"I was paralysed." Lucian finally answered.
Stella's eyes widened.
"Y-you were…?"
A pause.
"..h-how long? For how long?" she asked, swallowing hard.
"Hm… I guess 7 years or so," he said calmly, as if he were talking about the weather.
Stella quietly processed his words.
She wanted to say something—maybe comfort him, maybe apologise—but when she saw how calm he looked, she stopped herself.
She knew his personality.
If he was the same as before… then it was better not to say anything.
So she simply shifted closer and lay her head on his lap.
Lucian was surprised at first, but he let her stay.
His hand instinctively found its way to her hair, gently combing through it.
[Aren't you both too close to each other?] Akasha's voice chimed into his mind.
'She is my best friend. Of course we are.' Lucian replied internally.
[Best friend? Am I on the same planet, or is your definition of best friends a little different?] She chuckled.
'What do you—'
[Oh, come on. You know exactly what I mean. You like her, right?]
Lucian paused.
'I did,' he admitted.
'But now… I don't know.'
Time had changed him.
Death had changed him.
And he didn't have the luxury to think about that right now.
"What are you thinking about?"
Her voice pulled him back.
He looked down at Stella, who was resting her head comfortably on his lap.
"Nothing, just… It's been such a long time since we met."
She smiled softly.
"Yeah. It really has."
They continued talking, but even then, she did not remove her head from his lap.
Just like that, 20 minutes passed.
Both had a smile on their faces.
Two old friends, separated by time and fate, were smiling like children reunited after years of loneliness.
Lucian had no friends during his paralysis.
Stella had many… but none of them felt real.
Most only stayed because of her status, her fame, her family name.
Then—
"Young Miss."
A sudden voice snapped them from their little world.
Stella blinked, before looking at the woman before her.
She looked to be in her early 30s, dressed in crisp office attire.
She stood around 170 cm tall, about the same height as Stella.
Her eyes were sharp, and her posture straight.
"Julia? Why are you here?" Stella asked, surprised, as she lifted her head from Lucian's lap and sat properly.
The woman, Julia, looked at both of them and smiled faintly.
"Miss, you called me to pick you up." She reminded her.
"Oh… right."
Julia's gaze shifted to Lucian.
"Is he the one? The boy you always talked about?"
Her gaze sharpened, evaluating him, weighing him, searching for any ill intention.
Stella had spoken fondly about him, but Julia wasn't the type to trust easily—not when it came to her.
"Yes! Let me introduce you. This is Lucian, my best friend. And Lucian, this is my caretaker, Julia."
Lucian greeted her politely.
After a while, Julia saw Stella's injury.
They moved to their car, with Lucian helping Stella to walk.
Julia didn't intervene—she simply let him do it.
Once Stella was settled inside the luxurious car, Julia turned to him.
"Thank you for helping her." She said with a smile.
Her expression was genuine.
When she heard that a truck was about to hit Stella, it had shaken her deeply.
Stella wasn't just a young miss to her—she was like her own daughter.
Lucian nodded.
"Take care of Star."
'Star?' Julia blinked, but then realised.
"Fufu, already calling by nicknames." She chuckled, amused.
"Don't worry. I will."
She then handed him a card.
"If you ever need anything… call me."
Then she entered the car, and it drove away.
***
On his way home, Lucian stopped to buy some groceries.
'I did not know she was that rich.'
He looked at the card again—the one Julia had given him.
He knew she came from a wealthy family, but he didn't think it would be this much.
Stella had also given her mobile number.
She even asked him if he needed money or any help.
Yes—she offered money to a friend she had just reunited with after years.
'Is she dumb?' He thought.
It might not seem much, but think about it for a moment.
You meet a childhood best friend after years apart—would you offer him money so casually?
How could you trust someone so easily when you didn't know how much they had changed?
She had even tried to send him some money.
And by "some", she meant a million dollars.
Lucian almost thought that she was kidding, but was shocked to find out that she wasn't.
Still, he refused her offer.
Again, this might seem stupid to most, but it wasn't, at least not to him.
He had his pride, and he wouldn't feel right to stomp on that.
***
Inside the spacious luxury car, Stella and Julia sat in the back.
"So," Julia said casually.
"He was your long-lost boyfriend?"
Stella froze.
Her face flushed instantly.
"What! What are you saying!"
Seeing her reaction, Julia laughed.
"So I was right? Don't worry—you have my approval. He doesn't seem to be a bad guy. And to top it off, he's handsome too."
Stella's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.
"It isn't like that! He is just my… my best friend."
Her voice trailed off.
Julia smiled knowingly.
"Mhm." She hummed sarcastically.
Stella turned to stare out the window, not wanting to meet her gaze.