Ethan dashed into the kitchen alongside Lucas and Adriano. A gasp escaped from their lips as Ethan hunted for their fire extinguisher. Lucas saw Estrella cradling the trembling Sia in her arms.
Sia held her slightly hurt finger out, staring pointedly at it as fear shriveled her body. Her teeth quivered. She was unable to clamp her mouth shut. The seam of her lips trembled. Her panic attack cloaked her body. Her mind already wandered far away that she wasn’t hearing what they were saying to her
Color drained from Sia’s face as she was awash by shock. In her state of shock, she teared up. Wailing. Her mother’s images floated in her mind. She can’t think of anything else except the fire she saw. Estrella held her close, looking for something to pull Sia away from her dazed state until Lucas assembled in front of them. His heart squeezed with worry.
“Get her out first.” He hurled, dragging Sia out of the kitchen with his roaring heart.
Ethan was quick to spray the extinguisher on the stove and doused the rising fire.
“What the fuck happened?” Lucas asked in his deep throaty voice. Estrella amid tears shook her head ‘no’
“She was just about to light the stove and then it caught fire.” She gritted out, bustling for a glass of water.
Lucas held Sia’s face in his palm, boring his eyes into hers.
“Sia, can you hear me? Relax okay, nothing will happen. Okay?” He said assuredly but Sia was still trembling, her chest heaving uncontrollably.
“She needs her pills!” Estrella gritted out as she brought the glass of water to Lucas. He grabbed it and forced Sia to take sips.
“You’ll be fine, Sia. I’m here.” He murmured. It was until Adriano told Lucas to hit her face a tad that Sia snapped out of her oblivion. “Can you hear me now?” Lucas asked, shaking her body. Sia pinned her misty eyes on him unable to utter a word.
Lucas reflexively cupped her cheeks and crushed his mouth on hers, kissing her hard, it hurt. Sia stiffened trying to process what was happening as Lucas cupped her nape and stroke her mouth with his tongue.
Estrella gaped likewise Ethan and Adriano. She figured Lucas still has feelings for Sia.
‘Shit! Ex is still in love with…my friend?’ She rattled inwardly, watching as Lucas forced his mouth into Sia’s. Their cheeks turned hollow as Lucas devoured Sia’s mouth.
When he broke the frenzy kiss, Sia gasped. She stared at him and shut her eyes close. At that moment, they forgot about the little kitchen accident and focused on the fervent kiss Lucas gave her.
She sprang up from the couch, seething. She’s angry that they fucked without protection and now he kisses her like he owns her?
“What was that!?” She choked out, still grappling with her jagged breath.
Lucas couldn’t speak ’cause that action was reflexive. It wasn’t his plan but the urge to have Sia’s lips blacked his rational senses.
“It was…” He tried to defend himself but Sia cut him off.
“How dare you!?” Her raspy voice resounded in the now quiet living room.
She shook her head as anger washed through her and she bee-lined for the guest room.
Lucas got up and trailed behind her, matching her hasty footsteps with his.
When Sia got into the room she began packing her bags. She wants to get away from this temptation in human form.
Lucas caught her wrist when he closed in on her but she fought his restraints.
“How dare you!? Let go of me.” She barked, striking his arms.
“Sia listen. Please, I’ve something pressing to tell you. I want you to give me a chance.” He said, his voice wavering into a whisper.
Sia didn’t halt her struggles to break free from his hold. She kicked his knee and hit his chest.
“I’ll be getting married soon.” He blurted.
At that sentence, Sia sent her fist across his cheek, hard.
“Your marriage has nothing to do with me. Now if don’t want to have my saliva smeared on your face, let go of me. This minute.” She hissed.
Lucas tightened his jaw and deflatedly doff his hand from hers.
“Good for you.” She said, ditching his remorseful gaze. “I’d like to change. So, please. Leave.” She uttered, voice cold.
Lucas nodded and broke into three backward strides, exiting the room.
Sia quickly donned her clothes and dashed off the room with her tote bag. While outside, Estrella gave her a quizzical look but she grinned.
“I need to see the doctor.” She winked after uttering this and hauled Fur into her arms.
Estrella escorted her outside to the garage and only moved back inside when Sia drove into the horizon.
On her return to the living room, Estrella was graced with a graveyard silence which tells her the guys were saying something but halted whatever it is on her return.
She gave them a dry chuckle and bee-lined for the stairs while smacking her lips until Lucas’s voice seeped into her ears.
“What pills were you referring to?” Lucas asked, his entwined hands supporting his chin as he ogled at Estrella.
She paused and whirl around. “Huh?” She hitched up her brow quizzically.
“You said something about Sia needing her pills. So I’m asking what pills you were referring to.” He said.
Estrella gave him a shrug, “it’s nothing of your concern.” She spouted.
She hates being questioned about Sia. Lucas seizes situations like this to milk some truth about Sia from her and the more she expends her time here, he’ll definitely talk her into saying something about Sia by giving her that pitiful look of his.
As she spun on her heel to climb the stairs, Lucas spoke up again.
“Estrella you know Sia is my concern. You know.”
She flipped around in a haste and spat out, “then you should have asked her. Why bothering me, Lucas? I hate being questioned about her…”
Lucas interrupted her immediately.
“She never listens to me. Even if I break the whole walls down to know the truth Sia would never say it. So I just have you to rely on. Just tell me what the pills are.” He pled.
Ethan and Adriano muted while watching the banter. When Estrella shot Ethan a helpless look, he curled his shoulders in a shrug and mouthed something to her.
“She has a phobia for fire which led to her anxiety.” She gave him a nuance response before ascending the flight of stairs again.
Lucas figured the anxiety must have started because of the arson from years before.
Just how much did Sia suffer to be where she is today? He wondered.
“So back to what we were saying,” Lucas muttered and Adriano sank into the couch behind him while Ethan paced around, hands in pockets.
“So in a month’s time, you’ll marry her? It’s bizarre she made you do that.” Ethan said, his jaw tightening.
A scoff escaped from Adriano’s lips, “That girl is your fangirl, man. She fucking wants this marriage thing.” He said, the corner of his lips crinkled.
“I can’t marry her but this circumstance leaves me no choice. My granny stated not to reach her ever again if I happen to marry her.”
Ethan and Adriano paused as the words ploded from Lucas’s lips.
“Are you shitting me? Her hatred for Danika reach that level? Men! This is getting more confusing.” Adriano spouted, shaking his head.
“More reason I can’t marry her. But who am I kidding? I can’t do a thing about this.” Lucas set his lips in a tight line, shaking his legs frantically.
“I think I have a plan. I hope it works.” Ethan gushed immediately as he stopped pacing back and forth.
Both men snapped their heads toward him with the same question on their lips.
“What plan is it?” Lucas lets out the question that hung in the air.
Ethan sat down and they began whispering.