Chapter 22
Alexis sat at her table, watching the door. Liz was supposed to be meeting her there after her shift at Kelly’s so they could talk about the wedding before they went to their dress fittings. Chloe was designing all the clothes for the wedding, and she wanted to get started right away.
Liz hurried into the Port Charles Grille and looked around for Alexis. She spotted her at a table near the back and rushed over. “Hey, sorry I’m late!”
Alexis smiled as she sat down. “It’s okay. You look awfully happy!”
Liz blushed. She hadn’t realized it, but she had been grinning all day. “I do?”
“Yeah, you do,” Alexis responded with a chuckle. “I don’t suppose this has anything to do with you going to Lucky’s last night?”
Liz giggled. Was it that obvious? “Yeah.”
Alexis sighed. “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to drag it out of you? What happened? Did Luke behave himself?”
Liz shook her head and smiled. “Not really. He made some cracks about the Cassidines and teased Lucky a lot..” she trailed off, that dreamy, happy expression coming back to her face.
“Something tells me Lucky has something to do with this good mood of yours,” Alexis chuckled.
“How did you guess?” Liz asked, blushing again.
“It’s kind of obvious, especially the way your face just lit up when you said his name.”
“It did? Um, yeah, he um, he kissed me last night,” she said, blushing even harder.
Alexis grinned. “He did? Oh, Liz, I’m so happy for you!”
Liz looked up and smiled, her eyes dancing. “Me too. I feel like I’m floating. Is that what it was like for you when you started going out with Ned? I mean, Lucky and I aren’t going out or anytihng, but I was just wondering if this is what it’s like, or if I’m just weird.”
Chuckling, Alexis nodded. “No, that’s pretty much normal. Speaking of Ned and me, are you ready to start planning this wedding?”
“Sure, but I’m starving. Let’s order first!” Liz said, looking for the waiter.
~*~
Lucky walked into the kitchen, rubbing his face. He had been awake most of the night, thinking about Elizabeth, and had ended up sleeping past noon.
“Well, look who’s finally up!” Nikolas said jokingly.
Lucky rolled his eyes at his brother as he sat down at the table. “Don’t you have a home?”
Nikolas chuckled. “Yeah, but this one’s much more interesting. Looks like you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Before Lucky could respond, Luke came in the back door. “Hey Cowboy, nice of you to join the rest of the waking world!”
Lucky sighed and sat back in his chair. “Sorry Dad, Nikolas here already beat you to the sleeping-in jokes. Of all the things for you two to have in common, why does taunting me have to be one of them?’
“Maybe because it’s so much fun,” Nikolas joked.
“Or because it’s so easy!” Luke added with a laugh.
Lucky groaned and stood up. “I don’t need this abuse. I’m going out.” He stormed out the back door as Nikolas and Luke laughed. Once he was gone, Luke looked down at Nikolas, who was still sitting at the table, and stopped laughing.
“Don’t you have a home?” he asked sarcastically.
Nikolas sighed and stood up. “Tell Laura I stopped by. I have to meet Emily for lunch.” He went out the back door, leaving Luke alone in the kitchen.
~*~
Lucky went to Kelly’s, hoping Elizabeth would still be working. Unfortunately, she had already left, so he sat down and ate a late lunch. The previous night still seemed like a dream to him, and he couldn’t believe he had actually kissed her. He smiled at the memory.
“Well, someone’s in a good mood today!”
Startled, Lucky looked up to see Emily smiling at him. He blushed slightly, then groaned as Nikolas stepped up behind her. “I just can’t get away from you, can I?”
Nikolas grinned and shook his head. “Nope. So what were you smiling about just now? Wait...let me guess...does it start with an ‘E’?”
Lucky sighed, knowing that he wasn’t going to get out of this one. “What if it does?”
“Aww, how cute,” Emily said. “Lucky’s in love!”
“I’m not in love!” he argued, his face turning red. “I just met her!”
“Uh-huh, just keep denying it. I suppose you’re just here for the food right now?” she teased.
“As a matter of fact, I just finished eating. Elizabeth isn’t even working this afternoon," he answered smugly, even though she was right.
“I know, she’s probably on her way to my house.” She glanced at her watch and nodded. “Yeah, I think her and Alexis are supposed to be there in about a half an hour for their dress fittings. I don’t have to go until later.”
Lucky stood up, leaving some money on the table for his lunch. “Well, thanks for the info, but I think I’ll just head home. Later.” He left the diner, and slowly made his way down the street to his house, his mind still on Elizabeth.
As he approached the Port Charles Hotel, Alexis and Liz came outside and headed for Ned’s limo. Lucky stopped walking as he watched them pass. They didn’t see him, and he thought about just letting them go, but his desire to talk to Liz again was too great. He quickly cleared his throat and walked towards them, calling out to her. “Elizabeth!”
Liz turned around and smiled. “Hey Lucky! What are you doing here?”
“I was just on my way home from Kelly’s. I was hoping to catch you there, but you had already left.”
“Yeah, I had to meet Alexis for lunch, and now we’re going to the Quartermaines for our dress fittings,” she answered apologetically, glancing over at Alexis.
“Well, actually, yours isn’t until mine is over, so you don’t really have to go with me,” Alexis said, sensing that Liz wanted to spend some time with Lucky.
Liz smiled at her, then looked at Lucky. “I guess I don’t have to go yet, then.”
“Cool, you want to take a walk or something?” he asked, wondering why he was suddenly nervous around her. She nodded and waved at Alexis as she got into the limo and drove away.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, not sure what to say. Liz looked up at Lucky, noticing for the first time that his eyes were sort of bloodshot, and he had dark circles under them. “Lucky, are you okay? You look kind of tired.”
He nodded. “I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“No, I was just...thinking about some stuff, that’s all,” he answered, looking down at his hands.
“Nothing bad, I hope,” Liz said, wondering why he was acting so strangely. What if he regretted kissing her last night? What if he didn’t really like her after all?
He turned and smiled at her. “No, nothing bad. You want to go to the park? It’s just around the corner.”
“Sure, the park sounds nice,” she answered. They turned the corner and their hands brushed together, sending an electric shock through both of them. Instead of stepping away, Lucky took her hand in his and smiled at her. They walked along, gazing at each other, completely unaware that they had walked into the street. They were lost in their own little world, and didn’t see the car that was speeding towards them.
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