The Truce

by Becca Steele

  I sighed. Must be nice, to have someone. I mean, I was more than happy living the single life, but there were times when I wished I didn’t have to come home to an empty flat every night.

  Maybe I should get a cat.

  I opened my phone and started typing into the search engine.

  Hmm, maybe not, thinking about it. I couldn’t even manage to keep a plant alive.

  I closed my phone with a sigh and returned my attention to Avery. I noticed Luke giving me an amused sidewards glance, his gaze darting to my phone. Shit, has he seen what I’ve been typing?

  The evening flew by. The conversation flowed, everyone relaxing and loosening up as we ate and drank our fill. When everyone was full to bursting, we moved to the comfortable sofas in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. I flopped onto the floor, leaning back against the sofa.

  “Let’s play a game,” Avery suggested, and I groaned. She looked all sweet and innocent, but she was so competitive.

  “Fine, but only if we’re in teams. Boys against girls.”

  “Deal!” she exclaimed. “Let’s play charades.”

  Everyone groaned at that.

  Half an hour later, I’d had enough.

  “Avery, I’m swapping teams. I can’t deal with you anymore,” I mock-cried from my position on the floor, burying my face in my hands after she’d berated me for the tenth time for not being able to guess her charade.

  “She’s your girlfriend,” Luke was quick to point out to Ethan, giving me a conspiratorial grin. He obviously didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Avery’s wrath, either. I loved her to death, but she was the worst loser ever.

  I sniggered at Ethan’s pained expression.

  “Dream team!” Avery shouted drunkenly, high-fiving Ethan.

  “You ready to win, partner?” Luke’s voice sounded close to my ear. I leaned my head back on the sofa, next to his legs, and stared up into his eyes. He watched me, his gaze hooded. My stomach did a funny flip, and I suddenly felt short of breath.

  “You look weird upside down,” I blurted out, flustered, my cheeks heating.

  A slow, sexy smirk appeared on his lips.

  “Do I make you nervous, Payne?” he asked, in a low, dangerous voice.

  I scrambled upright to face him, kneeling up on the floor, and he leaned forwards, his eyes darkening.

  “Yes,” I admitted in a whisper, our faces inches apart.

  “And why is that?” he whispered back, holding my gaze and never once looking away.

  “I-I don’t know,” I stammered, flushing.

  I watched, hypnotised, as he licked his lips, moving his face closer to mine.

  “Okay, I don’t know what’s going on here, but the sexual tension is making it hard to breathe.” Avery poked her head in between us, staring curiously, huffing alcohol fumes into my nose and making me cough.

  “What?” My voice was breathy and high-pitched.

  I cleared my throat and tried again. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luke lean back on the sofa, rubbing a hand over his face.

  “What was that, Aves?”

  “You’ve literally been ignoring me and Ethan for the last five minutes, eye-fucking each other or whatever it is you were doing. Don’t get me wrong, it was hot, but I want to play charades!” Her slurred voice rose an octave, and I winced.

  “Okay, baby, I think we’ve all had enough now. Time to get to bed,” Ethan soothed.

  “Yep, time for me to leave,” Luke agreed. Unfolding himself from the sofa, he stood, shrugging into his leather jacket.

  “See ya, Ethan, Avery. Thanks for dinner.” He did that manly hugging thing with Ethan, complete with back slapping, and dropped a kiss on Avery’s head.

  “Bye, Payne. See you at work.” He waved, already backing away and avoiding my gaze.

  “Uh, bye?” I said to the empty room. I stayed where I was, slumped on the floor.

  Ethan re-entered the room, minus Avery.

  “She’s asleep already.” He chuckled. “She doesn’t drink much, and I think it all went to her head.”

  I laughed. “You don’t say. Hope she doesn’t have a bad head in the morning—make sure she has water and painkillers.”

  “I’ve got it taken care of,” Ethan assured me. “Thanks for looking out for her, though. You’re a good friend.” He smiled at me. “You’re welcome to crash here if you like?”

