Page 116 of Until We Burn
“Absolutely not,” Luke protests.
“Diana definitely has feelings for you.”
“Actually, keep going.” Luke pats Rowan’s knee. “I like where this is going.”
“But even if Diana has feelings for you, it’s hopeless no matter what,” Rowan finishes.
“For fuck sakes,” Luke curses.
Rowan rolls his eyes. “I’m saying that because of what we found out tonight. Sophia suspects Edward Huang is testing Diana. Whether or not Diana believes it, she knows that being with you is a risk and she’s not going to tempt danger more than she already has.”
“Or,”Luke interjects, “Diana is braver than we all think and eventually, she’ll realize her feelings for Kai are stronger than her fears.”
Rowan’s caution and concern is unshakeable. “You know I’ll support whatever you want to do, Kai. But I draw the line when it comes to giving you false hope.”
Disappointment sinks in and exposes my hopes for what they really are: stupidity and delusion.
Rowan is right.
This hair clip is most likely what Diana said it was: a token of friendship and nothing more because we can neverbemore. Diana is on the cusp of taking over one of the world’s most powerful mass media companies, and I’m a disgraced university hockey player fighting for another chance to play in the NHL.
It’d never work out between us. Not when we come from two different worlds.
“Yeah.” My voice feels empty and hollow in my throat. “I appreciate it, Row.”
I tuck Diana’s hair clip back into my pocket and force my attentionback to the brutal twenty-eight hundred word paper for my strategic management class.
“So, that’s it?” Luke whips his head around, looking baffled and disappointed. “Aside from Wallace, we’re all just going to die alone?”
Wallace peeks up from behind his laptop. He gulps. “Is this finally the time for us to talk about Emilie?”
The light in Luke’s face dies out. He goes still, every part of him shutting down.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he brushes off. “She broke up with me because she wanted to focus on her internship.”
Wallace frowns and pulls him into a hug. “It’s okay if you’re crushed. I know you really liked her.”
Luke snatches his water bottle so hard, it crinkles. “Not enough if it didn’t make her stay.”
The boys and I swap worried looks.
We used to say Luke King never falls in love. ‘Fall’ is too fragile of a word for what he feels when he likes a girl. Luke collides into his emotions, bones breaking, skin splitting, but he still gives and loves through all of it. A part of him dies a little when he looks around at the end of the relationship, and realizes he was the only one willing to take the fall.
“Hey.” Rowan cups the back of Luke’s neck, making him stare up at the conviction flashing on his face. “Don’t let this kill you, alright? You’re going to meet a lot of girls who are going to fight Wallace for just a second of your love and attention.”
“That’s true,” Wallace agrees.
“And someday,” I promise, “one of those girls is going to give you the exact same love that you give so fearlessly to everyone else.”
Luke takes in our words with a small, hopeful smile. But before he can say something, Wallace’s laptop screen flashes.
He pales at the new notification that pops up.“Shibal.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Wallace looks up. His throat bobs. “Simon Valdis just bought six tickets to the Halloween party.”
Panic swells inside of me. “Why the hell would Simon go to a DHUHalloween party when Lakefield always throws their own every year?”
