Published April 1st 2019. Lola stepping in on Luan's day. Ehh.
Scars left to the imagination.
It has been a week since Lola began dating her brother in secret. And… nothing had changed.
Right now, the sixteen year old girl was chilling in the front room watching tv. Over the years it had become remarkably easier to grab the remote. Many of the oldest sisters no longer lived at home. Lori had long left, moving to the city and marrying Bobby. High school sweethearts to the bitter end. Leni, to everyone's surprise, thrived in college with multiple scholarships to boot. Her academics weren't good but her talent for fashion was top list and she found her place in London. Nobody was too sure where Luna was at any given point. Her band didn't have a tour schedule and just jumped from bar to bar for now. Luan was working on a sitcom in LA and Lynn was training for the Olympics in Colorado.
The oldest sibling in the house was now Lincoln, and there was a reason for that.
Because they had begged him too.
It had been nearly three years ago since her brother had graduated high school. Three years since he casually mentioned his plan to join the Navy at dinner. It had been an off hand comment that made the air leave the room and caused a torrent of tears. The response had been immediate from those still in the house, begging him not to do it. Lola had been one of the more emotional ones and she was the one who called all the older sisters.
Either way the flood of plees chiseled his resolve until he promised to stay.
Now, three years later, the white haired savior to the sisters was still here. In fact, Lincoln was upstairs right now, finishing an online class. So as he studied, Lola kept on watching a transformation show. They were great for make up tips and a small bit of her like thinking she could still change. The blonde teen was in her pink tracksuit combo with a new facial mask on. The past pageant contestant was hoping it would help close up the more ice pick like scar marks on her cheeks. She had been wearing it for about an hour and she'd need to rinse soon. Her slender finger began removing the outer layer when her ears picked up on the thuds of someone coming downstairs.
"I just finished up what I needed to. I'll head out if you wa-" Lola watched as her boyfriend descended the stairs while throwing on his jacket. Lincoln seemed excited but by the time he reached the door that light had gone. "Oh. Your dads want to take you out for dinner… No. No. That makes sense. We can hang out some other time, I'm always here… Bye Clyde." Lincoln lowered his phone with a tinge of disappointment on his face.
"Something wrong, Lincoln?" Perhaps if she had more confidence, Lola would have torn off the mask before he turned around. Instead, the girl in pink smoothed the torn edge to keep her scars hidden.
"Huh?" The sole son of the Loud house turned to the soft voice. He laid eyes on his younger sister in her ritualistic routine of trying facial treatments. "Oh, um, yeah… I was going to go to the arcade with Clyde but he had to cancel…"
Lincoln's voice trailed as he finished his statement. The air was thick between the two siblings. It wasn't as if Lincoln had been avoiding his sister this past week, but he wasn't actively seeking her out either. Lola had become his girlfriend in name only, and even then, a secret one at that. They had gone about their routines as usual and only talked to each other in front of family.
This was the first time they had been alone.
"T-that's too bad." Lola pulled in her feet so she sat criss-cross on a single cushion. Her movements, she hoped, would allow her boyfriend to join her on the couch. He seemed ignorant of this action.
"Yeah… I was looking forward to it, finished early and everything." Lincoln lent against the door and flipped through his phone. "We were going to meet up at the arcade like the good ol' days…"
"Can't you go to the arcade whenever?"
"I could…" The Loud son responded to the girl's question. "But not with Clyde, he's out of state now… there was even a deal tonight for hour play that would have been super cool."
"Oh...c-couldn't… couldn't you go by yourself?"
"*Sigh* I could but that would be awkward and a bit lonely." The boy looked at the time on his phone.
"W-what if you had someone to go with?"
"I can't really thin-"
Lincoln's minatious scrolling halted. He looked up to his sister averting her gaze and tugging at her ponytail. Lola shifted as she waited for him to notice. The white haired man stayed silent as he finally absorbed the information. His next words came out as a stutter, not because of shyness but because of disbelief.
"Y-yyyou want to go?"
"Well… what are girlfriends for? Hehe…" Lola finally looked over to see his eyes wide. "You don't want to."
"I-iii"
"No, it's fine." The masked girl turned back to the tv with disappointment evident. "I just thought… I don't know."
