He rolls his shoulders and clears his throat at my dismissal, taking a seat. “April,” he says softly, his voice as smooth as ever, “thank you for meeting me.”
I offer a forced smile. “Sure.”
A heavy silence settles between us, and I blink, waiting for him to say something, anything. I’m unsure whether he expects me to start the conversation, so I just dive in. “You asked to see me,” I say, keeping my tone flat.
“Yes, I did,” he replies, resting his hands on the table. “Honestly, I didn’t know if you’d even respond, so I’m glad you came.”
“How are you?” I ask, forcing kindness into my voice.
“I’m well, a little overwhelmed with work, so naturally I feel a bit withdrawn, but I’m good. How are you?” he asks.
“I’m good. Basil is good. Still shitting on the floor, but that’s Basil,” I say, shrugging.
He smiles at the mention of the cat. He always loved him. “I’m glad you’re both well. I’m happy you have him,” he says.
“Me too.”
“How’s work?” he asks.
I hate this, I’ve never been great at playing the surface game. I wish he’d get to the point.
“Works been fine, just the same. I’ve taken up ceramics again. I heard you were back with your parents in Toton?”
He nods. “I was there for a few weeks after we split, yes. But I found myself a flat in Battersea a couple of months ago. That’s wonderful to hear about your ceramics. I’ve managed to run some small study groups at the university, which I’ve been enjoying.”
Ah. That explains why I saw him at the Mayfair Lounge.
“That’s great, Lucas,” I say, annoyed. This conversation feels like wasted air, so I cut to the chase. “What did you want to talk to me about?” My voice comes out sharper than I intended.
He looks momentarily taken aback but quickly recovers. “Look, April, I know things didn’t end well between us. But you’re still one of the kindest, funniest, most soulful, and sympathetic people I’ve ever had in my life. Not to mention,the most beautiful. You were the best thing that ever happened to me—a diamond among the rubbish.” He reaches out, resting his hand over mine. “A beautiful blood-red diamond,” he adds softly.
Has Hell frozen over? Did I hear him correctly?
This isn’t at all what I was expecting. I blink. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say,” I reply, confused.
“I made a mistake,” he says, his eyes softening in a way I can only describe as pleading.
A mistake.
I whisper his words, weighing them up as I speak them aloud.
A mistake?
Is he serious?
Suddenly, a wave of fire rips through me, but I temper the anger to keep my composure.
“A mistake? It didn’t seem like a mistake when you were messaging those women for months. When you blocked and ghosted me. When you acted like we never even happened,” I snap.
He rubs his thumb over my knuckles, but I pull my hand away, watching the expression on his face drop. “I messaged other people occasionally, but it was just light-hearted—mostly meaningless, not even flirty all the time. I couldn’t get this intense”—he gestures between us with his other hand—“with anyone else, because they didn’t mean anything.”
“Really?” I raise an eyebrow, sarcastically, but he barrels on, totally oblivious.
“April, I could never have what we had with anyone else. We shared so much, and yeah, parts of that I’ve shared with others—like the occasional picture or chat about … steamy stuff. But you’re the only person I’ve ever been with who I could consider …more. It was casual with the others when it happened, whichwasn’t all that often.” He pauses for effect. “You’re the only one who has my heart.”
I honestly don’t even know how to respond to that. It’s strange—hearing him spout his usual charm doesn’t affect me anymore. It’s quite the opposite. This is his pattern, what he’s always done. He did it with me, with those women online, and probably countless others. I’m starting to see it for what it really is—manipulation to get what he wants.
“Get to the point, Lucas. What do you want?” I ask, my patience thinning.
