Starstruck (the Idea of Always)

Woensdag 15:09

Lucas
Lucas hadn't told his mom that Jens was in Utrecht yet. But somehow, walking into the building with Jens, their fingers linked, he wasn't nervous at all. He hadn't felt so calm in a while.

As Lucas signed them in, he noticed that Jens had a slight smile on his face.

They made their way to his mom's room, and Lucas let go of Jens's hand, holding it up when they were a few feet from her door.

"She doesn't know you're coming," he said when Jens looked at him confused.

"What?" Jens's eyes widened and he tilted his head. "Are you serious?"

Lucas giggled, his shoulders hunching.

"Yeah... I may have forgotten to let her know."

"'Forgotten.'"

"Yeah..." Lucas suppressed another smile as Jens stared at him. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm worrying about it."

"Don't."

Lucas pushed open the door without waiting for Jens to answer. He poked his head in, seeing his mom sitting on the bed, her legs crossed in front of her, with a book in her lap. She looked up when he whispered to her, grinning brightly. He looked at her through the door, not saying anything, and she folded the corner of the page she was on, moving the book to the table beside her bed slowly, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Uhm..." Lucas stepped through the door slightly, holding it open behind himself. He could hear Jens trying not to laugh. "So, there's someone here to see you."

"I thought you were here to see me." It sounded like a question.

"Yeah, no, I am, it's just, uhm..." Lucas turned to look at Jens and smiled awkwardly as he looked back at his mom.

"Who is it?" she asked, shifting on the bed so she was facing the door.

"Uhm... Jens?"

"Huh?" She made the same face Jens had outside and Lucas laughed, reached out to grab Jens's arm, pulling him toward the door. Jens stumbled into the room after Lucas, smiling shyly.

"Hi." He waved weakly, a hesitant smile on his face.

"Jens!" She gasped and jumped, beaming like he was an old friend she hadn't seen in years. He grinned and moved forward when Lucas pushed him in her direction. She was holding her hands out, so Jens placed his in hers, and she sat back, pulling him to sit on the bed. "How are you? Your journey was safe? You're alright?"

"I- Yes, ma'am," he said, startled by her sudden attack of questions. "You sound like you knew I was coming."

"Oh, I did. I made Lucas promise to call you." She ran her fingers over the backs of his hands, analyzing his face, like she was looking for something she couldn't see in the photos Lucas had shown her.

"Oh?"

"Mama." Lucas glared daggers at her, and she glanced at him before rolling her eyes.

"Oh, hush." She looked at Jens, reaching up with one hand and touching his face. "Lucas is being nice to you?"

"What?" Lucas exclaimed. "I'm so nice."

"I didn't ask you."

Lucas was glad to see that Jens was laughing. He didn't seem weirded out at all by his mother's eccentricity, which was Lucas's only worry, and he held onto her hands as hard as she was holding his. Lucas pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat, his knee pressing into Jens's.