Page 69 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Yeah,” I admitted. “A tenant decided to move in with her boyfriend. I haven’t had time to find someone new. The third room has been empty for a while. I don’t know. It’s a hassle to have three students living here. Luca’s kind of an exception.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’ve known his parents for a long time. It was sort of a favor to let him stay here. But despite all his quirks, Luca is a nice guy and almost like a roommate by now.”
Nico laughed. “Yeah, my roommate has his quirks too.”
“Dominic? He seemed very serious.”
“Yeah, he’s skilled at making everyone believe that.”
It was incredible how much I enjoyed spending time with Nico. We conversed effortlessly, and I didn’t feel the need to put on a front. Even though I was still his boss and mentor, right now it felt like we were more like a couple.
Shit! He confessed to me, and I’ve avoided giving him an answer.
Maybe because I don’t know the answer.
I really need to figure this out.
But deep down, it was clear. I was married and had a family. The relationships I’d had with men were always purely business.I’d paid for their services. Of course, Nico was a different situation. Though, in a way, I was still the one paying him—only now, he was my intern, not my escort.
Lost in thought, I stirred the sauce, trying to make sense of my tangled thoughts. I knew this was a weak argument; you didn’t need to be a lawyer to see that.
Once the dinner was ready, I prepared two plates and joined Nico at the table. His sad smile revealed that his thoughts had drifted back to his mother. That was okay. What mattered was that I could bring a genuine smile to his face, even if just for a moment.
If there was one thing I’d learned in the past few weeks, it was that Nico didn’t wear a mask. He was just himself. And, God, did that make him attractive.
We quickly emptied our plates and loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Eventually, we were back in the bedroom for round two.
***
It was already five o’clock when I walked into the kitchen in just my boxers to get Nico a glass of water. Juri had just emerged from the bathroom, wearing only his pants, and he slicked back his hair.
“Well, well,” he said, grinning while taking the iced tea out of the fridge. “You surprise me, Hec. This is almost like a honeymoon weekend.”
“Don’t exaggerate,” I answered, trying to keep a straight face as I grabbed a ginger shot from the fridge shelf.
“I think it’s great. You can even tell it’s doing you good. You’re practically glowing.”
Juri’s words meant a lot to me, and when he placed a hand on my shoulder and searched my eyes, he even made me smile.
“Stop overthinking. The guy really likes you. And he’s totally hot.”
“He said he’s fallen in love with me.”
Juri frowned, his moss-green eyes reflecting his surprise as he looked at me. “Really? That’s awesome!”
A key rattled in the stairwell, and the apartment door opened.
“Is Luca out?” I asked, confused.
“No, he’s in his room,” Juri replied, removing his hand from my shoulder. As I realized who else had a key, Viktoria entered the apartment. My jaw dropped, and my heart skipped a beat.
What the hell is she doing here?
“Oh…” she said, clearly startled, stopping by the coat rack.
She studied me with wide eyes, then at Juri. It was the same look she’d had in the office when she’d burst into the meeting room and seen Juri and me …
