"Marco, the guy you saw at the house, he'll be there. I don't want him near you."
"How is he even on the guest list?" I asked.
"Rodrigo did, or does, some work for him," Luc said, waving his free hand.
"Wait, what? How?" I asked, eyes wide. "I mean he isn't the biggest fan of Dom working for you."
Luc rolled his eyes. "I don't think he knew who he was working for and Marco’s a little difficult to just walk away from."
I nodded and returned my attention to gift hunting while Luc led the way around the store. I refused to let go of his hand, worried that if I did, we’d drift further apart than we already had. This was the closest we’d been in the day and it brought me a sense of peace. Luc's thumb kept rubbing mine and it soothed the small burst of panic I felt when I remembered his words.
"He doesn't know me," I said to him quietly, referring to Marco. Our interaction had been non-existent at the house.
"He knows me," Luc retorted. "He's seen you and I don't want him anywhere near you."
"Why?"
"Mia, he doesn't treat women well. I don't want him even looking at you."
Our voices were hushed as we walked around the store, passing other shoppers. I’m surprised that Luc had chosen to share in such an open space, but I wasn’t going to stop him.
"I can't not go, Luc," I told him. "I want to be there for Dom."
"I know," he replied with a sigh. "I'm not saying you can't go. I just..." Luc's grip on my hand got a little tighter and I gave a small squeeze in return.
"What can I do that would make you feel better about it?" I asked him. Ever since meeting Luc I’d learned that negotiating a compromise was important. It seemed to be at the heart of most of our conversations.
Luc thought for a moment before he answered, "You stay with me the entire time we are there."
"I'm not sure that's logistically possible," I told him.
"I know on the day you'll need to be with Dom, but I'll be in attendance. Mia, as long as you're in my sight I won't worry as much. I can keep you safe."
"Okay," I agreed eventually. "I'll stay with you while we're out there."
It hadn’t been a difficult decision to make. To spend more time with Luc, away from the house, from the city… I needed to stop. Entertaining thoughts like this would end in severe heartbreak and it would be me left to pick up the pieces while Luc got on with his life.
"Thank you."
An assistant came over and asked if we needed help with anything and I was brought back to the task at hand. "Just looking for a wedding gift."
"Oh! Congratulations!" she beamed at us.
It took me a moment to realise the woman thought that Luc and I were married or about to be wed and I wanted the world to swallow me whole because we were standing at the edge of the lingerie department. My face flamed red as I tried to untangle my hand from Luc's but he held on and grinned at the assistant.
"We're not," I started.
"I told her to pick out whatever she liked but I guess she values my opinion," Luc cut across smoothly.
I looked at him and wondered what the hell he was doing. The assistant cooed about how sweet it was and walked, beckoning us to follow, as she talked through different options.
"I'm going to murder you in your sleep," I hissed at him.
Luc chuckled darkly. "I'd like to see you try."
Eventually, we arrived home, sans gifts for Dom and obviously sans wedding night lingerie for me. Luc hadn't stopped laughing and I was yet to lose the shade of red that had been painted onto my cheeks. He continued to laugh as we walked into the house. Our hands naturally found each other’s and were clasped together as we crossed the threshold.
"What's so funny?" Lydia asked, placing a fresh vase of white lilies on the table in the hallway. Every week, without fail, the flowers were replaced with new ones and never deviated from my favorite blooms.
