by Nia Arthurs
“No. You look perfect.” He gasped, his face red. “Really. You look great.”
She tilted her head. “Luke, why are you out of breath? Did you run here?”
“What? I’m not… out of… breath.” He barked out a laugh and then thrust a bouquet at her. “These are for you.”
Ashanti blinked and accepted the flowers from him. “They’re gorgeous. Thank you.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets and nodded, avoiding her eyes.
Ashanti scrunched her nose, puzzled by his behavior. “Uh, do you want to come in while I put these in water?”
“Sure.” Luke shuffled past her and Ashanti caught the scent of alcohol and perfume. She wrapped a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to sniff. Luke stiffened. “What are you doing?”
“Why do you smell like liquor? Did you go to a bar before you picked me up?”
“Bar? What bar?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Luke’s gaze darted around the room. “I had to run a quick errand for a friend, but it wasn’t important.”
“O…kay.” She narrowed her eyes at him but when Luke offered no further information, she turned on her heels and disappeared into the kitchen.
That was weird. Luke was lying to her or, at the very least, withholding information. But why? They didn’t keep secrets from each other.
“Whatever,” Ashanti mumbled. She and Luke were just starting out. The last thing she wanted was to become one of those crazed, jealous girlfriends who investigated their boyfriend and was always suspicious.
Luke would never do anything to hurt her. She believed that.
Ashanti set the bouquet in a vase and then filled it with water. She admired the bright blooms and smiled to herself. She hadn’t expected Luke to be so romantic. What other surprises did he have planned for this evening?
Her heels clopped as Ashanti headed back into the living room where Luke was sitting. When he saw her approach, he jumped to his feet. “I got us a reservation at Paparazzi’s.”
“Wow. Fancy.” She eyed his outfit again but chose not to comment on it.
Luke probably didn’t dress up because he didn’t want to. He was showing her that he cared in other ways so Ashanti wasn’t going to lament his over-casual look or think too deeply about it.
“I’m ready if you are,” she said.
“Let’s go.” Luke swept his arms toward the door and offered to lock up for her. Ashanti stepped back and let him be a gentleman, marveling at the consistency in his behavior.
Luke was considerate to her when she was his friend and now that they were more than that.
At first, she’d been mystified by it. How boring would their relationship be if he acted the same before and after the confession?
Now, Ashanti saw his gallantry in a different light. Luke’s kindness was one of the reasons why she’d fallen for him. Being honorable was just… who he was.
He held the door open for her—which was a new move and one that had her shyly ducking her head. Ashanti slipped into the car and waited for Luke to jog around and enter on the driver’s side.
In the shadows, something silver glinted on the floor. She bent over, curious. It was an earring designed with two dainty silver hoops, one ring on top of the other.
Luke’s door opened and Ashanti snapped the earring into her palm and closed her fists over it. She wasn’t sure why she hid the earring instead of confronting Luke about it, but now that the deed was done, she couldn’t speak up.
Luke glanced over and smiled at her. “You look amazing, Ash.”
“You said that already.”
“I didn’t have time to change before I came tonight. I don’t look too shabby, do I?”
“You look fine,” she said woodenly.
The point of the earring dug into her flesh. She barely winced at the pain. Her brain was too focused on the unwinding mystery that painted an awful picture.
The perfume on Luke’s clothes.
The earring in his car.
Him showing up late to pick her up.
His shady answers when she asked why.
Luke had been with a woman earlier. A woman he couldn’t talk to her about. And only one person fit that bill.
Michelle.
Ashanti turned and studied Luke’s profile in the dimness of the car. The passing streetlights cast golden light on his chiseled cheekbones and pointed chin.
At the hospital, before Luke told her he liked her ‘more’, he said that he liked Michelle. As in he had feelings for them both. As in… he wasn’t completely over her.
Ashanti pressed a hand to her heart and winced as it shattered. It was her own fault for jumping onto this train without making sure that Luke had really boarded.
Stupid. Stupid.
By the time Luke parked in the restaurant’s lot, Ashanti wanted to go home. Instead, she climbed out of the vehicle and trudged up the stony path to the restaurant’s doors.
Paparazzi’s was the very definition of elegance—marble floors, vaulted ceilings, flagrant chandeliers and beautiful Belizean artwork on the walls. Of course, these amenities came with a hefty price tag.
Conscious of the cost, Ashanti ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and then nibbled at her plate. Their conversation was sparse thanks to her foul mood and Luke’s general reticence.
Her date kept stealing worried glances at her, but Ashanti was too upset to hide how she felt. She forced herself to eat every morsel in her plate so Luke’s money didn’t go to waste and then closed her eyes.
Her stomach roiled, either from the stress of realizing the guy she liked still liked someone else or from stuffing herself with food.
“Are you sick, Ash?” Luke asked, his eyes filled with concern.
“A little,” she admitted. “Can we go now?”
Luke quickly called the waiter over and paid. As soon as the server scurried away with the bill, Ashanti rose and strode out of the restaurant. Luke caught up with her when she was out the door.
