17. MY DESTINY WAS YOU.
Season 3, Episode 2.
"Thanks, fellas!" Cookie exclaimed, happily, as she grinned.
Lucious chuckled. "Thank y'all brothers." He added as he closed her bedroom door.
Cookie's lips pursed when her ex-husband turned around with that infamous smile she knew too damn well. "Now you've gotta admit that must've got to you a little bit, right."
"The music," Cookie swiftly interjected. "The music got me. Yeah, the music." She corrected before his head blew up anymore.
The music had her thinking back to the first time she and Lucious met, and she'd be lying if she said that it didn't make her a little nostalgic over the past. But, unfortunately, they were in the present and the damage had been done.
"Now, I know we have a lot of history together, but you can't keep hitting me over the head with this 'When we first saw each other' sentimental crap." She groaned, exasperatedly.
Lucious let out a sigh before guiding her to the bed. "C'mere, c'mere," Cookie sighed but came to sit down on the bed with him, just waiting for whatever slick bs that was going to come out of his mouth next in a poor attempt to lure her back in. "There's a little confession I need to make to you."
Cookie didn't know whether to be worried or intrigued by the soft tone of his voice. A Lucious confession typically led to heartache and destruction and Cookie had enough of that to last her a lifetime. However, something about the gentleness in his eyes inclined her to listen to what he had to say as she brushed the hair away from her face and turned to gaze at him.
"Now that might've been the first time you saw me, but that wasn't the first time I saw you." He proclaimed with a soft chuckle. Cookie's eyes squinted with interest. "I saw you and that nerd," Cookie's eyes rolled skyward, knowing he was speaking about her old boyfriend, Barry. A complete sweetheart to her that definitely didn't deserve to ger dragged into she and Lucious' mess. "Pull up outside the corner shop and I looked at you and just knew."
Cookie cocked up an eyebrow. "Knew?" she repeated. "Knew what?"
He peered at her with a gaze pouring with so much adoration Cookie had to look away. "I knew you were the one. Without exchanging any words, I knew I wanted you." Cooke released a shaky breath. "I heard you tell him about you and your sisters going to the water ice shop, and I took that as my opportunity."
"You know you sound like a stalker right now?" she retorted with a tone dripping with her classic attitude, with her bottom lip curling up to feign disdain in an attempt to hide the build up of emotions bubbling inside of her that she didn't know what to do with yet.
Lucious dropped his head and chuckled, seeing straight through her façade. He knew her too damn well. "I swear I must've sat out in front of that water ice shop for like two hours, just hoping and waiting to get my little rap right so by the time you came out, I might be able to spit something you might like."
Cookie tipped her head to the side at the confession. "So, you knew I had a boyfriend and you still tried to get at me?" Typical Lucious; forever wanting what he can't have and taking what doesn't belong to him.
Swift to defend himself, he exclaimed; "No, I knew it was a long shot. I knew that you was this Catholic studious girl," Cookie let out a soft chuckle. "Hanging out with this nerd and why would a girl like you wanna talk to someone like me?"
"Barry was not a nerd!"
He lifted a finger up. "No, but he wasn't a gangster and that was me all day long." Cookie's lips tipped up with a ghost of a smile. "And that's what I was, and you knew that. You knew what I was about and instead of running, you stuck around."
Cookie's heart pounded at the fondness in his voice, but refused to let her feelings win as she grunted out; "Yeah, well I was young and simple. I should've stayed with Barry."
Lucious shook his head. "No, I'm serious, Cookie. You saw me in those streets, and you knew that wasn't my destiny. You knew my destiny was music and my destiny was you."
Cookie gazed at him for a moment. She saw the potential of his talent long before anyone else. She pushed his talent to be the best it could possibly be. She pushed him to be the best he could possibly be in the circumstances that they had to survive in. Not for one moment has she ever regretted meeting, loving, or going to prison for Lucious because, in a way, they discovered their destiny together. Without him, she'd either still be in the hood or married to some loser with a life full of regrets because she didn't chase her dreams. And as for Lucious, he'd still be in the hood or dead. She just wished things could've gone down differently, so differently.
It seemed like one moment she was deep in the feelings and the next she was leaning into Lucious. When their lips met, Cookie's hand wrapped around his neck as she straddled his lap. The kiss was hungry and impatient. Lucious squeezed her hips and Cookie ground her hips against his. They needed this, just like they needed each other. A moan tumbled out of her mouth when Lucious' lips came to pepper down her neck, sucking and nipping the exposed skin as she tilted her head to the side with an arched back and rolling eyes.
"I love you."
The words of affection and truth whispered into her ear, brought Cookie back to painful reality as she pushed her chest back and shook her head. "We can't do this."
Lucious frowned. "Cook-"
She held up a hand as she rose from his lap. "No. You're married. I've been down this road with you once, Lucious, I won't do it again." She crossed her arms across her chest.
He sighed. "This is different, baby. It's not real but you and I are."
She offered him a half-hearted smile. "What do expect from me, huh, Lucious?" she questioned, snappishly. "Would you like me to creep around as your mistress?"
"You'd never be my mistress!" he snapped, disgusted at the term. "We can just keep it quiet until the FBI backs off. I just need some time, baby, please," he took her hands and brought her to him. "I don't want to lose you again."
Sullenly, Cookie pulled her hands from his. "You lost me the moment you said, 'I do' to Anika."
"Cook-"
"I need you to leave now." Lucious opened his mouth to protest but was cut off. "Leave!"
He took a sharp inhale as he rose to his feet. Against her will, he tugged her into his chest and embraced him. A stray tear slipped down both their cheeks, unknown to the other.
"I love you." He repeated when he let her go. He gave her a soft smile before walking toward the bedroom door.
"Lucious."
His head snapped back.
"I love you, too."
