Chapter 3 - Lyn's Arrival

The group arrived at the airport. Astraea was securing a space for Lyn's things in the back of the car, while Julia and Derek were taking pictures. Septis then approached. "Need help?" he asked. Astraea's heart skipped a beat. "Uhm, sure. Can you please put the baby car seat inside?" she replied. She handed the seat to him without looking, and Septis took it, attaching it to the back seat. While Astraea was cleaning, something fell. As she reached for it, she accidentally knocked over the lock on the door, and it started to fall open. Luckily, Septis noticed right away and grabbed the door compartment before it could hit Astraea. Astraea was shocked and looked at him.

"I see you're still clumsy," Septis chuckled.

Astraea blushed furiously, and his laughter made her heart flutter. It felt like a dream to hear his laugh again, and there it was. She chuckled along with him, and Septis was surprised. She finally smiled. Septis began to blush as well and quickly looked away, focusing on the compartment to make sure it wouldn't fall again.

"Be careful next time," he said, avoiding eye contact, and walked over to Derek. When he reached Derek and Julia, they noticed he was blushing.

"Ooo~ Seems like something good happened, huh?" Derek teased.

"Shut up, bro," Septis replied, embarrassed.

"What happened?" Julia asked, confused, but Derek just laughed and said, "Oh, it's nothing."

---

Back to Astraea...

Astraea smiled as she closed the compartment. Then, she received a call from Lyn.

"Hey, where are you guys? I'm outside," Lyn said.

"We're just at the exit of the airport. Wait there, we're coming!" Astraea replied, ending the call before calling the others. "Guys, Lyn's here!"

Everyone hurriedly made their way to the exit of the airport.

---

As the group met up with Lyn at the exit, she was surprised to see Derek and Septis with them. She hadn't expected them to be there. But then, her eyes flickered between Astraea and Septis, and she suddenly wore a teasing grin.

Astraea and Septis both blushed at the same time, and Septis hurriedly helped Lyn with her suitcase. Astraea, along with Derek and Julia, grabbed Lyn's other bags.

Lyn, still wearing her playful grin, glanced at them and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, looks like something good is going to happen" she teased, making Astraea and Septis blush even harder.

Septis hurriedly adjusted the straps on Lyn's suitcase, trying to hide his embarrassment, while Astraea quickly avoided eye contact, both of them feeling the weight of Lyn's knowing smile.

They all went to the car and stored all of Lyn's things in the back. Lyn put Stella (Lyn's daughter) in the car seat, and she sat in the back with Julia and Derek.

"Bro, we're full back here. You should sit in the front seat," Derek teased, and Lyn laughed. Julia was still confused.

They drove around Goldenbrook, and by 7 p.m., they decided to start heading home since it was two hours away. They chatted in the car, and Stella sang songs. Everyone laughed; it was such a fun moment. About an hour later, everyone else fell asleep except Astraea, who was the one driving. Septis woke up, looked around, and saw that everyone was asleep. Then he looked at Astraea and noticed her tired eyes. He broke the silence and said, "Astraea, if ever you feel uncomfortable with me around, please don’t hesitate to tell me."

Astraea was surprised but then smiled. "Well, I'm not uncomfortable with you; it's just a bit awkward for me. After all, we have a past, and it didn’t end well. But I’m not uncomfortable, I'm just adjusting."

Septis smiled and looked into her eyes. "I know you’re tired. I can drive if you want," he said with concern.

"Oh, it's fine, no worries," Astraea smiled, but it was clear in her eyes that she was sleepy.

"Come on, I can't bear seeing you pretending. Stop the car, let’s switch," Septis said, and Astraea stopped the car. They switched places. Astraea felt relieved to finally rest.

"Take some rest, don’t push yourself too much, okay?" Septis said. Astraea teared up a little and smiled. "Thank you," she replied.

Septis smiled, and she fell asleep. He looked at her for a moment, then stopped the car briefly to put a blanket around her and move her hair out of her face. He whispered quietly, "As long as I’m here, I’ll take care of you," before continuing to drive.

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