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Before she can push any further, I say, “Look, I'll tell you everything later.” With a thunderous frown, I stand up. “Let me just tell him to go away. Excuse me.” I push my seat out forcefully, storming off to the kitchen, feeling just a bit guilty that I’m making a scene in front of my whole family.
But they’re being so annoying. Why should I give Lucas a chance? It doesn’t matter if I miss him. That’s just the habit of knowing him talking. I would need to know I could trust him before I could ever, ever want to speak to him again. A broken heart isn’t easy to get over. I need him to prove he’s going to work for it if he wants me to go crawling back to him.
I pace the kitchen until finally my phone rings again. I stare at it for a few rings before I pick up. “What is it?” I hiss.
“Sophie, thank God you’re okay. I was worried when you didn’t answer.”
“Why would I answer toyou?”
“Well… it’s… I thought…” he stammers. I squeeze my eyes shut to stop myself from imagining that cute little crease he gets in his forehead when he gets confused. I hear him sigh down the phone as he collects himself. “Look, Sophie, I’m really sorry.
“Save your breath, Lucas.” I sigh. “Don’t call me again.”
“No!” he cries, and his panic is enough to make me hesitate. “Please wait. I need to know… I mean… will you tell me where your parents live? Oh, no. I mean, this is all coming out wrong. I mean, I’m here.”
I stare at the peeling wallpaper, taking a steadying breath. “What do you mean, you’re here?”
There’s a long pause, long enough that I almost think he’s gone before he says, “Well, you told me where your parents live. Sort of. Remember, you told me all about the street you grew up on? And it’s Wednesday. I kind of assumed you would be there.”
Unfortunately, I do remember telling him that in one of my moments of weakness. I remember telling him it all. If only I could take it all back.
“Well, stop making assumptions about me like that. I get that you're upset. But I just need you to leave me alone, okay? I don’t want to talk to you.” I can feel the tears pricking at my eyes and the anger building inside me again.
But before I can hang up, the phone is snatched away from me, making me hit myself in the face in surprise. I wheel around to glare at Katie. Even without looking, I knew she would be the culprit. I give her a nasty look but it doesn’t stop her opening her mouth.
“We live at 1028B. I'll buzz you up when you get here.” She doesn't even wait for Lucas’s response before she hangs up for me.
“Katie, what the hell?” I say, snatching my phone back.
“Language!” calls my mother from the other room. We both roll our eyes, and I almost forgive my sister before I remember what’s happening.
My heart is pounding at the thought of having to see him again. I feel sick. Maybe I could run now, escape before everything explodes. “You can't just invite strangers into the house, Katie.”
“He’s no stranger,” she pouts, petulant. “I met him the other day. He seemed very nice.”
“Please stop trying to make my life worse. Just for a change, would you do that for me?”
“Sophie, look at me,” she says, taking me squarely by the shoulders and shaking me a little. “You're making yourself so miserable, and there’s absolutely no good reason for it. You liked him. Won’t you just confess that to me? Tell me I’m wrong. You liked Lucas Adler.”
I shuffle on the spot, averting my eyes from hers. “All right, so I like him a bit. So what?”
She slaps me on both shoulders with a grin, “You’re upset. Have this conversation face-to-face with him. Just trust me, okay? If I’m wrong, I’ll kick him out the house myself. Just speak to him and listen to what he has to say. And if he’s still as contemptible as he’s always been, then you’d better dump him faster than a sack of bricks, or else I'm going to have a lot to say about it.”
I let out a damp grin and wrap my arms around her tightly. Damn her for being right, but she is. I don’t want to speak to Lucas but I’ll never know peace unless I hear him out. I need to see him one last time to put this all to rest. “What would I do without you?” I mumble into her shoulder.
She squeezes me so hard my lungs feel like they’re about to pop. “You’d be a whole lot stupider,” she says.
CHAPTER 28
LUCAS
Itake a deep breath before I push the buzzer to Sophie’s parents’ apartment.
It’s funny; I've conducted hundreds and hundreds of important meetings in my time, and yet I’ve never felt as nervous for any of them as I do now. So much is riding on me making a good impression here. So much of my future is depending on this. Somehow this feels bigger than even the most expensive contract I’ve ever won.
The door clicks unlocked with a screeching buzz, and I push it open hesitantly. It creaks and so do the floorboards. As I head up the stairs, I try not to be judgmental of the fact there isn’t even an elevator. I hesitate at the top to catch my breath before finding the right apartment. I don’t want to show up looking a mess.
I barely even manage to raise my fist to knock before I'm greeted by Katie in the doorway. She throws her arms around me and ushers me inside. Unsure what exactly to do in this embrace, I just pat her on the back and let her lead me through to the dining room.
