Page 34 of Lily, Unwritten

“By the wall?” Luke smiled; his face lit up with absolute beauty.

I continued to laugh as I wiped the tears off my cheeks. “These aren’t my shoes, and I really need to take them off. I think I broke my toes.”

He looked at me, bemused, as I pulled the shoes off, a happy sigh escaped my lips as my throbbing feet touched the soothing, cold ground. “Lily… whose shoes have you got on and why?”

“Well, I wore flats for work today because I got the train. Then I found out I was coming here, and I wanted you to see me in sexy shoes, so I convinced a girl to swap.”

Luke looked at the shoes. “They’re not even your size, are they?”

I shook my head.

“You know you didn’t need to do that?”

“It made sense at the time. Didn’t want you to see me in flats and think you had a lucky escape.”

“Yeah, because I only wanted you for your shoes…” Luke laughed with me; this was nice. Friends laughing together.

“I can think of a few occasions that was actually very true!” I spluttered, but my eyes met his, and we just… stopped.

“Do you want to come back inside and finish the wine?” he asked in a quiet voice.

I shook my head.

“Do you want me to get you a taxi?”

I shook my head again.

“Do you want to stay with me?”

“Yes, but I can’t,” I answered with both honesty and regret, as my fingers reached for my ring once more.

“Let me get you home safe then, hey? Like the old days?” he smiled and stroked my forehead. I could have sunk into him there and then, but instead I nodded. I was an engaged woman, I’d grown up a lot in the last few months, and I was not going to risk what Zack and I had. “I’m staying in the hotel tonight, and I should probably be working, loads to get ready for tomorrow. I’ll come with you in an Uber to make sure you get home safe and then just get it to bring me back.”

“You don’t need to. If you weren’t here, I’d be on the train alone anyway.”

“True, but you wouldn’t be upset and two wines down. No arguments.”

I booked the Uber, and we stood near the entrance in silence. I didn’t know what to say, it took all my focus not to reach out and touch him. My body longed to lean in and smell him, refresh my memories. I twisted my engagement ring around my finger as a reminder of why I mustn’t.

We got into the car and Luke explained to the driver that he would be returning back to the same place. “I should’ve booked it on my account,” he said. “Now you’ll have the bill for both trips, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not an issue,” I twisted sideways and leaned my head back on the seat, watching him, wanting to make the most of every second of being able to look at him. He did the same and gently took hold of my hand. I wished I lived hours away, but all too soon the journey was over. The ride was silent. One more ending.

The driver coughed and looked at his phone after he pulled up at my house; we both remained in the back, like statues. Luke stroked my cheek as a single, fat tear rolled down over my freckles.

“Goodb—” I began to speak, but he pressed his hand to my mouth and stopped me.

“Don’t say it.” He ran his hands through his hair, and I could see he was near to tears too. “Go inside, so I know you’re safe.”

I fumbled the key in the door, struggling with blurred vision and stinging eyes. I couldn’t even look back; I couldn’t look at Luke. I locked the door and ran straight upstairs. The car drove away as I threw myself onto the bed and cried with absolute devastation.

Zack had been right; I shouldn’t have worked on this case. He was going to be furious. I reached into my bag for my phone but instead found a folded piece of thick paper. My breath stuck in my throat.

I loved you before I knew you

The first time my eyes

gazed upon your face

---