Joy helped Owen set the table. The friends didn't let me help, they told me to sit at the table while they were putting everything in place. When the plates were set along with the utensils and glasses Joy skipped back to the kitchen. I heard her cheery voice as she asked Lucas what she could do next. I wanted to help too, but Owen had me in his sights like a stern librarian.

"You're the guest." Owen reminded me, "We all have our parts to play."

He said in a way which told me he was joking. He was probably still in the mindset of that haunted ghost series we watched.

"Do we now?" I asked, leaning forward, "What is your part in all of this?"

He leaned closer as well, we were both leaning over the table looking like we were having an intense conversation. We were both messing around. Waiting for Lucas and Joy to join us.

"I'm the one watching you." He said in a creepy voice.

Lucas walked past and pulled Owen back by his collar, "That's enough. Don't creep Nina out, she'll either punch you in the face or run for the hills."

I played along with Owen because he was honestly my non-romantic soulmates. There was no such thing as an awkward silence between us. We were on the same page, always. We had stupid inside jokes which clearly the people around us didn't get.

"Maybe I'm the one watching you," I whispered back.

Lucas placed the glass tray down, the lasagne he made looking mouth-watering good.

"There are definitely two of them now." He muttered, still looking amused.

Joy placed the bowl of salad beside the glass tray, "Well, I love it."

Owen and I leaned back in our chairs again, stopping our little because the food was here. It looked amazing and I couldn't wait to taste it. Lucas must have done a good job even if he got a little help from Joy. Lucas sat down beside me while Joy suddenly gasped.

"The wine, I totally forgot that."

Owen grabbed her wrist, "Sit, I'll get it."

Owen let go of her and helped her sit in her chair like a true gentleman. He walked away, heading to the kitchen to grab the wine. I didn't mind a glass of wine with dinner. A little liquid courage would go a long way too.

"So I've noticed that you're a horror fan too." Joy remarked.

I perked up hearing her mention that genre.

When it came to movies I liked almost every genre, there was something in the art of cinematography. The way certain scenes were shot, the layout of every scene and the way you could sometimes tell some lines came straight from the script without the actor really believing in it. When it came to TV shows there were certain genres I didn't prefer. I didn't like the soap opera kind of shows. TV shows revolving around drugs weren't my thing either. Also, the teenage kind of shows were not my thing. They didn't hold my attention. I could watch the first few episodes and enjoy it but I would never go back to it.

The back and forth of the relationships annoyed me.

It was ironic now since I was sort of experiencing the complicated relationships. Dating the boy next door while the bad buy was someone you longed for. It was very cliché but very accurate. I woke up and understood that being attracted to dark and sinister wasn't that exciting.

It was destructive.

Joy looked at me awaiting my answer. I couldn't help but laugh. I tried to cover it up by sipping the rich red wine which Lucas had poured in my glass. I lost track of my thoughts and completely forgetting about responding to her. The horror genre was something else. It pulled so many emotions from you with one or two scenes. It was definitely my favorite.

"You'd be correct."

Lucas helped me with plating up the food. Everyone in the room was so nice, it was so easy to get used to. I felt at home, I was sure they were aiming for that. I smiled at Lucas when he met my gaze. It was like he could read my thoughts. He smiled as well, warmth clear in his green eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered to him, placing my hand on his thigh underneath the table.

"No problem."

"So Halloween is coming up soon." She sounded excited about it.

"Like real soon."

"So every year we organize a small Halloween movie party at their apartment." She gestured between Owen and Lucas, "It's us and two other people. We watch like a really good horror, a shitty one and a horror comedy. If you have nothing planned yet would you like to join us? You can stay over then obviously."

Obviously.

I shouldn't be making plans without things being certain between Lucas and me. But I couldn't help myself. A horror movie night during Halloween sounded better than the parties I attended so far. Mom didn't mention anything to me this year around. I assumed there was nothing scheduled which she believed was of importance.

"I'd like to join you guys." I glanced at Lucas, "If you don't mind of course."

Lucas sipped his wine and placed his arm around the back of my chair. When he put his glass down, he leaned in and kissed my temple, "Of course I don't mind." He then pulled away, "But I assumed you had a busy schedule already. It's why I didn't mention it."

"I can make it, I'll put it in my scheduled right away."

"Great!" Joy then grabbed her utensils, "Come everyone, dig in. It's so good, you did well Lucas. Really well. Maybe you've found your calling?"

I grabbed my fork and dug in. Joy had been right, the food was great. While we enjoyed the meal Lucas and Joy whipped up we also talked about the Halloween movie party. Afterward, Owen cleaned up the table. Joy made coffee and Lucas rinsed the used dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. We worked as a team like we did this every day.

It was a lot of fun.

We had dessert on the couch, sipping coffee and watching episode three of this haunted house series. It was getting better and better. I was getting so into the series that when it was time to retire for the night I was reluctant to leave. Joy would sleep in Owen's room while my non-romantic soulmate would sleep on the couch.

So much like Nick.

Lucas grabbed my hand and led me to his bedroom. Entering the spacious room I felt like I walked into Lucas' mind. The walls were painted in a beige color. The wall behind his bed was painted a taupe color. The white furniture modern. The room was spacious and modern looking but it still felt warm and comfortable. I think the artwork across the walls made it more homely.

"I like the paintings."

I moved to the wall by his desk, three paintings were on the wall. Framed in black against the stark white background. Three small paintings off succulents in pots of the colors teal, pale pink and mustard.

