ENJOY!!
* * * * * *
Sean paced the room nervously as he watched Emma from the corner of his eye. She had placed herself on the bed and was watching him pace.
"Aren't you going to sit down?" Emma asked after watching Sean pace for a few minutes. Sean cast a glance at the bed and sat next to her. "So I believe we were discussing what you don't know about me," Emma stated simply. Sean nodded his head. "Well you don't know that I care about how your visit with your parents went," Emma started. She saw Sean stiffen as she mentioned the words. "So," she continued in a near whisper, "how did your visit go?" Sean cast down his eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said rather abruptly.
"Not so good I'm guessing?" Emma pushed. Sean sighed and ran his fingers aggravated through his hair. He knew that the drugs in his system were making his resistance wear down easily.
"It went horribly, but I was stupid to expect anything better," Sean spat out. Emma remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "My parents' recovery isn't going that well," Sean admitted. "They're still drinking and don't seem to have any intentions of getting themselves together and moving back in with me and Tracker." Sean let out a bitter laugh. "I should be happy right? I mean, it would be worse if they lived with us. But I really shouldn't be talking. Look at me, high off my ass," Sean said trying to clear his eyes.
"Shh Sean, that's not the same," Emma said placing her hand gently on top of his. Sean looked at it not feeling guilty. Lux never asked him how his trip to see his parents went. She was too busy making out with Craig. The weed was making Sean feel extremely affectionate all of a sudden. He looked at Emma's hand on his and then up into her eyes. That same feeling passed between them and for a moment Sean felt himself being drawn into her. Before he knew what was happening, he was kissing Emma hard. She sighed into the family feeling of his lips on hers and sunk down onto the bed. Sean leaned on top of her, losing himself in her kisses. She didn't protest when he slipped his hand up her shirt. Her skin felt hot against his palm. Sean knew that nothing was stopping him from doing whatever he wanted that night as he kissed Emma down her neck. He could still remember the scent of her shampoo; it hadn't changed.
* * * *
Lux woke up the next morning with the sun streaming into her bedroom. She had convinced herself it was a dream. There was no way in her mind Craig would have kissed her last night. It simply wasn't possible. Craig and Sean were friends, good friends. Friends don't kiss their friend's girlfriends! But when Lux opened her eyes, she knew it wasn't a dream. Men are so disloyal, Lux thought to herself. She couldn't help a small smile that crept upon her face.
* * * *
Emma had never been happier. The night had started badly, but in her mind it couldn't have ended better. She snuggled under Sean's arm waiting for him to wake up. She felt Sean begin to stir and opened her eyes to look up at him. Emma knew that she couldn't predict Sean's reaction, so she remained cautious.
Sean kept his eyes closed. Maybe he had dreamed it. Maybe he had gotten so high last night that he had hallucinated it. Yes, that was it, he had just been tripping. It's about time I lay off the drugs, he thought to himself, still refusing to open his eyes. He was worried about what he might find beside him. Sean knew however before he opened his eyes what he would find beside him. He felt someone stir under his arm and he knew it could only be one person. Finally he slowly unglued his closed eyelids, squinting to keep out the sun.
"Good morning," he heard Emma say from beside him. Turning to look at her he groaned out loud. "What's wrong Sean?" Emma asked raising her head to look at him.
"Emma look, I'm not entirely sure what happened last night but-"
"Let me guess, it was a mistake?" Emma cut Sean off bitterly.
"Yes it was! Look, I was high ok, so were you. We didn't know what we were doing," Sean rambled.
"Wrong Sean, I wasn't high and I knew exactly what I was doing and so did you!"
"No I didn't!" Sean said raising his voice.
"You obviously did but you just wanted to use me! Now you're trying to take the easy way out!" Emma yelled back accusingly not really believing it.
"That's not true! I would never use you!" Sean yelled back not believing what he was hearing.
"Then why are you making this such a big deal? It's not like we had sex!" Emma spat. Sean took a step back.
"Well from what I remember we were pretty damn close. And that's not the point! I'm with Lux! I can't be with you Emma," Sean said trying to keep his voice down.
"This has nothing to do with Lux. This is between you and me and what happened last night."
