Chapter 5

As soon as Serah felt that she couldn't avoid her husband any longer, the two sisters hugged goodbye, and finally the youngest got in her car and drove away. Lightning couldn't help but feel those same protective feelings she'd had earlier as she watched Serah pull out of the driveway. Feeling the need to vent, she called Noctis and invited him over to her place.

"Hello, stranger," he said with a smirk when he'd finally arrived. Lightning walked out and greeted him with a kiss.

"Thanks for coming over," she said, leading him into the house. "I'm still worried for Serah."

Noctis sat down in a chair and frowned at her. "Is she okay?"

"Well, when she left, she told me she felt better about everything," Lightning said, pulling chicken out of the oven. "But I'm not sure. She seemed so upset when she came over. I never know what to do when she comes to me like that."

"Well, Light," he started, and then sighed. "You can't protect her forever."

"I know that, Noctis," Lightning snapped. He blinked in surprise and she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just hate thinking about her growing up. It nearly tore me apart when she got married. I knew it'd happen someday, but I guess I was in denial. When it actually happened, I didn't know what to do with myself." She thought back to when she'd stood next to them, maid of honor, and watched as they'd kissed. And she hadn't been able to stop the feeling that Serah was kissing her happiness goodbye.

"Well, I think you just have to accept that she's an adult now. She's dealing with adult issues and she has to deal with them like an adult."

Lightning frowned. "It doesn't mean I can't help her though. Or at least try." She set a plate of chicken and rice down on the table in front of him. Something slightly bothered her about the picture of her making him a sit-down meal, but she kept it to herself.

Noctis chuckled at the plate. "Think the chicken is a little burnt at all?" he asked teasingly.

Lightning raised an eyebrow but ignored the comment. "The only issue they really even have is the lack of a baby. Her anger about last night was actually from that."

"Oh, are we still talking about this?" Noctis asked, shaking his head. "Look, you can't change the fact that they can't have kids. Hell, maybe it's a good thing. Who needs a bunch of little Snow's running around, am I right?"

Lightning shook her head but chose to say nothing. Lately Noctis had been too open for her taste – he gave her his opinions when they weren't welcomed, and he pried his way too far into her personal business. But she had been the one to invite him. So she kept her mouth shut.

They ate dinner and talked about other things, and soon Lightning was in good spirits again. She usually wasn't much of a drinker, but Noctis convinced her to break out a bottle of red wine, and she poured each of them a glass.

"Cheers," Noctis said, holding up his glass.

"To what?"

He thought for a moment and then smiled. "To one month. Our first date was one month ago to the day."

He laughed, and Lightning slightly reluctantly held hers up as well. She hadn't even realized that they'd been counting the days. She didn't even know how many dates they'd been on.

"You know," Noctis said, with a sly smile. "There's actually another reason I came here tonight. I have a favor to ask of you. My parents are actually in town for some business, small stuff of course. But I told them I'd go to dinner with them this Saturday, and that I was bringing someone special."

There was a small pause. "So?" Lightning prodded.

"So… will you go with me? I really want them to meet you."

Lightning sighed and sat down her glass. "Noctis, I'm not sure we're on the same page here. What exactly are we?"

He frowned. "I think it's pretty obvious, isn't it? I mean, we've been dating for a while…"

"But not officially," Lightning said, stating the fact rather than asking.

"Well," Noctis said, smiling and pulling her close, "we can change that, you know."

"No," she said, pushing him away slightly. "That's not what I meant. I'm happy with the way things are. Why change them?"

Noctis set his glass down on the table beside hers and looked at her angrily. "We're getting more serious in our relationship. It's normal, Lightning."

"But you don't get it. I don't want to get more serious. A serious relationship is exactly what I want to avoid. I thought maybe we could become that, but now I realize it's not for me. I'm not the type of person who 'settles down.' I thought you'd know this."

"Then what the hell are we doing?" Noctis asked, obviously furious. "I'm not going to waste my time on a relationship that means nothing and is going nowhere."

"Just because I don't want to meet your parents means that you're wasting your time on me?"

"It's not just that, but yeah," Noctis answered. "I mean that's a step. But you're obviously not willing to take any more steps. I thought we were going in the right direction but this relationship is not what I thought it was."

"So what are you saying then?" Lightning demanded

"Well, let's just say, call me when you grow up." He grabbed his keys and stalked out of the room furiously, leaving Lightning standing alone in the kitchen.