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“That new sushi place around the corner is finally open today. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to check it out?” he said, leaning his elbows on my desk. He had that kind of smile that you just couldn’t refuse. I couldn’t refuse it, that was for sure…even if today had been the day I’d been telling myself I’d eat with some of the other employees.
“All right, fine,” I said.
Lucas tilted his head to the side like a little puppy, reaching out to play with a strand of my hair. “Did you not want to come? You don’t sound very eager?”
“No, I just had work I was going to do during lunch, but I can’t refuse that face.”
He laughed. “You know there’s no need for you to work so hard. It’s not like I’m going to fire you for slacking off because you took a break to eat lunch with me.”
“I know.” I couldn’t bear to tell him the real reason why I hadn’t thought I was going to have lunch with him today. Some small part of me feared that he might take it as a sort of betrayal and that was the last thing that I wanted. Besides, that also wasn’t how it was at all. I just wanted someone to confide in with all the craziness that was going on in my life.
But I supposed that was what I got for hanging with the people that I did in college. A pregnancy and no other friends besides Lucas. At least, no friends who would actually care what was going on in my life if I wasn’t inviting them to some crazy party.
“It’s settled, then.” Lucas straightened back up. “Let’s head out to lunch, my treat.”
I sighed and stood. “It’s always your treat, when will you let it be mine? I’m definitely making enough to treat you to lunch every once in a while.”
Lucas threw his head back and laughed. “Seriously Bella, it’s okay. I know you may feel indebted, but that’s the last thing I want. Just focus on your own health and saving up, and I’ll make sure that you’re taken care of.”
“You know I can take care of myself.”
He shrugged. “Sure you can. I never said that I doubted that. But it’s not about that now, is it? Sometimes you have to let other people show you their love, and this is the way that I show mine.”
If the two of us had been together, I could picture him right then leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead. But that was a dream that would never be true. I couldn’t see bringing it up now, especially since we were in an even more precarious position than before. I didn’t know how he would respond or what he would do if he didn’t feel the same way.
Would things be awkward between us? I knew that was something that I couldn’t deal with, especially not in my fragile and emotional state.
So instead of giving in to the fantasy that was playing itself out in my head, I followed him out of the office and down the street to the new sushi place that had just opened.
It was, of course, packed. But Lucas seemed to know whoever was in charge of seating and entered into an easy conversation with them. It wasn’t long until the two of us were seated inside the busy little restaurant with menus in front of us and a promise from the owner that he would make sure our orders were brought to us as soon as possible.
“You certainly have a lot of connections,” I remarked as I browsed through the menu.
“I suppose I do. They definitely come in handy at a time like this.”
“How do you know the owner?”
“Let’s just say I made an investment and it’s paying off,” Lucas said with a wink.
“Oh?” I smiled, raising my eyebrows. “Did you even taste their food before investing in them? Or did your greedy little stomach decide it was time for a new sushi restaurant?”
“Do you really think so lowly of me?” Lucas was grinning. He clearly enjoyed this kind of banter. “I already knew the owner, and the menu that he proposed sounded too delicious to pass up.”
“Well, let’s hope it lives up to expectations,” I said, opening the menu in front of me. Everything on it did indeed look very delicious, so I wasn’t surprised that Lucas had made sure the restaurant had opened its doors. “Can we share some things again?” I asked, not really wanting to make a choice.
“Sure, why not.” He shrugged his shoulders with a smile and then helped me choose out a couple of items for the two of us to try. Despite my earlier argument, I was glad that he was paying for this place. The items that we had chosen weren’t exactly cheap. And while I definitely could have afforded them, I don’t know if my heart would have been able to take it.
After we ordered, we sat there in of silence for a while. It got me thinking, and I realized there was something I wanted to ask Lucas.
I was already having to dress in a particular way to hide the bump that was becoming more apparent by the day, and I knew it was only going to get worse. There was only so long that I would be able to hide the fact from my mother that I was pregnant, and I needed some answers on what I was supposed to do when the day happened that I was no longer able to hide it anymore and she started asking questions.
“Lucas?”
“Yes? What is it? Did you change your mind on the order?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Actually, there was something I wanted to get your opinion on. When do you think I should tell my mother what’s going on? There’s only so much longer that I can hide this big of a secret from her.” I gestured to my stomach. “She’s already beginning to notice a pattern with the morning sickness. I think she’s getting suspicious.”
Lucas sighed. “In my mind, it’s better to wait until the last moment possible. I think she’ll be more understanding if you were trying to deal with it yourself.”