"This has everything with Lux! I cheated on her," Sean said jerking his hands through his hair.
"Please Sean. You honestly think she was thinking of you when she kissed Craig?" Emma asked harshly.
"That was a mistake. And compared to what happened last night a kiss is no big deal," Sean replied through gritted teeth.
"You wouldn't have let what happened last night happen if you didn't want it," Emma said quietly. Sean wasn't quite sure how to reply. He knew she was partially right, but he still knew he was wrong and wanted to be with Lux.
"Look Emma, I was high. I didn't know what I was doing ok?" Sean said in a defeated voice.
"Fine Sean, but I'm not about to forget what happened last night, and something tells me you won't either," Emma said sharply before she left the room leaving Sean lone to decode her last statement.
* * * *
It was probably the circumstances that kept both Lux and Sean from being suspicious that neither of them had taken the time to get in touch with each other. Both Lux and Sean had managed to not only avoid each other, but also avoid Craig and Emma respectively. Lux spent most of her days with Hazel and Paige while Sean hung out with Jimmy and Marco. Neither Lux nor Sean had mentioned their situations to anyone else.
Before anyone was ready for it, school had started back up again. Now Sean and Lux had no excuses not to see each other. They both vowed to act as normal as possible.
Somehow Lux had managed to make it through second period without catching sigh of Sean or Craig, but she knew it wouldn't last. As she entered Mr. Simpson's AP Computer Science class, she hesitated before taking her regular seat next to Craig.
"Hi," he said as soon as she sat down.
"Hi."
"I haven't seen you for a while," Craig continued.
"Yeah, I know," Lux said. They fell into an awkward silence after that.
"Ok class, today we are going to start apstrings and translations. After we learn this unit, which will take about a week, we'll start on your midterm, which is a group project." Great, Lux thought to herself. She had completely forgotten about midterms. She allowed herself to zone out for the rest of class.
Sean found Lux at her locker before fourth period and cautiously approached her. He had good reasons to be worried. For all he knew, Emma may have shot her mouth off about that night and Lux could have found out. Well, there was only one way to find out.
"Hey," Sean said as he touched Lux's shoulder. She turned around to face him.
"Hi," she said. Lux tried to read Sean's face. She was pretty sure he hadn't found out about the kiss with Craig, but she didn't want to be surprised.
"Sorry I haven't seen you for so long, I kind of got caught up with things," Sean said making excuses.
"It's ok, I was pretty busy myself," Lux replied. Sean was definitely not sure whether Lux knew. She seemed rather tense and Sean was afraid maybe she knew but was waiting for him to tell her. He decided to play it safe and not mention anything. He really just wanted to forget everything that happened that night. Sean continued to stand there awkwardly, and Lux looked equally awkward. She nodded her head as though to an invisible beat of music. Finally she broke out of her constant starring at the floor,
"I need to get to class," she said. Sean nodded. He headed in the opposite direction.
"Yo Sean," Sean recognized Jay's voice and turned around.
"Hey," he said wearily.
"School's bought a new DVD player. We planned on taking care of that today after school. You in?" Jay asked. Sean glared at his friend.
"You know I'm on probation, I can't get caught with that shit," he said.
"I'll split the cash with you 50/50. I'm guessing we can bring in about 200 at least," Jay said ignoring Sean's last comment.
"I can't," Sean emphasized, but he could feel his resolve weakening. So could Jay.
"Come on man, just his once. It's not like we're gonna get caught or anything," Jay pestered. Sean paused for a moment. "What do you say?"
"Fine, but this is the last time," Sean said.
"Sure," Jay said walking away before Sean could decipher the tone of his voice.
* * * *
Lux walked home by herself, thinking about the day spent at school. She knew she wouldn't be seeing Sean for the rest of that day. He said he had some "business" to take care of after school, whatever that meant. He had sworn to her it had nothing to do with drugs. She pushed open the door of her empty house and fixed herself an afternoon snack before plopping herself down in front of the television. She had just started to watch a rerun of 7th Heaven when the door bell rang. Lux put down her sandwich and headed to the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see Craig standing in her stoop.
"Hey," she said looking at him with wide eyes.