  Hmm. Tough decision. Stay in Ethan’s luxury penthouse with his four-gazillion-thread-count linen and cloud-like mattresses, or go out in the cold and go home to an empty flat?

  “I’ll take you up on that offer.”

  11

  Luke

  There had been a bit of an odd atmosphere between me and Payne after our meal at Ethan and Avery’s. It had been a…strange evening. Maybe it was because it was the first time we’d really interacted properly outside of work, or the fact we were hanging out with our close friends, or something else. I’d seen Payne in a new light—relaxed and carefree. We’d had that moment, before Avery interrupted us, when I’d forgotten why I’d ever disliked her. Lately, we’d become more at ease in each other’s company, but there was a weird vibe in the air between us now and I wasn’t sure why.

  I checked over the improved Delny website one last time, to make sure everything was as it should be. “Does it all look okay to you, Payne?”

  She was silent. I watched as her fingers furiously tapped her phone keypad, her eyes narrowed in concentration. “Payne,” I said more loudly, waving my hand in front of her face.

  “Ah!” She jumped, her eyes flying up to meet mine. “Sorry. I was just texting Nick.”

  An uncomfortable sensation settled in the pit of my stomach at her words. “Nick? Is that your boyfriend?” I clenched my fists unconsciously, only realising when Payne glanced down, then raised a quizzical brow at me.

  “No.” She smirked at me. “Nick’s in his sixties. I’ve been out with older men, but not that old.”

  “Good.” Good? “I mean, sorry, it’s none of my business. Just making conversation.” I averted my eyes, staring at the screen.

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry. I wasn’t concentrating. Nick’s the director of a youth centre I volunteer at sometimes, and he wanted to check what supplies I needed for the art class I’m running tonight.”

  “Art class?” I turned back to face her, staring into her huge blue eyes.

  “Yeah. I help out at the youth centre some evenings. I usually have a small group of teenagers, and I get them doing things like sketching and painting. It just gives them something different to do—somewhere safe to hang out with their friends and maybe learn new skills. Want to know something?” I nodded as she leaned forwards, beckoning me closer as if she was about to impart a great secret. “My art skills are terrible.” She laughed, her eyes sparkling with humour. “I seem to be okay at bringing out their creative side, though, and that’s the important thing.”

  I sat back, my mind whirling. “Payne…that’s…that’s really good of you to do that. I bet the kids love you teaching them.”

  “Do you?” She raised a brow at me. “I’m no saint or anything. It was something I signed up for when I first moved here—I saw an advert in a little art exhibition, and it intrigued me. I love it, though. The kids are great, and I get to explore all the different forms of art with them. We all get something out of it.”

  We sat for a moment, lost in our own thoughts, before I broke the silence. “Come on, let’s get back to work. If we can sign this website off today, we’ll only have the social media accounts to work on.”

  Payne nodded, her slim hands drumming on the desk as she fidgeted restlessly.

  I sighed. “Payne. Whatever it is you’re thinking, just say it.”

  “Well. Are you busy after work?”

  “No…” I said slowly. “Why?”

  “Iwasjustwonderingifyouwantedtocomewithme.”

  “Huh?” I stared at her, amused, as she lowered her lashes, blushing. She took a dee
p breath and spoke again, staring down at her hands.

  “I was wondering if you’d like to come with me. To the youth centre.” She grimaced. “Sorry. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to. Forget I asked.”

  “That sounds great.”

  What? Why did I say that?

  “Really?” A beaming smile spread across her face. “Are you sure?”

  How could I resist that smile? “I’m sure. As long as it doesn’t involve me having to do anything embarrassing.” I eyed her sternly.

  “No, no, nothing embarrassing,” she rushed to say. “Okay. Um. Great. Right. I’ll just quickly text Nick to let him know.”

  “You do that.” I stood, stretching. “Since you’re too busy texting to work, I’ll make us a coffee.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Be right back.” I turned on my heel and strode off to the kitchen. I couldn’t believe how far from the truth my opinion of her had been. I’d been so wrong about her. I’d witnessed just how hard she worked during our time on the Delny project, and to now find out she voluntarily gave up her free time to help others? And when she turned the full force of that smile of hers on me…

  I scrubbed a hand over my face, groaning. Get a grip, Luke.

