Page 94 of All's Well that Friends Well

It’s not a big deal? Hisbirthdayisnot a big deal?

My lower lip trembles. “We’re friends,” I say. “Friends celebrate birthdays.” My gaze breaks away from him, darting around the room as I think. “I didn’t get you a present,” I mutter. “I didn’t even get you acard!” Then I look back at him. “Does anyone evenknow?”

Luca neatly and methodically gathers the trash from his lunch, placing it back in his paper bag. “Of course not,” he says. “It’s not relevant.”

“Not relevant,” I repeat faintly. I want to scream at him and also hug him, and then I want to throw him the biggest, best birthday party anyone has ever had.

My family celebrated birthdays in a big way while I was growing up, and my sisters and I have carried on the tradition. We drag Cyrus into it too, when we can manage. We go all out—streamers and party hats and piñatas, with a cake and yummy food.

I slap my hand on the table top and stand up, glaring over at Luca.

“No,” I say. “Absolutely not.”

“Absolutely not…what?” he says. He reaches for my scattered lunch trash now, wadding it up and shoving it into his paper bag.

“Absolutely I will not let you treat your birthday like any other day. I will throw you an office party. I will?—”

“If you throw me a party, I’m going to fire you,” Luca says, straightening up next to me. His voice is calm but firm, his gaze sharp. It’s the demeanor he uses when he’s trying to be scary.

So I gasp dramatically and clasp my hands under my chin. We’re the only ones left in the room, so I feel safe when I speak. “But if you fire me, what excuse are you going to use about why we shouldn’t date each other?” I say, fluttering my eyelashes at him.

His shoulders slump the tiniest amount as pink creeps into the shells of his ears, and he tears his gaze away from mine.

“Ridiculous,” he mutters, shaking his head.

I grin and scamper after him as he heads to the trash can. “You know what we could do?” I say, poking him in the back. “We could just date anyway?—”

But I break off as his hand reaches around to swat me away; I dart to the side with a surprised laugh as something light and bubbly rises in my chest.

That’s how my Luca feelings always show up—light and bubbly, giddy and joyful.

I’ve had crushes on countless guys. My family would say I’ve always been boy crazy. But as I stare at Luca’s back, abreathless smile still on my face, I know for certain that I’ve never felt like this before.

I’ve never liked anyone the way I like him.

I pull my phone back out of my bag and shoot off a text to my sisters.

Me

Apparently Luca’s birthday is today??? So I have to do some baking tonight, which means a grocery run. Text me a list of what you need and I’ll go on my way home from work!!

India doesn’t answer, but Aurora’s response is almost immediate. I get several seconds of bouncing ellipses, and then her message comes through.

Aurora

A bottle of all-purpose cleaner for me.

I grimace at this request. If Aurora is in the mood to deep clean, it means she’s having a really bad day. Something to do with her casual not-boyfriend, maybe?

I’m going to need to investigate that one when I get home.

I tuck my phone in my pink bag once more, and my smile returns as Luca and I skirt out of the room, his blue-green scent swirling around me as I follow in his wake. I’m so focused on him that I almost run into Quincey Brewer as we round the corner into the hallway.

“Oh,” I say, startling as I come to a sudden halt. Quincey’s eyes drop when he sees me—not in a lecherous way, like he’s checking me out, but more in an embarrassed way. His hair looks especially limp today. I nod stiffly to him and then stepto the side, except?—

“Miss Marigold,” he says. The words are mumbled, and when I look over at him, he’s still staring at the ground.

My brows jump at his tone—not smug or haughty at all.

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