"Hey," he said. Lux noticed he looked rather nervous and was holding something behind his back.
"What's that?" she asked pointing to what he was holding.
"Can I come in?" Craig asked. Lux nodded and opened the door wider to let him in.
"What's up?" she asked. Craig pulled out an envelope from behind him. It had the Columbia emblem on it. "You got your letter already?" Lux asked looking at the envelope. Craig nodded his head vigorously. "What does it say?!" Lux asked getting excited.
"I haven't opened it yet," Craig said in a hoarse voice.
"Why not?!" Lux asked shocked at this news.
"I wanted to open it with you," Craig said simply. Lux tilted her head as she gazed at Craig, flattered by his words. She tried to hide a small smile that lit up her face.
"Oh, well. Open it now," she said still smiling. Craig nodded his head again and began to rip at the back of the envelope. He lifted up the flap and hesitated. He looked at Lux, who was watching him intently.
"I can't," he said looking sheepish. "Here, you do it," he said holding the envelope out to her.
"What? No Craig, this is yours to read," Lux said shaking her head.
"Come on Lux, please. Besides, you're the one who helped me with this application," Craig said quietly. Lux paused and then took the envelope from his hands.
"Are you sure?" she said as she fingered the flap. Craig nodded his head silently. Lux took a deep breath and pulled out the top letter. She read the heading,
"Dear Craig Manning, Congratulations! We are pleased to welcome you to Columbia University, the class of 2004!" Lux read out loud, her jaw dropped open as she looked at Craig. Craig was in shock.
"Are you serious?" he said taking the envelope from her. Lux's eyes lit up.
"Yes I'm serious! Oh My God! Craig, you're going to COLUMBIA! Aren't you happy?" she asked jumping up and throwing her arms are his neck. Craig was still in shock, just registering what was happening. He re-read the letter to make sure Lux wasn't playing some sick joke on him.
"Oh my god," he muttered to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe it," he said, a smile slowly crossing over his face. He let out a laugh of delight and wrapped his arms around Lux's waist, lifting her clear off the ground and spinning her around. "Thank you so much," he whispered in her ear. Lux pulled away from him, looking puzzled, "For all your help with everything. I couldn't have done this without you," he said still clasping the letter tightly in his hand. Lux smiled.
"You're welcome, but I'm sure you could have done all this without me."
"I doubt it, now where's your letter?" Craig asked looking down at Lux. Lux shrugged her shoulders.
"I normally get the mail a few days later than everyone else, don't know why. But I don't want to get all nervous about that," Lux said trying not to think about the possible rejection she could be facing. "This is your day to celebrate," she added. Craig grinned.
"I have to go tell Joey. He's going to flip out," Craig said. Lux nodded her head. Craig headed to the door and pulled it open. He turned around to face Lux before he left.
"Are you home alone tonight?" Craig asked suddenly.
"Looks that way," Lux said.
"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? I'm sure Joey wouldn't mind setting up an extra meal. Besides, you have to celebrate with us tonight."
"I wouldn't want to intrude," Lux said shaking her head.
"You won't be," Craig said gently touching her hand. "Please come," he said. Lux hesitated, but then gave in.
"Alright." A smile spread across Craig's face.
"Ok, I'll see you at around 6 then." Lux nodded and smiled as Craig turned to leave her house.
* * * *
Lux nervously patted down her hair as she stood in Craig's doorway waiting for him to answer the door. She had changed into a black long sleeved shirt that scrunched at the shoulder and grey pants, not knowing how formal an occasion this was going to be. Craig answered the door after a few moments.
"Hey," he said brightly, an obviously glow radiating off him.
"Hey," Lux said as she entered the house. She could smell the aroma's from the kitchen wafting into the foyer.
"Lux's here," Craig said as Angela came running into the room.
"Craig's going to COLUMBIA!" she yelled pronouncing the name perfectly. Angela threw herself into Lux's arms.
"I know, aren't you excited?" Lux asked the little girl.
"He gets to live it New York City!" she said again. Craig laughed and poked his little sister in the side, causing her to scrunch up into a ball in Lux's arms.
"Hey Lux," Joey said walking into the room with an apron tied around his waist.
