❝THREE YEAR SHENANIGANS❞
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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter ten,
Gilmore Girls — Season Four

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟑
―୨୧⋆ ˚ LUCY'S POV
( it's a long one so i hope you enjoy!! )

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𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒, "I'll be picking you up at six o'clock. Happy three-years, my love." I won't lie, my entire face turned red, and my smile was wide as I stared at the impressive bouquet. Part of me wanted to rush up to Tristan's suite and start our entire day right this instant, but I have classes today because, of course, college does not care about the anniversary of a couple.

  The cornflowers remind me of our prom── when he pushed a corsage onto my wrist decorated in the same blue flowers. I find these flowers to be the most delicate looking flowers in the world, and I love that he brought these to my door. They're the most gorgeous shade of blue── just like a certain somebody's eyes that I can't wait to stare into later.

I sit on the sofa in the common room for a long time, smelling the flowers in my hands.

I miss him. I miss him so much, my chest hurts. I can't wait to look at him later. I can't wait to kiss him later. I can't wait to tell him that I never, ever want to take another break in the future because he's all I want. I was a fool to think I could be without him, especially when he has been one of the greater parts of my life for the past three years.

Three years together... To be with somebody for three years at eighteen is just unbelievable, right? Even after all this time together, I'm still in awe of him. I still think of him everyday, wondering what he's doing and how he's doing. I've wanted to call him everyday. I've wanted to see him everyday. I miss him so much, but today our break has ended, and one thing is clear── I think it always has been── Tristan is the one that I want.

  Our break has been difficult and too long, but I do think it helped. I feel so much better now, mentally and physically, than I did at the start of college in September. I don't feel so anxious. I haven't had any breakdowns. I feel great, and I'm not lying about that.

I look to the clock, finding that my date isn't for another eight hours. I have a class in half-an-hour, but I haven't moved from the sofa, and I still have my nose resting on the petals of the flowers. Gosh, they smell great.

I need to get up and get ready for my classes, but I really, really want to jump forward in time so I can have my date right now. I want to open the door to find him standing there, beautiful and familiar. I want him to embrace me, kiss me, and drag me away to something exciting. This'll be our first date in months, and I can't wait. Not only will it be our first date, it'll be the first time in a month since we've kissed, touched, or even been close to one another.

In eight hours, we'll be kickstarting our three-year anniversary, and if all goes well tonight, I'm going to invite him to my dad's birthday dinner tomorrow night so we can get back to being us again. I'm buzzing in anticipation. I can't wait to see what he has planned.

I need to do everything in my power to distract myself but it's hard when my head is occupied with thoughts of Tristan, and Tristan only. I'm quite literally daydreaming about him in class, my head leaning on my hand like a lovesick child. I stare out the window in class, thinking of all the things we'll get to do tonight── of all the fun we'll get to have. I need some fun, I think we both do.

When I step out of my eleven o'clock class, I'm greeted by a complete stranger. He's holding up a cup of coffee, and I immediately know who's left this coffee for me because of how it's presented to me. It's in a Luke's coffee cup, but the name has been crossed out and replaced with mine, so the cup now reads, "Lucy Danes." The boy who Tristan must have payed to deliver this coffee places the cup into my hands, and I smile. "Here you go."

"Thank you." I hold up the cup in disbelief that he actually travelled all the way to my dad's in Stars Hollow to collect this cup of coffee.

The boy holds out an envelope towards me, and I take it from him before he rushes off── likely to go to a class. Poor boy, is all I can think as I step away from the door to sit outside with my warm coffee and envelope.

  I open the envelope, and I unfold the coffee-stained note inside, my smile never faltering as my eyes skim the awfully neat words on the paper.

  I tuck the note back into the envelope, push it into my bag, and take a sip of my coffee, and I gasp.

  This tastes familiar. This tastes like home.

  My heart quite physically skips a beat as I think about what Tristan has done. He travelled to the diner, picked up a cup of coffee from my dad, and had it delivered to me. He bought the coffee I love to me, and I'm seriously grateful because there's nothing greater than my dad's coffee.

  He knows that coffee is the way to my heart, that's for sure.

  He's trying. He's being thoughtful. He's being considerate. He's trying to rebuild our relationship, and I can't help but feel touched that he's obviously doing everything possible to make us, us again. He, like myself, wants to be us again, and that thought is a comforting one.

I want nothing more than to make this work. After three years, I owe it to myself to not just give up because things have gotten difficult. Our month break has made me realise that regardless of our issues, we can still make everything work out in the end. At the end of the day, Tristan is the only one I want, and I think he'll always be the one that I want.

I feel like dancing, I'm so giddy.

  I'm so skittish and fidgety that I crash straight into my professor── sorry, my old professor── and I knock the books right out of her hands. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry." I place my coffee cup down, and I immediately fall to the ground to start picking up my ex-professor's books.

