“Well, you don’t have to worry about tonight. I’m sure it’s on my parents.”
“I know, but I’m definitely not going to get the two-hundred-fifty-dollar steak.” I grin at him.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t want to do that and blow my parents’ bank account.”
“Exactly.” I start laughing.
I notice that Luke has been staring at me often throughout the evening, but I don’t know if it’s because Rex is here or if it’s because he just wants to look at me.
He reaches over and grabs my hand and squeezes.
“Mia, to love you is to?—”
“What are you saying?” Rex booms from the other side of the table.
“I’m speaking to Mia, my girlfriend,” Luke stresses.
Rex just rolls his eyes. He turns to Andi and starts laughing.
“Do you think it’s weird that my brother keeps going on about his girlfriend? Like, Luke, is this the first girlfriend you’ve ever been able to get?”
Andi looks uncomfortable as she sits there. Bitsy gives Rex a stern look, as does my grandmother.
“That’s enough, Rex,” Bitsy reprimands him, and he looks taken aback.
“This is supposed to be my celebration. I dunno why we’re always focusing on Luke,” he mutters under his breath loudly.
I just stare at him with a blank expression on my face. What did I ever see in that blowhard?
I turn to Luke and ask him if he knows what he wants to eat, but I realize there’s a weird expression on his face.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just saw the way you were looking at Rex,” he says in a low voice. “Do you still like him?” There’s suspicion in his tone.
I frown. What on earth is he talking about?
“I know you’re not seriously asking me that question.”
“Mia, you were just staring at Rex, and there was a sort of nostalgic look on your face.”
“No, there was not any nostalgic look on my face. I was?—”
“If you say so,” he cuts me off and turns away grumpily.
“I am saying so, Luke, but let’s not have this conversation here because I don’t want to have to cuss you out in front of everyone.”
“You want to cuss me out?” His lips twitch.
“You don’t want me to cuss you out. How could you even ask me if I still like Rex? He’s a douchebag.”
“Yeah, but you?—”
“Luke!”
“My bad.”
“Yeah, it is your bad.” I roll my eyes and look away from him and grab my glass of champagne and sip it slowly. Trying to ignore everyone around me.