"Hi Joey," Lux greeted. "Dinner is just being finished up so you and Craig have some time to do whatever. Angela is needed in the kitchen," Joey said reaching for his daughter.
"For what?" Angela asked with an angelic face.
"Didn't you want to help me make cookies with the cookie cutters?" Joey asked innocently.
"Yeah!" Angela exclaimed excitedly as she hopped out of Lux's arms leading Joey back into the kitchen. Craig and Lux were left alone in the foyer.
"Want to go upstairs?" Craig asked, already on his way up the stairs. Lux followed behind him silently. She entered Craig's room and looked around. It was neat. His bed was made and his books were stacked to one side of his desk. His acceptance letter was lying in the center of his desk. Lux fingered it gently, reading it.
"This is quite impressive," she said after reading it. Craig's eyes were shining with pride.
"Yeah, that's what Joey said." There was an awkward silence.
"Soo," Craig began. Lux nodded her head. "What have you been up to lately?" he asked lamely.
"Nothing really, you?" Lux asked.
"Not much," Craig said. "So you think you'll hear from Columbia tomorrow or so?"
"Hopefully. I'm nervous now though. I really hope I get in."
"I'm sure you will. If I got in, I'm sure you can."
"Don't say that. You really deserved it," Lux said. Craig smiled and looked into her eyes. Lux didn't remember him being so close. She could smell his cologne envelope her. Craig lost himself in her eyes. He tilted his head, moving it closer and closer to hers. Lux knew what was coming. She wanted it so badly, wanted to feel his lips on hers again. He was so close, his lips just barely grazed hers when she froze.
"Hey guys, dinner's ready," Joey said as he poked his head into Craig's room, startling both Lux and Craig.
"Ok, we're coming," Lux said quickly stepping away from Craig's bed and following Joey down the stairs. Craig ran his fingers through his curly hair and followed behind Lux after a moment.
* * * * * * Wow! I've been updating as often as I can!! I still need to finish writing this, so I'll post the next chapter as soon as it's done. I hope you guys enjoy it so far, and please please PLEASE review!
* * * * * *
Sean paced the room nervously as he watched Emma from the corner of his eye. She had placed herself on the bed and was watching him pace.
"Aren't you going to sit down?" Emma asked after watching Sean pace for a few minutes. Sean cast a glance at the bed and sat next to her. "So I believe we were discussing what you don't know about me," Emma stated simply. Sean nodded his head. "Well you don't know that I care about how your visit with your parents went," Emma started. She saw Sean stiffen as she mentioned the words. "So," she continued in a near whisper, "how did your visit go?" Sean cast down his eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said rather abruptly.
"Not so good I'm guessing?" Emma pushed. Sean sighed and ran his fingers aggravated through his hair. He knew that the drugs in his system were making his resistance wear down easily.
"It went horribly, but I was stupid to expect anything better," Sean spat out. Emma remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "My parents' recovery isn't going that well," Sean admitted. "They're still drinking and don't seem to have any intentions of getting themselves together and moving back in with me and Tracker." Sean let out a bitter laugh. "I should be happy right? I mean, it would be worse if they lived with us. But I really shouldn't be talking. Look at me, high off my ass," Sean said trying to clear his eyes.
"Shh Sean, that's not the same," Emma said placing her hand gently on top of his. Sean looked at it not feeling guilty. Lux never asked him how his trip to see his parents went. She was too busy making out with Craig. The weed was making Sean feel extremely affectionate all of a sudden. He looked at Emma's hand on his and then up into her eyes. That same feeling passed between them and for a moment Sean felt himself being drawn into her. Before he knew what was happening, he was kissing Emma hard. She sighed into the family feeling of his lips on hers and sunk down onto the bed. Sean leaned on top of her, losing himself in her kisses. She didn't protest when he slipped his hand up her shirt. Her skin felt hot against his palm. Sean knew that nothing was stopping him from doing whatever he wanted that night as he kissed Emma down her neck. He could still remember the scent of her shampoo; it hadn't changed.
