My dad's favourite Christmas song was playing on the radio. Elvis, Blue Christmas, started and dad automatically moved his body to dance around as the large oak tree flickered red and yellow lights.

Dinner was over and I felt sedated with my food baby as I leaned back on the congenial couch to rub my stomach. Reign was sitting beside me as he clapped for dad, Lucas was furiously texting someone. As much as I feigned carelessness, I was doubting the person who Lucas was texting.

"I want to sleep, can we open the presents already?" Lowe whined like a baby to Reign as he grasped his hand to wiggle it with his. Claire was upstairs, and I had a plan to see what she was doing.

"Just half an hour left for midnight. It's tradition." Khai answered Lowe as he looked back at his phone screen.

Something didn't sit right with me. It felt off that we were downstairs while she excused herself. I stood up to approach the stairs, whereas Reign and Lowe stayed to keep dad company until it was time for the presents reveal. A shadow was behind me as far as my side eye could notice when I made it upstairs. I tried not to make as much creaking sounds from the wooden stairs.

"What are you going to do?" It was a question, but the voice that asked wasn't behind me. It was Claire.

I took off my shoes and padded closer, I knew that Lucas would join me. He was right behind all along, it seemed like the phone didn't distract him from knowing where I was going.

"No — you need to keep Elaina hidden, I will be on the way first thing tomorrow morning." She whispered while holding the phone. I peeked at her through the space between the door and her room.

She watched through the window with her arm over her belly. "Yes, son, if anyone finds out where Elaina is, the whole gang would be destroyed."

Closing off her phone, she turned around and I directly hid myself as I ran quietly to my room. Lucas closed my door as I paced in exasperation. Claire didn't out herself on the phone, I got no answer whatsoever.

"We will find her, don't worry so much." Lucas said tranquilly. I hadn't spoken to him since our store moment, my feelings for him were tumbling within each other and I knew why. His conflicting excuses was what brought us here.

"It's not your mother hiding for a plan to kill her family with a gang, is it?" I snapped toughly, I was beyond angry. I was writhing in demonic water here because everyone seemed to have their own mysteries.

I didn't realize how close he was until he gazed at me with livid eyes. "I had enough with your words. You know what dad used to do with me when I was little, even now. Don't you dare compare my family with yours because mine were fucked up than yours." His voice rumbled, and I felt like I was crossing the line with him.

But did I apologize? No. Because I was just as angry.

"Did you just say that my family is fucked up? My dad took you in this house." My elevated voice matched the simmering fire in his eyes. We were going to have a screaming match in my room.

"You know what, you're trying too hard to make me the bad guy because you know that I am right this time." Everything got inaudible around us. We were focused on each other's eyes.

It was like we were in our imaginary bubble as we searched crazily in each other's irises. It took just a second for my eyes to cast themselves downward to his parted lips, only to find them against mine as our breaths were united in a deep steam of anger. We were kissing just as harder as we closed our eyes.

God, Naya, you're supposed to hate him.

I just chose not to for now. I discharged every emotional atomic abomination in the kiss as he held me tight against his body on the wall where my family pictures were hung. The heat in my body intensified to a sickening euphoria that shrivelled from my head to my toes.

It was the Lucas dynasty. The patterns in which he tried to manipulate me to have his own ways.

He settled me down on my feet, my head rushed and dizzy at the adrenaline in the kiss, his lips were swollen and his eyes had a sheen of wildness in them. His curls were pushed back to reveal his definite features.

We looked just as lost as we felt on the inside. A deranged type of contradiction.

The tension was simmering down as the cackling sizzle of what we just did was beginning to vanish slowly. He let me go first and walked out of my bedroom door. I crowded over to my mirror to check how I looked.

"Come on, Nays. It's time to open the presents!" Khai shouted.

"Just a second!" I called back as I composed my disoriented state. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.

The sharp tingles on my lips calmed down when I touched them. They were softer and fuller, I fanned myself for a little while before putting my flats on, replacing my boots as I put them back into the closet.

I went downstairs with Claire on the end of the stairs, her hands on her hips and her back to me. I tapped on her shoulder when I reached her, and she had her infamous scowl.

"Are you going to tell me where my mom is?" I demanded in a question. She had on her pearl earrings and her coat, her stale green eyes scorched through mine.

"No can do, child." She snapped, before I taunted her further, she hurried to my dad once it was time to open the gifts. Dad made sure to get us things as soon as I told them that I would bring over my friends.

Lowe and Reign had torn the wrapping off to reveal matching snow globes as my gift to them, their eyes twinkled as they both lifted me off the ground on either side. I squealed, hitting their arms to get me down. They ended up in giving me cheek kisses and a thank you. I smiled warmly at them when they opened dad's gift to them.

It was matching shirts with he's my boyfriend and an arrow pointing to the next person stitched on it. They looked at each other with a grin, Reign took off his shirt and Lowe zipped down the custome to change his undershirt. They put it on and nagged at me to take a picture. Dad chuckled when Reign lifted Lowe up on his shoulders and did the peace sign. Lucas rolled his eyes at the duo with hands in his pockets.

Dad laughed at the mittens when it was his turn and made sure to hang them in the kitchen. Reign, Lowe and Lucas were embarrassed that they weren't able to get anything for dad, but as kind as my dad was, he dismissed it with an old age joke.

Khai gave me a brotherly hug when he got my album gift and told me it was perfect. I missed his scent when I leaned my head on his shoulder.

Everyone doubled over in laughter except for Lowe at Lucas's smug face when I told him I had a present for him, he peeled off the horrible purple wrapping and frowned when he saw the guidebook. I couldn't help but laugh too.

"She got you good, man." Reign gasped in between laughter. Dad gave me a thumbs up, telling me how I was his daughter. Lowe looked offended for Lucas since he liked him.

Lucas tried to hide the dent on the side of his lips, the smile that was about to break out stayed there as the corners of his lips tilted up to a smirk. It wasn't any kind of smirk he would usually put on, it was a vile smirk.

"Tell them about our dates, Naya."

Just like that, he dropped the news.