I laughed, "Don't you want the real thing to take care of?"

He stood beside me, taking in the three paintings too, "Well, I'd like to but they always die. I've tried twice so I can't actually say they always die but you get the idea. I thought this way I can enjoy the plants I like without watching it die within a week."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned in, "Maybe you bought a plant which was already dying."

He returned my hug and brushed his lips against my hair. I closed my eyes enjoying the little peaceful moment. The warmth between us felt like heaven. It felt homey. I held on for a minute because I knew I could very well walk out the door in a minute with a bag in hand, saying goodbye to what could have been.

"You okay?"

He knew something was wrong because I clung to him. He rubbed a hand over my back to calm me down. I pulled away and smiled at him. Pulling away I moved to his bed, kicked my shoes off and sat on the middle of the bed. I patted beside me, trying to invite him to come to sit next to me. He walked over with careful steps, it felt like it took him an hour and a half. It didn't, but it felt like that to me due to my heart beating out of my chest.

He sat down beside me, near the edge so he could slide off when it became too much.

"Okay, so we need to have this conversation before we go any further in this relationship-"

"Isn't it a little too late to have the sex talk?" He joked.

I rolled my eyes at him, "I'm trying to be serious here, Luke."

'Luke' came out sarcastic and dragged out because I tried to make a point. The boyfriend was having a great time despite me trying to be serious. He was making a joke out of it. I wondered if the wine was too much, but the guy only had two glasses. It couldn't have gone to his head already. So I wondered if he knew what I wanted to talk about and he just couldn't take it seriously anymore and he didn't want me to take it that seriously either.

"No need to call me names." He was still trying to be funny, he cupped my face and rubbed his thumbs gently over my cheeks, "I think I know what you want to talk about and I believe that we're done with having that conversation."

"But we're really not."

He didn't pull away, he only smiled at me and tried to lean in to kiss me. I leaned back and made his lips brush against my chin.

"So stubborn." He chuckled, he pulled away and focused on me, "Okay, I'll be more serious about this and listen to you." His eyes glittered, "But afterward I think you do owe me a little kiss." He pinched his fingers together, "Just a little one."

I flashed him a cheeky smirk, "If you still want to be with me afterward I'll do more than give you a little kiss." I lowered my voice, "I came prepared."

He laughed, nearly falling off the bed, "My God, that was amazing."

I grinned at him, "Stop making light of the situation." I wanted to give him a shove but then he'd definitely fall off the bed so I kept my hands to myself.

"Go ahead." Lucas quietly encouraged me.

Clearing my throat I sat straight and lowered my gaze. I couldn't have this conversation with him and having eye contact the entire time. It was too embarrassing, I wouldn't be able to get through it. I made up my mind to talk about the truth and I would do it tonight.

"So you remember when I told you about Jacob and the kiss we shared?"

"Yes."

Now he got more serious. I could feel the shift in him, all joking was out the door now.

"I haven't been honest about what happened in his office and I feel like I should tell you and give you the choice of still wanting to be with me or not after you heard everything." I took a deep breath and decided to just get it all out there, "So Jacob and I talked about the kiss and he brushed it off like it was nothing. It wasn't something he considered a kiss, it rubbed me the wrong way so I tried to prove him wrong by kissing him again."

He frowned, "So you kissed twice?" He asked to clarify.

"Yes." I shook my head which probably confused him more, "The second kiss was more like us making out in his office until reality hit me and I ran away like a freaking idiot, embarrassing myself and those around me. That was a great time."

Lucas nodded, "Okay I get it now."

I couldn't help but look at him because I honestly didn't get any of it. I didn't know what was going on and Jacob Blackwood actually confused me. He could have anyone he wanted because they would be happy to be his for a little moment where he gifts them with luxurious things they couldn't buy themselves. Instead, he wanted the woman who was dating someone and would only want his dick if they did make this thing between them happen.

Lucas shrugged, "It's simple." He grabbed my hands and gently held onto them, "He is a hunter and you are the prey. He chases you because you are probably one of the few he can chase. The others just give in the minute he looks at them. They are not interesting, not for a hunter."

"So I keep fighting him and keep running which excites him?"

Lucas let go of my hands, "Yeah, basically. Until he finds someone more interesting and moves on. But right now he is focused on you. It's up to you to be eaten or continue to fight." He smiled at me, "The latter will show him that sometimes you can't get what you want no matter who you are."

"Are we good?" I asked.

"We're good." He confirmed quietly.

Lucas didn't look angry with me, he didn't look ready to kick me out. I wondered if I could assume we were going to continue from earlier on. I needed a little distraction but also a little loving to confirm that he was still into me. I needed the confirmation, I knew that made me weak but sometimes the physical confirmation said a lot. It was in the way they would kiss you and touch you. It was either meaningless sex just to get off or sex to love someone.

Lucas brushed his fingers over my arm which made me shiver with anticipation, "So I was promised a kiss." He said with a little smirk playing on his face.

I giggled, attacking him without awaiting a response. My arms wrapped around his neck while I straddled his lap. It was the same as when I kissed Jacob in his office. Yet it felt completely different. This wasn't meaningless. I needed to kiss him to show to him just how much he meant to me. He placed his hands on my hips, kissing me back. Soft chuckles left his lips when we either missed each other's lips or moved our heads a different direction. It was silly and so lazy and so perfect.

I loved this man.