* * * *
Lux woke up the next morning with the sun streaming into her bedroom. She had convinced herself it was a dream. There was no way in her mind Craig would have kissed her last night. It simply wasn't possible. Craig and Sean were friends, good friends. Friends don't kiss their friend's girlfriends! But when Lux opened her eyes, she knew it wasn't a dream. Men are so disloyal, Lux thought to herself. She couldn't help a small smile that crept upon her face.
* * * *
Emma had never been happier. The night had started badly, but in her mind it couldn't have ended better. She snuggled under Sean's arm waiting for him to wake up. She felt Sean begin to stir and opened her eyes to look up at him. Emma knew that she couldn't predict Sean's reaction, so she remained cautious.
Sean kept his eyes closed. Maybe he had dreamed it. Maybe he had gotten so high last night that he had hallucinated it. Yes, that was it, he had just been tripping. It's about time I lay off the drugs, he thought to himself, still refusing to open his eyes. He was worried about what he might find beside him. Sean knew however before he opened his eyes what he would find beside him. He felt someone stir under his arm and he knew it could only be one person. Finally he slowly unglued his closed eyelids, squinting to keep out the sun.
"Good morning," he heard Emma say from beside him. Turning to look at her he groaned out loud. "What's wrong Sean?" Emma asked raising her head to look at him.
"Emma look, I'm not entirely sure what happened last night but-"
"Let me guess, it was a mistake?" Emma cut Sean off bitterly.
"Yes it was! Look, I was high ok, so were you. We didn't know what we were doing," Sean rambled.
"Wrong Sean, I wasn't high and I knew exactly what I was doing and so did you!"
"No I didn't!" Sean said raising his voice.
"You obviously did but you just wanted to use me! Now you're trying to take the easy way out!" Emma yelled back accusingly not really believing it.
"That's not true! I would never use you!" Sean yelled back not believing what he was hearing.
"Then why are you making this such a big deal? It's not like we had sex!" Emma spat. Sean took a step back.
"Well from what I remember we were pretty damn close. And that's not the point! I'm with Lux! I can't be with you Emma," Sean said trying to keep his voice down.
"This has nothing to do with Lux. This is between you and me and what happened last night."
"This has everything with Lux! I cheated on her," Sean said jerking his hands through his hair.
"Please Sean. You honestly think she was thinking of you when she kissed Craig?" Emma asked harshly.
"That was a mistake. And compared to what happened last night a kiss is no big deal," Sean replied through gritted teeth.
"You wouldn't have let what happened last night happen if you didn't want it," Emma said quietly. Sean wasn't quite sure how to reply. He knew she was partially right, but he still knew he was wrong and wanted to be with Lux.
"Look Emma, I was high. I didn't know what I was doing ok?" Sean said in a defeated voice.
"Fine Sean, but I'm not about to forget what happened last night, and something tells me you won't either," Emma said sharply before she left the room leaving Sean lone to decode her last statement.
* * * *
It was probably the circumstances that kept both Lux and Sean from being suspicious that neither of them had taken the time to get in touch with each other. Both Lux and Sean had managed to not only avoid each other, but also avoid Craig and Emma respectively. Lux spent most of her days with Hazel and Paige while Sean hung out with Jimmy and Marco. Neither Lux nor Sean had mentioned their situations to anyone else.
Before anyone was ready for it, school had started back up again. Now Sean and Lux had no excuses not to see each other. They both vowed to act as normal as possible.
Somehow Lux had managed to make it through second period without catching sigh of Sean or Craig, but she knew it wouldn't last. As she entered Mr. Simpson's AP Computer Science class, she hesitated before taking her regular seat next to Craig.
"Hi," he said as soon as she sat down.
"Hi."
"I haven't seen you for a while," Craig continued.
"Yeah, I know," Lux said. They fell into an awkward silence after that.
"Ok class, today we are going to start apstrings and translations. After we learn this unit, which will take about a week, we'll start on your midterm, which is a group project." Great, Lux thought to herself. She had completely forgotten about midterms. She allowed herself to zone out for the rest of class.
Sean found Lux at her locker before fourth period and cautiously approached her. He had good reasons to be worried. For all he knew, Emma may have shot her mouth off about that night and Lux could have found out. Well, there was only one way to find out.
