Lost on You [Lewis Capaldi]

Chapter 28 - figure it out

Keira didn't doubt her parents were telling the truth. This was no empty threat. They were serious, and now she would have to deal with the consequences.

She already had her laptop open, updating her CV whilst desperately searching through jobs online. Juggling a part-time job wouldn't be easy, especially this close to exam season, when everything counted. She needed her degree. After all, that's what she'd been working towards for the past three years. But money was also a very real issue. And her rent bill was due soon, so she would need to find a job fast. Or things could go very bad, very quickly.

She was trying to resist the urge to cry. But she could feel a breakdown looming. Keira knew her parents could be bad. But she never imagined they would abandon her like this.

Just as she came across an advert for a part-time job as a coffee shop assistant, there was a soft knock at the door.

With all the drama going on, she'd completely forgotten that Lewis was meant to be coming over.

Shit.

She didn't want him to see her like this. All flustered and stressed, no fun what so ever. But Keira set her laptop aside, taking a deep breath before walking to open the door.

As soon as his eyes landed on her, he broke out into a grin. Which only made her feel worse.

Lewis must've noticed something was wrong as his smile disappeared instantly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern suddenly flooding his features.

Keira just shook her head, trying to act happy as she stepped aside to let him in.

"I'm fine," she said, with an added lightness to her voice. "Just more parent drama. I won't bore you with it."

Lewis was watching her carefully as she closed the door and turned to him.

"It won't bore me," he said, his eyebrows pinching together. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know," she sighed, tugging the sleeves of her sweatshirt nervously.

Before she could say anything else, Lewis had pulled her into hug, holding her close against his chest.

He kissed her lightly on the top of her head as she buried her face into his hoodie, wrapping her arms tightly around his centre.

"Why does everything have to go to shit?" she asked quietly, her voice muffled in the material of his clothes.

Keira pulled away, looking up at him. Gently, he brushed away a tear from her cheek. God, she hadn't even realised she'd been crying.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked, cradling her face in his palm.

She closed her eyes, letting out a long breath before saying, "My parents aren't helping me with my rent anymore. I know that sounds stupid. I'm in my twenties and I still need my parents for financial aid. But that money helped more than I can explain. It meant I could afford this apartment, to stay here in the city."

When she opened her eyes, he looked so upset. As though he could feel every part of her sorrow and desperation. But before he could say anything, she pushed on.

"But it's going to be okay, see," she said, nodding towards her laptop. "I'm going to get myself a job and I've figured out that if I work enough shifts a week, I can still afford this place. Obviously, I can't work as much as I would like because of uni, but I'm going to do as much as I can. And it will all be alright."

Keira nodded as she thought it through, knowing that she was mostly just trying to convince herself.

She untangled herself from Lewis' arms and hurried towards the couch, giving her résumé another look over. He settled beside her, placing a comforting hand on her leg.

"Keir, If you need help, I-"

"No," she stopped him there.

She didn't want his money. She didn't want to be that person. "I can do this myself, it's okay. But thanks."

Keira gave him a small smile before jotting a few more sentences down on her laptop that was resting on the coffee table in front of them.

"I don't want you to burn yourself out," he said, rubbing her knee softly. "I should know. I've done it to myself more than enough times."

She paused from her typing, turning to meet his eye. "I'll be okay, I promise. Don't worry about me."

"Okay," he said, nudging her gently with his shoulder. "Okay, but what if I wanted to help you for more selfish reasons. If you're all busy working and at university, you won't have any time for me, will ya?"

He chuckled which made her smile.

"I'll always have time for you, stupid," she grinned before kissing him gently on the lips.

Keira was about to pull away when he slid his hand into her hair, keeping her close as he deepened the kiss.

She wanted to focus on job searching, but somehow, he always found a way to make her forget about everything. Until the only thing on her mind was him.

They continued like that for a while longer, his mouth exploring hers. When he finally pulled away, they were breathing heavily. His eyes dipped to her lips again, as if craving more.

"You can't charm me into getting what you want," she smiled, bringing her hand up and softly tracing his bottom lip with her thumb.

Slowly, he dragged his gaze up to hers. "I can try."

She felt fluttering inside. His eyes were so intense and heavy with desire that she could hardly resist the feel of him against her.

"Lewis," she breathed as he attached his lips to her neck, knowing exactly what she wanted. What made her feel good.

He nibbled lightly on her earlobe before pressing kisses down along her collar bone, then lower.

It took every part of her self-restraint to push him away. "Before anything else, can we just agree that I don't need your help with the rent," she said firmly.

"Fine," he conceded, although he didn't sound at all happy about it.

"Thank you," she smiled, grateful that he respected her wishes and chose not to push it anymore. "But just because I don't want your help with the rent, doesn't mean I don't want your help in other departments . . ."

Keira gave him a sultry smirk. Lewis swallowed before grinning straight back at her. A gasp escaped her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her onto his lap.

"I think that can be arranged."