  Perhaps she doesn't like me because I'm such a klutz.

  When I've collected all the books, I stand back up and push them back into her hands. "Sorry about that," I mutter, bending back down to pick up my coffee cup.

  Her eyes flit from me to the coffee cup in my hand, and I find her staring at the coffee cup for longer than necessary before she clears her throat, steps past me, and walks away. I watch her walk away, still confused on why she moved me to a different class. I don't think I'll ever have the answers, but I don't even know if I actually want to know why she had me moved.

Whatever, I have more important things to focus on today like my outfit for tonight.

I feel as nervous as I did when he asked me out the first time three years ago. Little did I know that one date would lead to this── celebrating three years together.

  As the clock inches dangerously closer to six o'clock, my nerves don't settle. I spend a whole hour talking to myself in the bathroom mirror── something my suite-mates really didn't appreciate. I feel like I'm sixteen again, waiting for the guy I have an embarrassing crush on to knock on the door and sweep me off my feet. I don't feel brave right now, even though I've been described as such by him. I feel flighty, and if I don't figure out which dress I want to wear, I'm afraid I'll crash and burn.

  On our first date three years ago, Addy was here to help me, and now I feel sad because I miss her. We call each other at least twice a week── three times if she needs to rant to me about her really annoying roommate. She's still my person, and while I know I can call her about this, I don't want to bother her, and I live with three girls who know style... I think.

I step outside my bedroom, wearing my robe with my hair in a towel and my makeup on. I hold up two dresses── two very stunning options── and I stand in front of the TV, blocking the view so my suite-mates can look at me.

  "Are you doing a skit?" Amara asks, trying to look around me to look at the TV screen.

  Season Ten of Friends is airing, and I've been meaning to catch up on it, but I've been so busy studying and wallowing. Every Friday night, we usually sit and watch Friends together in the comfort of our common room, but I'm ruining our night by going on this date that they're not too happy about, but I don't care.

  I am celebrating my three-year anniversary with my guy.

  "Which dress?" I ask, holding up the dresses in front of me to show how I look.

  Joanna pauses the TV, and she leans forward to properly examine the dress options. She hums, looking from dress to dress, obviously taking my question seriously. Amara is looking at her nails, rather than the dresses, but I didn't think she'd be much help. June is looking at the dresses, and I watch as she shakes her head before nodding, but I don't know what that means.

  June opens her mouth to speak, pointing towards the dress on my left, but Joanna gets the first word in, "That one." She stands, rounding the coffee table to hold up the dress she likes. "Matches your eyes── both do── but this one suits your figure way more." She grabs the other dress, throwing it towards June on the sofa. "Wear it with those silver-strap heels you let me borrow the other night, and curl your hair── you look really good with curls."

  I guess I'm going to trust Joanna's opinion.

  I smile, nodding my head as I fold my dress over my arm. "Thank you," I say, looking to June. "Do you agree?"

  "Y-Yeah, you look good with curls," she drawls, shrugging her shoulders. A smile touches her lips. "And Jo is right, that dress will really bring out your eyes and your body."

"That's the plan."

  "Yeah, yeah, you look beautiful. Can we go back to watching this episode?" Amara asks, reaching for the remote. I exhale a laugh, stepping away from the TV as Amara unpauses the episode.

  "Thanks for your help, guys."

With Joanna's advice, I wear the dress that brings out my eyes a lot more than the other. I push my feet into the heels── the ones that really hurt my feet, but it's totally worth the pain. I blow dry my hair, and spend nearly an hour curling it, but once I'm ready, I move to stand in front of the mirror.

  I think I look nice. I think I look really nice.

  I peer up at the clock, and I see that it's only a few minutes until six o'clock. Tristan is going to be here── hopefully on time── and we're going to celebrate our three-year anniversary. I don't know what his plans are, but I'm excited to see what he has in store for us. I reach for my notepad── the one I've been writing in for the past few weeks. I thought my feelings over this last month would be easier to write rather than talk about.

  I tuck my notepad into my bag, and I grab a jacket that matches my dress because I know that it'll be cold, and if we sit outside at any point tonight, I want to be prepared.

As I'm grabbing my lipgloss, a knock rings in my ears, and my heart skips a beat.

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―୨୧⋆ ˚ TRISTAN'S POV

𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓. She looks unreal, mouthwatering, stunning. She looks like a real-life princess, and if she disappears at midnight, I'm going to chase after her. I'll climb a tower to reach her, buy her a whole library, fly her on a magic carpet, trade my voice and fall to my knees just for her to take me back. I'm going to give her anything she wants because she looks beautiful. She looks like mine.

Luciana Danes── my Blue, my princess, my pretty girl. Mine.

