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I cleared my throat so I could continue, opening my eyes so I could watch him as I spoke, if only to make sure he was still there. “Every person I’ve ever loved has been taken away from me. Mom, Dad, and then Pops. I used to think I was cursed somehow. When you called, all I could think was that if you were gone too, I wouldn’t be able to survive that. I couldn’t sleep at all last night because every time I closed my eyes, my heart would start thundering in fear. I don’t know how or when I fell asleep, but then I woke up, and you weren’t here, and the panic came back with a vengeance. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
Luke narrowed his eyes at me, and I knew I’d said something wrong. “Aren’t you always the one telling me to never apologize for how I’m feeling?”
I grimaced and gave him an apologetic smile.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss on my forehead before sitting up. “I understand, Scott. I know how panic works, and I know it’s never rational. You don’t need to apologize for anything.”
I smiled gratefully at him before turning around and pressing my face against his stomach and curling my arms around his back. He leaned forward and held me like that for a few slightly awkward minutes before leaning back and patting my head. “We both have a day off courtesy to our amazing employers, so how about you make me an awesome breakfast while I get dressed, and then try to stick to me like glue after that?”
I could hear the smile in his voice, which made me smile. I pressed a kiss on the robe before pulling back and sitting up. I leaned forward and kissed him softly, keeping it chaste because I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet. Moving back, I gave him a mock salute as I stood up. “Yes, sir!”
Freshening up, I made my way to the kitchen and quickly made some waffles before drowning them in whipped cream and chocolate syrup, creating the perfect comfort food. We ate while watching TV and then decided to spend much of the day reading in bed because neither of us was in the mood for the outdoors. What a shocker.
By evening, I was feeling much better, and I was glad we’d taken the day off to recuperate because I knew I wouldn’t have done anything but worry if I had gone to work. There were definitely a few perks to having your best friend as your boss. Or your mom.
As we went to bed that night, I held Luke close and knew that we were meant for each other, and nothing or no one could take him away from me.
33
Luke
“GrabaseatandI’ll get some sweet delicacies for us,” I said as we stepped into Bean Yourself. The heavenly aroma of caramel and vanilla made my mouth water, and I knew without checking that Scott felt the same. He had the sweetest tooth, and baked goods were right there on top of his favorites list with kissing and cuddling.
I chuckled at his starstruck expression that never changed, no matter how many times we came here, and nudged him towards the seating area as I walked over to the counter. Kasey, one of Brady’s full-time baristas, waved at me when she spotted me. “Hey, Luke! Haven’t seen you around much. How are you doing?”
“I’m good, Kase. Where’s Brady?” I asked since I hadn’t seen him anywhere around the café. If Brady was in a room, you immediately knew it.
“Oh, he’s in the kitchen. One of the bakers took a half day because of a family emergency, so Brady’s helping the others out. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Perfect, thanks. As for my order, my usual coffee and a slice of lemon cake and a caramel latte with one of your gooey chocolate cakes with a whole lot of frosting and choco-chips.”
“You don’t like chocolate cake,” Kasey told me as if reminding me of that fact about myself.
I chuckled as my cheeks colored. “It’s actually for my boyfriend.”
“Ah-ha! I’ve heard so much about him from the others. Where’s he at?”
I turned to find Scott seated at one of the window seats. He smiled at me when I caught his eyes, and Kasey whistled behind me. “Damn, he’s a hottie. I’m so happy for you, Luke.”
I grinned at her as my face heated up even more. “Erm, thanks.”
Once I had our orders, I made my way to Scott, balancing our treats carefully. We were celebrating a year together as roommates, even though we were so much more now. But a year ago, on this day, my life had changed for the better, and we’d both wanted to celebrate it in some way. Eating a lot of desserts and then cuddling together for a Marvel movie marathon had seemed like the perfect thing to do.
“Here we are,” I said as I placed the tray on our table with as much of a flourish as I could.
“Oh my god,” Scott whispered as his eyes fell on the chocolate bomb. I chuckled as I placed it and his caramel latte in front of him. He immediately grabbed his fork and stuck it into the cake before looking up at me with a sheepish expression, as if he’d just remembered that I was there too.
“Go ahead.” I took my seat and grabbed my own fork but took a moment to watch Scott savor his first bite. It still surprised me sometimes, how much I cared about him, how much I loved him. It even scared me sometimes, the intensity of my love for him. But then I’d look into his eyes and I’d see everything I felt reflected back at me, and that always comforted me.
It had been two months since the whole Marcus fiasco, and things were pretty much back to normal. Scott had clung to me a bit tighter that first week every time he held me, as if he was afraid I’d disappear any moment, but he was doing much better now. My heart hurt for him sometimes, remembering how lonely he’d been before he’d met me, how scared he’d been to let someone in for fear of losing them. And then he’d buried all his worries to care for me and help me through my shit.
But we were together now, and in the end, it was all that mattered.
I was pulled out of my thoughts as Brady appeared in my peripheral vision. He was looking out the glass front of the café and frowning at something.
“Hey, Brads. What’s wrong?”
“Huh?” He turned to look at me before shaking his head and slumping into a chair. “Hey, Luke. Hiya, Scott.”
