An hour passed before the door pushed open, Melissa coming in. Her face was flushed from the cold, but had obviously been crying. One glance over to Lucas, and more tears formed at her eyes as she briskly walked pass him to go up the stairs.
"M-Melissa? Are you okay?" Lucas asked softly, getting to his feet so that he could go after her. "What happened? Can I do anything to help?"
Melissa stopped at the foot of the stairs, not turning to look at him. She shook her head, holding onto herself. "No… I- you can't… I- I'm sorry…" She whispered weakly. "I- I'm so sorry…" She whispered as she slowly continued going up the stairs.
Lucas sighed shakily and stepped closer to Melissa. "Please… I don't want you to have to be alone when you're feeling like this…"
Melissa stopped when she got to the top of the stairs, looking down at him from where she stood. "But… but aren't you mad at me?" She asked weakly, tears still streaming down her face.
"No, I'm not mad at you, Mel… I'm just worried about you…" Lucas pulled Melissa into a hug and kissed her a few times, trying to calm her down.
Melissa buried her face in his shoulder, holding onto him tightly. She tried to keep from crying anymore, but a couple weak sobs escaped as she held onto him. "I'm so sorry… I- I shouldn't have g-gotten upset with y-you."
"It's okay, Melissa… don't feel so guilty. It's not your fault." Lucas gently rubbed Melissa's back and sighed, still trying to get her to relax.
Melissa hiccuped, and still tried to stop her heavy sobbing. She leaned into his arms, growing quiet as she started to relax. She let herself grow slightly limp in his arms as she relaxed.
"Feeling any better, Mel?" He whispered when she seemed to settle down somewhat. "I… um… I love you…"
Melissa nodded weakly, quietly tracing into his chest. "Y-Yeah… I love y-you, too… and I'm sorry." She whispered hoarsely, her voice gravely from her sobbing.
"It's okay, Mel… you're okay…" Lucas kissed Melissa a couple more times. "You're gonna be just fine…"
Melissa let out a weak sigh, looking up at him. "P-Promise?" She asked weakly, reaching up to rub her tears away.
"Mhmm… we're gonna get you a good therapist that you trust and maybe some meds and we'll get you feeling better."
"I don't want to have to, though…" She whispered weakly, holding onto the fabric of his shirt tightly. "I- I don't want to have to deal with any of this…"
"I know, Mel… I know…" Lucas sighed softly. "No one really wants to deal with this, but if we don't, it'll only get worse. And I'm hoping that just seeing a therapist will be enough, but depending on how severe your condition is, you might need some meds too…"
"I really just… I hate this." Melissa sighed weakly, pulling back just a little. She glanced up at him, drawing in a deep breath before slowly pulling him towards her bedroom. "Can… can we sit down?"
"Yeah, of course, Mel…" Lucas sat down on the bed with Melissa and pulled her closer to himself. "I know it sucks… believe me, I do. And I'm not gonna let you get to the point that I was or am. I… I can't let that happen if there's anything I can do to stop it…"
Melissa gave him a weak smile, leaning back into his arms. She kept her head resting on his shoulder, holding onto his hand. "I really don't think I'll get to that point… I- I mean, you noticed something before I even knew what was going on…"
Lucas nodded a bit. "And… and theoretically speaking, this should be pretty treatable as long as you're compliant, I just… I hate seeing you like this, Mel…"
Melissa sighed softly, looking up at him. She reached up to hold his face in her hand, rubbing his cheek gently. "I'm sorry… I- I wish I was perfectly fine, so you wouldn't worry about me…"
"It isn't your fault, Melissa… you can't always control mental illnesses." Lucas sighed and closed his eyes as he leaned into Melissa's hand.
She quietly continued, kissing his forehead softly. "I know that… I- I just… I hate that I'm worrying you." Melissa whispered, resting her forehead against his just a little.
"Well, I'm sure I worried you with all my shit, Mel… it's my turn." Lucas huddled a bit closer to Melissa. "I want to help you…"
"I know you do, but I don't want you stressing yourself out. You've still got a lot to handle on your own-" Melissa whispered. "Speaking of, how are you doing?"
Lucas shrugged a bit and buried his face in Melissa's shoulder. "M'alright, I guess… tired…"
“You could take a nap if you want.” Melissa told him softly. She pulled her phone out and glanced at the time. “I know it’s only noon, but- wait-“ She whispered, sitting up in his arms as she caught the date. “Its… It’s New Year’s Eve.”
"Shit! It is, isn't it? God, I told you we'd go and do something and I'm just moping about… where do you wanna go, Mel?" He asked softly.
“No- no it’s fine. You’re exhausted, take a nap. I don’t want you to be miserable.” Melissa insisted, pecking his lips. “It’s fine. We’ll do stuff later tonight.”
"No, I don't need to take a nap… I'm fine. I'm happy to go wherever you wanna go."