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Kate couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened to Lucas. The kiss, the heat, the intensity - all of it was real, but also incredibly wrong. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

From the first day she met Lucy at the institute, the blonde, vivacious girl had become a ray of sunshine in her life. Lucy was the type who could turn any situation into something fun. Their friendship grew fast and strong from day one. Lucy was the first person Kate turned to when she needed advice or comfort.

"And now? How did I ruin everything so quickly?" Kate muttered to herself, wrapping her arms around herself.

She knew Lucy had feelings for Lucas. For months, Lucy had spoken of him with a special sparkle in her eyes. Although things between them had never developed into something solid, the romantic interest was much more than clear. Kate shouldn't have crossed that line. And even worse: she felt she couldn't ignore what she had felt in the kiss.

Suddenly, the sound of a new notification snapped her out of her thoughts.

Her cell phone vibrated in the pocket of her coat hanging on the door. Kate hesitated for a moment before picking it up. Lucy's name flashed on the screen.

[Lucy ^^: Kate, the worst has happened. Now, during Christmas dinner, Ethan proposed to me. He did it in front of my parents! Now I'm hiding in the bathroom, not knowing what to do. I can't face him or my parents. Please help me!]

Kate felt her heart sink even further. Lucy was going through an incredibly complicated time, and here she was, caught up in her own drama with Lucas.

"Okay, focus," Kate told herself out loud. She typed a quick reply:

[Kate: Lucy, I'm here. Calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened. I'm here to help you.]

Lucy's reply came almost instantly.

[Lucy: He showed up here the other day, and he was already strange, always trying to get too close. During dinner tonight, he stared at me the whole time. Then, in front of my parents, he casually said that he'd always loved me and asked if we could try something together. My parents were so excited that I didn't even know what to say to them. Ethan is waiting in the living room for an answer. I'm ashamed and terrified!]

Kate sat down on the toilet seat, cell phone still in hand. Ethan. Kate didn't like him, probably because Ethan seemed shy and cocky at the same time and never sounded natural. Besides, he and Lucy had been childhood friends, but there had been nothing romantic between them. Apparently, Ethan had kept those feelings in for a long time.

[Kate: Lucy, you need to think about what you really want. Your parents may want one thing, Ethan may want another, but what matters is how YOU feel. Do you want to be with him? Have you thought about it before?

Lucy ^^: Ethan is nice, but I've never thought about him romantically. At least, not until now. And with everything that's been happening with Lucas... I'm more confused than ever.]

Kate: No one can pressure you into deciding now. If you need time to think, then give yourself that time. Leave the bathroom calmly and tell Ethan that you need to talk to him another time. And your parents need to respect that too.

Lucy ^^: But... I know I don't like him any more than I like Lucas. What I feel for Ethan is friendship, I guess. I never thought of him as a love. What should I do?

Kate: I need to tell you something that might make your decision easier.

Lucy ^^: What is it?]

So Kate told her everything that had happened between her and Lucas. From the moment they met by chance near the vending machines, to the movie and then the kiss.

Lucy viewed all the messages, but didn't reply...

Kate sat on the cold bathroom floor, her knees against her chest and her arms hugging her legs. The kiss with Lucas had been like a bolt of lightning that had split her world in two, and she almost couldn't deal with the guilt, even after she had told Lucy everything.

Kate was sure that by telling the truth about what happened with Lucas, she was trying to be honest, but now that Lucy had read it and not responded, the weight of the guilt increased exponentially.

Kate's mind raced with every scenario. Was Lucy angry? Upset? Or just in shock? Would she accept Ethan's statement because of that? Didn't agree to watch a movie in the apartment of a single man thousands of kilometers away from a home show that something like this would happen? If so, why did she accept anyway? Was she that lonely and didn't realize it?

"Calm down, Kate. This is a natural reaction. Lucy needs time to process. And so do I."
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She took a deep breath and rested her head against the icy wall, letting the soft sound of the snow falling outside fill the silence. The minutes passed at a slow pace, as if time had been frozen along with her thoughts.

-:-

*Knock! Knoch!*

"Kate? It's me, Kate. Are you all right?" Lucas asked after knocking on the door.

Kate didn't answer. She didn't have the strength to talk to him. Not yet.

"Kate, please. This bathroom is too cold. You can't sleep in there. It's past one in the morning," he insisted, knocking lightly on the door once again. "I'm not asking us to talk now. I just want to make sure you're comfortable and safe and that you won't die of hypothermia."

Kate remained silent. She knew Lucas was trying to help, but she just couldn't face it right now.

Suddenly, Kate heard another knock on a door. However, it wasn't the bathroom door, but the front door.

Lucas frowned, wondering who might show up on that stormy night. He opened the door and was surprised to see Lucy; her long blonde hair blew in the wind, and her thin coat seemed an insufficient protection against the cold.

"Lucy?" Lucas asked.

"Merry Christmas, Tanaka." She said with a fake smile.