Blue adorns her body, cascading all the way down to her ankles, flaring out at her hips to accentuate her body. The dress is held up by these tiny straps that I could easily pull down, but I hold back because I'm saving all that stuff for later tonight. She wears the bracelet I bought her for her sixteenth birthday, matched with the blue friendship bracelet Lindsay gifted her on her wedding day. Silver heels peek out, and I already know those things are killing her, but I appreciate her sacrificing her feet to be this damn beautiful. However, she could wear a trash-bag and I'd still be in absolute awe of her beauty.

A smile touches my lips as I lift my head, staring at her delicate face. Pink cheeks, red tinted lips, long eyelashes. I want to kiss her, trace my mouth across her cheekbone, glide my mouth down to her neck where her pulse beats in her neck. Her hair curls, resting neatly on her shoulders, and running ever so slightly down her back. She's a vision.

In the dictionary, her picture needs to be under the word "gorgeous", and every synonym that follows that word.

  A soft, precious smile touches Lucy's lips. "Hi."

  "Hi." My voice is breathless, just from standing here and staring at my girlfriend like she's some sort of meal. "Y-You──" I've been with this girl for three years yet I can't seem to find my words. After all this time, she still has a way of taking the words right from my mouth.

  A laugh crawls out of her, and it's the sweetest sound in the world. "You look..." Her eyes move up and down, taking me in, but all I want to do is stare at how she looks. Compared to her, I look cheap. I look like a boy going to prom, but she looks like she belongs in a freaking ballroom, surrounded by celebrities and royalties. "...beautiful," she finishes, her eyes on mine.

  Those blue eyes── the first part of her I noticed when we met three years ago. Those were the first things I fell in love with, and they're still, to this day, my favourite part of her being. Those eyes tell me so much, and I can't wait to spend tonight reading the eyes that I've missed staring into.

  I want to step forward, plant my mouth over hers and carry her to what I have planned for after the date── the thing I did not tell her father about because he would've killed me. However, I restrain myself, and I reach for her hand which she takes willingly.

  I step forward, dipping down to brush my mouth against her cheek. "You're angelic, Luce." I pull back, squeezing her hand, and her cheeks redden. "Indescribably beautiful."

  We leave Durfee Hall, and we walk to my car that's parked just outside. I pull open the passenger-side door, she ducks down, gets in the car, and I close the door behind her. I then climb into the driver's seat, and I look over at Lucy who is staring at the stereo, a familiar smile tugging on her lips.

She hears a familiar song── a song that is our favourite, and will always be our favourite.

Lay All Your Love On Me by ABBA strums through the car stereo, and a wave of nostalgia hits both of us because this song was playing when I picked her up for our first date three years ago. She had laughed, and I had told her that ABBA was a guilty pleasure of mine. She confessed that Billy Joel was her guilty pleasure, so she should expect to hear him play later because this entire night is filled with that beautiful sense of familiarity.

Tonight, I want Lucy to remember all those little things I did that she fell in love with. I want her to fall in love with us all over again, and I don't want her to ever want another break in the future because I plan to make it up to her── not just tonight, but for the rest of my life.

I lean forward to the glove compartment, and I yank it open to reveal a new envelope. "Here." I push the envelope into her hands, and she bites down on her bottom lip to hide the smile on her face.

"Is this another coffee-stained note?"

"Did you like the one from earlier?" She begins to open the envelope, and my heart thumps in my chest as she tugs on the note inside.

She looks to me, blue eyes focused on me, and God how I've missed staring into those eyes. "It was very cute." I look away, a playful smile on my lips. "Thank you for the coffee earlier, it was great."

"Taste familiar?"

She begins to unfold the note── the coffee-stained note that I wrote just before I picked her up. "Oh, yeah. Tasted like home."

Blue cornflowers delivered to her suite── familiar. Coffee from Luke's── familiar. ABBA song playing in the car── familiar.

I have a lot planned for tonight, and I'm hoping all goes well. I spent the past few days focusing solely on making the entire night worth every second, and I will not let anything ruin this── not when I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far.

She opens the note, her eyes skim the words, and my favourite sound rolls out of her mouth, pulling at my heartstrings. "You're the sweetest guy in the world, you know that?" She turns to me, clutching the note in her hand tightly.

"I have a lot to make up for, Luce."

Her expression turns soft, and her hand falls to rest on top of mine. I brush my thumb across her knuckles, and she leans forward, but I force myself to lean back no matter how badly I want to smash my mouth against hers and take her right here in this car── okay, I didn't mean to say it like that.

She backs away, a little confused. "You don't kiss at the start of a date, Luce. I'm afraid you'll have to wait till the end." I move forward, brushing my mouth against her cheek, moving it to rest just next to her earlobe. "Besides, if I kiss you right now, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

She leans back, her forehead resting against mine, and she breathes heavily. "I-I missed you," she exhales, and my eyes close at how delicate her words sound, and at how close her mouth is to catching onto mine. "I really missed you."

My bottom lip catches onto hers for a brief second, and that single feeling sends shivers right down my spine. It's been too damn long since she was this close to me. "You have no idea, Blue."