Lincoln wasn't sure how to feel. Lola was once again curling up and doubting herself worth, something he couldn't bare to see. He was still unsure about enabling this relationship though. They had gotten into it because of a whim. It wasn't legal or healthy and he was worried how serious she was about it. Neither had made a move in a week, perhaps something else was up. With what happened to her in the past few months, mainly the butterface incident, perhaps she was just looking for comfort. An epiphany occurred within the white haired man's mind.
What if she was desperate for attention?
What if she just wanted undivided attention from her big brother and resorted to claiming him as a boyfriend to do so?
In that case, pushing her away would only hurt her more. He should ask her not as a boyfriend but as her big brother. Regardless of how it is framed, Lincoln would be here for her.
"Are you sure you want to go to the arcade with me?" His words caused the girl to flinch as her ears perked up. "It's not really your type place, I mean." Lincoln scratched the back of his neck. Lola sat up fully and looked over to his shy display.
"I-it's not my first choice for a first date but yeah. I want to go with you." She stood up and ran to bottom of the stairs. "I'll need some time to get ready. Go ahead and watch what you want."
Lola's slender frame scampered upstairs, rushing to the bathroom. The white haired man felt a mixture of unsurety and guilt upon seeing her enthusiasm. A small cringe in his stomach hoped she truly was just seeking attention.
The vista cruiser turned into the parking lot of the rundown building that was the local arcade. While the outside hearkened to the 90s, the inside had been renovated to fit in more modern machines. It wasn't exceptionally busy but there was definitely a crowd inside. Finding a spot, he pulled in and turned off the engine.
"Alright, we're here." Lincoln pulled the parking break until it locked and looked over to his passenger.
When Lola had first descended the stairs, he was surprised by her appearance. The girl was putting on mascara as she stepped down and she had put a lot of effort into her look. For the past years she had definitely gone less dressy than when she was a child but tonight she did decide to be fashionable. Lola came down in an open shoulder, pink, belted dress with a denim jacket and infinity scarf she was using to cover her face somewhat. She undid the lazy ponytail for chilling and let her golden hair fall to her shoulder blades. Now, in the passenger seat of his car, the teen was doing last checks on what was visible of her face.
"There." The blonde girl finished the last of her touch up. She snapped her makeup mirror closed and turned to her boyfriend. "Okay, let's go."
Their doors popped open as they got out of their ride. They walked side by side and the girl held herself back from grabbing her brother's arm. Instead she let him take the lead as she pinched the end of his jacket sleeve. The automatic doors slid open revealing thousands of flashing lights inside. The loud clacks of button smashing were very audible even as they approached the counter. Looking about, the young girl could see that the majority of patrons were male with very few exception . She also noticed the majority were middle school or younger while any adults were seated off to the side, watching over their kids.
Another thing she noticed was that she was standing out some. Lola wanted to look nice for Lincoln but she hadn't considered where she was going. Any females here were of the gamer girl variety. No one was in a dress like her. She was over dressed and kids were staring. Her face reddened in embarrassment and she pulled her scarf higher.
"Alright, here's you card." Lincoln turned from the counter and handed her a small, plastic card. "It's good for four hours."
"Wait, four hours?!" she flipped the card back and forth as if it would reveal a hidden compartment.
"It's just the deal, we don't have to stay that long. You can play any game that isn't marked with red on the scanner." He pointed off to several machines.
"Okay," The prim girl looked around. "So what are we playing first."
"Oh, um," Lincoln forgot that his little sister had never been in the arcade. "Well, how about a racing game?"
"Sure, that one looks cool." Lola walked over to an empty line of four motorbikes. Immediately, she flung her leg over the bike causing her skirt to hike up. "Uhh… actually lets do a different one."
"Yeah, good idea." Lincoln averted his gaze as he moved to block his sister showing off her legs. "Lily likes one in the back." Lola flattened her skirt as she stood up.
"You come here with Lily?" The blonde asked.
"Yeah, sometimes." The white haired man moved towards an unknown direction. "She likes the more kiddy games but they're fun."
"Oh, that's cool." Lola moved her hair behind her ear. They arrived to another set of four machines. They were white and go cart like. They featured a few characters she vaguely recognized.
Lincoln sat in a seat one in, allowing her to take the seat on the outside. She watched him lean down to a card reader and swipe. She mimicked his action with her own card. Her movements were awkward and her confusion only increased when several characters appeared on the screen accompanied by a countdown.
