9
Istared at Luka.
Dinner, tonight. Did that count as a date? Did I want to be seen in public with Luka on a sort-of-date?
“Your silence is making me a tad nervous.” The smile didn’t leave Luka’s lips, though I’d seen his expressions enough to know he wasn’t lying. There was the vaguest hint of anxious anticipation in his set jawline. I wondered if it gave him a thrill, not knowing if someone might say no to him. I had to fight against the urge to run my palm along that smooth jaw.
“I would love to go out to dinner with you,” I said.
His pleasant smile brightened even further. He held out an arm and I allowed myself to take it, resting my forearm against his. Even though I knew this was more of a gallant gesture than anything, I relished the opportunity to be closer to him.
Luka walked me out of the office and down the halls. “Shall I bring you to your room first?”
I shot a look at him. “That’s not very prince-like behavior, is it?”
Luka laughed. “No, of course not. I was simply offering you the opportunity to pick up anything you might need before we go.”
“Actually, yeah,” I said, thinking back on the French restaurant he had taken me to previously. The first time had been so lovely, a relaxing evening of discussion, flirting, and our first almost-kiss together. The second time, well, I couldn’t think about it for too long without driving myself wild with desire.
Turned out, though, thinking about it at all was enough to fan the flames inside me. I remembered how daring our rendezvous had been, Luka playing with me, using his mouth to deliver such dizzyingly high pleasure.
“I figure I should at least put on something a little more appropriate than my everyday school clothing,” I said. “I’ll just need a moment to put on my little black dress.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Luka said. “Let’s start slower. We can eat at the campus dining hall together.”
“Oh. So no fancy restaurant? I guess I got a little carried away with the memories.”
“I completely understand,” Luka said, with an edge of that hunger in his voice. I remembered it so well from our date, drinking in how commanding and reassuring he was, making it clear how much he wanted me.
“Though, I’m tempted to change anyway,” I said. “The dining hall is so posh here, it might as well be a restaurant.”
I found myself fighting intrusive thoughts again, feeling like the acceptance of my peers from earlier had been a fluke, or worse, that everyone was patronizing the new girl. Would it be like that movie where all of the popular kids pretended to be the girl’s friend, then turned on her and humiliated her at the last minute?
Maybe I had watched too many movies. But my fear grew every single day here, and I was getting exhausted from the swings between bliss and terror, relaxation and embarrassment.
“I’m sure you’ll be just fine as you are,” Luka said.
As we walked to the dining hall he kept his arm around me the entire time. I did my best to ignore any probing stares, because I was enjoying the way Luka treated me. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a strain set in despite his lovely way with me.
Once we got to the dining hall, my paranoia went into overdrive. There were two sides; one was mostly self service, though even they had chefs preparing things on demand. The other side was similar to a restaurant, complete with private booths.
Those booths came with people, whispering and nodding their chins at us. I knew those whispers were about me sharing a meal with Luka.
He looked down at me, frowning. It wasn’t often I saw that frown, and I felt bad for inspiring it.
“Perhaps to the back, then. There is a free booth over there,” he said, walking me towards it. “It will also afford us a little privacy.”
I smiled, despite the situation. He was being so sweet to me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. “Thank you. Privacy is good right now.”
I slid into one side of the booth, facing the wall so most diners would only see the back of my head. I expected Luka to sit in front of me, but to my surprise, he sat on the bench beside me.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said.
“Not at all.”
“I know the events following the trial have been difficult for you, Aubrey,” he said, quietly placing his hand on my thigh and squeezing with reassurance. “But I assure you, you belong here with us.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking a deep, cleansing breath and exhaling through my nose. “This week started out rough. Today was better, but I can’t help feel like I’m still this outsider. And the rumors, and the stares. It’s so much to deal with. I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate it.”
