“Aw… that’s hard for you. Why not?”
“Pete had an affair with Ewan’s wife.”
“Holy fuck. Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. It was pretty bad for a while. Easier now they’re in different countries.” He’s trying to lighten the mood, but I can see how it must have screwed with him.
“Will you tell me what happened in the army?” I ask softly.
Immediately, he stiffens, and the shutters come down. “I’d better get back to work.”
“Aw, Luke, I’m sorry…”
“It’s all right.” He releases me. “Thank you for the dance.”
“Thank you for asking.”
I watch him walk away, disappointment making me sigh. I shouldn’t have asked, but we were confessing, and I couldn’t help myself.
I grab another glass of champagne and head back to my seat. Another half an hour, and I reckon I’ll be able to slink away without anyone noticing.
*
Despite my forecast of being a lonely wallflower, Wren and some of the other girls encourage me to dance with them, and in the end it’s close to midnight before I decide I want to go home.
Luke’s waiting by the door when I head out, and I follow him over to his Skoda, because he picked me up in that earlier.
“I could have caught an Uber,” I protest, sliding in as he opens the door.
“We’ve been over that.” He closes the door once I’ve removed my long skirt from where it’s hanging over the edge.
I grumble and plug in my seat belt, then sit back with a sigh. I’m wearing a long dark-pink dress today, the kind that both clashes with my hair and emphasizes its redness at the same time. I watch him open the door and toss his jacket in the back, then slide into the seat and shut the door. As he buckles himself in, his biceps stretch the cotton of his shirt tightly.
“Stop it,” he scolds, starting the engine.
“I’m just looking.”
“Well, don’t. You give me goose bumps.”
“Do I?”
“You know you do. And I know you do it on purpose.”
“I really don’t,” I mumble. “You’re handsome, and I was just admiring the view.”
He huffs, but his lips curve up, just a little. He liked the compliment.
“It’s kind of you to drive me home,” I say, resting my head on the headrest as he pulls away and heads for the main road.
“It’s my job,” he reminds me.
“Yeah… but it’s still nice of you. You make me feel safe.” I’m very sleepy now.
He glances at me. Then he returns his gaze to the road.
