Chapter Nine (Lucas' POV)

"Yea, well, that's what you do when you're dating."

I wasn't the only one who stared at Ethan now. He looked calm about it until he seemed to realize what he said and stared right back at us. His face practically glowed like a tomato before he coughed awkwardly, glancing away from us.

"So... You're dating." Oliver said at last and his eyes locked on me accusingly. He didn't scare me, of course. It was his dad that scared me, and mine, but that wasn't the point.

The point was, Ethan said we were dating.

I really don't remember discussing this. I wasn't angry or anything. In fact... I felt strangely warm and fuzzy inside. It was different, weird, but nice. It only made sense. I liked Ethan. Ethan liked me. Dating was what you did when you were in that situation, right? I'd read enough romance books and seen enough soap operas to know... Yet, I never really thought of it as real.

Ethan looked at Nick helplessly. Something passed between them and Nick nodded, stretching and giving Oliver a gentle push.

"I need to piss. Be my bathroom buddy." Nick stated. Oliver made a sour face.

"Bathroom buddy? That's a girl thing-"

"Not if I forget to clean up my work area."

"Eugh, gross, Nick!" Oliver protested, but got up anyway when he saw how uncomfortable Ethan was, just sitting there and shifting every so often. Nick swept his arm around Oliver's waist none-too-discreetly as he led him away.

"Jeez," Ethan sighed miserably after Oliver and Nick had drifted out of earshot, "This sucks. I feel like a hobo walking into a five-star restaurant."

"It is a five-star restaurant." I admitted. Ethan sank low in his seat, covering his face with his hand as he tried to hide his embarrassment. I mentally kicked myself for reminding him why he shouldn't be here... Or maybe, I could remind him why he was here?

I leaned closer to him as he sat up with a depressed sigh, then he stopped short when he saw me watching him. He visibly relaxed, his eyes searching my face before I felt his fingers curl around mine, lacing together.

"I'm glad I came, though." Ethan murmured reluctantly. I felt the corners of my lips tip into a smile. I hadn't smiled this much in years. It felt nice, though. And I was glad Ethan was the one to make me smile. I trusted him, even if he didn't trust himself.

"I'm glad you came too." I replied quietly. Ethan was leaning closer to my face and I was surprised by how excited I was for him to kiss me again. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, even though I knew I'd probably get nervous again and pull away. At least I'd get to enjoy it for a few moments.

"Excuse me." I immediately backed up at the sound of the waitress' voice. Ethan frowned, but didn't let go of my hand as he looked up. The waitress was standing there looking a little irritated as she placed the glasses on the table along with the appetizers.

Fantastic.

I frowned and gave Ethan's hand a squeeze, which he returned.

"So, are your friends coming back any time soon? Are you ready with your orders yet?" She asked, sounding impatient. Either she was crushing big time on Nick- which just made her a cougar because she had to be in her forties at least- or she was a homophobe.

"We'll order for them." Ethan responded dryly.

"Fine. What'll you have?" She asked. Ethan glanced at me and I just nodded for him to go ahead. Ethan glanced at the menu, frowning.

"A meat lovers Calzone, the Carbonara, Fetta-something..."

The waitress raised her eyebrow and I felt a bolt of irritation shoot through me.

"Fettuccine alfredo with a Caeser salad on the side and Minestrone, please." I finished for him. Ethan was staring at me, surprised. The waitress stared at me for a second, then scrunched up her nose before she scribbled down the order, drifting back toward the kitchen. I looked at Ethan now.

"You didn't have to do that." Ethan stated.

"She was making fun of you." I answered, surprising myself with the ice layering my voice. I wasn't a normally emotional person. You had to guess what I was feeling or thinking half the time. I hardly had enough facial expressions to hint at my thoughts either. It's not like I did it on purpose, it just sort of came with the I hate everyone package.

Well, the I hate everyone, except Ethan Niles package.

"Yea, well, who's the star quarterback and who's the bitch working tables at midnight?" Ethan asked, shrugging his shoulders sassily and sticking his tongue out at the waitress' back. I smirked, then dared myself to lean up and kiss him on the cheek.

His cheek was so warm and it only got warmer when he blushed. We looked at each other for a moment and I felt another heavy dose of want stir inside me, the same as last time. Only this time, I was really doubting that I'd stop in the middle.

"Did you already order our food?" Nick asked as he and Oliver returned. I reluctantly sat away from Ethan, as in, not in his lap anymore. I was still sitting close enough to be in his lap, though, and our hands were still laced together tightly under the table.

"Yea. By the way, don't tip the waitress. She's a bitch." Ethan snorted.

"What was her name? We'll just report her to the manager." Oliver replied. Ethan glanced at me and I shrugged.

"Emily Foxx or something like that." Ethan decided with a careless shrug. I raised an eyebrow at him and he held his hands up in defense.

"So, what were we talking about before? Oh yea, the whole dating Lucas without telling him thing," Oliver drawled in a voice oozing sarcasm, "Yea, that goes over well. I can't wait to see what your parents say." I stared at him, cocking my head.

Why did he care so much?