She inhales sharply upon hearing the nickname I always use on her, and I find that I'm growing more and more desperate to crash my mouth to hers. I can't believe I'm forcing myself to hold back till the end of the night when she looks like this, but I need this night to be perfect, not tainted in the first five minutes.

  "I have a little... note for you," she says, reaching into her bag to pull out a whole notebook. "Well, I have a whole notebook about all the thoughts and feelings I had over our break, but I want you to take it and read the first page for now."

  I take the notepad from her, and I pull back ever so slightly to flick to the first page as per her request.

𝖨'𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖾'𝖽 𝖽𝗈 𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾-𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖺𝗋𝗒 . . . 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌

𝖶𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗐𝖾 𝗀𝗈 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗋? 𝖶𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗐𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝗊𝗎𝗂𝖾𝗍 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗂𝗇? 𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗐𝖾 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝖻𝗏𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗉𝗂𝖼 𝗈𝖿 𝗎𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄? 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗒𝖾𝗍 𝖨 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝗌𝗐𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝗌𝗐𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆.

𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝖨 𝖺𝗌𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗆𝖾, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨'𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎, 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍?

𝖠𝗇𝗒𝗐𝖺𝗒, 𝖨 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅, 𝖽𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒, 𝖨 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍. 𝖨 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗅 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖺𝗋𝗒．

𝖧𝖾𝗒, 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖺𝗋𝗒, 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨'𝗆 𝗌𝗈 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎．

𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 . . . 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀．

I look up from the notepad. "I'm glad you missed me because..." I breathe out, closing the notepad. "...I missed you like crazy, Blue. I felt like I was missing a limb without you around, it killed me."

"Well, your limb is back." She waves her arms, grinning widely. "Hi."

"Hey, pretty girl." Her face turns red, and I lean forward to push my mouth against her cheek, smiling against her skin for a moment. She sighs loudly, leaning into me.

"So you're going to be a perfect gentleman all night?" she asks, turning her head, and I find that her mouth is dangerously close to mine, but I don't want to pull back. We've been apart for too damn long, and the closeness is something I've deeply missed.

I swallow thickly. "Yep," I breathe out. "But tonight, after our date..." My fingers runs across her jaw, and my thumb presses against her chin. "...don't expect me to be the perfect gentleman."

Her eyes widen in anticipation, and I place one final kiss against her cheek before I pull back to start the car. Her face is red, and it reminds me of the day we first met when I uttered the words, "Good girl" to her upon finding out that she didn't own a cellphone. That phrase, along with many others that I won't say until later tonight, turn her cheeks this adorable shade of red. I've missed being the one to make her face warm like this, but I plan to make her flustered for the rest of the evening. I plan to make her face warm like this for the rest of our lives.

  I'm making up for lost time.

  She turns to me, turning down the stereo quickly to ask, "So where are you going?"

  "Somewhere familiar."

  "Sounds mysterious."

  I then move forward to reach for something else in the glove compartment, and I hold it out in front of her. "Need you to put this on, angel."

  Her eyes widen. "Uh, is this a..." She takes the blindfold from me, swallowing. "...sex thing?"

  I laugh, shaking my head. "No, but I'm totally down for using it." Her smile remains wide as she lifts the blindfold, tying it around her head to place it over her eyes.

  She turns her head, and a laugh crawls out of my throat. "Do I look okay?" she asks, looking around cluelessly as she can't see anything.

  "Still the most beautiful girl in the world," I say, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "And you can take it off for now, you know?"

She shrugs, leaning back. "I kinda like it."

  I then drive us to our location.

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―୨୧⋆ ˚ LUCY'S POV

          𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖.

Stars Hollow is familiar to me.

  Tristan brought me to Stars Hollow, and the moment I removed my blindfold, I was stunned to silence at the jaw dropping scene before me. I stand outside my father's diner, tears glistening in my eyes as I look across the street, absolutely in awe of what Tristan has done for me.

Familiar is the word of the day today, I've realised, and I'm damn happy it is.

My eyes latch onto the gazebo to see that it's decorated with fairy lights and blue cornflowers. Miss. Patty stands on the steps, guiding a group of girls to perform a dance routine to a familiar song── Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. Young girls dressed as blue angels dance and spin, tapping their feet against the floor with the biggest grins on their faces. Patty waves her arms, clapping her hands at the young girls who perform an excellent routine.

When we first met, we watched a dance routine. His sister wore an angel costume, and these girls dancing wear similar costumes now.

It's familiar to me. It's reflecting the beginning of our relationship.

  Imagine if I hadn't gone with Addy to her dance lesson. Imagine if I had stayed home. I would've never met Tristan, and I wouldn't be standing here right now, celebrating three years with the love of my freaking life.

I shift my eyes to the grass next to the gazebo, and I find that Kirk is setting up a projector screen. A blanket, cushions, and a wide variety of snacks rest on the ground.

