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“Hey,” I say, forcing a smile as I subtly turn and head toward her place.
“You okay?” she asks, hands on the railing as she watches me take the stairs.
I nod, not trusting myself to voice the lie. She watches as I walk up to her and pull her into my arms. I feel Lu’s hands slide around my waist and for a second, I can almost forget that my cheating ex-girlfriend has shown up here, pregnant with another man’s child and somehow still expecting me to take her back.
For a second, I can almost believe it’s just Lu and me still.
“Jack, what’s wrong?” she asks, pulling back a little. “You’re shaking.”
I swallow hard, unable to look at her. “Yeah,” I start, swallowing hard. “It’s um, I…”
I feel Lu’s hands slide up my sides, curling around my ribs. “Is it something to do with the woman who came looking for you today?”
My head shoots up. “How…what…” I stammer, not sure which question I want to ask her first.
Lu’s hands drop to her sides now, no longer touching me as she takes a step backward, the small gap she creates between us suddenly feeling huge.
“She came into the office,” she says, eyes on her feet. “She was looking for you, was asking about you.”
“Lu,” I murmur, reaching for her.
She steps back again. “Who is she?” she asks.
“Lu,” I repeat, reaching for her hand and pulling her back to me. “She’s no one,” I add, as I tilt her face to mine.
Lu shakes her head. “She isn’t no one, Jack,” she says sadly. “She’s come all this way, all this way for you.”
I take a deep breath, never turning away from Lu as I nod once. “I don’t know why she’s come here,” I say. “Truly, I don’t.”
“Who is she?” she repeats.
“She’s my ex,” I admit. “The one I broke up with months before I came here.”
Lu stares up at me, her eyes sad as they search my face. “If you broke up with her, why is she here?” she asks, as though she can’t possibly understand. As though she actually thinks I’m lying to her about the status of my relationship with Mel.
“Babe,” I whisper, stepping even closer, desperate for her to believe me. “I’m not with her. I haven’t been with her for a very long time,” I say, my words pleading. “And I have absolutely no desire to be with her now or ever again. It’s you I want, Lu,” I whisper, leaning down so my forehead rests against her. “Only you.”
Lu’s head falls forward now, so it’s resting against my chest. I lean down and press a kiss to her hair, inhaling the now familiar scent of her shampoo.
“She’s very beautiful,” she says, her words quiet.
I step back, cup her face in my hands as I lift her eyes to mine again. “What did you say?” I ask, needing her say it again so I can make sure she hears my answer.
“She’s very beautiful,” she repeats.
“Lu,” I start, pausing as I lean in and press a soft kiss to her lips. “You are the only woman I see, the only woman I want to be with, okay?” I say. “And to me, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Lu stares up at me, her eyes filled with a sadness that breaks my heart. “Really?” she whispers.
I smile now, leaning in to kiss her again. “Really,” I say against her lips. “More than anything,” I add, before deepening the kiss as I try to prove it to her.
Later that night, we’re lying in bed, the darkness of her room occasionally interrupted as the light breeze blows the blinds, lifting them and letting in the moonlight.
Lu lies against me, her body pressed into mine, her arm lying across my stomach. I trail a hand up and down her spine, neither of us saying anything, but neither of us able to sleep either.
I feel her sigh against me, her hand sliding over my ribs.
“What do you want to ask me?” I murmur, my lips pressed to her hair.