He touched her shoulder. “Do you feel like throwing up? Should we stop and buy some medicine?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Luke’s anxious expression said he didn’t believe her. His pale skin glistened in the moonlight, a sharp contrast to his dark eyes. “It’s my fault, Ash. You should have been resting and I forced you out of your recovery instead. I’ll take you home.”
She didn’t correct his assumption and slipped into the car.
Before heading into the restaurant, Ashanti had tossed Michelle’s earring beneath the seat so she didn’t have to look at it.
As Luke drove, she lifted her hand and stared at the prick in the middle of her palm. She’d held the earring so tightly it had drawn a trickle of blood. Ashanti had wiped it off on her dark skirt, but now her palm was beginning to scar.
She let out a breath and glanced through the window. The scenery outside blurred together—a trippy kaleidoscope of the dark sky, coconut trees, colorful buildings and the expanse of the Caribbean Sea.
Inside, Ashanti was numb.
If only she had paid attention to everything Luke said at the hospital instead of latching on to the part that aligned with what she wanted. Maybe she wouldn’t have blurted out that she liked him back. Then they wouldn’t be in this position.
She still couldn’t believe he would lie to her.
Ashanti watched Luke out of the corner of her eye. Was he dating the two of them? Did he go to Michelle earlier and ask her out, saving the later slot for her?
The thought alone made her want to scream and cry at the same time. Ashanti couldn’t believe that her best friend would be such a jerk.
Maybe Luke really couldn’t choose between them and this was his way of making a decision.
Either way, it had been foolish to jump into a relationship.
Luke parked in front of her house and Ashanti climbed out without his help. She stopped on the porch and turned to him. “Thanks, Luke.”
<
br /> “Don’t thank me. It was a dumb idea to take you out under the circumstances. Maybe next time—”
“There won’t be a next time.”
His eyebrows slanted down. “What does that mean?”
“What are we doing, Luke?” She threw her hands up. “Us? Dating? It’s too weird.”
“It’s different, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“I don’t think either of us are ready for a relationship right now.”
“Ash…” He stepped forward.
She put out her hand to keep him back. “Thanks for the meal, Luke. Goodnight.”
Ashanti slammed the door on Luke’s bewildered face and then sank against it. She should have told him about the earring. Raked him through the coals for seeing Michelle before their date.
But she couldn’t.
She was a coward. One who had fallen for her best friend.
How pathetic was that?
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Why would she say we’re not ready for a relationship? I thought we were on the same page.” Luke grabbed his beer and took a swig. “Does that make any sense?”
“None,” Harold said with a snort.
James got up and shuffled to the kitchen. “I think this calls for more beer.”
Luke shut his eyes and saw Ashanti’s face as if it was painted on the back of his eyelids—her brown skin, dark eyes and frowning lips. She was deadly serious when she shut him down last night.
A groan slipped from his mouth. Her rejection hit him harder than he’d anticipated.
He heard bottles tinkering and cracked an eye open. James placed a new pack on the table. He fell into the whicker chair on his expansive back porch and sighed. “Women.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Harold raised his glass.
“Let’s look at the facts.” James pulled one leg over the other so his slippers dangled off his toes. “Weng covered the store so you could go and confess your feelings to Michelle—”
“But I didn’t,” Luke stressed.
“Because you heard Ashanti got into trouble,” Harold said.
“Right.”
“But Ashanti knew that you were with Michelle before you came to see her.”
Luke hesitated and then admitted, “I guess.”
“You told Ashanti how you felt at the hospital and asked her out.”
“Not exactly in that order…” Luke hedged.
James arched an eyebrow. “But that’s what happened?”
Luke nodded.
“Then you showed up for your date. Late. Dressed in the same sweaty clothes you were in all day—”
“I didn’t have time to change,” Luke protested.
“Because you were too busy running after Michelle.” James curved his hands over the neck of the bottle. His eyes widened. “You don’t think Ashanti knew you were at a bar with your ex before coming over, do you?”
“Not unless she was psychic,” Luke said.
“Women are psychics, man.” Harold winced. “One night, I came back from the casino and Lin was at home. Waiting for me. It didn’t make sense. I had the perfect cover, but she just… knew. It’s freakish.”
“Let’s say Ashanti did know,” Luke reasoned, “she’s just like Lin. She would have brought it up. Yelled at me. Done something. Ash isn’t the type to keep her feelings inside. Especially when she’s angry.”
“So what happened on the date?” James asked.
“Not much.”
“It was yesterday. How do you not remember?”
“I didn’t say that because I forgot. Nothing happened. Ashanti was tired, and I couldn’t carry a one-sided conversation so we just ate and enjoyed the music.”
“That doesn’t seem like Ashanti,” Harold mused.
“I agree.” James tilted his head. “When she came out with us, she was always full of energy. The life of the party.”
“She got beat up by a drug dealer,” Luke said, feeling that familiar anger creep up on him as he said the words aloud. “So she wasn’t in the best shape.”
James leaned forward. “I feel like we’re missing something. Did Ashanti say anything weird that night or give you the impression she was unhappy?”
