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I immediately panicked because I had no clue who Elena was. “Oh, of course, sir,” I said, shut the dessert box, and grabbed my purse.
When his car arrived and I got into the back seat with him, I immediately pulled out my phone from my purse and texted Sophie. My only desperate prayer was that she wouldn’t be having a lazy afternoon nap or something and completely ignore my message.
Me: Who’s Elena?!
I asked and put the phone away so he wouldn’t see my screen by accident.
Ten minutes later, and just a few till we arrived at his apartment, she still hadn’t responded. So, the moment we got out and began to head in, I stayed a little distance away from him and called her. It continuously rang, and it was just when we arrived in the elevator, and the doors shut close that she eventually picked up.
I was so furious, but I managed to keep my temper under wraps on account of the man who was right by my side. “Did you see my message?” I asked, however, by her loud yawn, it was very obvious to me that I had been right about her lazing away the afternoon when I dealt with pressure on all sides from her end.
“Um… yeah, of course, that’s my boss’s sister.” she sighed.
I lowered my voice even further. “Anything I should know?” I asked.
“Um… yeah. We’re definitely going to be caught now,” she said, and my frown deepened.
“Aren’t you a bit casual about that statement?” I grit my teeth, but she sounded amused. Truly amused.
“I’m friends with her like we’re close. She’s twenty now, but we met when she was seventeen, so we kind of developed an affinity. You’re awkward around people you meet for the first time, so if you act all bubbly and familiar with her, she’s going to ask if something is wrong and then, of course, some references to our past conversations. She’s currently studying engineering at UCLA and comes up here when she wants a reprieve with her brother.”
Only some of this was useful information, but much more was needed. “And..?” I asked, grateful when the elevator dinged open, and Lucien stepped out. I stepped out as well but gave some space between me and him so that I could speak freely.
“What else?”
“Well, she loves books, novels, mostly romance, and I love them as well, so we usually catch up on whatever I've been reading whenever we meet.
“What?” I asked irritated. “People still read books? What about movies and shows and the rest?”
“You’re so dull and condescending,” she said, and I let out a sigh.
“Okay, give me a lowdown on what books are trending or what book have you read and would have recommended to her.”
“Um, I haven’t read in months,” she said. “Depression at my impending breakup.”
“So what do I tell her?”
“That should suffice.” she said, “and it will prevent you from making mistakes. She'll ask about some changes she sees in you because she’s very observant, and when she does, tell her that you just broke up with your fiancé and that you haven’t been in the mood to read anything. She’ll probably be the one, then, to recommend some stories to you, and when she does, please pay attention. I actually want to get back into reading now that I seemingly have all the time in the world.”
At her words, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, but just as I did, my gaze met Lucien’s. He frowned slightly at my expression, and I was immediately startled enough to yank the phone from my ear. I apologized unintelligibly as I arrived by the door with him wondering why he was waiting.
He stared at me, and I stared back, and I was so confused. All of this stress made me feel as though I was losing hair, and for a moment, I almost wanted to reach up to pull the falling strands I was sure to find off my scalp.
“The key?” He said. “You don’t have my key card?”
My heart fell into my stomach. “Uh… no. I don't think so.”
I instantly began to look into my purse, hoping that I would find it, and in my haste, once again all of its contents spilled fromit. It spread all across the floor, and for a moment, I just shut my eyes, cursing Sophie all the way. This wasn’t her fault, but I needed someone to blame or else I was going to go crazy.
“What's wrong with you these days?” I heard Lucien comment, however, he was quite close to my ear, so I turned. This brought our faces so close together that I was sure my nose brushed his.
We stilled then and looked at each other. However, my brain was completely blank; I couldn’t think of anything to do or say after that. He stared at me, cocking his head, and then he smiled. His gaze, however, lowered to my lips, and I, for sure, didn't miss the hunger that I found in them. Suddenly, the lock of his apartment door seemed to shift, and just like that, the door was pulled open.
“Lucien!” A girl nearly half screamed, and he instantly shot up to his feet. Before my eyes, she jumped into his arms while I still remained on my knees on the carpet, watching them with awe. She placed a big fat kiss on his cheek, and then she turned her attention to me.
“Sophie,” she squealed again, and almost afraid that she would do the same thing and also jump on me for a hug, I remained in my position on the floor.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “Why are you on the floor? Lucien, are you bullying her again?” He gave me one more glance, shook his head, and continued on his way into the apartment.
