Imogen 

"Are you sure you want to go?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, please, take me far, far away," I smiled into the phone.

"Even with everything that's going on?" Lucas questioned.

"Because of everything, I just want to get away," I explained.

"What about Frankie?" he asked.

"Rebel said that Katherine might know a way to stop Frankie's outburst," I informed him.

"Then it's settled, where would you like to go," he chuckled.

"My mother owns a lake house. I haven't been there since I was a kid," I said, reminiscing of my childhood memories. 

"Whatever you say, I'm just going to pack some clothes and then head out to get you," he answered.

"Okay," I smiled, jumping up from my bed and reaching out for a bag.  

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The house is away from all the major roads and almost in the middle of nowhere, which made it a perfect place to escape too. Lucas parked his car by the entrance of the cozy home. Its untarnished natural wood creates artistic angles that meet as a roof and, along with the beautiful floral garden in the front, it is so virtually stunning that you can't help but get lost in it. I could hear the chirping of birds and the distant lapping of the water.

"I'll get the bags," Lucas said. I grabbed the keys from my pocket and walked up the path to the door. I opened the French wooden doors, wandering inside to find a living room containing a couch, coffee table with sets of games on top, few overstuffed armchairs, and a brick fireplace. It felt so cozy and homey. I heard Lucas' shoes thudding inside, I rushed over to help with the bags as he kicked the door closed. 

"The last time I came here was to celebrate my grandpa's birthday right before he died," I said, my eyes wandering around the familiar room.

"Do you feel okay to be here? Just say the word and we head out to another place," Lucas asked, walking behind me and rubbing my shoulders.

"Yeah," I turned, facing him. "I loved being here, I was just having a moment," I assured Lucas as he pulled me closer to him, his hands on my hips. I moved my hands to his neck, going on my tippy toes to kiss him. He pressed his lips to mine, and I immediately responded. Our lips fit perfectly together, he licked my bottom lip, I let his tongue go inside my mouth. I was sinking in his touch, letting his tender kiss overwhelm me.  

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I returned to my place of comfort, which was just outside the yard. I was at the edge of the lake, the pebbles under my foot. The serene environment of the lake granted me the escape I needed from reality. Looking up to the sky at the beautiful white birds that flew over my head and the stunning pink and purple sky that appeared too glorious to be real. 

The wind rushed through my hair, swaying the trees back and forth, making me feel like I wasn't alone. The water was calm and had so many different hues of blue, reflecting the bright sky, near the shore it was pale blue, nearly translucent, as it got deeper it changed from pale blue to deep dark blue. The scenery was as striking as paradise, and I couldn't help but soak in the colors of the different flowers around it.

Two pairs of muscular arms wrapped around my shoulders, taking my attention away from the scenery. He nuzzled his face into my neck, placing a few kisses on my cheek, causing a smile to emerge on my face. "Are you having a moment," he mumbled, placing another soft kiss on my rosy cheeks.

I felt myself melt into his arms, feeling like I lost track of where I was. His arms make me feel safe, like I have no worries, no fears, just a calming feeling. "My grandpa taught me how to fish here," I mentioned, imagining that moment when the only worry in my life was not getting fast food. "I remember playing with my toys in the water with Frankie. My mom stole her for that weekend. Not literally," I giggled, snuggling closer to his neck.     

"Do you ever think about us? What our future could be like? All the memories we could form," I wondered, admiring the cotton candy clouds floating in the sky. Is it too early to think about it? We have only been together for eight months, but I can't imagine falling for anyone else.

"Well, I think there are long conversations to be had about our future and what kind of life we could form together," he answered, rubbing my arms that were interlocked with his.

"Should we even talk about it? With everything that's going on and could happen," I added, chewing my cheek. Who even knows if I could survive the ritual. Death. Just the thought of it sent a shiver down my spine. 

"We can talk about it whenever you're ready," he expressed.

"I rather just enjoy the cute duckies walking around the shore," I said, my lips curled up into a smile.

