkly tiara with fairy wings on his back and a purple tutu wrapped around his waist. anna couldn't believe what was going on, but she decided against questioning it and played along.
"you're incredible."
"i know."
she took the bike she was examining off of the rack and set it down.
"well, grab a bike- or should i say, grab your trusty stallion!" she exclaimed.
luke then went go grab a blue bike hanging right next to hers and they began riding it down the aisles of the store and started chanting things like "onward!" and "hi-yah!".
the sight of them two was pretty hilarious. they were in their own worlds, having fun like they should be. even if they were getting strange looks thrown at them, they were too into their game to even be bothered by it. all the laughing and giggles and jokes they were sharing didn't even bother anna at all. it seemed like she was in a state of pure happiness. she didn't try to put her guard up with him.
she forgot everything she hated about luke for a moment and allowed herself to have some fun, which she hasn't had in forever.
after they got tired, they put everything back the way that they had found it- trying not upset the workers as much as they already did. then, they left the store and continued walking mindlessly.
they both walked in a comfortable silence, there was no tension, no awkwardness.
"hey luke, can i ask you something?" anna spoke softly.
luke lifted his head to see her face and hummed in response.
"how are you?"
he laughed at that overused question, "i'm just peachy, and you?"
she shrugged, "i'm surviving." there was bits of disappointment in her voice and hints of sadness. luke expected her to say something like 'i'm fine' or some typical answer that wouldn't sound so depressing.
luke wanted to hear that she was okay, his heart felt heavy knowing she wasn't in the best state. though, he knew she wasn't depressed but her life was still tough and she managed to keep some bits of sanity in her. luke tore himself up knowing that he was apart of her hurting. god, he swears up and down he's not an actual asshole- and he truly wasn't. he genuinely cares for her.
he grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze, "hey, i'm proud of you."
she gave him a confused look, "what do you mean?"
"i mean, considering the things you've been through, things you're dealing with; it's tough. most people would handle things way worse, but not you."
"not to sound rude luke, but we've just started to reconnect after being disconnected for a very long time. how would you know if i'm handling things alright?"
he let out a shaky laugh and looked down at his feet walking across the pavement, "i never stopped wondering about you. i never stopped worrying or carrying. i observe you more than you think. most of the time when i see you; you have a smile on your face instead of a scowl, you're laughing instead of cussing everyone out, you try making everyone else around you feel so welcomed and loved instead of pushing them away. considering everything that you've dealt with and are still dealing with, you're doing okay, and i'm proud. even if you think that life is kicking your ass, i still think you're going to be okay. you can react differently with your circumstances and make things way worse but you refrain from doing so."
