Lost of love- Completed

Chapter 17

The next day saw Lucy, Jace and Celine fast asleep in the limo ride back to the city. With Jace and Celine having stayed awake most of the night in travel, they were dead on their feet that morning and could manage no more than a few grunts in conversation. It was no surprise they fell asleep as soon as the vehicle went into motion. Lucy studiously avoiding Richard's gaze all the while, promptly followed suit. And then three hours later and the limo took its dip down the Merryville Drive to fade out of view.

The next few weeks were exceedingly uneventful with Jace back at work and the twins and Lucy occupied with summer jobs. Lucy had decided to go ahead with the plan to study law. It was really the only vow made in temper on the plains of the Reeves Ranch that she found made sense. The law in itself was power. It was that power that she needed on her side and always. Lucy set about completing her enrolment and requesting for a late start in view of her trip to the US. She also decided not to tell the twins about her encounter with Cat's one-night-stand, Sadiq. Cat's blood test had come back clear but she was still distracted and almost secretive about something. Lucy didn't want to keep the whole matter alive by giving it the ammunition it needed to remain in Cat's thoughts- Sadiq's name. So, she said nothing, hoping the Prince himself would leave things be and leave Cat alone.

Soon the day arrived for Lucy's trip. Her bags packed all that remained were the rounds of farewell, a night's sleep and then off to the airport. It was immensely daunting to think of at all. Her first flight overseas as an adult and she would travelling alone half way across the globe.

She spent that last night with Jace and now, the sun was up, bright, shiny and demanding that they get on with their day.

"Drop it!"

"You drop it!" Lucy said.

She stood there glaring at Jace wrapped up in his towel just as Lucy was wrapped in hers. It was a stalemate. A Mexican stand-off. There was no way she was dropping her towel simply at his say so. It had seemed the fitting thing to do, to take their relationship to the next level and at least stare at each other naked as they were still unwilling to take things further.

It was almost childish this need to not complete the act but tease each other instead with glimpses of what they would not be getting. Richard's taunting smirk played on her mind, knowing he would have had a field day laughing his head off at their foolishness.

But this was exactly what attracted Lucy to Jace. He was willing to be silly. He was willing to be serious. But he was always willing to be her friend first.

Jace smirked at her.

Lucy was glad, she was open and honest with Jace. He knew everything there was to know about her. Even about the kiss she'd shared with Richard and the fact that he had come to her bed that last night at the farm. Strangely, Jace did no more than break out into a rant of his displeasure. Any boyfriend would have freaked out and maybe even shot of a few rounds of M16 over it but not Jace.

Jace was remarkably restrained. Lucy just didn't understand the dynamics of the relationship Jace had with Richard. She only knew they both couldn't do without the other. Just as they seemed equally unable to do without her. Despite the final farewell that night at his farmhouse, Richard made it a point to call her every night.

They would talk on the phone. Nothing intimate, just conversing about their day. Jace resumed his sleepover at her place, promising to go no further than that in compromise. Lucy had woken up in his arms every morning and watch him amble down the stairs and out the front door without a care in the world.

Now his suitcase sat next to hers. With her gone, he wouldn't be needing to stash his thing in her room anymore.

Lucy sighed. It would take her the better part of the next three months to figure everything out.