"Let's form a new memory here," Lucas suggested. My brows furrowed. "This is where your boyfriend whispered into your ear," he softly swept aside a lock of my brunette hair. "That he loves you," he murmured, placing a loving kiss on my cheek causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

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"I was never much of a cook but would always end up being left to cook on my own," I rambled, taking a small sip from my wine glass. 

"I know," he chuckled, gliding the knife through the onion, "You remember the time you tried to cook us tacos? Almost burnt the house down," he joked, throwing the onion slices into the pot.

"That's because you distracted me with your lips," I playfully rolled my eyes. I glance over to the wood-burning fireplace, starting to lose its spark. It danced and moved, almost as if it was living, "I think the fire is starting to die down."

"Oh, really, I should go get some more wood," Lucas spoke, sprinkling more herbs into the pot. 

My eyebrows furrow, "I got it," I suggested, starting to lift myself up from the couch. I place my wineglass down on the wooden table in front of the couch.

"No, it's cold outside. I'll get it," he said, walking over to stop me.

My hand rested on his chest. "I'll just get a sweater," I answered, turning away to the hallway that leads to my mother's room. The room was disheveled, perfumes on the counter, the closest full of her clothes. My mother never wanted to come back after my grandpa's death, I don't really blame her. I closed the door, moving to my old room that had our suitcases in it.

I walked to my full closest, most of my clothes too small to even fit. A red and black plaid sweater caught my eye. Memories flooded into my mind. "Here," I chugged it at Lucas who just walked into the room. The sweater was tight around his biceps and upper chest. "My grandpa gave that to me. You look really hot in it."

"I look hot in your grandpa's sweater?" Lucas questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah," I bite my lip, eyeing his tone body. "Really hot," I smiled, watching him walking closer towards me. His arms pulled me closer, so close I can feel every curve of his body. Lucas's hand moves up my back to cup my head as our lips finally move, meeting in a burst of passion. My body sets afire, every inch of me tingles as warmth spreads through me.

I melt into Lucas, the intoxicating rush of love filling me up from top to bottom. He moved his hands along my body and pushed me against the wooden walls behind me. His hands pulled my leg around his waist as my fingers entangled his blonde locks, his lips trailed down my neck causing my breaths to come in ragged stretches. With every kiss, I fall deeper into him.

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Lucas ended up going outside to cut up some logs while I watched over the soup. The smell instantly caused my mouth to water, I stirred it around to make sure everything mixed well and quickly sneaked in a spoonful. I heard the door open and footsteps stomping in.

"Imi," Lucas called out, walking into my view, his arms filled with logs. "Robert came here to see you," my eyes widened. Why did Robert come to see me? Did something happen? Did Frankie get hurt or hurt anyone?

"Do you know why?" I asked, swirling the soup with the wooden soup.

"Not sure, but he called Rebel to ask for you," Lucas replied, dropping the logs into the fireplace. I placed the lid on top of the pot and headed towards the front door where Robert was waiting.

"Hi, Robert, you can come in," I said, signaling my hands for him to enter. "Is everything okay?"

Robert and I walked back down the hall to the cozy living room. "I just want to check on you, with your mother departing and the ritual coming closer," he spoke, fidgeting with his button cuffs, that had Daenerys' name on them. I sat down on one of the comfortable armchairs, grabbing my cup of wine while Robert sat upon the couch.  

"I almost forgot the ritual was happening," I joked, eyeing my wine glass.

A smile formed on Robert's face. "I'm sorry to intrude on your private getaway. Rebel didn't mention that Lucas was here with you," he spoke, rubbing his hands together.

"It's okay, you can join us for dinner. If you're hungry? Do you want some wine?" 

"Aren't you too young to drink wine," he eyed me, let out a slight chuckle "I'm kidding but I'll take a glass. Thank you."

"Well, seeing I'm old enough to lead a ritual," I spoke, lifting myself up from the chair. "I think I qualify to have a few drinks," I teased, unscrewing the cork on the bottle. I reached for a tall wine glass, pouring some in for him, then walked over to hand it to him.

