Breaking the Arm, Healing the Heart

by Ashley Andrews

  Even though he spoke incredibly fast and slow, Sicily still understood what he said and she couldn't help but grin.

  "Lucas, we haven't even been together for a week yet."

  The male didn't need to think about his answer. It just immediately came out before he could even take his words back. "But I've liked you much longer than that."

  "Your point?" Sicily asked teasingly.

  "Like easily turned to love."

  Sicily couldn't help but beam at him before she broke into a short fit of laughter. "You know," she said, the smirk evident on her face. "You're the last person I expected to love me and the last one I expected to love." A second passed. "I love you too."

  They pulled up to the hospital and Bryce and Mischa got out.

  Lucas pulled Sicily closer against him until there was no space in between them. He then leaned his head down to be able to kiss her on her forehead before his lips touched her nose, and then her lips. The kiss was everything they thought it would feel and be—stupefying, heart-stopping, stomach-churning, and knee-weakening – and much, much more.

  Chapter 20: Day of Hearts

  It was around eight o'clock in the morning when Sicily's phone rang. She groaned, rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Seriously? She hadn’t got to bed until about four this morning. She and Lucas had stayed at the hospital with Bryce, Mischa, and eventually both teenagers’ parents had come. Mischa had ended up losing the baby. And Lucas and Sicily hadn’t been needed by their friends, as their families had come through for them.

  The phone rang again. Sicily sighed and looked out the window. The weather was hot, about ten degrees above normal for this time of the year. She wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to anyone today. The phone rang again.

  Unless it was Lucas. Then she might want to talk. But even that thought couldn’t motivate her into moving the more than arm’s reach from where she was laying, to the top of her bedside table. She decided she wouldn’t answer. Whoever it was would give up, and leave her alone.

  The phone rang again. And again. It never stopped, it just went on and on…she rolled over on the bed and grabbed the phone, held it up to her ear.

  "Hello?" Sicily asked in a dull tone.

  She had wondered why she didn’t have any energy, well apparently her boyfriend and sucked it all out of her. If he was this happy at 8 am every morning she was going to have to kill him, or just simply get a new boyfriend.

  "Happy Valentine's Day!" Lucas chirped, and this surprised Sicily since Lucas Mercer never chirped. "How's your day so far, babe?"

  Sicily rolled her eyes. "It hasn't even started yet."

  Lucas ignored the sad, dull tone in his girlfriend's voice and simply continued his jolly speech.

  This amazed Sicily since she had never seen or heard this side of Lucas. She was so used to his apathetic and serious vibe that hearing him this excited made her wonder if he’d been turned into one of those pod people, where aliens took over their bodies.

  "Hun, are you okay?" Sicily's tone was one of concern. "You're chirping and rambling which is so not you." And then she realized what he’d said. "Oh! Happy Valentine's Day, too by the way! Are we hanging out?"

  "Uh…did you really have to ask that question?"

  Sicily retorted, "Do you see me as an egotistical person?"

  She heard him snicker on the other line.

  "Babe, do you want me to answer that question truthfully?"

  "Why not?" asked Sicily, her voice sounding a little happier now. "It's just a yes or a no."

  "Then no, you're not conceited."

  Sicily smiled as though Lucas could see the stupid grin on her face.

  "Aww, really, Luke?"

  "You never said I had to be honest."

  Sicily's face fell, but of course she was only playing. "So that's a no?"

  Lucas mumbled a short, simple, "Uh-huh," and in response, Sicily cursed him by giving him an equally short and simple two-worded reply. "Fuck you,” was her fast retort, but before either of them could say anything more, Sicily's doorbell rang which caught her off-guard since who would be visiting her or her brother at such an ungodly hour in the morning? No one in their right mind would.

  "Why'd you turn quiet for a second?" Lucas asked with slight concern laced in his voice.

  "I heard the doorbell ring. No one comes to visit this early on a Sunday morning."

  "Oh," Lucas said. "Aren't you even going to answer that?"

  Sicily smirked. "And waste my energy when there are people downstairs who are much closer to the door?"

