She’s smiling again.
I make the drive to Lucas’s mother’s apartment and park by the curb. It’s a two-bedroom brownstone, modest but warm and cozy. When Lucas told me back in January that he wanted to get a place for his mom, I agreed without argument. They’d settled things between them, at least enough to start rebuilding what they lost. Step by step. She started working as a kennel assistant in March, trying to get her life together. Good for her.
Still, if she ever hurts Lucas again, I’ll make her disappear. Simple as that.
I climb the few stairs up to the house and knock. A moment later, Kathryn opens the door.
“Hello, Alex,” she greets softly, a hesitant smile tugging at her lips.
She still walks on eggshells around me. She knows I don’t fully trust her—that I’m only here for Lucas’s sake. He loves her, or at least, he’s trying to. She’s not someone he can forget or cut off, no matter how much he once wanted to. I understand that.
“Hello, Kathryn,” I reply evenly, handing her a box of pastries. She steps aside, opening the door wider for me to enter.
“Oh,” she says, her brown eyes brightening as she looks at the box. “For me?”
“Yes,” I say simply, closing the door behind me.
Milo comes barreling toward me, tail wagging so hard his entire body shakes, barking like he hasn’t seen me in years, even though I dropped him and Lucas off here this morning.
“Hey, little man,” I say, bending slightly as he circles my legs. I rub his head, and he wriggles happily under my touch.
Milo’s a rescue corgi. He’d been staying at the shelter where Kathryn works. Lucas saw him one afternoon when he visited the shelter and immediately fell in love. He said the dog looked lonely and lost. I’m not really a pet person, but I’d do anything for Lucas. So, I adopted Milo for him. Now he’s part of our lives. He stays with Kathryn during the week while Lucas is busy with classes, and spends weekends with us at the penthouse.
“Oh my, these look so yummy,” Kathryn says, peeking inside the box. Her eyes light up, excitement written all over her face, almost identical to how Lucas looks when it comes to food.
I give her a slight nod and straighten up. “Where’s Lucas?”
“He fell asleep while we were watching a TV show,” she says as we walk through the main area. She heads toward the kitchen, Milo trailing after her, while I turn toward the living room.
Lucas is asleep on the couch, one arm hanging off the side, his hair slightly messy. A small smile finds its way to my lips before I can stop it. Even asleep, he has that effect on me.
I walk toward him and crouch down, my hand brushing gently through his hair. His face is soft and peaceful, the kind of peace I used to pray he’d find. It warms something deep in my chest, seeing him like this. It’s been one hell of a road. The anxiety, the sleepless nights, the days when he needs the quiet and just wants to be alone with his thoughts, but I’ve loved him through all of it. I stood beside him even when he couldn’t stand himself. And I’m thankful he’s so much better now.
Two months ago, on the fifth of September, we celebrated our first anniversary.
September fifth — the day everything changed for us.
It’s the day we had our first kiss last year, and Lucas swears he could never forget it. He said that night felt like a reset, like someone had finally seen him, really seen him, and made him feel special. Because of that, he wanted the date marked for our anniversary, and I agree because the date is carved into me, too.
That kiss did something to me. The moment his lips touched mine, I knew I was done for. Completely. Like every piece of me had been waiting for him all along, like my entire world had quietly tilted and found its orbit around one person. Him.
That night, I made a promise to myself that I’d spend every day making sure no one would ever get to hurt him, including myself. That I will adore him for the rest of my life.
And even now, more than a year later, it still feels the same.
I still fall for him. Every day. Every hour. Every damn second that I look at him.
“God,” I whisper, as my eyes roam his beautiful face, my thumb tracing his jawline. “I love you so damn much.”
He stirs, breathes in deeply, then exhales. His brows knit together for a moment, confusion flickering across his face before his eyes slowly flutter open, and when he sees me, something like relief floods them.
“Hey, baby,” I sign, knowing he’s not wearing his hearing aids.
His sleepy smile blooms, soft and radiant, and it fills my chest with a warmth I can’t name. He sits up, moving instinctively into my arms, pressing his face into my neck, and inhaling like he hasn’t breathed right without me here. I hold him closer, letting him know I’m here for him. Always. After a while, he pulls back just enough to look at me, eyes still heavy with sleep, but now bright.
“How was the exhibition?” he signs.
“Boring as always,” I sign back, studying his face.“How are you feeling?”
