Page 36 of It's Only Make Believe

I say goodbye and end the call, and then I text Luke and tell him what I have chosen for us to do for the evening and checking he is ok with us going on a double date. He texts back confirming that’s fine and that he would like to get to know a friend of mine.

I wish I could introduce him to Louisa. More than that, I wish I could tell Louisa about him. I could go into a ton of detail with her that I just wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing with Justin, and I know she would be so excited for me. But I can’t tell her. Not yet. Not when I’m meant to be her. She might be ok with it, but she might be really mad at me, and I know I should havechecked with her before I let anything happen between Luke and me, but I was determined I wasn’t going to let anything happen and by the time it did, it was too late to check in.

I hope when my internship is over, Luke and I can laugh about the name thing one day, and I hope Louisa and I can do the same thing. Until then, I have to keep Louisa and Luke apart, but there’s definitely no harm in him meeting Justin.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

LUKE

Although I’m happy to be meeting a friend of Louisa’s because I take it must mean that she thinks we are going to last, I must admit I was kind of hoping we would spend the evening just the two of us. Having said that, Justin and Emily are both nice people and the four of us have been getting on really well and having a good laugh together, and I can’t say I’m not enjoying the night.

“To good company and good food,” Justin says, raising his glass.

Me, Louisa, and Emily all raise our glasses and repeat the toast, clinking our glasses together and drinking. The food has been really good too, he is right about that. I haven’t been here for years, but I think it might become somewhere I come more often. It could even be somewhere I would bring potential advertisers for a working lunch if it’s open lunch times. I will have to check the website tomorrow.

We still have dessert to go, and I’m already full, but I have no intention of missing out on the cannoli I’ve ordered.

“Please excuse me,” Emily says, pushing her chair back. “I have to use the ladies’ room.”

“I’ll come with you,” Louisa says and the two of them leave the table together.

I watch Louisa as she walks away, and I glance quickly at Justin and see him watching Emily. It seems those girls have both of us wrapped around their little fingers and if Emily is even a little bit like Louisa, she doesn’t even know it.

“You know you’re not good enough for her, don’t you?” Justin says when the women are out of sight.

“Excuse me?” I say, keeping my voice level because although he has pissed me off, I don’t want to show it at the moment because I’m sure I must have misheard him.

“I said you’re not good enough for her,” Justin says. “She should be with me.”

“What about Emily?” I say, purposely not commenting on Louisa because I’m afraid that I will punch his face in if I do and I really don’t want to do that in the middle of a restaurant.

“Emily’s a cool girl,” Justin says. “But she’s no Louisa.”

On that one, we agree, but I don’t say that.

“Well, you’d best get used to being with Emily because Louisa is mine,” I say.

“You’re just keeping her warm for me mate,” Justin says with a grin. “We were together before, and we will end up back with each other. You’re just a wild oat that needed to be sowed first.”

“You’re delusional,” I say. “And if you lay so much as a finger on her, I won’t hesitate to knock you out.”

I’m sure Justin would have had some sarcastic come back to that, but he has to keep it in because the ladies are back, and he doesn’t have the balls to say it in front of them. I do, but I choose to let it go because I don’t want to embarrass Emily, although Ido wonder if I should warn her. I decide not to. I don’t know her and their relationship is none of my business.

Our desserts arrive as the women are sitting back down and we all focus mostly on them, eating quietly except for the odd comment about how good the dishes are. Louisa tops everyone’s glasses up from the shared bottle of wine on our table and uses up the last of it. I’m glad because I’m ready to get out of here the second, I can do so without looking rude.

“Anyone want coffees?” Justin asks. I shake my head and so does Emily. Louisa doesn’t seem to have heard him. “Tia? Coffee?”

Louisa looks up then and glares at him.

“Shit, sorry,” Justin says. “Tia was an old nickname I had for Louisa when we were dating. She had this phase where all she drank was Tia Maria and the name just stuck.”

I raise an eyebrow at Louisa who just looks down at the table and refuses to meet my eye. Emily looks about ready to punch Justin, and I guess I’m not the only one who didn’t know before tonight that these two used to date.

“No one for coffee. Ok. I’m going to go and grab us a round of Sambuca shots instead then,” Justin says. “That’s much more fun anyway isn’t it.”

He seems awkward and embarrassed, and I think the shots are just an excuse to leave the table, which he does, so quickly, he almost knocks his chair over as he gets up, but he catches it at the last second.

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