AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The coffee seemed to go down in the wrong tube then. “No kids yet and I’m kind of in-between relationships right now.”
There was a glow in Lucas’ eyes as he idly stuck his fork in the crumble. “So we’re both single,” he announced.
“Looks that way,” Alina said, but she kept her eyes away from him. In her mind, she was praying that Lucas would end the conversation because she didn’t want to lay her messy breakup on her ex. Neither did she want to lie to him, since they considered each other as friends.
“Listen,” Lucas was at the edge of his seat when he spoke next. “A group of us from high school are having a little gathering later. Why don’t you come?”
Alina twisted and pushed out her lip. “I don’t think I’m up for seeing everyone right now.”
“Oh come on, Alina,” Lucas urged. “They’ve all heard of the successful artist and are dying to catch up. And I will love to show off my friend.”
Though she didn’t feel like mingling with a large crowd, Alina didn’t want to disappoint Lucas, either. “I guess I could stop by for a short while.”
“Great,” he declared with a satisfied smile. “I’ll pick you up.”
* * *
Lucas pulledup at the curb of the small house just before eight. As a friend of the family, he was no stranger to Alina’s household and greeted everyone with genuine warmth.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked Alina after reemerging from the kitchen, a cookie in his mouth and Laura behind him.
Alina nodded her head and grabbed her jacket while her mother peered behind them. “You kids have fun tonight, OK?”
“Mom,” Alina whisked around to the older woman. “You know this is not a date, right?”
“So, I can’t wish you a good time?” Laura flashed her widened eyes and put her hands on her waist.
Alina waved as a sign of defeat before walking away. “Whatever you say, Mom.” Ever since she had announced to her mother that she and Lucas were no longer in a relationship, her mother has been using every opportunity to get the two back together. Alina knew that her mother adored Lucas and hoped that he would become her son-in-law, but at some point, she had to give up. The feelings that a girlfriend should have for a boyfriend were just not there. Alina thought of Lucas as the brother she never had and thought it unfair to feed him false hope, so she compassionately ended things.
Now, as they drove past the ice cream parlor, Alina wondered if she made the right decision to end things with him. Lucas was not the love of her life, but he always treated her well. He never would have treated her the way…
Alina forced herself to dismiss her former lover from her mind. She came to Maryland to get away from him. It made no sense for him to keep occupying her thoughts.
“Wait. Where are we going?” Alina asked Lucas as he drove past the sign announcing their departure from town.
Lucas flashed Alina a smile. “You’ll see.”
“I didn’t realize you guys organized outings for outside of town also,” Alina eyed the buildings of the neighboring town.
“Oh, we’re not meeting the others,” Lucas said. “We’re going somewhere special.”
“And I take it you will not tell me where?” This was one thing she missed about Lucas, his spontaneity. They would leave the house destined for one place and end up someplace completely different. It was exciting.
“You’re going to love it,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road. “Trust me.”
“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t even be in this car.” It was light humor that resulted in a wink from Lucas.
Lucas drove them to Chesapeake beach, and as he paralleled the seaside, Alina stared into the night at the horizon through the window, the moon creating a circular glow on the water, dazzling to the eyes.
After Lucas parked the car at Bay Front Park, the couple strolled to Brownie’s beach. “Wow. I haven’t been here in such a long time,” she said to Lucas while keeping her eyes on the wondrous sight ahead.
“I guessed as much,” he said, his eyes observing the contours of Alina’s face. “You really need to come home more regularly.”
Alina scoffed. “Don’t let my mother hear you say that. It will give her more excuse to terrorize me.”
Lucas pressed his hands in his pocket. “Your mom just misses you but doesn’t know how to express it. Don’t take it too personally.”
Alina shook her head. “How can I not when she complains every time I call? And when I don’t call, she calls me to complain. It’s a vicious cycle that always ends with her nagging at me.”