"Hey," Sean said as he touched Lux's shoulder. She turned around to face him.
"Hi," she said. Lux tried to read Sean's face. She was pretty sure he hadn't found out about the kiss with Craig, but she didn't want to be surprised.
"Sorry I haven't seen you for so long, I kind of got caught up with things," Sean said making excuses.
"It's ok, I was pretty busy myself," Lux replied. Sean was definitely not sure whether Lux knew. She seemed rather tense and Sean was afraid maybe she knew but was waiting for him to tell her. He decided to play it safe and not mention anything. He really just wanted to forget everything that happened that night. Sean continued to stand there awkwardly, and Lux looked equally awkward. She nodded her head as though to an invisible beat of music. Finally she broke out of her constant starring at the floor,
"I need to get to class," she said. Sean nodded. He headed in the opposite direction.
"Yo Sean," Sean recognized Jay's voice and turned around.
"Hey," he said wearily.
"School's bought a new DVD player. We planned on taking care of that today after school. You in?" Jay asked. Sean glared at his friend.
"You know I'm on probation, I can't get caught with that shit," he said.
"I'll split the cash with you 50/50. I'm guessing we can bring in about 200 at least," Jay said ignoring Sean's last comment.
"I can't," Sean emphasized, but he could feel his resolve weakening. So could Jay.
"Come on man, just his once. It's not like we're gonna get caught or anything," Jay pestered. Sean paused for a moment. "What do you say?"
"Fine, but this is the last time," Sean said.
"Sure," Jay said walking away before Sean could decipher the tone of his voice.
* * * *
Lux walked home by herself, thinking about the day spent at school. She knew she wouldn't be seeing Sean for the rest of that day. He said he had some "business" to take care of after school, whatever that meant. He had sworn to her it had nothing to do with drugs. She pushed open the door of her empty house and fixed herself an afternoon snack before plopping herself down in front of the television. She had just started to watch a rerun of 7th Heaven when the door bell rang. Lux put down her sandwich and headed to the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see Craig standing in her stoop.
"Hey," she said looking at him with wide eyes.
"Hey," he said. Lux noticed he looked rather nervous and was holding something behind his back.
"What's that?" she asked pointing to what he was holding.
"Can I come in?" Craig asked. Lux nodded and opened the door wider to let him in.
"What's up?" she asked. Craig pulled out an envelope from behind him. It had the Columbia emblem on it. "You got your letter already?" Lux asked looking at the envelope. Craig nodded his head vigorously. "What does it say?!" Lux asked getting excited.
"I haven't opened it yet," Craig said in a hoarse voice.
"Why not?!" Lux asked shocked at this news.
"I wanted to open it with you," Craig said simply. Lux tilted her head as she gazed at Craig, flattered by his words. She tried to hide a small smile that lit up her face.
"Oh, well. Open it now," she said still smiling. Craig nodded his head again and began to rip at the back of the envelope. He lifted up the flap and hesitated. He looked at Lux, who was watching him intently.
"I can't," he said looking sheepish. "Here, you do it," he said holding the envelope out to her.
"What? No Craig, this is yours to read," Lux said shaking her head.
"Come on Lux, please. Besides, you're the one who helped me with this application," Craig said quietly. Lux paused and then took the envelope from his hands.
"Are you sure?" she said as she fingered the flap. Craig nodded his head silently. Lux took a deep breath and pulled out the top letter. She read the heading,
"Dear Craig Manning, Congratulations! We are pleased to welcome you to Columbia University, the class of 2004!" Lux read out loud, her jaw dropped open as she looked at Craig. Craig was in shock.
"Are you serious?" he said taking the envelope from her. Lux's eyes lit up.
"Yes I'm serious! Oh My God! Craig, you're going to COLUMBIA! Aren't you happy?" she asked jumping up and throwing her arms are his neck. Craig was still in shock, just registering what was happening. He re-read the letter to make sure Lux wasn't playing some sick joke on him.
"Oh my god," he muttered to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe it," he said, a smile slowly crossing over his face. He let out a laugh of delight and wrapped his arms around Lux's waist, lifting her clear off the ground and spinning her around. "Thank you so much," he whispered in her ear. Lux pulled away from him, looking puzzled, "For all your help with everything. I couldn't have done this without you," he said still clasping the letter tightly in his hand. Lux smiled.
