“Tell Puffin I send my best wishes.”
I just stood there, not sure what to do—but then I grabbed the back of his swivel chair to spin him around, so we were looking each other. Luke’s mouth was in a straight line and his eyes were razor-sharp. “I get it,” I whispered, heart going in and out. “You’re pissed.”
Luke rolled his eyes.
I sighed. “Then why did you say you were fine with it?” Because when I told him right after my run with Sage, I convinced myself he was. He hadn’t said anything at first. Instead, he got up and left to take a shower, but when he came back, I asked point-blank if it was okay, and he’d nodded. So I believed him…or rather, my conscious and subconscious decided to blow off all reason and rationale to believe him.
“Because you already fucking told her yes,” Luke said now. “It wasn’t like you asked how I felt about it.” He stood. “You made your decisionbeforetelling me, so clearly my opinion didn’t matter.”
“I know.” I reached for his hand. “I’m sorry, but she caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to do.”
Luke’s face didn’t thaw. “I don’t want you to go. I know that’s not really fair to say, but I don’t want you to go. I don’t want my boyfriend going to some romantic Valentine’s Day thing with one of his ex-girlfriends.”
Neither of us said anything for a couple of seconds. He was eyeing the floor, while I just held his unresponsive hand, but then I squeezed it. “Do you want me to tell her I can’t come?”
“It’s in less than an hour,” he mumbled.
“So?” I shrugged. “If you don’t want me to go, I won’t.”
Luke shook his head. “Charlie, please don’t make this my decision. That isn’t fair. You should go. She’s a good person and shouldn’t get hurt. Don’t ruin her night.” He shook me off and sat back down in his chair, spinning around to face his MacBook again.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Luke—”
“You should go,” he cut me off. “Don’t want to be late.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you.”
He was quiet, but as I turned his doorknob to leave, I caught, “Yeah, I would’ve liked that.”
I called home when I was sure Luke was comatose, his body completely relaxed against mine. After two hours of fending off Dove’s advances, I’d walked out of Hardcastle to see him waiting at the end of the front walk, looking so slick in his new bomber jacket, hands in his pockets.That’s your guy, the voice inside me said.Here to pick you up.
I moved toward him. “Where’s Sage?”
Luke shrugged. “After dinner, she bumped me to hang with Nick. He said something about an air hockey tournament?”
“Sounds about right.” The weather had been iffy today—misty rain—so Nick had decided to postpone tonight’s original plan until next weekend. “Because the stars are pivotal,” he’d said. “It needs to be theapexof night skies.”
“Can we go?” Luke asked after a few moments of us just standing in Hardcastle’s front yard. His voice dropped low. “Because you look really hot.” He gestured at me—I’d forgone the coat and tie tonight, instead wearing a casual black blazer over a gray sweater. “Very Euro.”
I smiled as we headed away from the girls’ houses. “It’s all for you.”
He glanced at the ground. “I hope so.”
“Hey.” I touched his arm. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
But he wasn’t, face looking pretty miserable when we made eye contact again. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.I’m sorry.
“Stay in Dag tonight,” I murmured, looking around to see if anyone was nearby. Then I tucked a hand in his jacket pocket. Our fingers found each other. “It’s brutal sleeping without you.”
Luke sort of laughed. “Why?” he asked. “Do you have nightmares or something?”
“No.” I shook my head, chest aching. “Just self-diagnosed separation issues.”
“Well, that works out.” He smirked, and something in me burst when he winked. “Because so do I.”
It was late, past 2:00 a.m. when I snuck out, and no one was around to see me shut myself in the obsolete hallway phone booth that had been there for countless years. I ignored its phone, using my own.“Hello?” Mom answered, sounding sort of panicked. Clearly I’d woken her up. “Charlie?”
“That’s me,” I said.