This is familiar to our first date, and when I see that Kirk is setting up the movie, Grease, I have to wipe my eyes because we watched this film on our first date. I feel Tristan's hand slide up my back, moving me to step onto the street. He leans down, lips brushing my ear as he whispers, "That's not all, Blue."

  Before I can ask what that means, my eyes catch onto something bright floating in the sky. At first, I think it's a star but it's far too close, and far too bright to act as one. Following that shining light comes another, followed by another, and then another until dozens of twinkling lights are above my head, surrounding me and Tristan entirely.

Every time I turn I see a new light in the dark sky, and when I turn back to Tristan, I find that he's holding a lantern── the object causing the dark sky to light up.

  Again, this feels familiar to our two-year anniversary when he proposed a new idea── lighting a lantern and lifting it into the air to celebrate another year together. I loved that idea last year, and I especially love the dozens of sparkling lanterns exploding in the night sky.

  I step to him, my face tear-stained, and my smile wide. I reach him, holding my hands out.

We stare at one another for a long moment, just taking each other in, and then we silently agree to lift the lantern into the sky. My eyes lift, following the light, and my throat tightens as my eyes bounce from twinkling lantern to twinkling lantern. The sky has never looked more beautiful. Every night in Stars Hollow should look like this.

When I lower my eyes, I find that Tristan is already staring at me, a fond smile on his face. "You did all this? You..." I reach for his hand, and he grasps mine tightly. "...did all this for us?"

"Well, I can't take all the credit."

He looks past me, and I peer over my shoulder to see that my dad is standing at the window, waving to me. A cry wrecks my body, and Tristan slides a hand against my back, comforting me, and I lean into his delicate touch.

He pushes his lips against the crown of my head. "Y-You talked to my dad?"

"Yeah." He shrugs, acting like what he just did doesn't mean the world to me. "I know how much he means to you, and I know that the way to your heart is not only coffee, but it's your dad, and having that bond with him." Tristan chuckles. "At first he didn't want to help me, but he came around once he realised that I'd do quite literally anything to have you back."

  I lean up, desperate to kiss him, but he's pulling back from me. "Tristan," I whine, my head hitting his chest. "You've gotta let me kiss you."

  "No can do, sweetheart." He runs his hand up my back, resting it on the back of my neck. "We have a long night ahead of us, Blue, we best get to it."

  "But I need to kiss you."

  He went to my dad── the most important person in my life just so he could do everything in his power to win over my heart, and dammit, he has. Everyday, for the past three years, he's been pulling on my heartstrings. To hear that he went to my father for advice── for help── in making all this possible makes me feel wanted on a whole other level.

  I hold onto his collar, leaning in close to him. "Blue, your father is watching."

  I look over my shoulder, waving to my dad. Well, this is kind of embarrassing, but I don't care── I want to kiss my boyfriend right now. "Tristan, I want to kiss you." I look up at him, my eyes soft and wide. "Please."

  "You can give me that look all you want── you're not getting any." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

  I pout. "I'm not getting any?"

  "Well, you will be later." He winks, slipping his hand into mine to pull me across the street. "Now come on, we've got a night full of nostalgia, Blue."

We rush across the street, moving to the outside theatre Kirk has set up for us. The night sky is still glimmering with the pretty lanterns, and my dad has finally switched off the lights in the diner, likely retreating for bed. Kirk steps away, leaving us as the film begins to play.

The song, Grease begins to play, indicating that the film is only just starting, and I lean into Tristan immediately. We lay back against the pillows, and he rests an arm on my shoulders, fingers resting against my hair.

  This feels familiar. This feels exciting. This feels right. This feels like us.

  "I've missed us," I whisper, placing my head on his chest as the film plays before us. "I've really, really missed us."

  "I've missed us too," he whispers back, sliding his fingers against my scalp.

  "Thank you for this."

  "The night is far from over, Luce." He leans down, kissing my head, and my eyes flutter to a close for only a second. "I still have something planned for later, alright?"

  "What do──"

  "Watch the damn film, Blue," he interrupts, and I clamp my mouth shut, breathing out a laugh.

We watch the film, and unlike the first time when we watched the film three years ago, I don't make fun of him for singing. No, I join in. We both sing obnoxiously loud, butchering the words as we sing Sandy and Danny's parts of the songs, acting like an actual musical couple. If I wasn't so comfortable, I'd get up and dance like them.

When the final song plays, I ask him, "If I buy you a cardigan, will you wear it?"

"I'd wear anything you ask me to," he answers.

"Even a dress and heels?"

A smile breaks out on his beautiful face. "Anything you ask me to."

"You're perfect." My lips catch onto his jaw, and he hums delightfully. My head falls back to rest on his chest, and I cuddle my arm around his torso, cuddling close to him.

I know he's holding back on kissing me until later tonight, but I really wish he'd just push his mouth against mine right this instant. I really, really want him── more than I've ever wanted him in my entire life. We've been separated for a month, but our relationship was dying weeks before I asked for this break. Now, however, I feel like we're slowly growing back to being us.

