6. HOME IS ON THE WAY P.1
Seeing the consistent growth in Lucious since their divorce, Cookie wonders if third times a charm.
Watching Lucious pour them a glass of white wine in the corner of the room, Cookie crossed a leg over the other and leaned back on the couch. Now it was just her and Lucious, she took a moment to think about the song he had written for Yana. She snorted, lowly. She thought after all these years, and all the women he'd ran through, that his ass would be much slicker and know better than to give a song, undeniably, inspired by the love of his ex-wife to his new 'girl'. Cookie shook her head. She couldn't even take the relationship seriously. Yana had been setting herself up for heartache from the jump, and Cookie had warned her of the type of man Lucious was and she hadn't listened. Although, she had felt bad for her when she watched the light dim from her eyes over the realisation that Lucious did not love her the way she loved him. Well, the fact Lucious did not love her at all. Cookie pouted, poor baby.
"Here's to my favourite ex-wife," Lucious proclaimed in that usual tone that shone pure amusement as he sauntered toward her with two wine glasses. Cookie watched him with a slight smile. "So nice we divorced twice." He mused as he handed her the glass. Cookie chuckled, shortly, at his little rhythm. Ole peg leg thought he was a comedian, apparently.
Cookie's lips twisted for a moment, pondering over whether or not she should bring up the song. "Huh, yeah," she quipped as they clinked glasses. "We do make a great team." she slowly drew out, bowing her head. Her eyes never left Lucious' as she curled her fingers around her wine glass.
She took a purposely slow sip on her wine as she eyed Lucious. Cookie couldn't deny the sexual tension swimming up in the air. She didn't know where it had come from. One minute, they're putting details together for Bossy Feast, next minute they're eyeing each other down, daring the other to make a move and risk it all. That was just the effect they had on each other Cookie supposed.
"Damn right we do," Lucious affirmed; his eyes darkened as he took in the devilish look his bold ex-wife was giving him. Their intense stare on the other never faltered as Lucious pressed his lips together, waiting for her to say something. Through his eyes, he dared her to be the bold woman he knew she was.
'You know what? Damn it.' Cookie thought to herself as she lowered the glass from her lips and pursed her dark red-stained lips. "You know, um...that's a beautiful song you wrote...for Yana," Cookie brushed her hair away from her face as she tried to stop herself from chuckling. She dared Lucious to sit there and lie to her face about the song which was exactly what she knew he was about to do.
"Thank you." He said, solemnly. "I'm really proud of that song, I-" for the first time during their heated stare down, he glanced away, looking into his lap as he continued to speak. Cookie cocked her head to the side, genuinely interested in what he had to say. "Felt like it captured the pure essence of...true love." At the mention of 'pure love', Lucious peered up into her hooded eyes that said more than her lips ever could.
"Hm," Cookie's head rose as she pursed her lips together. She knew this man wasn't about to try and pass of Yana as his true love. Having enough of the charades, she sucked in the inside of her cheek as she tilted her head to the side. "Well, I could've sworn those were the wedding vows you made to me."
At her words, both their minds went back to that special day many years ago:
"You, me, and our baby. That's all I need. That's all I'm ever gonna need. You feel me?"
Lucious was stunned for a moment. He didn't know what to do. Did he confess? Or continue to act nonchalant? What good would it do to confess that he still loved the woman in front of him? She'd demanded the divorce still knowing his love for her ran as deep as the ocean. So, did he take a gamble and confess again? Only to be shut down. Or brushed off? Was it worth it?
He decided it wasn't as he tried to play it off with that infamous chuckle, looking away from Cookie's probing eyes. "Come on, Cook," he mused. "You know, once a man's been in this game as long as-"
"Lucious!" Cookie swiftly interjected, leaning back. She'd let him play for long enough. "Stop playin'. You know that song is about me."
