Before my foot breeches the first step onto the front porch, an eager hand clutches my arm and jerks me to the side of the house. An excited giggle escapes my lips as I struggle to regain my footing. Lucas rights me with firm fingers digging into my waist. He buries his head in my neck and inhales.

“Hmmmm, sunshine,” he says with a smile in his voice.

What girls’ night?

He breaks away and peppers my neck with open-mouthed kisses. “I knew the second you opened the front door, Audrey would steal you away. I want a few minutes with my girl.”

His breath tickles my ear in the most delicious way, and I turn my head to give him better access.

“You know, you could meet us there … it’s not Audrey’s party or anything. She can’t uninvite you,” I whisper, wishing I could stay tucked inside Lucas’s arms for eternity.

He breaks away as his thumbs brush my cheeks. His eyes soften, and his lips turn into a slight frown. “Those parties are always so loud, Celia—everyone bumping into each other, spilling their drinks, starting fights. It’s just not my thing.”

“What about me? Am I your ‘thing’ anymore?” I ask with a pout.

He squeezes my neck and searches my eyes. “Are you my thing? Fuck, Celia, you’re my everything. You know that.”

“Lucas, you think you’re so slick, but I saw you grab Celia to maul her behind the house! It’s girls’ night. No boys, and especially no YOU!”

I can’t see Audrey, but I’m sure her hands are fisted on her hips and she’s shooting daggers in our direction. I sneak a peek around the corner of the house and jump back, flinching at the sight of my infuriated best friend.

“Gotta go.” I shrug with a wince and laugh.

I walk away, holding Lucas’s hand until the very last second, turning to catch one last look at those gentle brown eyes that own me. When I look up to face my accuser, my very irritated best friend, I startle at the sight of her mother leaning against the doorframe.

“Hi, Mrs. Cindy. I didn’t see you there,” I say, with a shaky voice and flushed cheeks.

“Celia, it’s good to see you, sweetheart,” she replies with a smile. Mrs. Cindy leans out of the doorway and cranes her neck. “You can come out now, Lucas. It’s safe to say you’ve been caught.”

Lucas slinks out of hiding, having the good sense to look sheepish as he passes Audrey with an apologetic shrug. While he gets a chuckle from his mom and me, Audrey growls as he passes.

“Grams all set up for tonight, Celia?” Mrs. Cindy asks, ever the diplomat, trying to divert Audrey’s attention to a less infuriating topic.

“Yes, ma’am, Lucas has it covered,” I answer as I pass through the doorway and into the foyer.

The Landrys are much more than neighbors. They’ve become part of our family. Grams and I can both be stubborn, refusing the help of others, but this generous family doesn’t take no for an answer, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Whether Lucas is helping with Grams’s meds, or Mr. Gene is deciphering insurance and medical bills, or Mrs. Cindy is inviting us to dinner, this family comes through for us every single time.

“I’m glad Lucas can help. Now, I need you to keep my rambunctious daughter out of trouble tonight. You think you can do that? I know it’s an arduous task…”

“Mom, I’m perfectly capable of staying out of trouble,” Audrey explains as she pulls me by the hand and up the stairs to her room. She stops short and a smile plays on her lips. “Well, most of the time, at least.”

“Audrey Grace,” Mrs. Cindy starts, but Audrey raises her hand in protest.

“I promise, Mom. Best behavior, I swear,” she says with a solemn expression. As quickly as it comes, her serious demeanor washes away, and she pulls me into her room and slams the door.

“You. You’re already on my shit list, little lady,” she says as she points at me with squinted eyes.

I hold up my hands in protest and laugh. “I was taken against my will. Kidnapped, really.”

“Yeah, Celia, you looked all broken up about it.” Audrey holds her expression of mock anger. “That’s one Lucas-inspired strike against you tonight, and believe me, I’m keeping score.”

I cover my mouth to suppress a giggle, and I see the faintest hint of amusement in Audrey’s eyes. She tries to play tough, but she’s the biggest pushover when it comes to me.

“And what happens if I strike out?” I taunt and cross my arms over my chest for effect.

“Oh, you don’t want to know, missy!” she exclaims, chuckling despite herself.

Audrey turns and flips her curtain of straight black hair over her shoulder. She picks up a leather skirt off the bed and tips her head in concentration. At first glance, I thought it was leather, but now I’m not so sure. Plastic? Rubber?

“On to more important things,” she says, “Does this skirt say ‘come hither’ or ‘come visit me on my corner’?”

I burst out laughing and rip the offensive garment from her grasp. “Corner, definitely!”

“Hmmm, back to the drawing board,” she complains as she opens her closet door.

Let the endless primping begin…

After an eternity of heels, lip gloss, and liquid eyeliner, Audrey grabs her clutch off the dresser and gives me a once-over.

“All good?” she asks, and I nod in agreement. “Let’s rock this bitch.”

She turns the knob, and I touch her elbow to stop her forward movement.

“Wait for me downstairs?” I ask. I see her hackles raising before my eyes. “I’ll only be a minute, Audrey. I just want to say goodbye, okay?”

She groans and shakes her head. “Ugh, fine, but I’m timing your ass. He’s probably buried in numbers and equations, anyway. He won’t even hear you.”

I smile in thanks as she places her clutch under her arm and bounds down the stairs. She’s not wrong. My Lucas tends to get lost in his work, but I admire that about him. Physics is way out of my realm of understanding, but it just clicks for him.

Northern U, and a long list of other colleges, began contacting Lucas when he was a sophomore in high school. Early testing scores were through the roof, and that trend continued through high school. The only reason Lucas is not at MIT or some equally prestigious college is because he refused to leave me behind. He went as far as to refuse Northern U’s offer to pay his room and board, instead opting to commute each day and live at home. It’s only a thirty-minute drive, but it’s a million miles to me. We’ve had more arguments than I can count about what he’s giving up for me.

I can still hear his response when I begged him to go and follow his dreams. Never, Celia. I’ll never leave without you. I promise you.

I stand outside his closed door and lift my fist to knock. I hear faint mumbling filtering from the room, and I wonder if he’s on the phone. I tap and wait for his invitation to enter. I knock more loudly after a few moments, figuring he must not have heard me the first time since there’s no break in his conversation. His voice stops at my second attempt.

“Come in,” he calls out, and I turn the knob to peek my head in.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you goodbye. Are you on the phone? I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Lucas is sitting at his desk, facing the window, but his face is turned to me. He looks preoccupied, but his face lights up when he sees me. He pushes back in the chair and meets me in the doorway.

“Of course not, Celia. You could never bother me. It’s nothing important.” He grabs my hands and raises them as he studies me. “God, how could I forget to tell you how beautiful you look? You always take my breath away.”

His words run through me, warming me to the core. I step closer, into his welcoming embrace. I’m tiny in comparison to his six-foot frame, only reaching his chest. His arms are shelter … safety.