Luke stares at my face like he’s waiting for a punchline to a joke I never told, but when our eyes meet again, I can see his anger thinning. After a moment, he exhales heavily, dragging a hand down his face.
“Fuck me. I’m sorry, man,” he groans, turning away.
“For what?”
“I did the thing that everyone does to me.”
“What does that mean?” What is happening right now?
“It’s just…” He hesitates, giving me a sideways glance. “You knew who I was.”
I think my brain has officially fried. Are we having a conversation in English, or am I too out of it to follow his train of thought? I try to put it together, but I’m at a total loss.
My eyes are beginning to sting from being open for so long, and I pinch at my forehead. “Look, I’m not normally this stupid, but I’m having a hard time understanding. What are you talking about?”
Luke groansexcessively. “I’m aware of my reputation in this town, okay? I know the rumors everyone has passed around since I was a kid, but when I first met you, I thought you might have been the exception. When you asked about New York, I instantly assumed you were just like the rest ofthem, trying to get in a good jab because I’m back.”
My brows arch in surprise. “Oh.” Okay. Now, everything makes more sense. As I go back through our weird interactions since Tuesday, they’re suddenly less unusual in this context.
Luke runs a hand through his hair and lets his head drop against the seat. “When you took the heat off of me with Frank, I was shocked. I didn’t know how to react. I was still waiting for you to turn on me, too.”
“You’re reallythattargeted here?” My heart suddenly feels heavy.
“I mean…” Luke shrugs. “It’s nothing I haven’t had to deal with my whole life from these assholes. Frank, especially, has always been a massive dick to me, but I normally ignore him.”
“Do you guys actually know each other?”
Luke goes slightly rigid. “We went to school together. We were in the same grade.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry.” And I am. Frank is the worst human I’ve ever met in my entire life. He’s the sort of man who thinks true strength comes from violence, with a reputation for picking fights over little transgressions. I heard he once beat the shit out of a kid for smiling at his girlfriend when they were nineteen,only to find out it was her cousin visiting from Ohio. For some reason, they stayed together for another few years after that. Maybe she was too scared to leave him.
Still, I can only imagine what it would have been like to grow up with that asshole, especially during high school.
“Yeah,” Luke says simply, though there’s a furrow in his brow.
We’re quiet for a moment as I process his words, but then my brain makes a connection it shouldn’t have taken me so long to realize. “Wait. Washethe one who outed you?”
Luke looks at me warily, then frowns and tilts his head. “You seriously didn’t know that? I thought all of this was part of the common knowledge gossip train around here.”
My jaw clenches, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. I didn’t think my disdain for Frank could be any higher, but it’s suddenly off the charts. “I remembered hearing about it when it happened, but I didn’t focus on the details.”
Luke seems surprised. “Oh. Well, yeah. He and his goons have been the bane of my existence since elementary school.”
“And you thought I was someone likehim?” Now I’m offended. “He’s a prick.”
Luke shrugs, but his mouth curves up at one side in a grin. “I’m happy I was wrong.”
“Fucking hell.”
“Hey, I’m sorry!” he exclaims with a lighthearted laugh, and it’s so unexpected that I can’t help but turn my head to look at him, my jaw slack.
There’s something about the way his whole face lights up that utterly transfixes me, and it’s like I’ve forgotten how to breathe. It’s free and easy and such a departure from the Luke I’ve seen so far that I don’t want to take my eyes off him, which wouldn’t be an issue if I wasn’t currently driving. But it’s contagious, and I don’t seem to have control over my face as a grin overtakes me. The next thing I know, we’re both laughing.
When we settle back into an easy silence, I watch as Luke’s face falls somewhat when he meets my eye again, studying me intently. I shake my head with a frown. Where did he go?
“What is it?”
Luke rubs a hand along his jaw, then bites his lower lip. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”
