Dandelion Lover

After warming up properly and unpacking some of my stuff, the relaxation brought by the familiarity and comfort of my surroundings made me feel drowsy and sleepy.

While Luke was finishing up his last emails, I snuggled up close to him to have a short nap before we started preparing for visits.

Time passed by quickly and before we knew it it was already late in the afternoon when we arrived at Vivian's place.

"Hey sweety, long time no see!" Vivian chirped and trapped me in a bear hug. Indeed it has been a while since we last saw each other.

"I'm here too you know." Luke jokingly admonished her.

"So what? It's your fault for not taking me with you when you visited her." Vivian pouted while shoving herself between us.

"We already have so little time to spend together, why would I share it with you?"

"Pfft, you're just greedy. It's just an excuse to monopolize my friend."

"She's my girlfriend before she's your friend, don't forget that!" Lukas strongly proclaimed.

"Girlfriends may leave, but friends stay forever!" Vivian replied, which only pissed him off.

"Says who? I bet we'll still be together even when you two are not friends anymore!"

"I bet we'll still be friends when you guys are no longer together!" she replied.

"Let's bet!" I intercepted their banter. My reply left him frowning and his confused eyes were scanning my face for the meaning behind my words.

"I bet that I will continue my friendship and my relationship for a long time to come." I continued.

"You sure are confident," Vivian smirked. "After all, Lukas is an attractive man, and you're not even here to check all the glances he receives daily. Are you still confident that you will not be dethroned?"

"Of course, after all, no matter what temptations, he is too busy thinking of me all the time, when would he have the opportunity to do anything else?" I replied while grabbing Luke by his arm.

"You've really changed," Vivian mentioned suddenly having a serious look. "Not long ago you were still like a little child, who would rather avoid even thinking of conflicts, not to mention declaring your ownership this strongly."

"It's called trust, not ownership. We are not kids anymore who would confuse the two." I replied.

"That's true." Vivian laughed at my correction and ushered us inside.

Johnny was waiting inside the living room calmly reading a book.

"Hey Johnny, long time no see." I greeted him warmly. I was happy for both of them as I recently learned that they have started living together not long after the whole fiasco with Rob and Anne.

"Hey Kate, how have you been? Isn't it tough being on your own away from home?"

"It was in the beginning, now I've more or less gotten used to the people and my work, time passes so fast that I don't even have time to think about it."

"That's good, just don't forget to return and visit us from time to time."

"How could I? I have this big lump of sugar reminding me daily." I answered, gesturing towards Luke.

"My p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e." he smugly reacted to my teasing.

"You guys seem just as sweet as always, up to the point it is disgusting."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"So how are things with you guys?" I asked while taking a sip of the freshly brewed coffee we were served.

"Just as always, nothing much changes here, working and then spending some time together, same old really," Johnny replied while casually taking Vivian's hand into his.

"I sometimes wish I could have this kind of routine, you guys are quite lucky even though it might not seem much."

"We know, and I agree. I'm happy just as we are, however, we will not be able to maintain this for long." Vivian sighed while looking at my confused face.

"What do you mean? You just said that everything was good."

"It is, more than good, however, we might need to impose on you guys in the future from time to time."

"What with?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

"Babysitting." Vivian threw this word out like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Wait, what? Are you trying to tell us that you are pregnant?" Luke asked, almost panicking.

"What's with that reaction? It's not like it's Kitty saying it." Vivian teasingly replied. "And yes, we are expecting."

"Congratulations! When did you find out? Do you know the gender? When is it due?" A barrage of questions flowed from my mouth before I could control myself.

"We found out not long ago, so we do not know all of the details yet," Johnny said matter-of-factly but his eyes turned gentle at the thought.

"That's great, I'm happy for you. Congratulations!" Luke said snapping out of the shock.

"Thank you. We know there is still some time to go, but if you guys can, we would like for you to be the Godparents." Vivian asked us as if the previous news was not shocking enough.

"Of course we will." Before Luke even got to react to the question, I already agreed to their request.

"Thank you!"

"It will be our honor," Lukas confirmed, giving my hand a light squeeze.

The rest of the day was spent chatting about all the latest happenings over at the office and about the pregnancy.

It was surprising news but it was a happy time for all of us.

Days flew by and it was already the morning of Christmas Eve.

"After I finish my shopping with Viv I will be done for the day, what are the plans for the evening?" I asked as Luke did not share anything with me yet.

"Just a cozy evening spent together, just finish your little shopping spree and let me know when to come and fetch you."

"Suits me just fine, I just want to spend time with you while I still can," I mentioned while giving him a goodbye kiss.

Visiting the shops with Vivian made me realize how much I changed since the first time we did this.

I could now confidently walk into any store I wanted, without having the feeling of certain items being too good for me. I cannot say that this change is all due to Luke however I am sure that his love was one of the main influences in my life, that made me treasure myself instead of repeatedly ridiculing and avoiding any changes in my life.

"Do you want to buy this?" Vivian asked while pointing at the black lace lingerie I was examining.

"Maybe, I was thinking of changing the style of my lingerie, I feel that my current ones are not true to my style anymore."

"What took you so long to realize that?" Vivian jocked while shoving into my hand several other similar models.

"I'm sure Lukas especially would love this change," she whispered while nudging me towards the full body mirror.

"Especially this white one, I bet he would go wild when he sees it." She continued ignoring my heated cheeks.

"I don't think he needs any more stimulation, although it might be a nice surprise for him as well," I mumbled to myself as I placed each piece in front of me so I could get an idea of how it would look.

"I bet." Vivian laughed while adding to the pile of lingerie that I had to look at. "But who knows what can happen if stimulated enough, we might end up going to the doctor's appointments at the same time."

"We might, but not for the same reason." I was amused at her undisguised suggestion.

"Did you ever think of remarrying now that you're expecting?"

"We did think about it, can't say we didn't consider it at all but at this time we feel like there is no need to define what we have. In the end, marriage is just a contract, and we do not feel the social constraint to redefine our relationship through it, just to conform with the norms."

"I see you've really thought it through."

"How about you guys? Did you ever discuss going further than what you currently have?"

"We're always going further as we grow fonder and we understand each other more each day. We did not discuss it but I do not think that it is the right time to do so, with me being away for work most of the time."

"That's true, your situation is quite challenging however it is not impossible. How much longer will you remain there?"

"I'm not sure, I have learned a lot of things and my responsibilities changed from the beginning. The volume of work and complexity also increased as time went on."

"But you are thinking of coming back right?"

"Of course, no matter the offer, my family is here."

"I see, so now he's your family." her sly smile made me blush.

"I consider so, and I hope he thinks the same."

"He might not think that after all, you did leave him to do some internship in another town."

Her reminder seemed to sober my thoughts as I remembered that evening when we discussed my decision.

"I know, and I will make it up to him, even if he doesn't ask for it." I cheekily replied, laughing to myself at the response he would most likely give if he heard my declaration.

It was at that time when I decided on my plans, without any hesitation, I believed it was time.