  Lucas grinned, which of course Sicily wasn't able to see before he continued saying, "You're right. Hey, I have to go," he sounded like he was in a rush, and with that, Sicily's face fell.

  "You're the weirdest, Luke," Sicily frankly said. "Who has something to do at eight on a Sunday morning?"

  "I have to prepare a few things. I'm a busy person, you know." He was teasing.

  "At this time?"

  "Uh, yeah…" Lucas replied uncertainly. "But I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

  "Yeah, yeah," Sicily drearily answered, quite sad that their conversation needed to be cut short. "Where are you taking me by the way?"

  Lucas hesitated. "We're having lunch with my mom." And before Sicily could agree or protest his plans, the male hung up, leaving his girlfriend to wonder why he would want to take her to lunch with his mother on Valentine’s Day? Last time Sicily had seen Lucas’ mother, she was fighting with her husband.

  Now that she was fully awake, Sicily decided to go down to the kitchen to get an earlier-than-usual breakfast. As a matter-of-fact, she rarely ate breakfast on the weekends anymore since she usually got up at around eleven and headed straight for lunch, but this morning, of course, was different.

  Passing the living room, she stopped when she saw a bouquet of flowers, a large heart-shaped box of chocolates, and a humongous greeting card, all sitting on the entrance table.

  Sicily grinned. Not meaning to be narcissistic, but she was sure those were hers…unless Matt had an obsessed secret admirer, which she doubted…or maybe…one of the housekeepers were seeing someone. But before she could think of any more out-of-this-world possibilities about who the gifts belonged to, Rosie cut short her train of thoughts.

  "Someone dropped them off for you just a while ago, Ms. Sicily."

  The seventeen-year old wondered. "Lucas?"

  "No, one of his family's chauffeurs."

  Sicily's jaw dropped to the floor. "His driver gave these to me?" she asked, agape, and Rosie laughed, not even bothering to be discreet about it.

  "No, ma'am, his chauffeur dropped it off for Lucas since you know…" the caretaker hesitated, "your boyfriend can't drive."

  Sicily nodded. Of course, his arm was still broken.

  "Oh, very well then." The teenager smiled and then said, "Thanks!" She walked over to the grand entrance of the house and tried to pick up all the gifts at once but quickly realized that she couldn't bring all of them up to her room in one go. When she set all of them down on her dresser, she reached for her phone and dialed Lucas' number. He picked up after a couple of rings.

  "Sicily?"

  "Luke!" she said, her voice matching his previously-chirpy tone. "Thank you so, so much for everything! I love them all! The flowers! The chocolates! The letter!" She beamed even more.

  "Did you even read it yet?" he asked and by her immediate silence, he didn't need to ask the question again to know the answer. "It's okay."

  She could hear him chuckling on the other end of the line.

  "Just don't back out on me later."

  Sicily smiled to herself mischievously. "Why would I?"

  "Well, if you didn't hear me earlier, we're spending Valentine's Day together with my mom," his tone of voice was teasing.

  She returned his playfulness. "I won't miss that if you'll come with me to the bonfire Bailey's planning down by the beach for dinner."

  Lucas laughed since apparently, he remembered som
ething funny which Sicily wasn't aware of.

  "How come Zack and Tanner get a personal invitation from Bailey herself?" Lucas joked.

  Before he could continue, Sicily quipped, "Because you're mine."

  They both laughed at that. "You don't have to have a personal invitation anyway since you have an automatic one precisely because you're with me and you're my plus one."

  "Tanner's right after all. You are my female counterpart when it comes to self-centeredness."

  Sicily smirked. "I'm proud to share that title with you, babe."

  * * * * *

  They arrived at the small café that was packed with people. It took Sicily and Lucas a few minutes of waiting before they were given a table. It was a corner table which gave them privacy.

  "Where's your mom?" Sicily asked, eyeing Lucas as he took a seat beside her, and in return, he answered, "I called her a few minutes ago, and she said she was on her way."

  Telling him that she heard what he said, she nodded her head before looking away from his face to turn her attention to the menu. All the dishes, especially the desserts sounded and looked so good, and with that, she felt her mouth water.

  "Can I just skip the main meal?" she asked teasingly. "I'm craving some cheesecake."

