Audrey blinked repeatedly trying to comprehend the three words he just heard. 'He just said he loved me!', Audrey thought as her facial expression showed no reaction.
Seconds soon turned minutes and Audrey hadn't even said a word, Lucas had already started beating himself about even confessing.
'Maybe I shouldnt have told her. Is it too much for her?', Lucas asked himself as he squeezed Audrey's hands one more time.
"Hey, hey, look at me!", Lucas called, tickling her palms to get her attention. "I just said it, you really don't need to think about it!", Lucas said, going around the table to hug her.
"I won't force you to say it back, I won't rush you or anything alright?", Lucas wanted to confirm that Audrey was cool with what he mentioned. Audrey nodded her head, despite the turmoil in her heart.
" How about we head back and we could go somewhere later!", Lucas suggested and Audrey nodded again. (Oh how the tables turned!).
Throughout the ride back to the office, Audrey remained silent, despite how Lucas stroked her hand to get a reaction from her.
She sat there just thinking, she had already become unsettled, and she doubted if she would be able to complete her work as she couldn't even describe all she was feeling.
"You should head up now!", Lucas suddenly said, snapping Audrey out of her thoughts. " Huh!", Audrey asked, looking around to find that they had already returned to the headquarters.
"Come on babe!", Lucas said, leaning closer for a kiss, one which Audrey didn't repulse. "I'll see you later!", Lucas said before Audrey exited the car.
" Shit!", he cursed, hitting the steering wheel, but not enough for the car horn to make noise. He couldn't even say how in love he was with Audrey, she looked too shocked for him to complete expressing his feelings.
Was it her beautiful smile, or how the errant strands of her luscious black her frames her face to emphasize her beauty? Was it her choice of words or clothes or food?, it must have been everything.
He was never against love, he just never found time to love someone like he had come to love Audrey. 'Funny how I used to bury myself in work, and now, I can't even shift my attention from a special someone!', Lucas thought before he left the car.
Audrey checked the time hours later and sighed, it was time to have dinner with him or any surprise he whips up. She smiled just looking at her phone, reminiscing the fact that he used to call her to remind her he was waiting downstairs.
The two had dinner, Audrey preffering to be cocooned in Lucas's arms, love, attention and affection.
~~~~
"...Wassup honey?!", Prisca said through the phone after receiving Audrey's call. " Hi!", Audrey replied, a contrast to her bubbly but tired voice most times when she just came from work.
"What happened?!", Prisca asked, wondering what was wrong with Audrey. " I was just thinking mostly today!!", Audrey replied.
"Thinking? Thinking about what?", Prisca asked, anxious as she was already starting to get worried. " Something Lucas said!".
"What did he say that's making you think?", Prisca asked, " he said he loved me!", Audrey replied.
"Oh my God, that's huge!".
" I know, and that's why I've been thinking!".
"So, what did you tell him?!", Prisca asked in a subtle way, as she didn't want to make him seem like she really wanted to hear what happened next.
" I just remained mute cause I didn't say it back!", "you didn't?!", Prisca asked in disbelief.
" No I didn't, and it's been weighing on me, I just want to know why I've been thinking about it so much!", Audrey said, really indulging Prisca.
"Well, how do you feel when he's in close range?", " I'm just all smiles and really elated to see him. My heartbeat just spikes, yeah, not to forget, I stare at him, dumbfounded and I'm really hot!".
"I see, most of the things you mentioned are very apparent. So how does he make you feel, I mean like how he treats you and all that shit!?", Prisca asked again.
" I feel really loved, like I'm the only girl in the world. He's so careful, and he has this handsome smile on his face!", Audrey said, her mind drifting to the times she spent with Lucas.
"Okay then, Overall, how does he make you feel, do you think he's very important to you!?".
" To be honest, I feel like I would be a mess if we don't talk in a day…!", 'that's correct!', Prisca thought as she listened to Audrey talk, she has seen first hand experience of restlesss Audrey.
Audrey went on and on about little details that Lucas would do that she appreciated, things she never asked for and even more.
"You love him Audrey, you really do!", Prisca said, drawing her conclusion after listening to Audrey speak.
" I figured that out!", Audrey admitted after a couple of minutes.
"Well, explain!", Prisca urged as she was starting to get frustrated by Audrey's antics.
" I figured that out when I was talking just now, I don't know, I just feel like things are moving too fast!", Audrey said.
"You are such a kill joy Audrey. Does it feel right to you?!", Prisca asked.
"Yeah, a lot!". " Then you shouldn't feel it's too fast when it feels right. Embrace the situation babe, alright?", "okay!", Audrey replied before Prisca but the call, she felt she needed to have that moment for herself.
Lucas on the other hand went straight to someone who really had experience in the house and that was his mother.
He basically recounted the 'I love you part to her' and Audrey's reaction after he said so.
" Me and your dad had the same thing…!", Nalia said reminiscing the beautiful times she spent with her husband before he died.
"One thing I'll tell you, I mean the lesson that I learnt, it feels right when its someone you love and don't be afraid to take that leap of faith!".
Lucas reminisced his mother's words throughout the weekend, and he finally decided to take the leap of faith.
~~~~
" What's taking you so long?", Liam asked over the phone as he was already getting impatient.
"It's tougher than I expected boss, but I'll do better!", John said, not really apologetic as it wasn't his fault that Lucas was such a cautious man.
" Be on your toes boy!!, I need results before the end of the week!!", Liam ordered before he cut the call.