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I looked back at Mr. Castillo, and as if he had been waiting for me to return my attention to him, he said, “Aiden is fine, remember?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucas’s fingers tightening around the handles of the bag.
My eyes returned to Lucas’s face, his expression neutral, his smile stiff.
“Lucas,” I said, hating the way his mouth pressed in something that wasn’thissmile. “Do you remember Aiden, the contractor?”
Lucas gave him a nod. “Yes, I remember.”
Aiden returned it. “Glad to see you again, Lucas. You’re Rosie’s…” He trailed off.
My heart seemed to stop, waiting, even though I had no reason to anticipate his answer.
It was after what seemed the longest five seconds of my life that Lucas said, “Rosie’s friend.”
I’d be lying if that didn’t hurt the teeniest, tiniest bit. Because it did. As much as it was true.
“Okay, good.” I clapped my hands softly, pushing down what I had no business feeling. “Everyone remembers everyone, that’s good. Really good.”
My eyes bounced from one man to the other, finally settling on Aiden, to whom I still owed an answer.
Rosie’s friend.
Lucas and I were friends.
So I could tell Aiden yes. I could go on this date. It wouldn’t be more than just that, dinner, but I could still go. Perhaps I should go. But every single cell in my body told me that there was food for two in that plastic bag Lucas held in his hand. That Lucas had already planned to have dinner with me, just like we did every day. And as much as it probably didn’t mean anything for Lucas, not more than sharing a meal with his roommate, his friend, it did for me. So much that I realized now how badly I wanted Lucas to be the one asking me out. Taking me, Rosie, out on a date. A real one.
But Lucas didn’t do real dates. Not anymore. Not now. He’d been clear about that.
“Thank you for the offer, Aiden.” I gave him a polite smile. “But I think I’m going to head home.”
I was busy gauging Aiden’s reaction, because disappointing people gave me anxiety and because I liked Aiden and I feared I was making him feel awkward, when Lucas spoke.
“With me,” he said, making my heart flap, flap, flap in my chest. “She’s going home with me.”
His tone hadn’t been loud, or brash. He hadn’t even injected any emotion in his words, which was so rare for him. And yet, that “with me” had been so powerful, so meaningful for me, that I knew it’d be imprinted in my memory for a long time.
Because he’d talked as if I were his.
“Yeah,” I felt the need to explain. To Aiden? Myself? I didn’t know. “We’re living together at the moment, while my apartment is being fixed.”
Understanding dawned in Aiden’s expression. “Oh, right. That makes sense.” He nodded his head. “Okay, so I guess Ed—Mr. Allen—will give you a call at some point this week to talk details about you moving back.” He gave me one last smile. “Have a good night, Rosie.” He turned to his left. “Lucas.”
And with that, Aiden disappeared through the door of the café.
When I finally looked over at Lucas, I found his eyes on me. His expression was still the same. Off. “Moving back?”
“Oh,” I said, busying myself as I gathered my stuff and threw it in my laptop bag. “Aiden told me that I might be able to move back to my place on Friday.” Hearing how somber my voice had sounded, I faked an enthusiastic, “Yay!”
Lucas hesitated for the tiniest moment, but then a genuine, real smile—not whatever had been going on with his mouth until now—took over his face. “Ah, that’s amazing, Ro.” He placed his hands on my shoulders, then turned me around to face him before bringing me to his chest. And I… I melted right into him, because I was foolish and helpless where Lucas was concerned. “This is great news.”
At least someone thought it was.
He released me and watched me as I stumbled backward. I fumbled with my jacket, trying to hide my dazed expression.
“We should celebrate,” Lucas suggested. And I nodded with more fake enthusiasm. “Good that I have Chicken Karaage. For two. Probably for four, actually.” He lifted the takeaway bag in the air, and my chest constricted because I had been right. He’d picked up dinner for me, too. Of course he had. “We can open some wine, too.”
“Sounds amazing.” I managed a wobbly smile.
