Page 86 of Third Time Lucky

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‘Now that we’ve sorted out allyourissues,’ Aaron begins, ‘I wanted to run something by you.’ He jumps on the counter, facing the office with his hands tucked under his knees like a child. ‘You think I’m getting too serious with Madi? I mean, like you said recently, it’s been weeks.’

‘And you’re usually a “days” kind of guy…’

‘Precisely,’ he replies as if it’s something to be proud of.

‘How exactly are you getting too serious? I thought hooking up was how you two spent most of your time together?’

‘That’s the gist of it, but we also chat before and after, and sometimes on the phone.’

‘You two talk on the phone?’ I ask curiously.

Aaron is the only person in my generation who loves talking on the phone, like a teenage girl. He hates texts and refuses to check his emails, but if you answer, he’ll talk for hours.

He confirms with a nod. ‘Lately, she’s been my ten o’clock call. See, with me calling you at eleven that gives us one hour. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to talk all night.’

‘You’d stay up talking to her all night if you could? Seems like there’s a word for that… what is it?’

‘Phone calls?’

‘Love? You’re falling for her. Why not just admit that you want something more than just a casual fling with this girl? Instead of ending it like all the others.’

‘You’re wrong, man. This is intense and kind of heavy. Love ain’t heavy. Something is nagging the shit out of me right here,’ he gestures between his stomach and heart. ‘It’s encouraging me to focus on this one girl. That’s not usually how I roll, so I need your take on whether she’s worth it.’

‘That’s a loaded question I won’t be answering. She’s Lucy’s best friend. I don’t really know her, and you tend to gossip. Look, if you like her, focus on her. If she likes you, you won’t scare her away. What could it hurt?’

Like the child he sometimes is, he reaches down and rests his hand on his groin.

‘Before you speak as if it has a voice,’ I say, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration, ‘remember your brain is up here…’ I tap him on the forehead as I stand up, conflicted about how to help without enabling his antics. ‘Try using that one, and please don’t do anything dumb that makes Lucy reconsider what she feels for me.’

‘No promises…’ he replies. ‘My mouth does what it wants,’ he adds as I walk into the dining room, torn between laughing and worrying, trying to distract myself by imagining how the wall would look painted.

26

LUCY

‘This date is a little bit unconventional,’ Asher comments as he parks in front of the restaurant.

‘There’s nothing unconventional about you making me dinner. When you’re not around, I dream of it.’

‘You dream of me?’ he asks, smirking.

‘Um… mostly your cooking, but you’ve definitely made an appearance,’ I admit sheepishly.

Super-smooth, Luce.

But his expression shows that he doesn’t mind; in fact, my words please him.

He quickly exits his SUV, gracefully making his way around to my side to open the door for me. I love that he is a gentleman.

‘What kind of unconventional are we talking?’ I ask, intrigued by his mysterious proposal. ‘Aaron didn’t plan this, did he?’

He laughs heartily. ‘No. We’re painting something.’

I lift an eyebrow. ‘Painting something inside?’

He nods confidently and swings open the front door, beckoning me inside before following closely behind me.

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