Caroline gave a faint smile as she sat beside Lewis on the couch. She was completely tired and exhausted and he can clearly see it on her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he softly asked as he gently rubbed her back, making her feel a little relaxed.

"Not really," Caroline let out a deep breath. "I mean I am still processing what happened tonight."

Lewis nodded his head, understanding what she meant.

"But thank you for coming for my rescue though," Caroline gave a grateful smile.

"I guess it's a good thing I was stalking you," he joked, earning a light punch from Caroline.

"Well, it's your first time in my house and I have nothing to offer you to eat so I was thinking maybe we can order dinner if you want," Caroline said.

"Sure, and can we consider it as our first date?" Lewis joked.

"Okay," Caroline smiled, which shocked Lewis for a second.

"Wait..you are actually agreeing to..."

"Do you want me to change my mind?"

"No..God no."

***

Lewis admired Caroline's house as they both cleaned up after dinner. Her house was defiantly much smaller than his but the décor and furniture give a more homey feeling which made him a little jealous yet comfortable.

Even though they didn't talk about what happened earlier the night, throughout the dinner Lewis was dying to ask her the question that has been eating up his brain for the past couple of hours and is almost sure it will ruin Caroline's mood.

"Alright, all done," Caroline said as she cleaned the last plate and washed her hands.

"Can I ask you something?" Lewis cautiously asked. "It's okay if you don't answer it but I feel like I have to know this..."

"Sure..what is it?"

"Earlier today Kelly mentioned something..."

Caroline took a deep breath, already knowing what the question is going to be.

"She said Max loves you...I don't care if it's true or not but do you have any feelings for him as well?" he asked, his eyes pleading for an honest answer.

Caroline gave a small smile as she nervously ran her fingers through her hair.

"He is my teammate Lewis and we are very close...or at least we were," she replied. "And I guess a part of me loves him and care for him very much but as a friend and a teammate...nothing more."

Lewis nodded, feeling relieved with the answer. "So nothing ever happened between you two?"

Caroline let out a shaky breath and looked away which pretty much answered his question.

"Did you two..."

"It was just a kiss..a stupid kiss which made me feel nothing but guilt," she replied. "But we talked about it and agreed it was a mistake."

"If he really loves you then I don't think he considers the kiss as a mistake," Lewis gave a sad smile as he put a strand of her hair behind her ear and then touched her cheek. "Just like I don't regret even a single moment we spent together."

Caroline's heart started beating faster and her cheek got a little warm from the blood rush as Lewis took a step closer.

"Lewis I..."

"I really like you, Caroline," he said softly as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Hell, I feel like it's more than that. I really have strong feelings for you."

Caroline hold Lewis' hand that was caressing her cheek as her face softened from his confession.

"Lewis I...all this is too much for me right now," she softly said. "And I think you have feelings for the wrong person...I have issues okay, a lot of baggage. I don't want to ever get married or have kids."

Lewis patiently listened and didn't interrupt her as his eyes continue to fixate on her.

"And loving someone scares me, even thinking about being with someone for the rest of my life scares me," she tried to hold back her tears but her voice cracked. "You know what happened tonight, I don't want to get hurt like Kelly did."

"Hey hey hey," Lewis cupped her face with both his hands. "I completely understand what you are saying but I promise you I won't ever hurt you, not with my words or my actions Care. And I don't even have any thoughts of marriage or kids in my mind."

Caroline felt venerable for the first time. She never expressed her feelings like this to anyone in years but was surprised with Lewis' reaction. She expected him to try to convince her otherwise or leave immediately.

"If you are willing to give us a try then I promise we will take it slow. No commitment of marriage or kids and I promise I will never break your hurt in any way, I will always treasure it and care for it."

Caroline let out a shaky breath as his words melted her heart.

"But if you feel like you are not ready or think us being together is a bad idea then I am happy with just being your friend," he gave an assuring smile.

"I really hope I don't regret this," Caroline gave a small smile before pressing her lips on Lewis'.

Lewis instantly kissed her back. Both felt a warm feeling in their heart and realize the kiss was different than what they shared before. This one was more passionate and felt more intimate.

***

Lewis had a faint happy smile plastered on his face as he gently brushed Caroline's hair, she was sleeping beside him and had her head rested on his chest. After the night they shared he is now certain he is falling in love with her and just like Caroline he is scared but also happy and excited to have her in his arms.

He was pulled out from the trance as his phone vibrated, thankfully it didn't ring, and woke up Caroline. He stretched his arm and picked up his phone from the bedside table and immediately regretted it. It was Toto calling him in the middle of the night, probably to ask why he hasn't returned any of the texts.

Lewis declined the call and immediately received a new text from his boss, asking for an update and what to know if their plan is going smoothly or has he hit an obstacle. Lewis quickly replied that they will talk tomorrow before putting down his phone.

He kissed Caroline's forehead and wrapped his arm around her waist before closing his eyes. Tonight he just wants to be with her and not worry about anything else.

***

Max sat alone in his bedroom, exhausted from the events of tonight. Everything was a mess around him as Kelly packed whatever she could find and left the house and went to stay with one of her friends. He didn't wish to end his relationship with her this way but was too drunk and angry and jealous and messed everything up. He broke Kelly's heart in the worst way possible and along with it the girl he loves witnessed everything.

He tried to get Kelly to forgive him but she was having none of it. His only hope right now is that Caroline will be kind enough to listen to him and forgive him. He knows he broke her trust and it won't be easy to gain it back.

Just as he was about to call it a night and get some sleep his phone buzzed multiple times. He wanted to ignore it and leave it for the next morning but decided his night is already ruined and nothing worse can happen, but sadly he was wrong.

He opened his notifications and looked through it, once again anger boiling inside him. Some captured a photo of him kissing Florence and it went viral, and to make matter worse Florence has already issued a statement explaining her version of what happened, mentioning both Caroline and Kelly.

Max yelled out in frustration and threw his phone at the wall causing it to shatter in pieces. He needs Caroline, he needs her to calm him down and to help him sort out the situation like always but knows she won't even look at him, let alone talk to him. He decided it will be best to get some rest and try to go and talk to her tomorrow.

**********

A/N: Thoughts on Lewis and Caroline? do you think they will be able to make it work?

What will Max do now? I feel really bad for him but also he did it to himself...

Also its my birthday today and I can't go out and party because of covid :(  new year new covid variant ruining my life