HIM Page 6

  "It's a beautiful truck," I say and add, "Why the color white?"

  "I live down a long dirt road, so white looks clean the longest," he says as he smirks.

  A sexy smirk at that. We sit down by the window, and Mary greets us as she passes out some menus.

  "Two days this week! How did I get so lucky? Glad to see you are still here, Ali," Mary declares.

  She gives me a devilish smile and raises her eyebrows twice as she looks over at Luke then back at me.

  "Tell me a little bit about yourself. Your dad said you're brilliant, and you received an amazing job right out of college." Luke conveys, looking very interested in knowing a little about me.

  "I attended Stout, majoring in Architecture with a minor in Graphic/Interior Design. I was blessed to receive an internship my sophomore year based solely on my grades and one of my professors' recommendation, whose good friend happens to be the CEO of the company where I work. After I graduated, I was asked to stay on as a full-time Designer. Currently, I design the lighting concepts mainly for commercial businesses but sometimes for personal clients." I take a breath, smile, then study his face.

  Luke looks amazed after hearing about my achievements, and I continue to talk about what exactly my job entails as we dine. We also talk about what we enjoy; favorite past times, foods we like and dislike, cars, fishing, and laugh until our faces hurt. It's the most fun and magical time I've had eating lunch. Plus, he's easy on the eyes.

  ON OUR WAY TO MY dad's house, we listen to music and jam out to almost every song on the radio. His singing voice is nicer than I expected. I'm not surprised by what I am learning about him anymore because he keeps surpassing the usual persona that accompanies most guys like him. I am starting to dig him, and more than just his insanely good looks.

  He turns down the music blaring throughout his cab as we arrive at my dad's. I'm kind of sad our ride is over, and we now part ways.

  "Thank you for everything today!" I say with a big smile.

  "My pleasure!" Luke replies as he gets out of his truck.

  I watch as he walks around the front of his truck to open my door like a thorough gentleman. He helps me down, and we walk to the front door of my dad's house. I turn around and look up at him, into his dreamy light blueish-green eyes. I open my mouth to say something, but I am caught deep in his trance. He puts his hand on the door above my head, then leans in toward me.

  A strange excitement fills my body. I break my eyes free from his and look at his perfect lips. They look so kissable. I bite down on the corner of my bottom lip as I lean in closer to him and bring my eyes back to his. We are so close that I can feel his warm breath on my cheek. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

  My phone rings, and we get jolted apart from almost kissing.

  "Sorry," I say, embarrassed and disappointed that our intimate moment was disrupted.

  I quickly reach into my purse and take out my phone.

  "It's Jason!"

  Luke sighs as he grabs the back of his neck with his hand then takes a few steps away from me.

  "I should get going now anyway," he states, looking at the ground.

  My heart melts a little, and I hit the silent button on my phone and look up at Luke. He has since started walking back to his truck. He stops, then looks back at me.

  "Would you like to see a movie tomorrow, after I get off work?" he asks with hope in his eyes.

  I am screaming with joy inside.

  "Yes, I would love to see a movie!" I reply with a smile.

  Which I am sure is creepily huge. Luke smiles, then turns back around and walks towards his truck. I turn to open the door of my father's house.

  "I will be here by about seven-thirty to pick you up," he yells from his truck.

  I turn towards him, "Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow!"

  "Goodnight, Ali."

  "Nite!" I respond.

  He waves at me before leaving my father's driveway. I wave back and head into the house. I close the door and rest my back up against it. I let out a massive squeal as I smile from ear to ear as excitement travels up my body from my toes. I want to scream and jump around like a giddy little kid who just received some candy.

  I must call Ris. I need to tell her everything that has been going on. I need to tell her about my dad's Will reading and my afternoon with Luke. How we almost kissed. Eeek!! She'll be ecstatic once she hears this! Okay, maybe not as stoked as I am, but close.

