Paige narrates.
When I return from Mason's office, I find my friends waiting for Riley. She's supposed to be on her way to Sarah's house. Naturally, she doesn't know that Lucas is here. She's coming to see me, so I feel nervous about lying to her. I want to talk to her, let her know that I support her and that she's not to blame for anything that happened during those years when she lost her baby.
Lucas is also nervous, and it's evident. I look at him and say, "Don't worry, just tell her everything, express your feelings, and let her know that you're not mad at her so that she doesn't keep blaming herself, as I think she's been doing." I take his hand.
He hugs me and thanks me for the support I'm giving him. Just then, Mason arrives. I didn't expect to see him, not today, at least. I imagined he would be furious with me for hiding the pregnancy from him, so I'm unsure how to react. We go to Ethan's office, and I'm amazed by everything he tells me. While I also have feelings for him, I don't consider myself ready to take this step.
I feel more emotionally sensitive than usual, and I'm terrified of making a rushed decision fueled by hormones and then realizing that I wasn't ready.
That's my main reason for telling him that for now, I won't accept or reject anything. I just want to be calm and focused on my baby and work. I don't want to stress myself out with romantic relationships, at least until my baby is born.
After we leave the office and clarify what we'll be, I ask to go see Simba and his parents. They have always been good to me, and they deserve an apology for me hiding their grandchild from them. However, things change when I find out that Riley is talking to Lucas. I can't leave him alone now. My friends need me, and I'll be here when they finish their conversation.
Mason leaves, and I sit back down where I was before. I look at Sarah and ask, "What did Riley do when she saw Lucas?" I feel anxious.
“She was left speechless, at least until he mentioned another name, and that scared her a lot. You should have seen her face, she wanted to leave, but Lucas wouldn't let her," she says nervously.
"All that does is make her want to go see how they're doing. How long have they been talking alone?" I ask, shifting my legs.
"Not long, but they have a lot to talk about. It's best to give them space," Ethan says, being informed of everything by Sarah.
"That doesn't calm me down at all," I say, looking at him seriously.
"Tell us, what happened with Mason?" Sarah says, changing the subject.
"We just talked about being friends, starting over, and when our baby is born, I mean, our baby, we'll see what happens between us as a couple. For now, just friends," I tell them, looking towards where Lucas and Riley are supposed to appear.
"Stop staring at them, they'll come when they're ready. Besides, if we don't hear any shouting, it means they're okay, right?" Sarah says, biting her nails, something that Ethan stops her from doing.
Narrating as Lucas:
Riley, or Tara as I knew her, arrives, and upon seeing me, she falls silent. She looks at her friend, questioning with her eyes why I'm here, but Sarah doesn't say anything. It's me who speaks up.
"Tara, we need to talk," I say, using her childhood name, making her realize that I know the identity she wanted to leave in the past.
"I..." she doesn't know what to say.
I stand up and approach her. I take her hand and lead her to the kitchen where Sarah said we could talk without any problems. As we enter, I let go of her hand, and she tries to leave, but I don't let her.
"How...?" she can't even formulate the question due to her nervousness.
"I know everything. Why didn't you tell me that your parents were the ones who killed our baby?" I ask with pain, as that wound hasn't healed.
"It was my fault. I took what my mother gave me," she tells me, her eyes filled with tears.
"It wasn't your fault. Deep down, I knew you loved our baby. The love I saw in your eyes told me that. And when you told me you had aborted, I doubted, I truly did. Then I hated you for many years until, by chance, we crossed paths again. I didn't look for you, and you didn't look for me either. Although I did recently, when I saw you and suspected it was you, I investigated and learned the whole truth. That's why I'm here. We owe each other a conversation," I say, anxious and nervous at the same time.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't want to tell you because my parents had power, and you know it. If I had told you, you would have confronted them, and all that would have achieved is making your life miserable. I chose to leave and blame myself because I bear part of the guilt, and I didn't want you to have problems because I wasn't of legal age. My parents were capable of claiming that you raped me just to save their family's honor. That's why I disappeared and still have no news of them. It's as if I'm dead to that family," she says, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks.
"I didn't want you to protect me. I wanted to be with you. I've never been able to remove you from my heart, and over the years, it has only shown me that I never loved anyone else after falling for you. If I confused what I feel for Paige with love, it's because she reminded me of you and the pregnancy we couldn't have, except it wasn't you," I say, laying it all on the table. I prefer her to know everything.
“Not even in my wildest dreams did something like this happen, I mean, despite the years that have passed, I haven't been with anyone else. That doesn't mean I haven't had my flings, but no serious relationships," she tells me, and I think we've both been the same.
“If you want, we could start dating, to relive the years we were together and see what happens. I don't want you to feel pressured about us, but I want to give us a chance, if you want, of course," I say nervously, awaiting her reaction to my words.
“We can give it a try," she responds, smiling.
That's all I need to draw closer to her and give her a small kiss on the lips, marking the beginning of a new opportunity for us. I never thought it would be this easy, but I'm glad it is.