We're starting to be Lucy and Tristan again.

When the film finally ends, I look to the gazebo, and I find that the dancers are no longer there but a song has started playing── a familiar song. Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer starts to play, and I lift my head from Tristan's chest.

He's sitting up, hand on my back, and I feel tears prick in my eyes again. "The night of the Chilton party," I exhale, shaking my head at the fond memory of hating that damn party. "We drove to a parking lot and we danced to this song."

"And now we're going to dance to this song again, Blue."

Two minutes later, we stand under the gazebo, holding onto each other. I stare at him, tears in my eyes because he's been nothing but generous and thoughtful all night. He's looking at me, a fond expression on his face.

His thumb swipes under my eye, wiping away the lonely tear that slips. "I want you to know that I am going to spend every day of my life making it up to you." His hand slides across my cheek, holding my face close. "I know I've been a jerk, and I know that college has made me act differently, but my love for you has never, and will never change. I adore you, Lucy. I am completely in love with you. I will always be in love with you."

I press my forehead against his, and I feel another tear slide down my cheek but he catches it once again. "You make me so, so happy. This past month has been lousy, but it's made me realise that you are all I need── you are all I've ever needed. You make me feel like I'm whole. You make me feel like I'm capable of achieving something. You make me... me," he laughs, and my lips form a broken smile.

His hand slides through my hair, and I don't care that he's ruined my curls── he can ruin them as much as he wants. "I know I'm not perfect, and I'm probably going to make mistakes in the future, but I will forever be there for you. I will always be the guy you can depend on. I will always have your back. I will always, always love you, I can promise you that."

I nod vigorously, hearing him loud and clear. "I've made a lot of stupid decisions in my life, but the best decision I ever made was loving you, and if you'll let me, I want to keep loving you for the rest of my life."

I wrap my arms around his neck, bringing myself closer by just an inch. "Why does this sound like a proposal?" I choke out a laugh, and Tristan laughs softly.

"As much as I'd love to do that, I think I would be mauled to death by your dad. Besides, when I do propose, it'll be even grander than this."

The idea of him proposing... God, it gets me excited for the future── our future. Yes, if he got down on one knee and proposed right now, my dad would run out and kill him, but I think I would actually say yes. How crazy is that?

"I love you," I whisper, pressing my mouth against his cheek.

"I love you," he whispers back, sliding a hand against the small of my back. "And I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

I shake my head. "I never want a break again."

He blows out a pleased puff of air. "Thank God."

"It sucked," I laugh. "Every second was awful. I missed you so damn much, but I do think it was good for me..." I pull back slightly, my eyes on him. "I feel so much better now than I did at the start of college, so while the break sucked, I do think it did me some good mentally."

"Good," he replies, pulling me closer. "I respected the time you wanted, Luce. I-I know you needed it, and I'm glad you took that time, but I'm more glad you still wanted me after everything."

"I always want you."

His brow raises suggestively. "Oh, yeah?"

"Can I kiss you now?" I ask, really, really desperate to have my lips on his after this long apart. He shakes his head, retreating from me, and I feel my entire body die just a little bit. "Tristan──"

"I have one more surprise," he interrupts, squeezing my hand tightly. "Will you follow me?"

I don't hesitate, not for one second.

I just take his hand, and he pulls me away.

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―୨୧⋆ ˚ TRISTAN'S POV

          𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄, 𝐈 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄── the house she dreams to live in when she's older. I spent the entire day yesterday setting it up without Luke because he'd actually have me killed if he knew what I have planned to do with his daughter in here. Anyway, I decorated the inside of the abandoned house as best I can.

  On the floor lays a double blowup mattress covered with blankets and cushions. A bottle of champagne rests on the bed next to a chocolate cake I had Maisie cook for us. Fairy lights hang from the ceiling and walls. Candles I lit just before I picked up Lucy sit on the floor away from anything they can light on fire. Along with those candles are thousands of rose petals. The sofa that we── Anyway, that's covered with a blanket.

This house is important to Lucy. Not only did we share our first time in here, we also had a very deep conversation about her love for this house. She dreams of living here, of raising children in here, of growing old in here. With enough maintenance, money and care, this house could look great again. In the future, I want it to look great again for us. It would be amazing to live here, and in this town that we both love.

  She stares with wide, tearful eyes, and I wrap my arm around her back. "Happy anniversary." I brush my mouth against her head, placing my hand on her hip as I lead her into the room.

  "Oh, my God." She wipes her eyes, laughing softly. "I-I can't believe you did this. You..." She turns to me, her arm falling around my torso. "You're perfect."

  "No, you are perfect." My lips catch onto her ear, and she bites back a laugh.

  I pull her towards the sofa, and her face immediately heats up which brings a smug smile to my face. She leans back into my touch── much like the night we spent in here just over a year ago.