  My phone rings again, it's Troy! Sigh!

  Chapter Thirteen

  I have not spoken to Troy on the phone or had an actual conversation with him since I've been back in my hometown. He texts me every day and has called a few times, but I have let his calls go to voicemail. I should probably answer it, but I'm still shaking over the twitter-patter of my heart, from the way Luke had made me feel just now.

  I know Troy likes me, and I like him too, but Luke makes me feel a lot different; he makes me feel alive. He makes me feel closer to my dad and closer to myself, my old self, the one I left here when I went off to college.

  I answer Troy's call right before it goes to voicemail.

  "Hi, Troy! How are you?" I answer, hoping to keep this short and sweet.

  "Ali, it's so great to hear your voice finally! I'm staying busy, but I miss you very much! How are you doing?" he says, surprised I answered my phone.

  His response amuses me, but I won't blame him because I have been ignoring his calls. I've been busy taking on everything with my dad and quite frankly preoccupied with fantasizing and thinking about Luke.

  "I'm doing alright. I just got back from my dad's lawyer's office. They read his Will today," I say while making small talk.

  I cannot help but think of Luke the whole time while talking to Troy. He's become a guilty pleasure for me. I feel bad as I refrain from telling him that I spent the last few hours having a fantastic time with another guy.

  "I bet that was tough. I wish I could've been there with you during all that. If you need anything, you know, I am here for you," Troy proclaims.

  "Yea, I know," I say.

  A few moments of silence pass before Troy speaks again.

  "What are your plans for the rest of your day, beautiful?" he asks.

  "I think I may go see some friends or stop by my aunt and uncles to see what else needs to be done before I return to the city."

  Without skipping a beat, Troy blurts out, "When do you think that will be? I know I should be empathetic, but I do miss you. I am sorry for what you're going through. I know you'll need your time, but I hope it's not too long."

  "When what will be?" I reply.

  I completely forget what he just said as I fantasize about Luke's perfect lips pressed up against mine.

  "Coming back to the city?" he says as his voice is filled with excitement.

  "I'm not sure, but soon, I hope. I am planning to return within the next few days, if not early next week. I need to get back to work," I ramble.

  The tone in Troy's voice shifts, "You know you have recently gone through a huge loss in your life and taking time for yourself is not a bad idea, Ali."

  He's right, and he is repeating what he said earlier that I did not pay any attention to. However, it is none of his business, to be honest. Who is he or anyone for that matter; to tell me about what has happened and how I should be taking time for myself? I am the one who decides when that happens, not him, my aunt, Ris, no one. I need to get back to work; it will keep my mind off having to deal with everything. My life can go back to normal, and I can move forward. My life here is such a mess right now. At least I think it is, although I am not so sure. On one end, there's Luke, and on the other a feeling of emptiness that I have felt for the past few days.

  A little irritated by Troy's comment, I reply in a snarky tone, "Yeah, I get that, but they need me back at Facade."

  Not leaving any time for Troy to talk down to me about what is currently going on in my life and how I should take time to heal, I say, "Uh,
my aunt is beeping in, I should take this. It's probably something relating to my dad."

  It happens to be a bald-faced lie, but I'm done talking about my father's death or anything that accompanies it.

  "Oh, okay. It was nice to talk to you, Ali. Keep me posted on your return, please." Troy says in the sweetest, most caring voice. "I miss you and cannot wait to see you!"

  I reply, "Me too," before hanging up.

  I put my phone on the armrest of the couch and sit down. I run my hands through my hair as I bring my chest to my thighs. I can't believe I just lied to Troy to get out of talking to him. I used to get so excited when he'd call or even text me, how things have changed since I've been back. I am so focused on Luke now, and I can't help myself. He just came out of nowhere and has taken my breath away.

