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I slide on my black sunglasses, trying to brush all of this off. While I may not have been lying back there, I never wanted to share any of this withKristen,of all people. I’ve hardly been able to admit any of this to Ava, still trying to wrap my head around what I truly felt while I was with Michael.
“I think so,” I say as we turn the corner. “I wanted to love Michael, but my feelings for him were always so lukewarm. I suppose I just liked the way it felt to date someone my parents would want to see me with.”
And my parents were indeed devasted that I didn’t get married. Their pain was dulled only by the disappointment and anger that followed my recount of what had happened. It took a lot of talking to make sure neither of them tried to contact Michael.
“What is it that you want then?” Ava asks with raised brows.
I shrug. Definitely not Carter Cogswell, if that’s what she’s getting at. I wrap my arm around Ava’s as we approach the entrance of my apartment building and try to change the subject before she brings him up again.
Chapter 10
Carter
“Thanksagainforcomingby,” Luke says from his spot on the couch in his office. The weeks he spent at the hospital have taken a toll on him.
“It’s no problem,” I say, rummaging through his desk to retrieve the folder he asked for.
Luke has been living here ever since he inherited Hotel de la Luz right out of college. As soon as his grandfather left the hotel chain to him, he renovated the entire top floor and turned the executive suites into one pretty impressive penthouse apartment.
Admittedly, I’m a little envious. I always thought it would be fun to live in a hotel. I get inspired whenever I’m around a lot of people. Maybe that’s why my creativity has been so stale up until recently. I’ve spent too much time around the same people. Meeting Mia was definitely the spice I needed to reignite my passion for storytelling.
“I really do appreciate you taking time out of your day to help me get my shit together,” he says, running his hand through his dark, messy hair. He’s always been the type of guy to keep himself groomed and presentable, so to see him with a head of unkempt hair, black joggers, and a gray T-shirt as he recovers from his car accident is new. I mean, we were roommates at the University of Southern California, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him so disorderly.
“Believe me, you’re the only person I would do this for,” I say, finally finding the green folder he requested. I cross over to the couch and hand it over to him. “Besides, you bought dinner.”
Luke chuckles as he opens the folder. “Well, if you want to clean my entire apartment, I’ll let the maids know they can take the day off.”
I wag a finger at him. “Let’s not push it.”
“Can you grab the black binder too?” Luke asks. “That one should be a lot easier to spot.”
“Sure thing,” I say, returning to his desk. I pick up the black binder and place it on the coffee table.
“Now, the documents to the right of my paper organizer,” he says.
I grab a stack of documents. “These?”
Luke peers up from his folder. “Yep,” he says and points to a spot on the coffee table. “You can set them there. Careful, though. If they get mixed up, I’m screwed.” When I started to put them down, he winces. “I said be careful, Carter. Don’t separate them.”
“Calm down,” I say and correct my error.
Luke tilts his head to the side. “What’s going on? I know you’re concerned about me, but you aren’t normallythishelpful.”
I sigh and take a seat on the teal blue armchair adjacent to his orange couch. The first days after his accident I was really worried about him, and even after he was discharged, I made sure to be around and help him as much as possible. It’s not that he needed the help—it was mostly my way of showing him that he’s important to me.
Now though, there are other things, and people, that have me worked up.
“We started the internship program as we go through pre-production for the new series,” I explain.
He nods. “That’s right. You mentioned you were pretty excited about this project.”
I lean back in the armchair and adjust my body so I’m facing him. “I haven’t been this passionate about work in years. The series isn’t the problem.”
He raises his brows. “What’s the problem then?”
My expression grows frustrated as I cross my arms. “Remember the runaway bride?”
“But of course,” Luke says with a delighted smile. He was thrilled when I recounted my wild day with Mia. According to Luke, I haven’t looked as lit up as I was that day in a while. I know it’s true.
