Mr Blythe & I | LZ ✓

s e v e n t y - e i g h t

"Where are we?"

"Here we go again with the questions..."

"Yeah, well you've blindfolded me so I'll admit that I'm a little curious."

Lucas chuckled and swiftly removed his hands from my eyes, allowing them to adjust and focus on the view in front of us.

I gasped with admiration as I found us to be at the top of a cliff, looking down towards the city centre. The neon colours captured my breath as I glanced around, noticing the fast flow of traffic as well as the calm walks of the town's people.

Usually I would panic for being at such a great height, but I somehow felt safe knowing Lucas was standing beside me.

"It's beautiful." I whispered out loud, unable to keep my jaw from hanging open. "How did you know about this view?"

"I stumbled upon it quite a while ago whilst we were filming the first season of Anne... From then on, I'd always come here after a stressful day." Lucas explained before sitting down and picking at the grass. "Only when I was in Canada, of course."

I sat cross-legged beside him, close enough to hear his soft breathing.

"I wish I had a place like this at home..." I admitted, and Lucas' eyes travelled to meet my own. "I have a lot of stressful days."

"I'm sure there is a place like this... You just need to find it."

I smiled carelessly and nodded in agreement, attempting to ignore the way Lucas' eyes twinkled with the half-moon's reflection.

"Why do you have a lot of stressful days?" He frowned, catching me a little off guard. "I mean, I want to get to know you more... Your flaws included."

"We'd be here all night if I had to list my flaws." I giggled anxiously with a brief scratch of my forehead.

"We have time."

I glanced over at him once again, and it was clear to see that he wasn't going to drop the subject anytime soon. I sighed with defeat.

"Well," I began, shuffling to get myself comfortable. "I used to get bullied... A lot. I'd come home crying everyday and had no one to talk to about it. My parents were always at work, and Maria- well, I don't know. I've never really talked to her about my problems before."

"Why?" Lucas questioned, his tone of voice being extremely soft.

"I don't really know, she just never seemed to be that sort of friend. You know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Anyway, the bullying then started affecting my self-esteem, which then affected my grades." I continued, feeling Lucas move a little closer. "I used to be at the top of my class, and then I became 'average' - which isn't a bad thing, but I felt like I had lost my identity. I was always known as the 'smart girl'... Looking back, that's probably why I was bullied to begin with."

"Because they were jealous..."

"Right." I nodded to swallow the large lump in my throat. "But this was all a while back. The school has been closed for the summer so I haven't had to face my bullies since June... "

"Christina..." Lucas sighed gently. "June was only a few months back... This is still a recent problem."

"I know but I want to forget about it..."

"You can't forget what's currently happening."

I sent Lucas an uncertain look, but he was too indulged in the view to notice. He was clearly disturbed by something as his jaw was clenched and his fists were tight.

"We should change the topic..." I mumbled aimlessly, following his locked gaze. "Today was great, don't you think? I got to meet a lot of new people, and you got to meet a lot of old friends."

"You can't do that forever." He stated, his eyes never leaving the beautiful view.

"Do what?"

His jaw gently unclenched as his hazel eyes slowly met my own.

"You can't cover up your problems by trying to forget about them or changing the subject. You've got to face them head-on."

I felt myself wanting to cry, but knew I had to stay strong for the sake of my well-being.

"Why must you live so far away... After this trip, I'll be back in London and you'll be back in Chicago."

Lucas nodded in acknowledgment. Then, his signature smile reappeared on his lips.

"So let's enjoy each other's company while we can." He smirked, clambering back onto his feet.

"What? That could mean a lot of things-"

"I don't mean anything... Inappropriate." He reassured me and stretched out a hand in order to help me up. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your hotel."