HE LOVED ME LAST

Chapter 42

Alice’s POV

I avoided him.

All morning.

I took the longer route to homeroom, sat near the back in class, kept my head low and my answers brief.

Lucas didn’t try anything. No teasing. No smirking. Not even a single eye-roll.

And somehow, that made it worse.

Because now I couldn’t stop thinking. About the way he stood there on the street. About how serious his voice sounded when he asked me to be his girlfriend. About how shocked he looked when I snapped at him.

He wasn’t laughing.

He wasn’t *pretending.*

And that confused the hell out of me.

At lunch, I sat with Noah and Layla under the big tree near the sports field. It was our usual spot, but today I barely tasted my sandwich. Noah was saying something about weekend plans when I felt it.

A presence.

I didn’t even have to look up.

I knew it was him.

He stood a few feet away, silent, holding a can of soda in one hand like he wasn’t sure why he even brought it.

Noah noticed first. “Uh… weird. Lucas looks like he’s thinking.”

Layla giggled. “That’s dangerous.”I shot them a quick glare before slowly looking up.

Lucas met my eyes. Calm. Steady. And for once… unguarded.

“I need to talk to you,” he said, voice low.

I stared at him for a second. My heart was already sprinting.

“Not here,” I muttered, standing.

Noah whistled. “Oop—intense.”

I ignored him and followed Lucas a few steps away, out of earshot. I crossed my arms. “What now?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m not good at this.”

“No kidding.”

“But I’m not messing with you.”

I didn’t say anything.

“I’m not asking for anything today,” he said quickly. “I just… wanted you to know. It wasn’t a joke. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

I looked at him carefully. “Then why now, Lucas?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I’m tired of pretending.”

That answer was too honest. It hit me in a place I didn’t expect.

I glanced down, trying to breathe through the tightness in my chest.

“I’m still mad,” I said quietly.

“I know.”

“And I still don’t trust you.”

He nodded.

“But…” I hesitated, “thanks for saying that.”

He smiled—soft, almost surprised.

And for the first time since that dinner, I didn’t walk away angry.

Just… confused.

And maybe a little curious.

I was still staring at him, trying to figure out if any of this was real, when he spoke again—quietly this time.

“Okay, then… can we just be friends?”

I blinked.

“What?”

“Friends,” he repeated, hands in his pockets, eyes steady. “No games. No teasing. Just… you and me. As friends.”

It caught me off guard. For all the things I expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them.

I looked away for a moment, then back at him.

“…Fine,” I said slowly. “We can be friends.”

His shoulders eased a little, like he’d been holding his breath.

“But,” I added quickly, “no one can know.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

I folded my arms. “You know why. The gossip in this school spreads like wildfire. People will twist it. And I don’t want questions, or drama, or Amelia breathing down my neck.”

Lucas tilted his head. “So, what—secret friends?”

“Exactly,” I said, serious. “No one needs to know. Not Noah. Not Layla. Not anyone.”

His eyes sparkled with amusement. “So… like a secret alliance.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make it weird.”

He held up his hands. “I won’t. Secret. Got it.”

We stood there a moment longer, neither of us moving.

Then I turned. “See you tomorrow, Stone.”

“See you, Harper.”

And as I walked away, I could feel him watching.

But this time, I didn’t mind.