HE LOVED ME LAST

Chapter 46

Alice’s POV

I stared at the ceiling.

Lights off. Curtains drawn. The moonlight spilled softly through the window, painting silver lines across my bedroom floor.

But sleep? Nowhere in sight.

Because Lucas Stone had somehow managed to take up space in my brain—again.

I didn’t know when it started. Maybe it was when he didn’t laugh with the others during the gossip. Maybe it was when he started showing up on time. Or maybe… it was today.

Today, when I told him about my dad.

I hadn’t meant to. I didn’t even plan to say a word. But something about the way he sat across from me, listening—*actually* listening—made it feel safe. Like I wouldn’t be mocked or judged.

He didn’t offer fake comfort. He just nodded. Understood. Said enough without overdoing it.

That… surprised me.

Lucas Stone, the same guy who used to tease me for being too serious, now sat in the library for two hours without once checking his phone. He read Shakespeare like he meant it, and he looked at me like I wasn’t just someone to compete with.

Like I was *someone*.

It was confusing.

Annoying.

Dangerous.

Because I couldn’t let myself like him. Not *like* like.

I pulled my journal out from under the pillow and opened a fresh page.

*June 19th*

Today, Lucas didn’t act like Lucas.

Or maybe… this *is* who he really is. And everything before was just noise.

He asked if I was okay, and for once, I didn’t lie. I told him about Dad. About missing Mum. He didn’t make it awkward. He didn’t try to fix it. He just listened.

I think I needed that more than I realized.

And worse… I think I’m starting to care.

Not in the way that ruins everything—not in the stupid, dramatic way.

Just… in the quiet way.

The kind that sneaks up on you when you’re not looking.

I closed the journal and hugged it to my chest.

It wasn’t love. Not yet.

But it was *something.*

And that was enough to keep me wide awake.

The next morning, everything felt slightly different.

Not because anything major had changed… but because *I* had.

In class, I kept catching myself glancing sideways at Lucas. Not in the obvious way. Just brief, quiet moments where I watched him laugh at something Henry said or tilt his head while scribbling in his notebook.

He wasn’t perfect.

He was still smug, still annoying.

But… he was trying.

And I’d seen enough of the world to know how rare that was—when someone actually tried.

During lunch, Noah nudged me. “You okay?”

I blinked. “Yeah. Why?”

“You’ve got that look. The one where you’re either about to cry or punch someone.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m fine, Noah. Just thinking.”

“Thinking about *someone*?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Nope.”

“Liar.”

“Go away.”

He laughed and wandered off, but his words stuck.

Was I thinking about Lucas? Yes. Obviously.

But it wasn’t just him.

It was this whole shift—the way school didn’t feel as heavy when I had someone to work with. How, even with all the nonsense and chaos, Lucas made things easier.

In his own chaotic, ridiculous way.

After school, I found a note folded neatly inside my locker.

*Meet me. Garden behind the library. 4 PM. – L*

I stared at it for a while.

No smiley face. No dramatic message. Just… a meeting request.

I should’ve said no. I should’ve ignored it.

But instead, I pocketed the note.

And found myself watching the clock all through the last period.