Robert swirled the wine around the glass before taking a sip from it. "I'm sorry that we didn't tell you about your mother as soon as we found out," his eyes softened. "I didn't intend to betray your trust, but we... I didn't know how to tell you."

I nodded my head, letting the wine go down my throat. "I understand, it isn't an easy thing to tell someone. Like hey, Imogen, I like your shoes, Oh, by the way, your mother is trying to kill you," I joked, feeling the wine rushing through my veins. I have drunk at least five glasses and without eating dinner.  

"Nice to see you being able to joke about it," Robert commented.

"Gotta laugh through the pain right," I replied, bringing my wine glass towards him, so we could clink our glasses. After our glasses collided, Robert inhaled the rest of his wine. I passed him the bottle, waiting for him to fill his glass up. I feel pretty tipsy already, I should probably control myself before I start acting insane. 

My vision fixed on Lucas, who was tasting the soup. His eyes locked with mine. He put his thumbs and pointed towards the soup. My eyes shifted to Robert, his pale face appearing to become red. He started fanning himself, unbuttoning his cuffed sleeves, rolling them up to his elbow. His left wrist exposed, displayed Daenerys' name in bold.  

"When did you and Daenerys meet?" I blurted out, my drunkenness took over my control.

Immediately a smile appeared on his lips, as his eyes wandered down to his wrist, rubbing it softly. "It's sort of a long story," his smile still plastered upon his face.

"We got time," I said.

"Well, I had a theory about the council picking our soulmates. Do they just randomly subject us to each other or do they actually have a working system?" He explained, looking into my eyes. "I decided to run a test, meaning I wouldn't look at my wrist until I fell in love with someone and proposed to them." He literally had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for his next words to come out.  

"Years pass by, never finding anyone that truly captured my heart until one day. I always get coffee in the morning, but the coffee place I usually go was closed down that day. I went to a coffee place farther from home and Daenerys was the barista that day. Her captivating blue eyes and heartfelt smile took my breath away. I almost forgot what to order," he chuckled.

"Keep going," I motioned to him. 

"Well, I saw her that day and couldn't get her out of my head. It wasn't until I went to a bookstore that she appeared in my life again. I was casually searching for a cooking book for my co-worker and she came up, striking up a conversation with me."

"Awwww, she would," I interjected, imagining the moment in my head.   

"She was asking for some advice about choosing the right cooking book but I had no idea so I was just making stuff up to keep the conversation going. Eventually, she asked for my number so she could cook a meal for me since I suggested she buy a certain book. After that first day, we just kept hanging out and eventually became a couple. I proposed to her on our ten-year anniversary, and she said yes."

"Of course she did," I excitedly squealed. 

"On that night, I took the tape off my wrist revealing," he flipped his wrist back up, exposing her name once again. "Daenerys name," he sniffled, rubbing his nose. "Obviously doesn't mean the council actually pairs us correctly, but for me," he paused. His eyes seem to be holding back tears. "They did. My life completely changed when she entered it. All dull rainy days appeared sunnier because of her. She's my true soulmate," he wept.   

Quickly, I rushed out of my chair, sitting right next to him on the couch. Placing my head on his shoulder, rubbing his back to console him in his emotional state. "How did you meet Lucas?"

I blurted out wheezing, reliving the iconic moment in my head. I kept trying to talk but would immediately start laughing again. I took a few minutes, recollecting myself.  "Lucas hit my head with the school door," I blurted out, holding back the laughter that was forcing itself out. Instantly Robert's tears turned into laughter.

"I didn't see you coming inside," Lucas defended himself.

"That's the funniest shit I've heard in a long time," Robert laughed, holding his chest for support.

"Well, we can tell you more stories during dinner," Lucas said, as he placed the last bowl on the dining table."Dinner is served," Lucas smiled, bowing down. 

Thank you for reading this chapter!!!! I hope you enjoyed Lucas and Imogen's getaway. Such a heartfelt, sensitive chapter unlike the one before this lol. Next chapter will be about Frankie who being taken cared for by Rebel so it's happening at the same time as this one.

Did you enjoy Robert's story? 

Thank you for every vote, comment, and just read!! LOVE YOU!!