Luke is still gorgeous, maybe even more so now as a man than the boy I once knew. His thick dark hair now brushes his collar rather than the short military cut he had last time I saw him. His defined cheekbones are now sharper, his lips fuller in contrast, his cheeks and chiseled jaw now sporting a sexy stubble which begs for my touch.
Lean muscles from his youth appear to have broadened and strengthened. I could tell there was one hell of a powerfully fit body underneath the expensive cloth of his suit. Luke wears the corporate persona well.
Closing my eyes, I remember how Luke’s hand reached out to clasp mine, stopping me from leaving. His large, strong hand, once as familiar as my own, but now foreign to me with the raw roughened scar. It breaks my heart to see the physical proof of his pain. The damage of war.
My instinct tells me there's more to learn about his injury and how he ended up in a corporate city life. Although there are hints of the old Luke, he is different, damaged, in turmoil. Someone I no longer recognize but am still drawn to.
I don’t know what happens next. Is there even a next?
At this point, I don’t know if I'll ever see him again and I'm not even sure I want to see him again.
Why does Luke Steele have to be the one man who makes my heart pound, my palms sweat and my lady bits weep with want.
No more tears, I tell myself as I dry my eyes for the last time.
Jasmine interrupts my thoughts with a knock on my door, asking if I'm okay. I tell her I'm fine just tired. It's true I will be fine.
I get that Jasmine and Lily are worried about me as when I left Luke at the bar and walked the short distance down the street to where they waited, I was a bit dazed. A mess really. Makeup running down my cheeks, my eyes reddened. Transformed from the confident woman they left less than an hour earlier.
Walking back into our apartment early this evening, I thanked the girls with a silent hug and headed straight to my room. I’m not quite ready to talk to the girls about Luke tonight. This is something I still need time alone to work through.
With a loud exhaled huff, I roll onto my side, I need to sleep on it. Such a stupid saying. As if I could get any sleep tonight when all I can think about is Luke.
Slowly waking, I rub my eyes open, realizing yet again I left the blind up on the window. Damn when will I learn.
Today though, it’s a dull gray day outside, so my bleary eyes can handle the muted light. It’s like the weather has decided to reflect my mood. Rolling over to check the time, I’m surprised to see I did get a few hours of sleep, even though I still feel tired this morning. I don’t even think a chocolate croissant and coffee from the bakery can entice me out of the apartment today.
I throw back the covers determined not to stay moping in my bed all day, no matter how tempting the idea sounds. With a good long stretch, I jump up and head for the shower, hoping it will help to pull me out of this funk. After a long hot shower, I do feel a little better as I wait at the kitchen bench for the coffee to brew.
“Hey, hun. How are you doing?” Lily says in her usual cheery way as she greets me with a hug.
“Well definitely better than last night. Now I'm just confused rather than sad I guess,” I acknowledge truthfully. "I'm glad I met Luke last night as we did resolve some things but then... I guess there are still more I want him to explain."
Jasmine joins us in the kitchen, spreading her arms wide and gathering us to her as she announces, “Group hug time.”
I love our group hugs the best, and this morning, it surrounds me in a warm, comforting glow.
For the first time in twenty-four hours, I feel almost normal, although still a little raw as I tell them, “I love you girls and thank you so much for being there for me last night. It helped knowing I had your support.”
“We love you too, sweetie,” responds Jasmine with a tighter squeeze. Now out of my way girls I need to get to the coffee machine pronto. Laughing Lily and I scoot out of her way.
Nobody gets between Jas and her coffee in the morning and lives to tell the tale.
Later after I’ve eaten way too much chocolate, drunk way too much coffee, and have reached Netflix overload I skype my big sister, Alice.
She's the person I'm closest to in the whole world and knows all the ins and outs of my relationship with Luke. She was there for me after my breakup, when I needed advice and support.
Alice connects and I start our call with my usual greeting, "Hey, big sis, how are you all doing down there in sunny Florida?"
"Hi, little sis," she responds, making me smile for the first time today. "All good here on the home front but we miss you. When are you coming to visit us? The girls keep asking."
I can hear the sounds of my little nieces playing in the background and I'm hit by a wave of homesickness. A longing for a mom cooked meal and one of my dad's big hugs. "Soon." I promise before continuing, "But I’ve got some things going on at the moment."
"Do those things have anything to do with a certain Luke Steele? Mom told me about running into his mom the other day and that she passed on your number… I’ve been expecting this chat, but you know Mom means well even if she does some silly things sometimes."
Alice is so good at reading me, guessing exactly the reason for my call.
"Yep, I know." I recline back onto my bed, settling in to tell Alice about my meeting with Luke. "Anyway, I met up with Luke last night for a drink."