Lucious gulped as he took in her beautiful face that screamed; "Checkmate." Not many women, if any, had him at a loss for words besides Cookie Lyon. He sat there, frozen, looking stupid as she gazed at him with hungry dark eyes as if he were her prey. Her eyes dared him to make his next move, and damn did he want to reach over and pull her onto his lap, but he didn't know how that would play out. She'd seemed willing to entertain him for the night, but if he played his cards right, he could turn this one night back into forever.
He dropped his head down and chuckled in defeat. With a heavy sigh and his heart on his sleeve, he outstretched his hand to her. "Let me show you something." Instead of asking a hundred and one questions like she usually did, she arched an eyebrow at him but slipped her soft hand into his and rose to her feet when he did the same. The walk to the unknown was tense as Cookie's mind ran wild with potential scenarios. "Ladies, first," Lucious murmured, pushing the door to his office open. Not quite ready to let his hand go just yet, she held it tighter and pulled him into the office right behind her before he had the chance to take the warmth of his skin against hers away from her.
Lucious reluctantly let go of Cookie's warm hand to stride behind his desk. His hand hovered over the drawer, wondering whether he should expose herself to her scrutiny and potential rejection. He looked up at her, leaning her hands on one of the office chairs with her head bent down. For the first time this night, Lucious saw the sliver of vulnerability he felt and decided to pull out the stake of envelopes. Without saying a word, he slid the stake toward Cookie, watching her eyebrows kiss with confusion as she slowly reached for them, tenderly taking them up in her hands.
He forgot to breathe for a moment as she muttered out; "Danbury Federal Correctional Institution...Loretha Holloway." her voice became nothing but a mere whisper. "I don't understand." she breathed out with a soft smile.
Lucious heaved out a sigh as he sat on the edge of his desk. "When I was too...weak," he spat out in disgust for himself. "To go and see you anymore, I wrote letter after letter to you," he nodded his head to the stake held in her shaky hands. "But nothing sounded good enough. Nothing was worthy enough for your eyes, and I-" he stopped speaking when he saw the stray tear slid down her cheek. "Cook, baby,"
Cookie held up a hand as she tried to process everything. Slipping the first envelope out of the stake, she put the rest back on the desk and began to open the letter. She glanced up at Lucious, briefly, to see his lips pressed together. She could see he was nervous, but she was too caught up in her emotions to offer him a smile of comfort.
To my Cookie,
I got through another day without you, but damn baby, it was hard. I find myself in our bed sometimes reaching out for you, but remembering you're not there anymore. I remember you're miles away from me and I struggle to go on. Without the boys, I don't think I could go on.
Cookie looked up at him with eyes blurred with unshed tears threatening to spill. Lucious gave her a tight smile, before nodding his head to the letter, gesturing for her to continue.
Dre and Mal ask about you all the time. Asking when you're coming home, and sometimes I get so mad. I just can't believe all the moments I took for granted. The touch of you is like a ghost to my memory and I hate it. Hakeem is missing out on you. I don't know if I'm doing this shit right, and you aren't here to tell me. Carol's trying to help and I appreciate her for that, but shit ain't the same without you.
Cookie sucked in a breath when she saw Carol's name on mashed up in Lucious' terrible handwriting. She'd decided not to tell him about what her sisters had done. Afterall, she was the one who had gone to prison and Cookie had decided to forgive them. They had all done their fair share of dirt to the other out of love and protection, and it was time to move on.
I'm counting down the days and trying to keep it together. I've got faith in us, just like you've always had faith in me. Because when you get home, we'll make up for all the lost time. And I'm sorry. I know I haven't called lately or came to see you. I'm a weak man and seeing you like that will get me thrown in the cage too and where would that leave us so I want to write you this letter to let you know that when I see you, it'll feel like nothing's changed because I've told you once, and I'll tell you twice, you and me is all that we'll ever need.
"I love you more than you'll ever know. Lucious." Cookie read out as she slowly folded the letter back up. "You wrote letters." She sniffed. Seeing the tears falling, Lucious quickly rounded the table to get to his baby. "You didn't forget about me." She murmured as realisation dawned upon her.
He drew her into the warmth his arms provided. "I could never."
