Work of Art || Luwoo

34

||Lucas||

"Lucas! Lucas! Why didn't you tell me?" Andrew runs towards me, grinning widely.
This can't be good. Whenever Andrew starts flailing around, arms waving like crazy, I know there's some new gossip that he found in some magazine.
"Tell you what?"
"You and Alex? You guys are back together again, aren't you?" There's a pause of silence.
Andrew looks up at me and waits for my response.
"Me and Alex aren't back together, Andrew. Where'd you hear that?" Andrew's shoulders drop in disappointment.
"I saw her talking to Maudelle. It looked like they were joking and stuff. They were smiling, at least..." I don't need a part two of my relationship with Alex, especially after how Jungwoo reacted to her.
"Why were they talking to each other, then?" Andrew thinks out loud.
"The companies have a new project together and she is the lead model." I blurt out the first excuse I can.
She saw me with Jungwoo that night at the restaurant and I made the stupid mistake of telling her it was a date. She knows.

~~Jungwoo~~

It's been three days and I still catch myself replaying my night spent at Lucas'. I feel my cheeks warm every time and I have to bite the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from smiling. Both of us are extremely busy people, but we try to see each other at least once a week. And when we don't get to see each other, we text or call. I don't blame Lucas for being so busy and he doesn't blame me.

Once my dishes are rinsed and put in the sink, I rush to my bedroom and pull open my closet doors. I have some clothes pushed to the side that I picked out last night in preparation. There's a light blue sweater and some checkered dress pants that I thought would look nice together. Not too casual, not too fancy. There's a pair of black and white sneakers on my dresser.

Lucas isn't here yet, but I decide to go outside anyways. The sun has started to go down and the sky starts to turn dusty purple. The air has cooled and thankfully, it's the perfect temperature for my sweater. Just sitting around waiting for Lucas makes me restless, but the cool temperatures calm me down a little. The cars and people that pass by also serve as something to distract myself. I'm thankful when Lucas parks against the curb in his usual black and shining car. For the first time, I see him in something other than runway clothing.
"I like your hair like that." I compliment.
Lucas smiles down at me. His dark hair falls around his face and the breeze brushes strands into his eyes. He looks comfortable.
"Thanks." He pulls me into a hug and my face rests against his green and puffy bomber jacket. I feel him kiss the top of my head while I burrow my nose into his chest. He smells of his usual cologne. A welcome scent. He waits a few seconds before letting me go.
"You ready?" He asks, taking my hand and leading me to the passenger door.
I nod and follow along.

~~~

The car rolls to a stop near a river. The water looks black under the now dark sky and the stars are reflected in its surface, twinkling over the soft waves. A pathway follows along the riverside and there are small garden lights on either side of the trail. To my surprise, we are the only people I can see who are here. I would think that more people would want to see this place. It's so beautiful.
"How did you find this place?" I ask in awe.
"I was just driving around one day to clear my head and I went by here. I come here to calm down or destress. There are benches under this huge tree by the water. Huge flowers bloom on it in the spring and it smells so nice. And when there's wind, the little petals falls off all around the bench. It's cheesy, but I really do like it." Once again, i'd never have pinned Lucas as some soft-hearted boy who likes to spend his days by the water.
His looks don't exactly match the concept. More like Frat Boy. But hey, who am I to judge?

Before I know it, Lucas and I are walking down the path, hand in hand. Most of it is spent in silence. I don't mind at first. The water and trees-the whole atmosphere, really-just makes you want to quiet down. It's so calming. After a while, though, I start to worry. It's not like Lucas to be this quiet for so long. He'd normally start cracking jokes by now. When I glance up at him, his face is twisted in worry. His lips are pushed into a tight line and his brows are pushed together just as hard. His eyes are fixed somewhere ahead of him but it seems like his mind has trailed of elsewhere. I don't say anything at first, thinking I might just be overreacting. Some people just look upset or angry when they're really not. And with Lucas' features it probably isn't hard to come off as either one of those things.
"This is really nice." I try to break the silence.
Lucas turns his head to look at me and pushes a tight smile through those tight-set lips. I'm almost sure now that he's hiding something from me. We keep walking without saying much for a few more minutes.
"Lucas, wait a minute." I tug on his forearm gently and I'm surprised by how even his arms are tensed.
It's the first good look of Lucas' face tonight. I stare between his two eyes which seem to have darkened. He tries to play dumb. Raising his eyebrows, looking at me in question. I still want to believe that I'm overreacting but I know that he's thinking about something.
"What is it?" I ask.
"What's what?" He pushes his act on me again.
"Don't try it. I know something's bugging you."
"There's nothing wro-" I grab his face between my palms and stare. He can't look away from me anymore. I don't know how I do it, but I've managed to pull him down to a height that's closer to mine. I only have to look up the slightest amount.
"Lucas..." I push.
He sighs and willingly rests his cheek against my palm. His sigh is hot against my hand.
"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't be putting all my stress on you. I'm sorry I've been so quiet. We're supposed to be having fun."
"Don't worry about me. You don't know how much it hurts me to see you like this." I feel the sting behind my eyes when I talk. His face looks so pained. I let go of his face and grab the collar of his jacket instead. I pull him towards me and once he's close enough, I land a kiss against his hot mouth. I feel his hands slide to the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair like he always does. He doesn't move and neither do I. When he pulls away to catch his breath before returning, his breathing is heavy and desperate. I don't know if my actions are helping him, or making his situation worse. I stop first in fear that I'm hurting him more than making anything better.
"Please tell me what's wrong. I love you." Lucas closes his eyes and sighs, breathing in the crisp air around us.
"There's been some talk at the company and people keep asking if I'm dating anyone. I keep denying it, but Alex was talking to Madame Maudelle earlier and I can't help but think it was about us." My heart sinks.
"It can't be that bad." I start.
"Alex knows, Jungwoo. She saw us at the restaurant and she wants nothing more than to make my life miserable. I'm breaking a huge rule of the company but I don't want to lose you. I just need time to think this through. I'll figure something out."
Only one solution comes to my mind and it feels like I've been stabbed when I say it out loud. "I can't do this to you. I need to leave."
"No!" Lucas grabs for my arm tightly and I have to rub the pain away when he lets go.
Lucas steps closer to me and I catch myself flinch unconsciously. Shit.
"I'm so sorry." He mumbles.
I watch as he fumbles with his hands, unsure of what to do. We're only a few inches apart. In less than a second, I'm back to being pressed against his chest, taking in the smell of his cologne. Except this time, his breathing and soft jacket isn't calming. Instead, his grip is tight around me and his hand pushes the back of my head against him. His chest moves heavily and eventually is shaking from his quiet sobs. I can't see his face, but I can hear him trying to stifle the crying. His breathing is anything but even and he's brushing my hair anxiously.
"Please don't leave. You can't leave me. You can't leave me." I reach up for his arms.
"Okay." I say quietly. "We'll figure this out."