  My mind strays away from what just took place on my phone call with Troy back to Luke. He has the most beautiful light blueish-green eyes; it's like looking at the ocean. He also has perfect lips. I think they may even be more perfect than Michael Keaton's. He romanced with Hollywood beauties Kim Basinger and Michelle Pfeiffer in his Batman movies with those superb lips! I have always tried to find a guy whose lips could even come close to Michael's. It's hard to explain, but I mean, come on, he has the best-framed lips in history.

  My phone buzzes. It's a text from Ris!

  Girl!! I am off soon. Call me in twenty, okay! Winkey face, blowing heart kiss emoji.

  Ris and her silly emojis!!

  I wonder if Luke is going to the cabin this weekend with Jason and his parents. Probably not, because Jason hates him. Maybe Ris could come to visit this weekend and distract Jason for me to spend some more time getting to know Luke. Jason will be pissed once he finds out I am keen on Luke, but he will have to deal with it, as it's none of his concern.

  Excited about what I just conjured up in my mind, I call Ris. She answers on the first ring.

  "Girl, give me all the deets!! What's going on with you?"

  I start off telling her what happened at the reading of my father's Will and how my father gave Luke some of his stuff, including ten percent of his business. I already told her about how Luke and I met while he was shirtless and how incredibly good-looking, he is, along with the issues with Jason. I also mention that he brought me home the night of Jason's party plus the details of that night. I then tell her every detail of my ride home with him today after the reading and our amazing lunch.

  She screams into the phone, yelling annoyingly, "Ali has a boyfriend," before asking if I humped his brains out.

  I let her down gently when I tell her we almost kissed but were interrupted when my phone rang.

  "Bitch, you should have hurled yourself on to his lap and fucked him silly or at least sucked his dick while he was driving," she blurts out bluntly.

  She is one of the biggest horn-balls, I know. I mention that I talked to Troy right before calling her, and she asked if I told him about Luke. I tell her I hadn't. She says good, fuck them both, before going off on one about how she wants to meet my hot shirtless beau. That reminds me of the idea I had come up with.

  "Hey, is there any way you could come here this weekend and accompany me to my cabin?" I say in anticipated excitement.

  "Jason, his parents, and I'm sure a few of his friends are going. I'm not sure if Luke is, but if you come, Jason will be too preoccupied with your pussy power to pay any attention to his hatred for Luke," I laugh, realizing I just told my best friend I practically want to pimp her out.

  "Jason is your hot childhood friend, right?" she asks.

  "Yes, I've told you about him numerous times, remember?" I boast.

  Laughing, Ris replies, "Okay, I will take Friday off and come wrangle some men with my magical poon!"

  We burst out in laughter as we continue to refer to her vagina as the Great Bambino. Its charm has sucked in many men. We chat a little more about what she should bring with her. What skanky outfits and suits she should pack to make sure she reels Jason in on the first day. I tell her she could do that wearing a burlap potato sack.

  She talks a little about work and how everyone misses me and what projects are taking place right now and what gossip has struck the office. I miss not being there and having the assignments to occupy my time. She assures me that everything is under control, and I will be back before I know it, complaining about our co-worker's annoying habits.

  "I'm going to pack my slutty ass thong bikini," she belts out.

  We both burst out laughing, call each other derogatory names like "skank" and "whore” then say, "I love you" as we end our call. I cannot wait to see her this weekend; it's going to be a blast, whether Luke is there or not.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I am awoken abruptly by a knock at the door. Who'd be waking me up so early? I rush downstairs to see who is knocking this early in the morning. I open the front door.

  "Good Morning, Ali," Gladys says with a smile.

  "Good Morning! Come in," I say while half asleep.

  "Is something wrong?" I ask, not remembering if we made plans to do something today or not.

  "No, nothing is wrong. Well, not entirely. It slipped my mind yesterday when we were together to mention this to you and when I remembered, it was too late to call," Gladys says with a little worry in her voice.

  A little concerned now, I reply, "What's going on?"

