After the incident in high school, Cobie Evans has been avoiding the popular guys like the plague. It's until the day she sends a wrong email to her hot boss, Luke Williams, and shamefully reveals her secret crush on him. Granted, her next life agen...
"I wasn't planning to date BreadPitt. I wasn't even feeling too excited to meet him, but refusing to see him while he's around feeling a bit cruel, you know." Cobie's fingers fumble with the fluffy throw pillow on her lap. "I lied to you because I couldn't take the feeling of being dumped. And I'm sorry for that."
Luke is still immobile. Cobie would give all her sticky note collections if she could read what is in his mind. Is he mad? Is he disappointed? Or is he just doesn't know how to react to this new fact?
"Is that why Peter asked if I was the guy who ditched girls after leading them on? You told him that?"
Cobie groans. "Yes, but he doesn't know any further than that."
Luke sighs. "Cobie..." He rubs his hands over his face, wincing slightly when he caresses his jaw. "You should have confronted me on the spot. Why make assumptions and act on them?"
That's a good question, but she doesn't know how to answer that. Maybe she just didn't know how to confront others. Maybe she didn't know how to not make assumptions. Because that was the only way she knew to survive the aftermath of the tragedy in high school.
"I think it's partly my fault, too. I didn't word my points properly." Luke lifts his gaze at Cobie, his hazel eyes boring into hers. "I never regret kissing you, Cobie. Hell, I would do it again, and again, if we were under different circumstances."
"I know I'm so much work and I need to fix that." She leans back and looks up at the ceiling. Memories, traumas, resentments toward her dad and Peter, rationalizations, and denials are swirling inside her head. She can't point out which is which, let alone decide what to do with them. At least, not right now.
"I wouldn't say you're so much work, but you do need to work on your past trauma, or it will stop you from trusting anyone."
"Yeah."
"That night, you looked so lost, seeking something to hold on to. I pushed my way in and you accepted my help, starting to open up to me, but then I pounced on you, using the moment when you were unlikely to reject me. Because you were defenseless. I was such an asshole." Luke shakes his head. "But didn't you see this is what Peter did to you too back then?"
"You are not Peter."
"I know I'm not. I'm glad I'm not." He smiles. "I'm not ready to face your mom's wrath."
Cobie chuckles. "Mom loves us so much. If you attack one of her pack members, you're dead meat."
"I can see that."
Loud footsteps approach from the hall, prompting them to stop talking. Two knocks on the door and her mom pushes the door open.
"Everything's good? I was just on the phone with Martha, and she said she would come and check your ankle tomorrow," her mom says while looking at her swollen ankle. "You need to keep moving it, but do it very gently for now."
"Okay."
"Are you eating with us, Luke?"
Luke jumps out of his seat. "I'm afraid I can't, Eliza. I need to meet a friend for dinner." He smiles, a little bit too wide for Cobie's liking. "I believe it's my cue to leave and let Cobie rest."
Not wanting to show her disappointment, Cobie forces a smile. "Alright. Thank you for today, Luke."
"My pleasure. Call me if you need anything. Get some rest, Cobie."
"I'll see you out," her mom says, glancing at her with a subtle grin before pivoting on her heels, following Luke downstairs.
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