  “This place isn’t too far from my gym and Martha’s nursing home,” I told Payne as we pushed the double doors of the youth centre open.

  “Oh, really? You must be over this way all the time, then. You’ve got a great body—you look like you work out a lot.” When her brain caught up with her words, she stared at me, horrified. “I—I mean, you seem like you’re fit. Healthy. Argh!” She stopped walking and covered her face with her hands, a bright flush on her cheeks.

  “Been noticing my body, have you?” I smirked. “Glad to hear you appreciate it.” I flexed a bicep, and she laughed, still cringing, peeking out from behind her fingers.

  “Can we forget this conversation ever happened?”

  I shook my head, grinning, and she rolled her eyes. We continued walking and entered a small side room full of tables and chairs.

  “For the record, I think you’ve got a great body, too.”

  “What?” Her head whipped round towards me, and it was my turn to look away. What was wrong with me today? I needed to keep my mouth shut. Although going by Payne’s mortified reaction to the comment that had come out of her mouth, she was probably thinking the same thing. I laughed to myself.

  Payne busied herself sorting through pencils and paper, clearly eager to let the subject drop. Fine by me. “Is there anything I can help with?”

  “I think I’ve got it all, but thank you. Nick should be here in a minute, so you can meet him then. He normally pops in before my—oh, here he is now. Nick, this is Luke.” She smiled at the man walking towards us with two cups in his hands. He stood almost a full head shorter than me, with salt-and-pepper hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and a kind, weathered face.

  “Evening.” He deposited the cups on the table and held out a hand for me to shake. “Luke. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Cheers.” I clasped his palm briefly. “Good to be here.”

  Giving me a nod, he started backing out of the room. “Have fun. You’ve got seven tonight, Olivia.”

  “Thanks for the drinks,” Payne called after him. She slid one of the cups across the table to me. “Hot chocolate. It’s only from the vending machine, so don’t get excited.”

  “I’m fine with whatever. Unlike a certain woman I could mention, I don’t have to have my drinks made a specific way.” I gave her a pointed look, trying not to smile.

  “Hey, I’m not that fussy. I just happen to prefer flavoured coffee to plain. Nothing wrong with that.” She stuck her tongue out at me.

  “Really mature, Payne.” We both stood grinning at one another until Payne lowered her gaze, picking up her hot chocolate and taking a gulp. That weird vibe was back again, crackling in the air between us.

  “Um…so do you want to sit and watch, or do you want to join in?” she mumbled, staring into her cup as if it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

  “Either. What’s easiest for you?”

  She shrugged, still not looking at me. The door opened and a trio of teenage girls piled into the room, talking animatedly. They stopped dead when they saw me, their conversation abruptly grinding to a halt.

  “You can come in, girls.” Payne’s voice was full of laughter. “Take a seat, and we’ll wait for the others to arrive.”

  “Olivia, is he our model?” A girl with long dark hair spoke up, gesturing in my direction.

  “Noooo. This is Luke, my work colleague. He’s come along to see what goes on here. You can just pretend he’s not here.” She laughed again.

  “But you promised us a man, and he’s so good-looking,” the girl argued, pouting and batting her eyelashes.

  Payne rolled her eyes, sighing. “I didn’t promise anything. I said I’d see what I could do. I was actually planning to ask a friend of Luke’s to be our model.” She turned to me and mouthed, “Alex.”

  “Wait a minute. What does this model thing involve?” Again, what was with my mouth today? It sounded almost like I was interested—

  “See, he’s happy to do it,” the same girl said, arching an eyebrow at Payne.

  “Aisha. Let me speak to Luke without you eavesdropping, please.” She inclined her head at me, and I followed her to the corner of the room. Waving at some more teens that had just entered the room, she turned to me, speaking in a low voice.

