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I clambered back into the warm bed, my mouth feeling much fresher. I rolled over to face Luke, trailing my hand down his stubbled face.
His full, sexy lips turned up into a smile, and he leaned in to kiss me. “Mmm, you taste nice. All minty.”
“I brought a toothbrush with me to keep here. I left it in the bathroom—I hope that’s okay,” I murmured.
He stiffened, the smile wiped from his face.
I hesitated. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” he said shortly. “I need a shower.” Rolling out of bed, he stood and crossed the room, leaving without a backwards glance. I heard the shower turn on, and I shrugged, confused, and rolled over. Closing my eyes, I let the sound of the running water lull me back to sleep.
Luke had been quiet, distant, all morning. Sitting in the uncomfortable plastic seats at Wells Way Stadium, home of the London Hawks, I sighed as Avery shot me an assessing look. She knew me so well; I had no hope of hiding anything from her.
“Okay, what is it? Tell me, quick, while the boys are getting our drinks.”
“I honestly don’t know. Luke’s been acting weird lately.”
“Weird, how?”
“Well, it feels like he’s kind of pulling away from me. And today he’s being standoffish.” I lowered my voice, moving my head closer to Avery’s. “He’s still all over me wanting sex and all that, but…you know I told you a couple of weeks ago that I felt like we were becoming closer? He’s made excuses not to see me all week. At work he’s supposedly been too busy to talk to me, or even to take a lunch break.”
I chewed my lip in agitation, lowering my voice even further. “I asked him if we could see each other on Wednesday after work, but he told me he had plans with Alex. I know he lied to me about the plans, though, because Alex messaged me asking for the name of a gin bar I’d recommended to him so he could take someone there on a date that evening.”
Avery stared at me, worry evident in her eyes, as I continued. “I stayed at his flat last night, but that was the first time I’d seen him out of work since last Sunday. He asked me to come round in the evening, and all we did was have sex, then went to sleep. Then this morning, we were in bed kissing, and he suddenly went all withdrawn and closed off for no reason.” I shrugged, at a loss to explain his behaviour.
I stared out at the rugby pitch, restlessly bouncing my leg, my stomach churning.
“I haven’t seen you together lately to judge, but you might be reading too much into his actions.” Avery squeezed my hand. “Come on. Stop thinking about it. Let’s try to enjoy your first ever rugby game.”
“Okay.” My voice was small.
Caught up in the game, Luke’s full attention was directed at the pitch as the rugby players ran up and down the field. I kept sneaking glances at his profile. The face I knew so well, that I’d traced with my hands and my lips during long nights spent wrapped up in him. The face of the man that had come to mean more to me than any other. I can’t lose him. Maybe I was expecting too much. I’d tried so hard not to do anything to pressure him, but maybe I should take a step back, give him more space.
My mind made up, I sat back and tried to concentrate on the game. Sandwiched between Luke and Avery, I dragged my thoughts into the present.
“Alex is fast, isn’t he?” I commented to Luke, watching as Alex flew down the pitch.
He turned to me, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. “Yeah. Especially for his size. You enjoying the game?”
I nodded.
“Good.” He reached out, squeezing my arm briefly, then returned his attention to the field.
Standing in the foyer of the Italian restaurant where we’d had an early dinner after the game, I turned and hugged Ethan. “See you at work on Monday.”
Ethan met my gaze, then Luke’s. Worry flickering in his eyes, he frowned but smoothed his expression so quickly that I could almost convince myself I’d imagined it.
“Take care, Olivia.” He spoke so softly into my ear that I had to strain to hear him. “Our home is always open to you, if you ever need a change of scenery.”
“Thanks.” My face fell. Ethan was Luke’s closest friend, and I was guessing from his words that he’d noticed something was wrong.
Ethan released me, and Avery touched my arm. “I need to quickly use the loo before we leave. Do you want to come?”
“What is it with women needing to go to the loos together?” Ethan muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Avery laughed. “We won’t be long.” I followed her down the corridor into the bathroom, and she turned and locked the door behind us.
“Okay, I’m going to say this because I want to be straight with you.” Chewing her lip, she stared into my eyes, empathy in her gaze. “I paid close attention to how Luke’s been acting around you today. And there’s something going on with him. He’s normally all over you, affectionate and caring.”