"Please say you didn't ask my dad for help."

  "No, I didn't." I shake my head, mortified by the idea of doing that. "Can you imagine that conversation? 'Hey, Luke. I need your help decorating your old house. Why? Oh, because it's the same place your daughter and I had sex for the first time, so it's special to us'. Yeah, I wasn't about to ask him for help."

  A loud, bellowing laugh crawls out of her. "This is beautiful." Her eyes scan the room one more time, taking in every little detail. "I-I don't know how I got so lucky."

  "Well, you're about to get even luckier, Blue."

  I push my lips against her cheek, guiding her away from the sofa to the bed where a bottle of champagne lays. "Champagne?" She shakes her head, turning away from the bottle. "No."

  "I brought it as a reminder of the night you vomited── you know, as it's something familiar." I remember her drinking champagne shortly before she threw up in the bathroom, and I was right there alongside her, holding her hair back and carrying her back to her suite and into bed. "We don't have to drink it, don't worry. I'd hate for you to throw up again."

  She turns to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Thank you for saving me that night."

  "Thank you for saving me," I reply, leaning down to press my forehead against hers, our lips mere inches away from touching. "You've been saving me since the day I met you, and I am just so grateful for all that you've done for me, and for all that you will do for me. I love you."

  "I love you and──" She looks over her shoulder at the cake on the bed. "Is that Maisie's cake?"

I nod. "Yep, you know..." I raise a brow, grinning. "...the night of my eighteenth birthday when you and I had cake after sex?"

"Cake instead of cigarettes," she sighs softly.

  I lean in closer, my bottom lip catching onto hers. "I think it's time I finally kiss you, don't you think?"

  "I think we're long overdue."

  I inch even closer, sliding an arm around her back, and just as I'm about to kiss her, she pulls back like she hasn't wanted to kiss me all night. "What are you──"

  "There's a page in the notepad I want you to read."

  "Right now?"

  She nods, stepping away from me. "Yeah, it'll only take a second. I just think it's fitting for right now."

  Even though I really want to kiss her, I take the notepad from her bag, and I flick to the page she asks me to.

𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝖺 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍. 𝖨 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝗈𝗄𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗒𝗈𝗎, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝖽𝖺𝗆𝗇 𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆 𝗂𝗌 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝖾, 𝗌𝗈 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗌𝗒𝖼𝗁𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗋𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗎𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾．

𝖨 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖲𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗂𝖾'𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝖽𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖨 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝖾. 𝖨 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗏𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾．

𝖶𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇'𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗎𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗄𝗌. 𝖭𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝖾'𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾'𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗇𝗈𝗐. 𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝖨 𝖽𝗂𝖽𝗇'𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍. 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨'𝗆 𝗃𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇'𝗍 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾．

𝖨 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎.

𝖶𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄 𝗌𝗈𝗈𝗇, 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗐𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾. 𝖨𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗋. 𝖮𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗍. 𝖮𝗇 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌. 𝖨 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾．

𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎．

𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗈．

I close the notepad, grinning while Lucy looks away, face red. "You had a dream about me?"

"Shut up."

"It's okay." My hand rests on the back of her neck. "I had a lot of dreams about you, and I don't have a roommate, so I could handle my needs." My lips brush against her ear, and she inhales sharply, hand clutching my shoulder. "Can I please kiss you now? I'll get down on my knees and beg, baby, just let me kiss you."

She nods, and my hands reach up to grip her face as I press my mouth to hers. Kissing her feels like I'm coming home to this── to her lips, to her touch, to her. This feels familiar, but it also feels new and exciting. I've missed her. I've missed her so damn much.

I pull back, but I find that she's still chasing after me, desperate to push her mouth on mine again. Her hands reach out, holding my face, and she pulls me down to her mouth. She always kisses me softly and gently, but this is new. She's demanding and consuming, aching and urgent, and I'm trying to catch up with her.

A moan climbs out of her throat but I capture it, locking it away. I kiss her deeply, moving my tongue against hers. Our kisses turn chaotic and calculated, rapid and regardful. My mouth continues to glide across hers, and her thighs squeeze together. I kiss her like I'm starving, and if I were to die tomorrow, I'd be satisfied with her as my final meal. Her lips are the only thing that seem to be keeping me alive.

My hands leave her face and move over her body, and she fists my shirt in her hands. My hands travel up, tugging on her hair softly before they move down, brushing across her shoulders, and down to her waist. She arches her back, pushing into me. She feels so warm in my hands, and I can't get enough of her.

I pull back, and I reattach my lips onto the side of her neck. A whimper falls from her lips as I trace a line of open-mouthed kisses from her ear to her collarbone. My teeth nip at her neck, biting the skin. Her hands pull at my hair as I soothe the pain in her neck with my tongue.

I press my hips into hers, and she gasps. I yank back, eyes scanning her face. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you," she breathes out, eyes fluttering to a close.

