Page 61 of City of Love

She smiles at me. “I do. I’m glad we came here. I actually am going to look up more about this place,” she adds, pulling her phone from her purse.

I smile too, resting my arm along the back of the seat. I’m careful not to touch her, although I do find that my hand is perfectly placed to twirl a few strands of her ponytail around my fingers.

How is her hair so soft? It’s silky and beautiful, and it always smells good.

Once she has her phone out, she begins reading us stories about this place, and I’m surprised to find that being with her and Luc isn’t as stressful as I thought it would be. I was expecting constant innuendos from Luc, but he’s behaving himself. And something about being with Lydia simultaneously relaxes me and puts me on high alert; it’s an interesting combination.

“All right,” she says, tucking her phone back in her purse after a few minutes. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. I’ll be back.”

I nod, watching her as she shuffles out of the seat and walks away. When she’s out of sight, I look back to Luc, grabbing a few of his peanuts.

His eyes narrow on me, and he looks surprisingly serious. “You’re in love with her.”

I almost choke on the handful of peanuts I’ve just put in my mouth. Luc just watches while I splutter, one eyebrow raised like he’s unimpressed. When I finally get my throat cleared, I lean over the table toward him, looking around to make sure Lydia isn’t coming back yet.

“I’m notin love with her,” I hiss. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

Luc holds up one finger. “You can’t take your eyes off her—”

“That’s not love,” I grumble. “That’s just me being a heterosexual male.”

He nods grudgingly, like he’s acknowledging the truth of my words, but then he goes on, holding up a second finger. “You’re even more overprotective than usual—”

“She’s alone in a foreign country. What am I—”

“You’re constantly touching her,” he says over me, a third finger going up as he speaks.

I have no defense for that one, so I just glare at him.

“And last but not least, you turn into a total softie when she’s around. You call her ‘chérie’ and ‘sweetheart’ without even realizing it. I’ve heard you. Not to mention the earrings.” He shrugs, leaning back and looking smug. “You’re whipped.”

It feels suddenly warm in here, but I don’t give Luc the satisfaction of knowing that he’s getting to me. So while I’m tempted to tug at my neckline to get some air, I just lean back instead, mimicking his posture.

“We’re just friends,” I say, shutting down everything inside that’s rejecting my words. “Close friends, I can admit, and of course she’s beautiful. But there’s nothing else.”

Luc tilts his head, eyeing me, and I keep my expression unaffected. Finally he nods.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Great for me, actually,” he says.

My eyes narrow suspiciously as I look at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugs, grabbing a few peanuts and popping them in his mouth. “I thought you were into her, so I didn’t do anything, but if you guys are just friends, that means I can ask her out.”

I’m shaking my head before he’s even done speaking. “No. Don’t do that.”

We’re interrupted by a man in black and white bringing drinks, and we thank him before returning to our conversation. Luc raises one brow at me. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t ask her out,” he says, a hint of challenge in his voice.

I clench my teeth, trying to remember all the reasons punching him in the face is a bad idea. There’s a roaring starting up in my ears, dull and unpleasant. “She’s going back to the States in two weeks.”

Luc shrugs again. “So? That’s two weeks of fun we could be having.”

“You can’t be serious,” I say, and I truly hope he’s not. “You can’t just ‘have fun’ with her—”

“Why not?” he says reasonably.

“Because,” I grit out, rubbing my temples as the roaring in my ears grows louder.

“Why not?” he says again.

---