Love at First Fight

Chapter 21

I don't know how long Maya and I had our laughing fits but eventually Lucas spoke up, "Alright you two. Let's calm down." he said. 

We sat up and I made a face, "You're not fun." I said. 

He just smirked, "Yeah yeah princess. Come on, let's get you some water and fresh air before you head to bed. You've had a lot to drink tonight." he said, grabbing a water bottle and spare blanket.

He held out his hand, which I took and he led me out onto the small balcony attached to our room. 

I was hit with the cold air and I took a deep breath as Lucas closed the door behind him. He handed me the bottle of water and I took it, taking a few sips from it.

"You know I'm not that drunk right?" I asked. 

He just quirked an eyebrow, "I saw how much you drank tonight princess. You had a lot of hard liquor." he said.

"Mhm. And you've never seen me drink before. So you don't know how much I can handle. And I may be tipsy and giggly, but I'm not drunk." I said, sipping on the water again. 

"Well either way you should sober up a bit. I've never dealt with the rest of them when they drink but you have so I'll need your expertise." he said. 

I chuckled, "Please, this is nothing compared to the night of that party." I said, thinking back to how crazy that night had been. 

We stood in a comfortable silence, looking out over the balcony, "I've never seen you drink." I said quietly. 

"I don't." Lucas answered simply. 

"Why? Everyone knows how much of a party guy you were. You never drank?" I asked. 

I glanced over to see him shaking his head, "My dad's sister died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver when I was 12. I was really close with her and it hit me pretty hard. I want nothing to do with alcohol. I don't care if others drink, I'm perfectly happy taking care of others when they're drinking and making sure they're safe but I don't want to drink myself." he said.

I looked over at him, "Lucas I'm sorry." I said quietly. 

"You have nothing to apologize for. You weren't there. You didn't cause it." he said. 

"I know but I'm still sorry. It sucks to lose a family member." I said. 

He was quiet, "I won't drink anymore when we're all together. You shouldn't be the only sober one." I said. 

Lucas chuckled, "No actually I really like drunk Ariel. She's much more...free." he said, taking a second to come up with the right word. 

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused. 

"You're so guarded all the time, never wanting to let anyone in too much. It's understandable of course, but tonight you looked like you finally just let go. You just had fun for once without caring about anyone seeing you." he said. He was smiling. 

I returned it, "Thank you. I'm usually only like this when my family gets together. Which doesn't get to happen that often anymore." I said. 

"You don't get to see them a lot huh?" he asked. 

I shook my head, "Before I went there for two years I'd be lucky if I saw any of them once a year once we'd moved here. Before we moved we saw each other almost every weekend." I said. 

"I wish I had a big family like that. I only have a couple of cousins that I don't see very often." He said. 

"Family doesn't always have to be through blood, you know. You can choose your family." I said.