"Oh," Lincoln could see the confusion in her eyes. "So first rotate the wheel till you find a character you like."
"Okay," She began rotating it till she found a blonde queen in pink. "Ooo, she's pretty."
"Uh, yeah she is. So now press the gas." She pressed in watched the queen do a dance as a thanks for picking her. "Now pick a cart you'd like to drive."
"I have to choose a car too?"
"Yeah, it ain't that important honestly."
"Fine." The girl rolled her eyes as she scrolled through the cars until she found a vaguely familiar design. A small sense nostalgia filled her as she found a small, pink jeep. She immediately step on the gas to select it. The text on the screen then read 'waiting for other players'. Realizing her job was done she turned to look at Lincoln's screen which she scoffed at. "Are you a turtle in a prius?!"
"What?!" He looked over to see a confused eyebrow raised by his girlfriend. "Well I'm not done picking my cart but kind of. He's a turtle dragon."
"A turtle dragon?" Lola's confusion only increased.
"It's an Asian thing."
"Is he like my queen's pet?"
"What?! No, he's a king."
"I'm married to that thing?!"
"No!" Lincoln shouted out. "Firstly, your character is a princess."
"Oh my god, that's her Dad?!"
"No!" Lincoln was quick to deny. "He kidnaps her and the hero goes to save her."
"Why does he kidnap her?"
"Uhh… to marry her."
"..."
"That's weird." Lola concluded.
"Eh, it's just a game." Lincoln turned back to screen and saw the clock click down to zero. "Dang it."
"Are you a turtle in a prius?"
"Yup… I'm a turtle in a prius."
"My bad."
"Nah, your fine." Lincoln comforted the blonde. "We'll do the easiest track first." The man moved his wheel and selected the beginner tracks.
"Alright." The teen watched as the screen changed to a scenic display of a beach side race track. While it was cartoony, she had to admit it was surprisingly pretty. The camera refocused on her jeep and she instantly found herself annoyed by the fact she was in the back of the pack.
This would not stand.
"Okay the best strategy is to…" The lone son glanced over to see determination on the girl's face. Her fingers regrip and tightened around the wheel. Her foot was already revving the fictional engine. Lincoln choose to stop the lesson and instead focus on his own game.
The flag finally raised and the three tick countdown appeared. Having been late to start Lincoln watched as a certain blonde princess zoomed pass him straight to the front of the pack.
Lola was in first.
Lincoln was having a hard time with his speedy but poor turning prius. On the other hand he was surprised when Lola was maintaining her lead.
"Gah!" The blonde girl suddenly shouted.
"What?!" His cart jerked as he twisted at the sudden yell.
"I just crashed into something and now I have garbage on my screen."
"Huh?" He glanced over, she had three banana peels in a box in the corner of her screen. "Oh, no that's just an item. If you press that green button you'll use it." Lincoln didn't see what happened but he suddenly felt a quick jab to his arm. "Ouch!"
"You cheat, I slipped on my own garbage!" Lola angrily sneered at him. His character speed past a spun out princess.
"You threw it infront of yourself?" He said in disbelief.
"Where else would I throw it!" Lola's foot slammed on the gas and she began speeding forward.
"Behind you!" Lincoln went into a hard turn. For no particular reason he lent into it as the two began screaming back and forth.
"How do I do that?!" Both were now moving as if they were actually driving.
"I don't know!" The white haired racer yelled. "It just kind of happens naturally for me!"
"That's so unfair!"
"I can't help that!"
"Take your stupid child then!"
"What?!"
A green shell suddenly slammed into the back of his prius. Lincoln's car did an overly dramatic flip as a pink jeep finally flew by him.
"Ha! Take that you cheat!" Lola mocked as she collected another item.
"I'm not cheating!"
"You so are!"
Their shouting filled the back of the arcade as they lent and slammed on brakes. Going back and forth as they battled each other in game. As they fought, little attention was actually paid to the computers and eventually they placed in 6th, Lola, and 8th, Lincoln.
"Ha! Loser!" The pampered twin taunted her older brother.
"We both lost!" Lincoln felt a need to clarify.
"But you lost more." She flipped her hair back and her smile was hidden underneath her scarf. "Okay, what's next?"
"Huh? But cha. But. It tif! GAAAHHH!" Lincoln got up and lead the way to another machine. The smaller frame of his sister skipped behind him. "Okay, this one."