Just because he didn't like Ethan didn't mean I couldn't date him. I understood Oliver's concern, sure, but I was perfectly capable of handling myself. I knew what I was doing, what I was getting into.

I was actually happy for once. I was even talking more, despite the fact that I still and probably always will hate the sound of my voice. I was letting people get closer to me physically, which was a great feat because I used to go into panic attacks every time.

And it was thanks to Ethan that I was doing all this.

There actually were people out there I could trust, and I was taking baby steps... Really baby steps.

"So what," Ethan snorted, making me glance at him while Oliver raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm not scared of his parents, or yours, not even Rick. I like Lucas, so... Well, fuck off in the nicest way I can say it without Nick bitchslapping me."

"Tempting." Nick drawled. Oliver huffed, but said nothing more as the waitress arrived with our food.

She gave Ethan and I dirty looks, but we swiftly ignored her. She seemed pretty disappointed when she saw Nick smiling at Oliver and once again, completely ignoring her.

I was glad Oliver had Nick, I realized as we sat there, eating our dinner.

Nick was really popular and attractive. He had a lot going for him, including women of all freaking ages. And he chose Oliver, which made me pretty happy. I liked Nick, even though he could be a bit of a freak sometimes.

Then again, who was I to talk?

"It's almost eleven," Nick said after a while, "We should hurry up and head over to your grandparents house before we head back." Oliver hesitated, looking disappointed at the idea of leaving. I had to agree.

I liked sitting here with Ethan beside me, even if he was a pig when he ate, I noticed. He did that at breakfast this morning when he was over at the house. He gobbled up his breakfast like he was starving to death. For some reason, that made my stomach knot up.

That reminded me that Ethan was hiding something from everyone, even Nick, who I noticed was frustrated with it, but obviously he had let it go because he had stopped hassling Ethan about it. However, I was still curious.

Of course, this wasn't the best time to bring it up, but now it was on my mind and it would stay on my mind for the rest of the trip without a doubt... Unless something happened to make me forget.

We eventually paid the bill, getting up and heading out to the car. As soon as we got in, Ethan held my hand and pulled me so I was close against him and not on the other end of the car. We buckled up and Nick followed Oliver's directions to Vic and Ace Carter's house.

Ace was the father of Devin and Danny, my adoptive father. Meanwhile, Vic was the uncle of Rick and Blake, my other adoptive father.

See what I mean? This family was so -mind the pun- queer.

I'd only met Ace and Vic twice upon being adopted. Once at a family reunion that we couldn't stay at for long because I was having one panic attack after another. The second time was actually just recently when they stopped by and met Nick for the first time in the month that Ethan was in jail.

They were nice enough people. Like everyone else, I was hesitant to trust them, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that they hadn't given me any reason not to trust them.

Vic Patterson was gentle and patient most of the time. He did have some contradictions, like the fact that he adored spending hours in the kitchen and was always eager to take a car apart, only to put it back together again. All I knew about his past was that he had taken Rick and Blake in from their parents.

As for Ace, he was a little more thick-headed. He was the stereotypical American business man. He was tough and serious, stubborn and he had a habit of jumping to conclusions. However, he did show that he could be nice when he respected my 'no touching' rule. All I really knew about him was that he divorced his wife, who lived just a couple blocks away with her new husband, and they were still the greatest of friends.

It took a lot for someone to forgive, and that was one thing I admired about both Ace and Cherri Carter- Oh, my bad. Cherri Lurez.

"Don't fall asleep." Ethan's voice wavered into my thoughts and I sat up a little, realizing with a twinge of embarrassment that I had almost fallen asleep on Ethan, who was smirking at me. I felt my face warm up, but a smile came along with it as I studied Ethan's dark eyes for a moment.

"Gross, one foot distance." Oliver huffed from the front seat.

Oliver, you're great, really, but this is one of those times when you're not so great.

I sat back a little, rolling my eyes before Nick pulled into the driveway of the typical suburban brick house. We all climbed out, only to be nipped at by the bitter cold November wind. I shivered, mentally cursing myself for not bringing my coat when I felt something heavy fall on my shoulders.

I blinked as Ethan button up the first couple buttons of his letter jacket around me.

"I'm not tryin' to pull a Grease on you or anything," Ethan said quickly when he saw my weird look, "I just don't want you to freeze to death. Come on, let's get inside." He took my hand after that and led me after the others to the front door.

I felt even warmer now, and it wasn't just the jacket, which was way too big for me. It was just slightly past my waist and the sleeves were bunched at my wrist where my hand held onto Ethan's. I smiled again.

Man, my face hurt from smiling so much.

But it was worth it.

Oliver rang the doorbell as Nick held onto him to keep him from freezing when Vic answered the door. He still looked the same as when we last met. His dark hair was peppered with gray and his dark eyes were always glowing with a life that I never understood, but now, it made more sense. He was wearing a black turtleneck to match his jeans and socks.

"Oliver! Lucas! Wow, this is a surprise. Where're your parents?" Vic asked, perplexed as he stepped aside, ushering us in. We stood in the foyer of the large house, shivering and relishing in the heat of the house.

