Alice's POV

Luke's mom, Serena, kicked off her bedazzled slippers and ran towards Luke, her emerald green, silk dress flying behind her. She jumped on Luke, embracing him. I could see the tears flowing out of her eyes as her head peeked out from behind Luke's shoulder. Luke was a giant. He was 6'3 and most people weren't able to reach him, so I totally understood where his mom was coming from.

For a second, Luke seemed surprise, but he soon wrapped his muscular arms around her. Luke's Dad watched the two with a smile in his eyes, happy at their reunion. The scene definitely pulled some of my heartstrings, and I could feel myself getting emotional.

When Serena pulled back, Luke's dad, Ajax, joined in, squeezing Luke. The two were the same height, so I could clearly see Ajax's closed eyes as he started to pat Luke's back like Ryder had not too long ago.

As emotional as the scene was, I felt awkward again, watching the family hug each other like their lives depended on it. But the awkwardness didn't stay for too long, because Serena grabbed me and pulled me inside the hug too, squeezing me along with the rest of the family. She was one strong woman.

"Luke! You're back! I thought I would never see you again! I missed you so much, sweetheart.", Serena whispered, holding Luke's face in her hands and pushing his hair back.

He smiled at her, almost making me coo. It was so adorable to see a guy who was so attached to his mother. Luke's dad said nothing, but smiled at him, slapping him on the back.

Next, Serena turned towards me, saying, "Oh my god, Lissy! It has been ages! I missed you so much, darling! You look absolutely beautiful, just like your mother!"

Serena was one of Mom's best friends since high school. In fact, the two went to the same high school as Luke and I.

Ajax also came over to give me a quick hug, making me hug him back. The Daniels family was extremely friendly. Although Ajax didn't talk a lot, he was still happy with his family's friendly exterior. Honestly, Ajax looked pretty scary with his huge muscles and grey eyes, but inside, he was an absolute sweetheart.

"Honey, where's Stella? Is she okay?", Serena asked Luke, looking worried.

He sighed. I could see him looking at his father, and Ajax nodded at him. He obviously knew what he was gonna say. He steered her out of the room, quickly looking back at me. I was curious. Extremely curious, actually. What happened to her? I mean, how did she get shot?

Before I could hold eye contact with Luke for much longer, Ajax gently grabbed my shoulders, taking me to the dining room. I was confused, but I let him take me there. What the hell was happening?

Ajax sat me down on the sofa, seating himself on the one opposite to me, and said, "Lissy, I need to talk to you. Just know that I'm aware that you might not agree with the things I say, but you need to hear me out. Okay?"

I nodded at him, straightening my posture. I was fully attentive, wanting to know what this was about.

"In the past two years, Luke's been through a lot. I can't tell you what exactly, but trust me when I say that he's been through more than you can imagine.", he said, making my eyebrows furrow.

I was confused. I thought he was gonna tell me the reason for Luke's... lie. If he wasn't, why did he sound so serious?

"I know he may not show it, but he's broken inside. He isn't not telling you the entire story because he doesn't want to. It's because he just can't say it. It's hard for him to take his mind back to... those events.", he continued.

No matter how angry I was at Luke, I couldn't help but feel concerned. It sounded like whatever he had been through was extremely traumatic. He was my best friend at some point after all.

"He doesn't want more sh*t in his life, excuse my language. And he definitely doesn't want you to be mad at him. I understand that this is gonna be hard for you, and I'm not forcing you to do it, but I want you to be his best friend again, like you once were. He loves you so much, you don't have any idea. And it's breaking him even more, seeing you be mad at him."

My breath got caught in my throat as I thought about what he had just said. I was speechless. I really was. I had no idea that he had "died" because of such a huge reason. And I had know idea that while he was "dead", he was going through so much trauma. No matter how hard I tried to think otherwise, I couldn't help but feel scared for the guy that was once my second half. But I really didn't know if I could just let everything go.

"Just until he's okay again. I know it's a huge favor to ask, but Luke really needs it. Please?", Ajax said, looking at me expectantly.

The conflict between my brain and my heart was insane. My brain was screaming at me to stop and not do it, but my heart was begging me to listen to Ajax. Why did he have to sound so convincing? And what if... he was right? What if Luke would actually break if I didn't forgive him for the time being? I would never be able to forgive myself.

But what if Luke never told me the truth? What if it was all a lie? What if he hadn't told Ajax about the entire situation and was hiding something which made his disappearance totally unacceptable?

But I had made my choice. My heart had won. I had nothing else to lose anyway.

Sighing, I said, "Fine."

Ajax's face brightened. The deal was sealed.

Fini! The last chapter had a huge cliffhanger, so I decided to not put one this time, lmao. XD Anyway, did you like it? What do you think of Ajax and Serena? And what do you think of Ajax and Alice's deal? Make sure to let me know, comment, vote and share! Love you all! Peace out!