They had stopped in front of a game with a large screen, larger than most standard televisions. It was decorated with plastic wood and had large, fake antlers framing the logo. Two shotgun like controllers rested in holders, waiting for players. It was a hunting game made for two.
"This is a big hunt game. It's simple enough. Point and shoot at deers." Lincoln swiped his card. "Grab that side."
"Right." The scarfed girl slid her card through the reader before picking up the gun. She put the stock on top of her shoulder, grabbed the barrel overhand blocking the sight, and put her thumb against the trigger.
"Lola?"
"Yes, Lincoln?"
"What are you doing?"
"Holding the gun, duh." Lola rolled her eyes not looking at the white haired man's look of disbelief. The reason being, the blonde was holding it like a bazooka.
"No, no, no. Let me help you." Lincoln sat his gun back in the holder and moved behind his sister. He wrapped his arms around her and reached for her hands. The young girl could feel the warmth of his body press into her and allowed him to take her. "So you need to hold it here." The stock lowered to be against her shoulder. His hand guided her to hold the pump.
"O-ookay." She was happy her scarf was covering her blush. She pushed her butt back into his waist but he didn't seem to notice. Lincoln helped her roll her pointer finger around the trigger.
"Now whenever you want to shot, pull the trigger." He pulled her finger in to illustrate his point. "Then you need to cock it by pulling this back and forth."
"Pull it back and forth to shot, got it."
"No, you cock it after every shot."
"Pull the cock back and forth till it shoots, got it."
"Are you serious right now?" Lincoln stopped guiding her. He stepped back and gave her a stern look while tapping his foot.
"Of course I am!" The pampered princess feigned ignorance. Her brother didn't seemed please. "C'mon, Lincoln, I'm just messing with you."
"Not really something you do with your brother."
"It is when he's your boyfriend."
"..."
"Are you mad?" Lola asked skittishly.
"..."
"*Sigh*, no." The man pulled the blonde into a hug and kissed the top of her forehead. He weighed his words in his head but even as they left his mouth he felt unsure. "I'm just getting used to it."
"Are you having fun?" Lola found herself touching the place he kissed. Her eyes were down cast, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. She didn't watch as the man weighed it in his head. They hadn't been there long but, even with the frustration, having her here with him did make him feel something. He wasn't sure what it was yet but he knew that he was at least happy to be together. He chuckled slightly before answering.
"Yes." Her blue eyes darted up and saw his calm smile, chipped tooth and all. "I'm so glad you're here with me." This time when she looked away it was because of her fast beating heart.
"L-let's just play." The girl stuttered out.
"No problem." Lincoln raised his gun and shot an option on screen.
The scene opened up to a serine lake. Birds fluttered in the background heading towards the Rocky Mountains. A squirrel scampered over a tree stump. Sunrays diffused through the overhanging branches of the pines. All framing a small deer with brown fur and no antlers.
BANG!
The animal fell to the ground as bold, red lettering announced: "You shot a doe."
"Lola!" The chipped tooth man turned to his sister.
"What?!" The girl looked over to see the shocked expression. "Oh... Sorry." She cocked the gun.
"No!" Lincoln pointed to the screen. "Don't shoot the does! Only the bucks!"
"... What's the difference?"
"Bucks are male, does are female." The brother clarified. "Only shoot the males."
"..."
"Are hunters sexist or something?"
"..."
"..."
A tumbleweed rolls in the breeze.
"Yes... just shoot the ones with antlers."
"Cool, got it."
The one thing Lincoln learned through out the night was: Lola is oddly proficient at video games. She usually didn't know what the overall goal was at first, but when she did, the small blonde could rack up points like crazy. Any racing game, when she wasn't running Lincoln off the road, she'd place in the top three. Shooting games, she could quickdraw with the best of them. Rhythm or dancing, Lincoln literally had to stop for breathers before she broke a sweat.
He also noticed a small build up people watching the two of them. At first it was some parents pointing at them and chuckling at their display. Next it was some kids amazed by Lola's skills. And then he's pretty sure he could see envy of some teens who wished they had gamer girlfriends. Lola was without a doubt not a gamer girl but right now she was the trophy of all the nerds there.
Along with it all, the past pageant contestant was having a blast. Pushing or shoving Lincoln. Watching the scores go up and up. It was all so amazing! They had been going at it for hours and she was even getting dizzy. Having a scarf on indoors is not the best way to stay cool after three rounds on a dance machine. As she stepped off the dance pad, she fell into Lincoln's shoulder.