  “First of all, I’m not trying to influence you either way. The decision is one hundred percent yours. Don’t let the girls sway you; they’re just taken in by your looks.” She blushed again but managed to hold eye contact with me this time. “All it really involves is sitting as still as possible for about half an hour while they do a sketch of you. I think I’d ask them to concentrate on your face, that way it makes it a bit less daunting for them, and you won’t have to hold your body in one position for ages.”

  “Make him pose naked!” a high-pitched voice came from behind me, followed by the sound of uncontrollable giggling.

  “Never going to happen,” Payne shot over my shoulder. She turned back to me, trying not to laugh. “Sorry. Ignore them.”

  “I can do it. It sounds simple enough.”

  “Are you sure?” She eyed me sceptically.

  “Yes. Tell me where I need to go.”

  “Okay, everyone.” Payne clapped her hands for attention, and seven sets of eyes turned to us. “This is Luke, and he’s kindly agreed to be our model for today. You’re going to be concentrating on drawing his face.” She cocked a brow at the three girls sitting to the left of the room, who I assumed were the ringleaders of the group. “Behave,” she mouthed to them, grinning. Moving closer to the gathered group, she continued. “As always, feel free to create your own interpretation. There’s no right or wrong way.” After handing out paper and pencils to everyone, she placed a chair in the centre of the room. “Luke? Could you sit here, please?”

  I nodded and seated myself on the chair, stretching my legs out in front of me. She studied me for a moment, her lips pursed in thought.

  “Hmm. Let me see…” she mused to herself. She placed her hands on my jaw, turning my head slightly. At her touch, a shiver went through me. Her thumb lightly traced across the stubble on the side of my jaw, only for a second, before she dropped her hands.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “I needed to move your head into the right position.”

  “It’s okay. You can manhandle me anytime you need to, Payne.” We stared into each other’s eyes, and her pupils grew huge.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” someone shouted, and the spell was broken.

  Payne took a giant step away from me. “No, he’s my work colleague. Okay, enough questions. Start drawing.” She hurried back to her table, and I heard the sound of a chair scraping, but I was unable to look in her direction since I had to attempt to keep my head in one position.
r />   Thirty minutes seems to last forever when you have to stay in one place, doing nothing. I’d never been so glad to hear Payne’s voice when she announced that our time was up. Groaning, I stretched, rolling my shoulders. I had a crick in my neck and the beginnings of a headache.

  Payne wandered around each of the tables, giving the teenagers her undivided attention, making encouraging comments to them. They all responded in kind—it was clear that there was mutual respect and appreciation between them all. I watched the graceful way she moved, the way she cocked her head as she listened intently to whoever was speaking to her. I didn’t miss the little shy, sidewards glances she kept sending my way every now and then, either. Every time our eyes met, I felt a jolt of electricity.

  When she’d finished speaking to the last girl, she came around to stand next to me, our arms almost touching. I was suddenly aware of her body heat and the faint vanilla scent that made me want to take a step closer. I stared at her lips, mesmerised, as they curved into a smile, directed at the gathered group.

  “Thank you all for coming. I’m sorry I didn’t sketch anything today. Unfortunately, from my table I could only see the back of Luke’s head.” She looked around the room at everyone in turn. “Any questions before we leave?”

  “You wanna play basketball?” a tall boy with close-cropped black hair asked me.

  “Me? Now?”

  “Yeah. Sports hall.”

  “Uh, I guess so?” I turned to Payne. “Am I allowed to do that?”

  “Course you are.” She smiled. “But only if you want to.”

  “Why not. I haven’t played basketball for a long time, though, so I might be a bit rusty.”

  The boy shrugged. “S’okay. I’m Omari. You can call me O. Let’s go.”

  Shooting a last look at Payne, I followed him out of the room. “I’m not really dressed for this. I’ve got gym stuff in my bag, though. Where can I change?” He directed me to the changing rooms and disappeared into the sports hall. Once I was changed, I entered the large hall, dropping my bag at the side of the room. This was all unexpected, but I guess seeing the way Payne had interacted with the kids had inspired me or something. Shaking out my shoulders, I joined the boys. If only I’d been aware of this place when I was their age. Maybe my teenage years would have been more bearable if I’d been able to escape here in the evenings.