  "Go ahead and order whatever you want," said Lucas in return, giving her a soft peck on the forehead. "I'll wait for my mom."

  "I'll wait too." He slipped an arm around her slim waist.

  He smiled, admiring her beauty and how cute she looked in that summer, floral-printed dress, before he lowered his head to level with hers, and then their foreheads touched.

  "Can I kiss you?"

  She couldn't help but smile at how childish they seemed to act around one another as if they were in middle school. He looked so adorable and hot that she couldn't believe she had wanted him erased from the face of the earth a short month and a half ago. More so, she was surprised that she was able to love such a guy who had topped her 'Death List.' How feelings change, she thought, and so very fast.

  "You don't really have to ask." She grinned, resting a light hand on his cast, as she tugged him closer to her. "Now."

  He nodded, leaning his head down much closer to hers. He could feel her breath, but he was never able to feel the touch of his lips against hers. Someone had let out a fake cough in the background. They pulled their heads away from each other, but Lucas' arm remained around her waist.

  "Hey Mom," he said, releasing Sicily to stand and kiss his mother’s cheek.

  Sicily did the same.

  "It's nice to meet you again," Sicily said, flustered that Rebecca had caught the two of them engaging in an almost-make-out session.

  "Same here, dear," she said, her tone refined, before her voice took a higher pitch. "Oh, how much the two of you have grown in just a month!"

  Lucas pulled Sicily closer to him as she rested a hand on his knee.

  "Yeah, well, I guess, the injury did me some good," Lucas replied, his face looking down. "It's just that…"

  "What dear?" Rebecca asked her son, her flawless features taking on a curious and worried expression all of a sudden.

  "My basketball…" Lucas bit his bottom lip. "I just want to fucking play." And with that, Sicily's face fell when she realized she was the only one to blame for his sadness. She injured him after all, and she wasn't going to deny that.

  "I'm sorry…" Her voice was almost a whisper.

  Rebecca smiled at the sight of teenage love in front of her. She remembered her own high school romance. It was as equally sweet as Sicily's and Lucas'. Thin-lipped, she smiled. It was saddening that her high school romance was now just a memory.

  "What are you saying sorry for, babe?" Lucas asked, grinning, and then, realization dawned on him. "It's not your fault…" His face tightened. "Okay, maybe it is, but I can still play ball, just not now though."

  Rebecca's mom chuckled. "Don't apologize to each other, well, not right now anyway and not while I'm here." Her smile was cheeky, lighting up her face. "How about we eat? I actually want to talk to you two about something."

  "Me?" Sicily asked while perplexed about how she could be part of this. "Do you want me to leave?"

  And very quickly, Lucas held a tighter grip on her waist. "No, don't."

  With that, Sicily smiled. Even though he was the bigger person, he needed support, her support, and she felt good knowing that he wanted her to stay—that he needed to lean on her. "Okay," she said hesitantly. "I won't."

  "I actually want to talk to you too, Sicily," added Rebecca. "So, please do stay."

  She cringed in her place. She still didn't know where she stood in the about-to-come conversation.

  "So why'd you invite me…or us…" Lucas looked at the woman seated beside him. "Did you want to tell us something?"

  Rebecca nodded and, setting the menu aside, she calmly met her son’s gaze. "I'm getting custody of Theodore."

  Lucas' lips curved up into an awkward smile. Since his mom had always been a better parent than his dad, he knew she would always be there for Theodore. She would look after him and not leave him alone if a hot date came up, or if times got hard. His smile was still slightly hesitant and uncertain. Yes, she was taking custody of Theodore, but what about him? He voiced his thoughts out loud, "Who am I staying with?"

  Rebecca didn't answer, and Lucas was too hurt to ask the question again, and so, Sicily decided to break the silence.

  "Is he staying with Don?"

  A whispered yes escaped the adult's lips.

  “Why? You know I despise him," Lucas said, his lips curving downward. "So why do I still have to stay wit—"

  "I didn't think it mattered," Rebecca immediately added, cutting her son's ramble short.

