HE LOVED ME LAST

Chapter 50

Alice’s POV

I sat there beside Lucas, still trying to process everything.

How had this become my night?

Minutes ago, I was barely confident enough to walk through the door. Now I was on a VIP platform, sitting next to Lucas Stone, in front of half the student body and more strangers than I could count. People whispered, heads turned, eyes tracked our every move.

And yet… he didn’t flinch.

Lucas didn’t let go of my hand until I was seated. He didn’t ignore me. He didn’t laugh it off. He stood up for me. In front of Amelia. In front of *everyone.*

I looked at him now as he laughed lightly at something Henry whispered beside him. That easy charm. The signature smirk. But under all of it was something gentler, something not many people saw—unless they looked closely.

He turned to me again, eyes softer now. “You alright?”

I nodded. “I still don’t know why you did all this.”

His brow rose. “You really don’t?”

“I’m not like… your usual type, Lucas.”

He leaned closer, voice low. “That’s kind of the point.”

I blinked.

This boy was full of surprises.

“Is this your way of showing off?” I asked, trying to break the intensity with a half-joke. “Pulling the library nerd into your VIP spotlight?”

He chuckled. “If I wanted to show off, I’d bring someone boring. But I like a challenge.”

“You’re impossible,” I muttered, though the warmth in my cheeks betrayed me.

“Maybe,” he said, his voice dipping just a bit. “But you’re not leaving, right?”

I looked at him for a long second. Something fluttered in my chest.

“No,” I said. “I’m staying.”

He smiled.

And I realized… I didn’t feel out of place anymore.

Not with him.

Not tonight.

Maybe this wasn’t just a party.

Maybe it was the start of something real.

The lights shimmered across the ballroom, music drifting softly in the background. For a second, I forgot where I was. Forgot the people watching, the whispers circling the room, even Amelia’s sharp glare from below.

All I could focus on was Lucas.

And the way he was looking at me.

Not like a joke. Not like a dare or a rival.

But like I mattered.

It was strange. Surreal. A little terrifying.

I reached for my water to distract myself, but my hand trembled slightly. I hoped he didn’t notice.

“I’m not used to this,” I admitted, setting the glass down. “Being… seen.”

Lucas leaned back a little, his voice gentler. “You’ve always been seen, Alice. You just don’t like when the lights are on you.”

I tilted my head. “And you do?”

He smirked. “Used to it. Doesn’t mean I like it.”

Our eyes met again.

Something unspoken passed between us—something unfamiliar and fragile and real.

Then suddenly—

“Hey, can I steal him for a second?” Henry grinned, appearing beside us.

Lucas gave me a look that said *this won’t take long*, then stood and let Henry drag him a few steps away to talk to some guests.

I exhaled, finally able to breathe again.

But even from across the space, Lucas’s eyes found mine. As if making sure I was still okay. As if keeping me anchored in a sea of strangers.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like an outsider in a room like this.

I didn’t feel poor or odd or invisible.

I felt… *chosen.*

And maybe—just maybe—that scared me even more than being ignored.