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“I left a note saying that I had a family emergency.”
“Only a few hours before, you said that your mother was dead and your father was shacked up with a younger woman.”
“I have other family. My grandma is getting older, and I went back to help her.”
There is technically the truth. I did go back to help Grandma, but not until two weeks afterwards. Until then, I had hidden away in my house trying to forget about everything. The pain of knowing I had lost Mom and finding my Dad messing around with that woman had taken a while to wear off.
“Not only did you do that,” Luke went on, “but you quit at the restaurant and told whoever works there to say they didn’t know how to contact you.”
“What of it? It’s not like we had an undying love to overcome. We had sex, Luke. That was it. What were you expecting? Me to be there in the morning and take me for a coffee? Carry on for a couple more days before you get bored with me? Were you expecting that?”
Luke falters, and I can tell this is what he was thinking would happen. And I’m surprised to find that I wouldn’t have minded if this had happened. Wait, what am I doing? This is ridiculous.
“We agreed on the sex, and nothing more. Certainly not what would misconstrue into a date. That was not something I said I would do. Now, please, just turn around and go. There’s no need for us to talk anymore.”
“What?” Luke stares. “You think we don’t have more to discuss?”
“No, I don’t. We saw each other again, we’re both old news, and it should be left as that.”
“Why can’t it be anything else?”
Am I hearing him correctly? I shake my head.
“No. Nothing more. You and I are from two different worlds. They collided once, and I’m not going to do it again.”
“Why not?”
Because I don’t trust myself around you.
“Because I said it won’t. Now, will you please go? I think your friend is waiting for you.”
Sure enough, his friend Mr Daniels has climbed out of the car and is watching us. I wish he would come over and take Luke with him.
“You don’t think we have something else to talk about?” Luke demands.
“Like what? Why I wouldn’t keep touch with you? You already know the answer, Luke.”
“What about your daughter?”
I stiffen.
“What about her? She’s nothing to do with you.”
“Do you think so? How old did Diane say she was? Five years old?” Luke steps towards me, and I’m unable to back away. “We were together six years ago. That means it’s a possibility that Amy is my kid.”
I suddenly feel cold. Oh, God, he was putting the pieces together. I look at our feet.
“Tell me, Elle,” Luke insists. “Tell me that Amy is my daughter. That you kept her away from me for five years. That you didn’t tell me that I was a father.”
I still refuse to look at him until he grabs me arms and shakes me, forcing me to look up. He looks furious, but I can see the desperation in her eyes.
“Tell me!”
“It was my choice.” I don’t know how I can keep my voice steady when my heart is racing. “I did it because I thought it was right.”
“Right? How is this right?”
I want to cry, but I won’t. I count to ten in my head, telling myself not to break down. If I do, I’m going to end up sobbing in his arms. That is not going to happen.