Tears that could create their own ocean poured between them as Cookie sobbed into his chest, and Lucious repeatedly kissed her head. Every single kiss representing an apology for his selfishness, his cowardice, his neglect. Cookie squeezed her eyes shut, tightly, as she clasped onto her ex-husband. The love of her life that she'd been trying to move on from for some time now, somehow always got sucked back in. Did she blame that on weak willpower or fate?
"I miss you." He whispered into her hair, earnestly. He wanted to have an honest conversation with Cookie now, no matter where it might lead. "And I am sorry for," he scoffed. "Everything." He soothing rubbed up and down her back as the sobs subsided into soft sniffles. "You're right, I didn't do everything right when we were married the second go around."
Lifting her head from his chest, Cooke wiped beneath her leaking eyes. "Stop." she murmured. "I didn't do everything right either," she admitted. "The Damon thing...it was a bad decision on my behalf, but I want you to know that me confiding in his ugly bald-headed ass was not done out of spite. I just needed someone to talk to that I knew understood and would listen. But I am sorry."
He brought one hand to her cheek to cup it, gently. "You know you've done a mighty bit of apologising today, Cook. You good?" he joked, attempting to lighten the mood which worked when she snorted, and lightly slapped his arm. "But I forgive you for the Damon situation, and I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when we were going through it with Andre's cancer. I didn't want you to feel as helpless as I did, but I dealt with it the wrong way and that's my bad."
Cookie reached up to caress his cheek, also. "We're supposed to share burdens. That's how marriage works, Lucious. We're a team, no matter the situation."
"It's just like us to have this kind of conversation when it's too late." He grunted, sliding his hand down her face to curl around her arm. "But I respect your wishes and just know I've got your back. No matter what."
"Who said it's too late?" Cookie quipped. As she gazed up into this man's eyes, she took a moment to appreciate his growth. The growth that he'd developed without being married to her, or having her put him in line. He'd made her proud with his strides to being a better person because it was the right thing to do, and not because it was going to get him into her good books. Today she'd saw something in him that she hadn't seen in quite some time, and it had her rethinking their divorce. Like she'd said to Andre, people surprise you sometimes.
"What are you saying?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm saying that if this new and improved Lucious Lyon is really you, and not just a brief personality change, I'm willing to...try again."
"Are you serious?" his eyes lit up like a crystal ball.
"But!" she held up a hand before he got carried away with the idea. "You need to end things with Yana because that sweet girl doesn't deserve to be strung along." He bowed his head in agreement. "You do that, and maybe you'll find me in your bed with a ring back on my finger."
"You gon' marry me again?"
Cookie shrugged her shoulders, nonchalantly. "They say third time's a charm." Her hand caressed it's way down to his neck where she stroked the stray hairs sticking up. "But those are my terms, Lucious. Don't fuck up."
"Wouldn't dream of it, Mrs. Lyon."
Cookie's eyes rolled to the back of her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lucious." She snorted, sliding out of his hold to make her way to the door of the office.
"Wait," he called out, grabbing her hand to pull her back to him,
"What?-" Lucious' mouth was against hers before she had a chance to process what was happening. Her arms came around her neck as she moaned into his mouth. She'd missed this. She'd missed him. The kiss was short-lived as he pecked her mouth twice before letting her go. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, gently, as she stroked his skin.
"Stay the night."
"Lucious-"
"I'll sleep in the guest room."
Cookie's lips twisted. "Okay," she murmured, relenting. "I'm leaving this room now." She announced, slowly, walking backward out of the room. His grin tattooed into her mind as she slipped into the corridor with a massive smile of her own despite the fact she'd just thrown her heart back into the wild...again. But this time, she knew it was going to be different and if it wasn't, she'd kill him because she was not having 3 divorces under her belt.
That damn Lucious, Cookie thought as she sauntered to her bedroom with an extra bounce in her step.
-
another part of this one-shot will be released later today or tomorrow sometime because it was longer than I'd anticipated.