Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I go looking for Luc. I come into the kitchen and look at the clock on the wall. Four o'clock.
"No, I'm fine," Luc says harshly and I hesitate outside his door. He sighs loudly.
I’m about to knock when Luc keeps talking. “You’ll see when you get here. I don’t know what it is about her but I broke down on her shoulder in the first ten minutes of her being here.” He chuckles. “Dude, chill out. I cleaned the house while she was sleeping. It’s like Hannah never left.”
He talks briefly before I hear the conversation end and I decide to stop standing there like a creeper.
I knock lightly on the door and it swings open.
My words dry up when I see Luc, phone in hand with no shirt on. Fuuuuck. I stare at his rivets and abs for a brief second before my eyes flick up to his.
"Butterfly, hey." Luc smiles, oblivious to my struggle. "Did you have a good nap? You were asleep for a while. I thought I'd have to shake some life back into you."
I laugh softly and shake my head, trying to rid my brain of the mental image of Luc's abs. I look at the box on the floor, a few things split out onto the floor.
"Were you trying to lift that?" I question.
Luc sighs. "Yeah. I injured myself recently and it's not healing as quickly as I'd like." He changes the subject. "The guys should be here soon," he tells me.
I sit down on the edge of his bed. Luc sits beside me, stretching out his right leg like he's uncomfortable.
He hesitates for a moment. "I want to be straight with you. The guys might be a bit…wary and on guard of you. We have some things going on right now but I told them about you and they’re excited to meet you.”
I exhale, wincing when it pulls on my ribs. “Okay, just…I need you to be honest with me and let me know if this arrangement doesn’t work at any moment.”
Luc places his hand on my knee. “It’ll be fine, Butterfly but, okay,” he relents. I smile softly, needing his confirmation.
We talk about everything—anything—while I wait anxiously for his friends’ arrival.
Tires on the gravel and an engine being turned off echoes through the house. There's footsteps the hardwood as we stand up.
"Luc? What the fuck's going on, man?" A deep baritone voice yells out.
"I'm coming!" Luc yells out. He gives me a reassuring smile and grabs my hand.
I take a shaky breath and follow Luc into the living area and kitchen.
"Dude, we need details…” their voice trails off when I walk into the kitchen behind Luc. I stop walking and Luc tugs me forward at the same time.
"Sweetheart?" Dominic drops whatever he's holding.
"What did you just say?" Maverick walks in from the living room and stops abruptly when he sees me, making Mason run into him.
"What the—"
"—fuck?" Mason carries on what Maverick was saying.
"Laney!" Mason beams and runs over like he's going to put his arms around me.
I brace myself but the pain never comes because Luc steps between us. "Go slow, brother."
"It's okay, Luci," I murmur to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He turns and raises one eyebrow. "You guys know each other I’m assuming since they called you Laney.”
“What else would we call her?” Maverick interrupts.
I nod, answering Luc first. "We met at school yesterday."