"You okay, Lola?" The look of concern had been one she had seen a thousand times but, now that he was her boyfriend, she couldn't help feeling a tinge of joy because of it.
"I just need to sit down for awhile." She spoke softly.
"Sure, let's go over there." Lincoln lead her away as the next person stepped up to the dance pad. Several tables were off to the side and intended for those who wanted a place to eat or relax. "Sit here, I'll grab you a drink."
"Thanks, Lincoln." This was the first time they seperated and she felt immediate loneliness watching him walk away. To ease her emotions, she looked over the crowd. It was still mainly young kids with a scattering of teens here and there. This was also the first time the blonde got to notice some of the boys were looking at her, well as much as pervy, awkwards kids were willing to without getting caught. A small sense of pride filled her but a small thought prevented her from revealing in it.
If they saw her scar ridden face, would they still be looking at her like that?
The boys at school sure didn't.
What about Lincoln?
Sure he acted like he was having fun but what if her teasing earlier disgusted him. The very thought of her being with him, was just bothering him. Maybe it was why he didn't approach her even after they started dating. He just did it to make her feel better. He wanted to be here with Clyde, not her.
An ice cold sensation on her neck caused her to shutter.
"Gah!" Her blonde hair flung as she spun around quickly seeing her boyfriend holding two large sodas. "What the heck, Lincoln?!"
"Hmm," The white haired man sipped his drink as he sat down across from her. "You looked worried."
"Huh?"
"You looked worried." The other soda slid across the table towards her. "I could see it in your eyes. What's wrong?" Dang it. Why does he have to be so caring?!
"N-nothing," Lola was happy that Lincoln got a drink with a straw, much easier to keep her scarf on. "Just thirsty." He didn't believe her. There weren't a bunch of clues to follow but he did know Lola. For years her biggest problem was her skin. It had utterly destroyed her years ago and it always perpetuated even till today.
The whole goal of this 'dating' thing was to make her feel better about herself. Lincoln had been slacking this entire week. So much so that she had to ask him out because he wouldn't do it.
Things had to change.
"Getting tired, right?" The Loud son asked chishirely.
"Uh, I guess." The girl raised an eyebrow at his tone.
"Then let's do one last thing and go."
"Oh," was he wanting to ditch her? "Sure, what?"
"Follow me." Lincoln stood up and waited for her to follow suit, the scarfed girl stood up reluctantly. His hand reached for hers as he pulled her through the isles of gaming cabinets. Weaving to and fro, they ended up a large box. It was white and had large curtains in the back with a bright light emitting from underneath the lining.
"What is it?" Lola asked.
"It's a photobooth."
"Oh… I see…" The teen in pink stepped back. "Let's not."
"Let's go!" Lincoln grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her into the curtains. Her heels dug into the carpet and tried to stop him but he pushed forward. Lola was a deer in headlights as she stared at a camera pointing towards her. Three fingers secretly went underneath the fabric of her scarf before ripping it off.
"Lincoln!" Lola's scarf was raised high above the white head of hair. "Give it back!"
"Nope, I want to take the picture without it." Her small body bashed against his as she jumped to reach the scarf but it was too high.
"You're being such a bastard, Lincoln Loud!" Her fists began beating his chest.
"C'mon," a smirk revealed his chipped tooth. "I'm just teasing my girlfriend."
The fists of pink fury came to an abrupt halt.
"G-girlfriend?!"
"Yes, my girlfriend, Lola Loud."
Lincoln watched as a burst of red was finally visible on her cheeks. It almost seemed like steam would radiate off her skin seeing how hot she had suddenly become. A look of shock froze on her face.
"Really?" The young teen asked.
"Really." Answered the boyfriend.
She held her expression for a solid ten seconds or so.
"Okay, fine." The girl relented. "We can take the pictures. Hand me my scarf."
"Nah, I want to see your smiling face." Lola wanted to go back to punching him but his face showed how genuine he was being. She lowered her tiny fist but still showed her frustration.
"Fine! I'll swipe my card."
"Actually," Lincoln stopped her from taking it out. "This one costs three dollars, the cards don't work on it." The blonde scoffed and shoved her card into whence it came.
"That's stupid."