"You're welcome, but I'm sure you could have done all this without me."
"I doubt it, now where's your letter?" Craig asked looking down at Lux. Lux shrugged her shoulders.
"I normally get the mail a few days later than everyone else, don't know why. But I don't want to get all nervous about that," Lux said trying not to think about the possible rejection she could be facing. "This is your day to celebrate," she added. Craig grinned.
"I have to go tell Joey. He's going to flip out," Craig said. Lux nodded her head. Craig headed to the door and pulled it open. He turned around to face Lux before he left.
"Are you home alone tonight?" Craig asked suddenly.
"Looks that way," Lux said.
"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? I'm sure Joey wouldn't mind setting up an extra meal. Besides, you have to celebrate with us tonight."
"I wouldn't want to intrude," Lux said shaking her head.
"You won't be," Craig said gently touching her hand. "Please come," he said. Lux hesitated, but then gave in.
"Alright." A smile spread across Craig's face.
"Ok, I'll see you at around 6 then." Lux nodded and smiled as Craig turned to leave her house.
* * * *
Lux nervously patted down her hair as she stood in Craig's doorway waiting for him to answer the door. She had changed into a black long sleeved shirt that scrunched at the shoulder and grey pants, not knowing how formal an occasion this was going to be. Craig answered the door after a few moments.
"Hey," he said brightly, an obviously glow radiating off him.
"Hey," Lux said as she entered the house. She could smell the aroma's from the kitchen wafting into the foyer.
"Lux's here," Craig said as Angela came running into the room.
"Craig's going to COLUMBIA!" she yelled pronouncing the name perfectly. Angela threw herself into Lux's arms.
"I know, aren't you excited?" Lux asked the little girl.
"He gets to live it New York City!" she said again. Craig laughed and poked his little sister in the side, causing her to scrunch up into a ball in Lux's arms.
"Hey Lux," Joey said walking into the room with an apron tied around his waist.
"Hi Joey," Lux greeted. "Dinner is just being finished up so you and Craig have some time to do whatever. Angela is needed in the kitchen," Joey said reaching for his daughter.
"For what?" Angela asked with an angelic face.
"Didn't you want to help me make cookies with the cookie cutters?" Joey asked innocently.
"Yeah!" Angela exclaimed excitedly as she hopped out of Lux's arms leading Joey back into the kitchen. Craig and Lux were left alone in the foyer.
"Want to go upstairs?" Craig asked, already on his way up the stairs. Lux followed behind him silently. She entered Craig's room and looked around. It was neat. His bed was made and his books were stacked to one side of his desk. His acceptance letter was lying in the center of his desk. Lux fingered it gently, reading it.
"This is quite impressive," she said after reading it. Craig's eyes were shining with pride.
"Yeah, that's what Joey said." There was an awkward silence.
"Soo," Craig began. Lux nodded her head. "What have you been up to lately?" he asked lamely.
"Nothing really, you?" Lux asked.
"Not much," Craig said. "So you think you'll hear from Columbia tomorrow or so?"
"Hopefully. I'm nervous now though. I really hope I get in."
"I'm sure you will. If I got in, I'm sure you can."
"Don't say that. You really deserved it," Lux said. Craig smiled and looked into her eyes. Lux didn't remember him being so close. She could smell his cologne envelope her. Craig lost himself in her eyes. He tilted his head, moving it closer and closer to hers. Lux knew what was coming. She wanted it so badly, wanted to feel his lips on hers again. He was so close, his lips just barely grazed hers when she froze.
"Hey guys, dinner's ready," Joey said as he poked his head into Craig's room, startling both Lux and Craig.
"Ok, we're coming," Lux said quickly stepping away from Craig's bed and following Joey down the stairs. Craig ran his fingers through his curly hair and followed behind Lux after a moment.
* * * * * * Wow! I've been updating as often as I can!! I still need to finish writing this, so I'll post the next chapter as soon as it's done. I hope you guys enjoy it so far, and please please PLEASE review!