“No.” Luke shook his head. “The only thing…”
“What?” Harold hissed.
Dread washed over him. “She sniffed me.”
“Is that some weird thing you guys do?” James asked.
“Sounds hot.” Harold wiggled his eyebrows.
“No.” Luke waved his hands and moved to the edge of his seat. “She asked me if I’d gone to a bar. She smelled the alcohol on my shirt.”
“Were you drinking?”
“No. Michelle spilled it when she was trying to foist a drink on me. You don’t think Ashanti would have figured out everything from that?”
“They’re psychics, man.” Harold shook his head slowly.
“It could explain why she acted the way she did,” James said, a sympathetic look in his eye.
“Then why didn’t she talk to me?”
“Who knows?” James leaned back.
Harold blew out a breath. “You’ve barely dated a day and you’re already in the dog house, cuz. What are you going to do? Tell her the truth?”
If a simple conversation were enough to fix this, Luke wouldn’t be so worried. “I don’t know.”
James leaned over, intrigue in his eyes. “What I want to know is… do you have feelings for Michelle?”
“The things I liked about Michelle are still there, but I’m not interested in her. Not anymore.”
James groaned. “Please don’t tell Ashanti that first part. Ever.”
“I already did.”
Harold laughed. “Dude, you’re so screwed.”
“What? I was being honest. Michelle didn’t turn ugly over night. But I’m choosing Ashanti. That’s all that matters.”
“No, you idiot. It’s not.” James pointed to his beer and then to Harold’s. “That’s Ashanti and that’s Michelle. Ashanti wants to think she’s the only woman you love and no other woman exists. But Michelle…” He pushed Harold’s bottle closer, “is always creeping in the background.”
“That’s not true. I only looked out for Michelle last night because I felt responsible. It was a one-time thing. She knows I like Ashanti. ”
“Ashanti won’t see it that way. All she has are the facts. For example, you were into Michelle first.” James lifted one finger and counted. “You dated Michelle first. You wanted to introduce your parents to Michelle first.”
Luke emptied his bottle and reached for another one. “You’re right. I’m screwed.”
Harold and James silently agreed.
Suddenly, Luke jumped to his feet and screamed, “Damn it!”
His cousins jumped and looked at him like he was crazy.
Luke paced the wooden porch. “Ashanti means everything to me. Even before I admitted I had feelings for her, she was the only woman I wanted to spend time with. The only one that made me happy just by seeing her smile.”
“Luke…”
“She’s the first person I want to tell when something good or bad happens. My entire life… it’s always been her. And I ruined it.”
“First, you need to calm down,” Harold said, his eyes tracking Luke’s journey from one end of the verandah to the other.
“I can’t lose her, guys. I can’t.”
James made a face. “Luke… are you drunk?”
“Maybe this much.” He held up his fingers.
Harold snorted. “You poor thing. If only you had the guts to be that upfront while sober.”
“Why can’t he?” James demanded.
Harold shrugged.
“It… sounds like you have an idea,” Luke said hopefully.
“Try telling her everything you just told us.” James stroked his chin. “Show her she was your first love. Before Michelle. Or any other girl. Even though you didn’t know it was love at the time.”
“Yeah.” Harold got to his feet. “That’s a great idea!”
“Make a collage or a video of all your best moments. Girls like cheesy crap like that.”
“We do have a ton of pictures,” Luke said slowly, catching on to the idea.
“You could wear a tux and everything.” Harold pointed out. “Make it classy.”
“Do it at the café after lock up. Make her feel special. Like you bought out the entire restaurant for her even though it’ll just be after closing and you basically own the restaurant.” James laughed.
Luke’s head bobbed. “You’re both geniuses!”
Harold thrust his beer high. “To Luke and Ashanti!”
“Cheers!”
Luke woke with a start. A thick foot was pressed against his cheek and someone snored in his ear. He sat up. James’s face rolled away from his. Harold snorted on his side.
When had he fallen asleep?
Why had they moved to the living room?
Luke massaged his aching head and sat up. Empty beer bottles littered the room and marked a trail to the coffee table that had been pushed against the wall. A laptop rested on it, lid up.
Confused, Luke tried to figure out what had happened after they clinked bottles the night before, but his bladder warned that it was about to explode. He darted to the bathroom.
After washing his hands, Luke returned to James’s living room. His gaze fell on his cousins who were both sleeping on the floor, arms sprawled out and mouths hanging open.
He chuckled softly and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. On his way, Luke bumped into the coffee table and the laptop burst to life. Music filled the room, a sleek R&B number. Ashanti’s favorite.
Luke froze and stared as a picture of him and Ashanti rolled on the screen. They were standing close together. Ashanti had her arms thrown around his waist. It was the first college party she’d ever dragged him to and he’d been less than pleased to attend.
Luke was scowling at the camera while Ashanti was smiling prettily.
His mission to get water forgotten, Luke fell to his knees and clicked the arrow button on the keyboard.
Another picture sprung up. This one of him and Ashanti on a rollercoaster, her head ducked into his chest in obvious fear while Luke had his mouth open mid-yell.