"It's because you get something out of it, not just fun." The machine took three Washingtons. "Alright, my hair look good?" The beautician looked at his locks.
"You really need a haircut, Lincoln."
"I'll take that as a yes!"
Lola quickly swept her hair back and adjusted her jacket. A small screen displayed the couple close together. A white frame showed where they should position themselves.
"Alright, peace sign!" Lincoln smiled and raised up his hand with peace.
"What?!" A countdown from five started. "Dang it!" Lola followed her boyfriend's pose. A bright flash alerted both them that the photo had been taken.
From underneath the curtains, four more flashes could be seen. The short blonde exited adjusting her scarf around her neck again. The man with her followed behind chuckling after a mild chew out he had received after returning the cloth. While Lola finished checking herself in a makeup mirror, Lincoln secretly went to a side console. After a few button presses the pictures printed. He tucked the roll of images inside his jacket and moved next to his girl.
"Ready?" The white haired man asked.
"Yeah, where are the pictures?" Her mirror clicked shut. Lola began walking to the exit.
"Still developing, they'll be done by the time we get home." The man smiled.
"Alright, let's just go then." It wasn't as if she was in a big rush to see her scared face anyways. Now in the cold night air, the girl in pink took a deep breath allowing Lincoln enough time to jump ahead of her and open the door for her.
Jumping into the driver side, soon they were on the road and on the way home. The night was dark and judging by the time they had spent nearly three hours at the arcade. Lincoln's vista cruiser sputtered as he pulled in front of the Loud abode.
"Did you have fun?" Lincoln began reaching into his jacket.
"Yeah, it was cool. Kind of confusing at first but fun." The girl admitted while unbuckling.
"Glad you had fun. I had fun too." The girl smiled at her brothers comment. "Want to check out the photos now?" He felt a pang of guilt seeing his sister flinch.
"O-oh, you know I'm alright." The teen turned away from the driver side.
"C'mon, Lola." Lincoln falsely whined expecting this. "I even went ahead and edited them before printing them."
"Wait, edited?" She finally seemed intrigued.
"Yeah, it's one of those newer Japanese photo booths." He didn't lie, it was the only one there. "It allows to add filters, cover blemishes, make your eyes really wide, you know."
"Why didn't you say that earlier you jerk!" Lola rolled her eyes. "I was super concerned about it. Hand them over."
"Mmmhmm, I hope you like how pretty I made you." He handed the roll of pictures to her.
"I'm sure you did alright. You should have let me done it thoug-" Lola's eyes widened seeing the roll of photos. "You didn't do anything to them."
"Yeah, don't you look so cute there." A barrage of punches descended upon his arm.
"STOP BEING SUCH A CARING BASTARD!" Lola's tiny fists began beating into his bicep futilely.
"What's wrong? Hehe." Lincoln swatted away her paws. "I make you too beautiful?"
"YOU BASTARD! YOU ASS! YOU SISTER LOVER!" Her wrists were now clasped in the bastards hands and her swings now hit only air. "STOP BEING SO NICE!" Lola's scarf fell off her nose revealing tears rolling down the crevices of her scars.
"Nope," Lincoln responded snarkily. "Don't think I will." Lola's arms kept flinging back and forth until she lost the energy to do so. Stamina gone, her arms lowered in her lap and head leant forward into her brother's chest.
"*Huff puff* You're such a bastard." Her exacerbated voice sounded.
"Mmmhmm, thank you." His arm wrapped around to gentle move up and down her back. "Are you feeling better?"
"No."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You already are."
"You know what I mean."
"... Could I have a kiss?"
"..."
"..."
"Okay."
Lincoln's hand tucked under her chin and slowly raised it. Lola's mascara was running but her tears had stopped. Her blue eyes now glistened expectantly and her lips already began puckering. His inner turmoil was there but he couldn't back off now. Closing his eyes he moved in and kissed her.
She tasted sweeter than candy.
They parted and both felt their hearts pounding.
Their eyes were locked together as they both realized what they had done. Lola's pink fingernails dug into his shirt and her breath was ragged. Lincoln wasn't faring well either, with the added effect of his stomach twisting from guilt and pleasure. Her golden hair suddenly ducked down and her head pressed into his chest again. He greatly hoped she wasn't listening to his heartbeat. She wasn't.
"Thank you for being my boyfriend, Lincoln."
"Yeah… no problem."