“What’s that?” Luke’s eyes crinkled as he caught sight of the note. I couldn’t quite hide it behind my back fast enough.
I opened my mouth. Then closed it again. I really did come underprepared.
He raised an eyebrow, and I almost drooled. Oh, this was going brilliantly, indeed.
“Was that for me? Because those are for you.” Luke wiggled the flowers gently before stretching his hand out with them. “Maybe we can do an exchange?”
“Ah... yeah. Okay?”
Eeek! This was exactly what I didn’t want, but here I was now, taking the roses from him with his fingers grazing mine as the note switched hands. My heart thrummed harder. He was still smiling, but I was sure that would change the moment he read what was inside. I was going to be sick.
Luke took such care folding out the letter I handed him that I was sure he wouldn’t notice me backing away from his door, roses and all. I needed to leave this second. It was going horribly. I just needed to go.
When his eyes pulled away from the paper, I was already on the second tread, making my way up the stairs, clutching the roses for the support they couldn’t possibly give.
“Haylee, wait! Please.” Oh, he was definitely no longer smiling. His voice was strained, almost panicked.
That’s what stopped me on the third tread with my heart in my throat as he ran after me. His front door hung wide open, all but forgotten.
Here’s a secret. You make me nervous, too.
Luke cleared his throat. “You like me but—? That’s no way to start a letter.”
“I can’t do this.” My own throat was too tight, and it came out as a whisper.
“Red Cheeks,” he basically begged. “I thought you had a good time. You were warming up to me.”
“I did. It’s just...” I trailed off, not sure how to explain. I was protecting myself. Wasn’t that enough? Bringing my mother into it wasn’t going to aid this conversation, even if she had gotten me to doubt myself again. To question everything. As if happiness wasn’t meant for me at all. Relationships? No, they were for someone else completely, for everyone else, really. Just not for me.
Luke’s eyes roamed my face, trying to understand. Hoping to find something he could work with. “What changed? Is it the roses? Are they too much?”
Roses are red, violets are blue
More often than not, your cheeks are red, too.
“It’s not the roses. It’s complicated, okay?” I worried at my lower lip, not quite able to look him in the eye. My head was swimming, but that might’ve been due to the overwhelming scent of sweetness wafting from the roses now squished against my chest.
“Maybe if you talk to me about it we can uncomplicate it.”
“I... I’m no good at talking. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t follow my mother in the career path to being a solicitor.” There it was, I brought her up anyway. She was supposed to stay out of it, but how could she? Once she put her head somewhere, she never really left it alone.
“I just want to know what brought this on. Is it something I said or did? Because I never meant to pressure you.”
“No, you’re perfect. You’re—” I gasped, slamming my hand over my mouth and squeezing my eyes shut. That was definitely not meant to come out.
“So it is something outside of my control that makes you pull away from me?”
I bit my lip and stayed quiet.
Luke took a step closer and reached for my hand. I didn’t stop him. And I didn’t stop him either when his fingers wrapped around mine to tug me down the step I’d stopped on.
“Why don’t you let me be perfect for a moment and make you some tea? Then, I will tell you what I think about outside forces coming between you and me. Is that okay?”
I focussed on the warmth of his hand and his thumb circling around the back of my palm. The simple touch eased some of the tightness in my throat.
“Okay,” I agreed quietly.
“Okay. Good.” Luke’s hand squeezed mine.