"Danny told us to stop by and grab a box of things to sell for cash?" Oliver asked as he huffed on his hands to keep them warm. Vic raised an eyebrow for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Ace probably knows where they are. I'll ask him to go grab 'em. Oh, and Lucas. I have some clothes you might like. Don't know if you're into hand-me-downs, if not, you can pitch 'em. Be right back." He gestured for us to go to the living room before heading toward the stairs.

"He's nice." Ethan deadpanned.

"He's in a hurry." Nick responded as he flopped on a couch and pulled Oliver down onto his lap, making him yelp. Oliver wriggled in his grip.

"Not here! Jeez, you're like a puppy dog. Next you're gonna ask me to feed you."

"Would you?"

"Never."

"Whimper whine." Nick mocked with a wicked grin. Oliver rolled his eyes, but he was smirking anyway as he heaved himself away from Nick just as Ace was coming down the stairs with Vic right behind him.

Ace was definitely different than Vic. He was far more muscular and hardly looked like a man who sat in the office all day long. He was tall, dark, and handsome with eyes as cold as ice, but it didn't totally describe how he really was.

Of course, when he saw Ethan holding my hand, he didn't look too pleased, but the surprise on his face was obvious.

"I remember you three," Ace said slowly, then locked his eyes on Ethan, who stiffened at my side, "But you. You're new to the menu. What's your name, kid?" Ethan glanced at me and I shrugged. He sighed, then held his free hand out to Ace.

"Name's Ethan Niles, sir." He answered. Ace hesitated, then gave Ethan a firm handshake. I could tell by the way Ethan's hand tensed around mine that Ace was gripping his hand a little too hard.

"Ace Carter." He greeted flatly.

Why did that aggressive demeanor sound familiar to me? Oh yea. A particular uncle waiting back at home for me was also waiting to rip Ethan to pieces, then take Nick down with him.

You'd think Rick and Ace were cut from the same cloth.

"Brought the things down," Vic said, setting a large box near the door, "I can have Ace help you get it into the trunk. Make sure you lock it or everything will go flying out across the freeway. The clothes are mingled in there too, so take your pick."

"Thanks, Uncle Vic," Oliver said cheerily, "Sorry for dropping in out of the blue."

"Nonsense," Vic snorted, "You need to come over more often. It gets way too quiet in this place without any kids." Oliver grinned.

"You ever heard of adoption?" He asked. Vic smiled at him.

"If I were still young, I'd love to, but nowadays, I'd break my back on the way to the car. Just coming down those stairs is killer."

"Right. The stairs." Ace echoed. Vic glared at him.

"Help the boys get their things in the car, Ace."

"What? What's that look for?"

"Things. Car. Now."

"I forgot this was a dictatorship and not a democracy." Ace replied playfully, giving Vic a grin that made him blush and wave him away before he drifted to the kitchen while Ace went for the box. Oliver and Nick followed him out to help, but Ethan and I were far more reluctant to leave the warmth of the house.

"Does he remind you of someone?" Ethan asked dryly as we watched Ace shut the door behind him. I glanced at him and nodded quickly. He grinned and leaned down to kiss me.

"You've grown up in the last half month." Ethan immediately withdrew from me to look up to see Vic standing there with a tray of hot chocolate. He was cocking a brow at Ethan in a look of warning. Ethan blushed and looked away awkwardly. I looked at Vic, who was watching me now.

"Do your parents know about Ethan, Lucas?" Vic asked. I nodded.

"All right... You guys keep it PG-13. There's no way Ethan's your age."

"Ethan's not that old." Ethan responded smartly. Vic shot him a quick look that had Ethan looking away and taking a sudden interest in the carpet.

"I know what I'm doing." I said. Vic was caught off guard by hearing my voice. In fact, I'm pretty sure this was the first time he's heard it. He stared at me for a while, then relaxed as he came over with the hot chocolate.

"All right," He said to me, then looked at Ethan, "I hope so." Ethan scowled, but it was obviously half-hearted as he sipped his hot chocolate, sighing deeply at the warmth. The chocolate scalded my tongue, but I didn't care. It felt great compared to the cold outside. After we finished the chocolate, we piled in the car as Vic and Ace waved us goodbye from their doorway.

I gave them a quick smile before Nick pulled away, getting on the highway and heading home.

All the way, I curled up against Ethan, resting my head against his chest as he wrapped an arm around me to keep me warm. I felt bad that I was still wearing his jacket and he was probably still a little cold, even with the heat on, so I kept my arms clamped over the one arm he had around me.

We stopped once for gas, Oliver getting out to grab some coffee for everyone while Nick filled up the tank, leaving Ethan and I alone in the car.

"Lucas." Ethan murmured suddenly, making me glance up sleepily. I had almost drifted off while we were driving, but I was eager to get some caffiene in my system, so I forced myself to stay awake at least until I drank some coffee.

"I love you."

I blinked and my eyes focused on his face in the dark and I realized his eyes were closed. Was he sleeping or was he awake?

Did Ethan really just tell me he loved me?