Missing The Mark ✔

18

I hurried into their house, the duffel bag clutched tightly in my hands and burst into Lukas' room. I wasn't sure why I was in such a hurry. It's not like he was in any immediate danger. Lukas had always been alone, and solitude had never been fatal for him.

I released the bag and shut the door behind me. Slowly, I approached his bed, and Lukas shot me a wide-eyed glance as I drew nearer and kissed him on the lips. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination or not, but he responded with a brief kiss before pushing me away. I couldn't help it. It just felt like I had to. After almost dying, I felt like I deserved a kiss, and Kol was literally dying in the hospital. So I opted for the next best.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked with the most perplexed look. I flushed and looked downward, then chuckled softly trying to mask my nerves. "Uhm that seemed like.. It seemed like the thing to do..." I answered him. Lukas laughed. "No, Daniel, that wasn't the thing to do. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested."

I was taken aback, to be honest. I was convinced he had feelings for me. "But... You were like... jealous of your brother this entire time. You wanted me—I know it," I said to him, my voice tinged with confusion and frustration.

"Jealous of Kol? For you? I'm sorry to tell you this, Daniel, but you aren't all that. Besides, you slept with my brother, why would I ever even dream about dating you?" Lukas asked me, as though I was the world's dumbest person standing right in front of him. I folded my arms across my chest as my eyebrows met in slight confusion and annoyance.

"Kol can have you, I don't care." He shrugged.

"So then what was your problem? If you weren't into me, why were you so against it?" I questioned.

"I told you this already."

"Yeah, well tell it to me again," I said.

Lukas sighed deeply. "He cares for you, he spends time with you, hell, he went on this stupid misadventure for you—Kol would never do that for me. Anna wouldn't do that for me, and neither would Carl. My family is completely insincere and uncaring. This is the only time I've ever seen even the slightest emotion in Kol... Because of you. It's not annoying, to be honest," he admitted, his voice laced with a mix of jealousy and resignation. I do recall him saying something like that in the past and I can definitely understand where he was coming from. It couldn't have been easy growing up in a family that seemed indifferent to your existence, and the jealousy he felt towards Kol's connection with me made more sense now.

"Oh..." I muttered awkwardly. His family sucks and everyone knows it. I can only imagine how their family dinners go, that is if they have them. To be honest, they seem like they all eat in separate places, and if two of them happen to be in the same place at once then that's considered eating dinner together.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for something you have nothing to do with." he sighed, "It's okay, though, I've dealt with it since my parents died, I can deal with it now."

"Oh," I mumbled, "What is the deal with you guys? C'mon, it's about time you tell me." Once again, Lukas let out a deep sigh. He is clearly upset by the way the conversation is headed, but I don't care. I want to know. I think I would be in their lives a bit longer, honestly, because I actually like Kol. I mean, there are obviously things he needs to work on, but I like him. And I like Lukas as well. His standoffish attitude just pulls me.

Lukas hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to speak. "Look, it's not something I like talking about, but I guess I can tell you... I'm pretty sure you won't stop asking until I do," he rolled his eyes. He paused for another couple of seconds, clearly gathering his thoughts, then continued, "Our family used to be well-off, but our parents made some really bad financial decisions that left us literally on the verge of bankruptcy. We lost almost everything, and after they died, well shit just got worse... funerals aren't cheap..."