  "Your dad's secretary, Maureen, is retiring in a few weeks, and I need your help in hiring a new secretary," she continues.

  Maureen is the backbone of my father's shop; she keeps it running day-to-day. She does everything from answering phones, scheduling appointments, invoicing, payroll, paying bills, etc. Maureen has been my dad's secretary since he opened the shop almost thirty years ago. She was kind of his right-hand woman as she took care of all clerical matters.

  Gladys reminds me that she did some work with Maureen a few years back when she had shoulder surgery, and I would cover for her when she'd occasionally go on vacation. Maureen has a lot to teach Gladys and me before she leaves, given that we are unable to find a replacement right away. Gladys used to work at the hospital a few towns over but retired last year.

  "I am on my way to the shop now; would you like me to wait for you, or do you want to drive yourself?" Gladys asks as she walks back towards the door.

  "I need to get changed and stuff. I will meet you at the shop," I mutter.

  She turns to open the door, "I will see you when you get there then. See you soon!"

  Gladys smiles and gives a wave before leaving to head to my father's shop. I need to shower and look halfway decent since I will see Luke there. I rush back up the stairs to take a quick shower and get myself somewhat presentable.

  Freaking out, as I cannot find anything that I want to wear, I fling myself into the back of my closet. Sliding shirt upon shirt across the clothing rack, I come upon a shirt much like the ones I saw the guys wear at my father's funeral. Although it did not have the new logo for the shop on the back, it was still one of his shop shirts. My name is sewn neatly in white on the front. I slip it on over my black tank top then grab a pair of my ripped jeans.

  I head into the bathroom to blow dry my hair and put it in a ponytail. I throw on some quick makeup; shadow, liner, and mascara before heading down to the kitchen. I open the cereal cabinet, knowing I don't have time to sit and eat a bowl of cereal right now. I grab a cereal bar, put my boots on, and walk out the door.

  I jump into my car, forgetting my purse, so I take off back into the house. I knew I had forgotten something in the excitement of seeing Luke again.

  ON MY WAY TO THE shop, I don't pay much attention to the beautiful morning scenery because I am in a hurry. I make a quick stop at the gas station and grab myself milk and bottled water.

  I pull into my dad's shop and drive around back to where the employees' park. I can feel my nerves start to go when I see Luke's truck. I am excited to see him but freaking out at the same time. I throw the milk and cereal bar into my purse before
I get out of my vehicle.

  I walk up to the back of the shop. It's a gorgeous summer morning; all the doors are open. I walk into the shop and make my way back to the offices. I skim the shop looking for Luke, Jason, Ernie- anyone, but no one is around. I get back to the offices and notice that all the guys have crowded around in the breakroom.

  Before the guys start to walk out, I dip into the office where Gladys and Maureen are.

  "Ali!" Maureen shouts.

  She gets up from her desk and rushes over to hug me.

  "Hi, Maureen! Congratulations on your soon-to-be retirement," I murmur.

  "Thank you. I know it's not the best time to be leaving but your father."

  She sighs.

  "But your father and I had my retirement planned for months before he had his accident," she says sympathetically.

  Feeling awful for her, as she appears to cry, I assure her that we understand and will not hold anything against her for keeping her retirement date. It's not her fault, and she's given so much to the shop and my dad already. She deserves to retire and will be terribly missed.

  TIME GETS THE BEST OF me when Ernie comes into the office to get Gladys to go home for lunch. We've been working diligently learning Maureen's ropes, that I didn't even take time to eat my cereal bar or drink my milk. I am sure it's become warm now. I walk out of the offices through the shop to head to my car.

  I look up to notice Luke, resting himself up against my mustang. He has his shirt on today, but it's unbuttoned and untucked from his work slacks. His black ball cap is on forward, and he's wiping his hands on a blue shop towel. As I get closer to him, I notice he is looking at me with a gorgeous smile. Those lips! Ugh, those lips! I cannot believe he is right in front of me.