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Luke nodded gratefully before glancing at the bedroom. “I’ll take a quick shower too, if that’s okay?”
“Sure.” I walked into the kitchen and started the coffee maker before using the rest of the groceries to make a mismatched late lunch for us.
Once we were done eating, we packed up all the garbage and added it in the trunk with our stuff before locking up the door.
Luke took a last glance around with a soft smile before turning to look at me. “Thank you for bringing me here.” He walked over to me and pulled my hands into his before leaning up and pressing his lips to mine in a soft kiss.
“I loved everything that happened here, and I’ll never forget this visit.”
“We can come back anytime you want,” I promised, and he gave me a wide smile before squeezing my hand and dropping it.
“Home?” he asked, gesturing toward the waiting car.
“Home,” I agreed. I’d loved everything that had happened there, too.
15
Luke
Isatstaringatmy laptop screen, trying to make myself focus on the article I was supposed to be editing. Instead, my mind kept drifting back to everything that had happened over the weekend. It still felt like a dream. Did I really agree to date Scott? Did he really want to dateme?
I chewed my lower lip as I mulled over it and realized I needed to talk to someone about this instead of thinking about it again and again. I could talk to Angie, but then again, she wasn’t really one for romance and all thesparkle-shit stuffas she put it. Then I remembered the one person who I could always trust to be a good listener and friend. I picked my phone off my desk and texted him.
Me:Hey, got time to have lunch with me?
Brady:Oh my gee, is that u finally asking me out?
Me:*rolls eyes* I want to talk to you about something.
Brady:U know I always have time for u, hon. Drop by at the café at lunch time. I’ll have ur fav lunch ready.
Me:Thanks. You’re a star. <3
Smiling, I put my phone away and forced myself to focus on my work, pushing all thoughts of Scott into the back of my mind for the time being.
When lunch time rolled around, I was happy with the amount of work I had managed to do despite my earlier distraction. Quickly emailing the edited version of the article to the proofreader, I turned off my laptop before getting up and stretching the kinks out of my back. I stuffed my phone in my pocket before making my way to the exit. I waved at Angie as I passed her desk, and she raised her brow at me inquisitively.
“Lunch with Brady,” I explained, and she gave me a thumbs up before turning back to her screen, munching on a protein bar. I shook my head at her abysmal eating habits—that she wouldn’t change, no matter how much we badgered her—as I walked out of the office.
Brady’s café,Bean Yourself, was just a few blocks away from our workplace and my favorite café in the city. Not just because it was owned by Brady, but because it was so cozy and friendly. Brady might have been a tiny human, but his presence was enough to lighten up any room, so his café always felt warm and welcoming.
I stepped into the café and breathed in the warm coffee, chocolate, caramel, and vanilla scent that always managed to bring a smile to my face. Considering the café mostly served breakfast in terms of food—that was, if you didn’t think of baked goods as possible lunch—it wasn’t too crowded at the moment.
The seating area of the café was a mismatch of wooden chairs and leather couches, with dark wooden coffee tables set between them. I looked over at the counter and spotted Brady working with one of the kids he employed part time. Most of the kids who worked at the café came from the charity, since Brady spent most of his free time volunteering there and was quick to offer a job to whichever kid he connected with. If I hadn’t scored a job at the magazine, I was sure I’d be working there too. I definitely wouldn’t have minded, considering he was as good a boss as Mama D. I waved at him when he saw me, and he waved over to the seating area in aI’ll be right theregesture.
I took a seat on one of the corner tables and let my eyes take their fill of the baked goods I could see in the display unit. I spotted the chocolate muffins and realized this place would be even more appreciated by Scott since he had such a sweet tooth. Maybe I’d take some choco-chip cookies for him before I left.
“Aw, look at that smile! You look gorgeous, hon.” Brady’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts as he bent forward to give me a peck on the cheek. I returned the gesture with a smile, and Brady sat down opposite me, placing a mug of hot chocolate and a slice of his absolutely delicious lemon cake in front of me. It was a weird combination, but it worked for me.
I smiled at Brady in thanks as I picked up my fork and dug in. He had a mug in his hand too, and he sipped his drink as he looked me over with that laser-scan gaze of his. Brady was a tiny human, almost a whole foot shorter than me, which, coupled with his gorgeous looks, had led me to mistakenly call him a kid when we first met. He’d not been happy, of course, and I’d had to sit through a whole lecture that I remembered nothing of before he'd given me a slice of chocolate cake and forgiven me.
Today, Brady’s short, blond hair was tipped with blue and green-brown highlights that matched the color of his eye shadow. Coupled with his green eyes and high cheekbones, it gave him an almostfaelook. He was dressed in a frilly blue sleeveless shirt that seemed to sparkle subtly whenever he moved, paired with brown shorts and what I could see were brown sandals. In one word, Brady looked magical. Which he kinda always did.
Once I was done with mylunchand had brought my mind on track, I opened my mouth before closing it. Where did I start?
Brady gave me an encouraging smile, switching into volunteer-Brady mode when he realized I needed a bit of nudging, and I took a deep breath before blurting out, “Scott asked me out.”
His eyes widened for a second before his lips broke out into a wide smile. “Your roommate?”