  Leaning against Lucas' shoulders, Sicily felt his tension and anxiety. His muscles stiffened and flexed, thus, making his breath uneven but still quiet.

  "How can it not?"

  Avoiding his mother's eyes, Lucas looked the table. Today was supposed to be a fun, bright day. Today was the fourteenth of February - Valentine's Day, so it was safe and rational to say that he wasn't expecting this to be the conversational topic of what should have been a fun lunch.

  It caught him off-guard. It scared him, and what agitated him even more was the fact that Sicily was right beside him. She never saw this side of him. The vulnerability, and only a few knew he was capable of feeling such emotion, and Sicily now was one of them. He couldn't believe it. He stood 6'4", and he was scared, and more so when his mother began to talk again.

  "You’re already eighteen. When you are done with high school in a few months you can move out on your own. And you can come stay with me whenever you want you just technically live with your father."

  He suddenly knew where this was going to go, and he didn't like it the least bit. "Just wait a little and you'll be on your own. Isn't that what you want? How can you let me stay with him? How can you let me be on my own?"

  "Honey…"

  "Just because I'm about to be an adult, doesn't mean you can't care for me anymore," he said, the words unconsciously slipping out of his mouth. "Fuck this family."

  Sicily tightened her grip on his thigh. "Luke, shut up."

  He didn't what Sicily wanted, and in fact, he looked up, grinned evilly and said, "I don't even have a family."

  "Lucas," his mother said, her voice begging.

  Just like that, he was mad at his mother. He couldn't believe that just because he was going to be an adult in a few months’ time, his mother had the freedom not to worry about him anymore. Before the divorce, he thought he had a tight-knit family—one that would last forever, its member always there for each other. He was wrong about his family, and Sicily had known that all along. Why hadn't he seen it or realized it before?

  "God, I'm stupid," he said, running a hand through his hair, and Sicily saw how tired and confused he looked. "I'm going. Thanks for lunch, mom." He unwound his arm from Sicily's waist, and standing up, he got out of his seat a
nd left the restaurant.

  Sicily started to follow suit, standing up from the table as well, but she was stopped by Rebecca. They looked at each other, and Sicily saw they shared the same emotion--worry.

  "I knew this would happen," the older one of the two said, her lips slowly curving upwards into a small, polite smile. "That's why I wanted you to be here."

  Sicily didn't need to ask 'why me' anymore. Rebecca knew that Lucas was going to need support and someone to talk to, and she knew Sicily was the best person to give him that.

  "I'll take care of him for you."

  Rebecca smiled and then nodded her head, and in turn, Sicily said goodbye. They kissed each other on the cheek before the seventeen year old finally left the restaurant to look for her boyfriend.

  It wasn't hard to spot Lucas since he was just leaning against the hood of Sicily's car. Seeing him, she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God he isn't dramatic enough to run away," she said to herself, smirking, before heading over to him.

  Waiting for him to talk, she stood quietly beside him, but in need of some physical comfort, he took her by the waist and placed her back against his upper torso, his arms tight around her waist.

  "People are looking at us," Sicily said, wriggling against him to make him loosen his grip on her, but he didn't budge. Not that that was such a bad thing. She could stay in their current forever without getting tired or sick of it. That was how inviting Lucas' touch was.

  "Sicily…"

  She looked up to meet his face, and waited for him to speak, but when he didn't, she just smiled and said, "I love you, Luke."

  And for the first time since he made his dramatic exit from the restaurant, he smiled, his face taking on a new, brighter light. She then saw his straight pearl-white teeth. They were beaming straight at her, and his grey eyes, they were translucent and smiling and looking right at her.

  "I think you're the only one who does." And with that, Sicily laughed.

  "Grow up, Luke." She rolled her eyes. "You're overreacting."

  "Am I?"

  She nodded her head. "Mhmm." And then she added, "Your mom had a point, she probably has been fighting for everything she got. And you forget, she knows you. Even if your dad has custody over you, you'd fight him for what you want. You will end up staying where you want to stay, no matter who has custody of you on paper. Besides, she’s right, you’re eighteen. You don’t have to put up with any of this. You can do what you want." She couldn't help but smirk at what she said. "You always do."