Legendary Shelter Survival Guide

"Sarah..." Lucas reached the back of the shelter and saw a silhouette sitting with its head down.

"Please… Please give me some time, Lucas. I'll be okay in a minute," she said, trying to stop her tears from falling again.

"Sarah, I know this is hard to believe… I also didn't know I'd be gone for 15 years either. There were so many opportunities, and if I had left without all that knowledge, it would have been a burden for the rest of my life," Lucas said, taking her hands in his and gently caressing them.

Sarah looked him in the eyes. Lucas took a deep breath and sensed a mixture of fondness and a little love in the air.

'Poor kid…' Lucas thought, instinctively shaking his head. 'What am I thinking? She's not a kid, she's older than me... right?' He tried reassuring himself.

Sarah, already vulnerable, began leaning closer to Lucas until their faces were only inches apart. She closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss.

'This is wrong…' Lucas thought, looking at her innocent face as she closed the gap. As she came dangerously close, Lucas realized he had to make a decision.

He could either reject her now or pretend to reciprocate her feelings until she found out the truth.

Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire

'Half-heartedly returning her feelings would only make things worse…' Lucas felt conflicted. He felt pain in his heart yet there was also this feeling inside him, it had been a long time since they met.

When Sarah's lips finally touched his, a warm sensation spread through Lucas, and he found himself returning the kiss. They kissed passionately, and tears streamed down Sarah's face.

To anyone else, it might have seemed like sadness, but Lucas could feel pure happiness, satisfaction, and even lust from her. The tears were simply the overflow of immense joy.

Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that he was taking advantage of her, but at the same time, he had his own pain... losing the people he had grown close to over the last 15 years.

They kissed for a few minutes before Lucas gently broke it, looking at her with affection. Sarah's eyes were full of longing as she rested her head on his chest again, this time allowing him to caress her hair.

They stayed like that for a while. It was peaceful, quiet, and, above all, beautiful.

Sarah eventually fell asleep in Lucas's arms, and he continued stroking her hair in a steady rhythm.

Lucas gazed up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by with a distant look in his eyes. Even he wasn't sure what he was feeling, he left it to time, the one thing he had learned to embrace during his 15 years away was patience.

After an hour, Sarah stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her face glowed as if she'd had the most satisfying sleep.

At first, she didn't realize where she was, but the warmth around her made her feel dangerously comfortable, a feeling she didn't want to leave.

"… Lucas," she whispered in a meek voice.

"Yes?"

"Do you still like me?" Sarah asked bluntly.

Lucas didn't respond right away. Sarah was mature enough to wait, but that didn't stop the fear in her heart. Lucas could tell by the fast, unsteady beat of her pulse.

"… I feel like I should be honest with you, Sarah… I don't know yet," Lucas said, still gazing at the sky.

"I see…" Sarah said quietly and tried to get up, only to be pulled back into Lucas's warm embrace.

"I don't know yet, but… would you like to figure it out with me?" he asked, this time looking at her.

Lucas smiled. While Sarah didn't respond right away, he could feel her happiness spreading, almost like a contagious emotion, forcing a smile onto his face too.

"Hmmm~ That depends~" Sarah finally got up and sat on Lucas's lap. Lucas couldn't remember if they had ever been this close before, but he instinctively placed his hands on her waist and smiled warmly.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on whether you had any relationships in those 15 years…" she asked meekly, making Lucas chuckle.

"I'm not sure how things will go from here, but the first thing I promise is that I will never lie to you," he said, gently pushing a few strands of hair away from her face and tucking them behind her ear.

Sarah shivered slightly, not in a bad way.

"I had some fun here and there," Lucas said, and Sarah's face paled for a second before he continued, "But there was only one person I truly loved there."

The shock hit Sarah hard, especially when Lucas said it with a smile.

"And she was my little sister, so yeah, I have no romantic relationships with anyone," Lucas said with a cheeky grin. It took Sarah a moment to process it.

"YOU JERK!" she shouted, playfully hitting his shoulder while Lucas laughed.

"Why would you bring up someone you consider a sister in this conversation? That's creepy!"

"Hey, you asked if I loved anyone there! Love includes family, too," Lucas said, shifting his hands to her waist and swiftly moving his fingers.

"W-Wait, stop! KYA! AHAHAHAHA…!" Sarah burst into laughter as Lucas tickled her until tears flowed again.

After a minute, she finally managed to get off Lucas's lap and catch her breath.

"You… fucking jerk!" she exclaimed, running away.

"Young lady, it's not good to use offensive language. I'll drill some royal manners in you soon, just wait," Lucas called out with a smirk.

Sarah stopped running for a second, and Lucas sensed her embarrassment and shock, leaving him confused.

She resumed running, but Lucas caught up to her, grabbed her hand, and whispered in her ear, "You reacted to 'drilling'? Such a dirty mind. I'll fix that too in time." A grin spread across his face as Lucas felt a shiver run through Sarah.

He was enjoying teasing her, but as soon as he let go of her hand, she bolted, running as fast as she could, leaving Lucas laughing even harder.