I cup the back of her neck, and my fingers begin to toy with the flimsy straps that are holding up her dress. "I can't believe these tiny things are holding this up." I move my fingers across her shoulder, kneading softly at the skin.

"Just take it off." She whines, hands on my hips.

She lifts her hands, and I snatch her wrists, shaking my head. "Patience, Blue."

She groans. "Tristan, I've been patient for months, I need you."

My fingers hook into the straps of her dress, and I begin to pull them down at a painfully slow pace. She fidgets on the spot, clinging onto me tighter as I pull her arm out of the strap.

Once the straps are pulled down, the rest of her dress falls to the floor. Her mouth reattaches to mine, and our teeth clash in raw desperation. I thought I was the one in control, but Lucy steals it right from me with every touch, bite and moan. Her tongue swipes over my mine, and she pulls back, my bottom lip caught between her teeth.

My mouth catches onto hers once again, and I regain composure. She fists my shirt and tugs me back, not breaking the kiss as she pulls us both down to the bed.

The bottle of champagne rolls off the bed, and I lean forward to lift the giant chocolate cake so we don't accidentally roll onto it while we──

"We can eat that after, right?"

"Definitely," I say, pushing Lucy's body up the bed.

She lays back against the bed, hair fanning out across the pillows. I stare down at her, in awe of her entire being, and she stares up at me, eyes needy and wanting. I reach for her ankle, bending her leg. "These hurting your feet, Luce?"

She nods, and I take it upon myself to unbuckle the latch on her silver heels. Once I pull them off, I slide my thumb across her heel, massaging softly for a few seconds. She watches me, her eyes closing at the feeling, and she hums loudly.

"We're totally doing massages later."

She stretches out on the bed, only wearing her underwear, and I stare in awe. "You look beautiful," I say, pressing a kiss against her knee. "You look so pretty, laid here in front of me."

  I begin to unbutton my shirt, and she watches with her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. The second shrug it off and throw it to one side, Lucy reaches out to place her hand on my chest, moving her hand carefully to rest upon my heart. "It's beating," she says quietly.

  "Well, good. Otherwise I'd be dead."

  She rolls her eyes. "It's beating very fast."

  "Well there's a pretty girl under me, I'm a little nervous."

  "I'm usually under you." Her hand touches my collarbone. "You don't need to be nervous."

  I lean forward, slide my hands under her back, and pull her flush against me. Her knees land on either side of my body, and a moan ripples out of her as I place my hands over her rib cage, clinging onto her. My fingers slide up to rest just below the band of her bra, and she watches my every delicate manoeuvre.

I nip at the skin of her neck, and her body jerks forward. "Tristan," she gasps, and my lips move down her neck, kissing the pulse point in the side of her neck that thumps quickly.

My fingers move, pulling at the back of her strapless bra until it falls away. My hips swivel, and her head falls forward, hitting my neck. My hands move, brushing against the sensitive spot of her breasts. Her nails dig into my bare shoulder, and she moans against the skin of my neck.

I grip her hair, wrapping my fist around her curls and I tug her head back, pulling her head away from my neck so she can look directly at me as I say, "Don't hide away from me, Blue." My lips catch onto hers for a brief second. "It's been too damn long."

I deepen the kiss, and a whimper climbs out of Lucy's throat. I release her hair, rest my hand on her back, snd stop at the base of her spine. I pull back, sliding my mouth across her jaw, travelling along the skin of her neck one again.

Lucy's hips sway against me, and I groan against her neck. "Luce..." She grins, hand sliding into my hair. She seeks friction again, and she knows just what's she's doing, so I force myself to push her back, and her body hits the bed once again.

I move on top of her, laying my entire body on hers, and her lips catch onto mine before I pull back to move my mouth down her face, down her neck, and across her collarbone. My mouth presses onto the beating of her heart, feeling the steady pounding in her chest.

  "Your heart is beating," I comment, mocking her earlier comment, and she laughs softly.

"It's beating because I love you," she tells me.

  I lift my head, and my forehead rests against hers. "I love you," I whisper back.

  "Thank you for this." Her lips touch my cheek.

"Thank you," I repeat, pushing my mouth to hers quickly. "Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being mine."

"I'm always going to be yours."

"And I'm always going to be yours," I say, and she slides her hand into my hair. "Happy three-year anniversary, Blue."

"Happy three-year anniversary," she choruses, moving her hand to cup my cheek. "Here's to many more, right?"

"Here's to a whole lifetime, pretty girl."

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authors note:

long long LONG chapter but look at how sweet our beautiful couple are . . . nearly 9000 words!!

i love luce & tristan so so much :')

this chapter rlly should be called 'familiar' bcos i used that word a freaking lot

this is probably as spicy as this book will get lol

hope u enjoyed the note thing i did lol, wanted to do something different

thankyou so so much for 10k reads on this story, and 300k reads on BLUE . . . honestly, i am mind blown that so many have read it, so thankyou :')