Page 37 of Losing Control
“Seriously? A guy has been back in the country a few days and his closest friend is going to turn him down so that she can work?” I see the cheeky glint in his eye and I can’t help but dismiss my idea of working.
“When you put it like that, how can I refuse?” When Cal is around it’s safe to say that all fucking reasoning goes out of my head. Michael will be pissed if he finds out, but then again, Cal and I are just friends, so really, he has nothing to worry about. Yeah, okay, Luce, you keep telling yourself that. It’s not like you haven’t had feelings for Cal for-fucking-ever. I shake my head to rid myself of my thoughts. Lock it up in the box. Throw the fucking key away.
“Exactly,” Cal says, smiling.
I stand up, putting my jacket on and grabbing my bag from the back of my chair.
“Where’s Kim?” he asks.
“She’s got the week off,” I inform him.
“So I get you all to myself?”
“You sure do.”
“Lucky me,” he replies, making me smile. I link my arm through his as he escorts me out of the office.
“Usual place?” he says, and I nod at him. We are still so in sync even after all the time that he has been away.
We walk to Harvey’s Café and find a table to sit at, by the window. I take my jacket off and hang it on the back of the chair whilst Cal looks over the menu.
“Nothing changes here, does it?” he says as he sees that the menu is exactly the same as when he left.
“Nope.”
“It’s nice. I like that some things don’t change.” I don’t miss the hidden meaning behind his words. He is referring to the friendship that we share.
“You talking about the food or something else?”
“Both,” he replies, confirming what I already knew with a smile.
The waitress comes over and asks if we are ready to order. I opt for a caramel latte and tuna melt sandwich. Cal orders a black coffee and the chicken salad with a bowl of fries, just as I knew that he would. The waitress bounces off, taking our menus with her and Cal and I engage in some light conversation.
Our food and drinks arrive ten minutes later, and I take a bite of my sandwich, enjoying the sensations that it is eliciting on my taste buds. I haven’t been to this place in so long that I forgot just how good the food was.
“So, have you and Michael figured things out?” Cal asks me as he takes a bite of his salad.
“Yes. I went back last night, and everything is fine now.”
“Do you want to talk about the argument you two had?”
“Not really.” No way in hell do I want to discuss it. It’s done, over, finished.
“Okay. When do I get to meet him?”
“Jesus, Cal, you have only just got back. Do you not have anyone else that you want to see before you give my boyfriend the Spanish inquisition?” I say, injecting a little humour into the conversation. I need to tell Michael about Cal before any meeting happens. My heart speeds up at just the mere thought.
“I’ve seen my family, and I met up with Joe and Fletch last night,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders. “Plus, you’re my favourite person, so I want to meet the guy that you’re keeping house with.”
“You can meet him soon.”
“How soon?”
“Cal,” I say his name in a warning tone.
“What?” He feigns ignorance, but I know that he is just looking out for me. He always has.
“I love that you’re back home, but I need to tell Michael about you before I introduce you to him.”
