Green Card

10 Rules Were Made to be Broken (Lucas)

Work was even harder to focus on once I'd declared my feelings for the girl I'd been obsessing over for nearly a decade. I hadn't intended to blurt all of that out at the pool. I'd intended to tell her everything, sure, but not an hour after we stepped onto the yacht and certainly not so abruptly. But she had asked and I had found myself unable to hide from her the full truth for even a moment more once she had.

I had it bad for this girl. I had since we met at that ridiculous Halloween party freshman year and bonded over our mutual hatred of the ritualistic holiday. I'd fallen for her hard the moment I saw her but she wasted no time in putting me into the friend box and I was happy enough to be there since I was still technically with my girlfriend back in Argentina. But by the time Sofia broke up with me, it was already too late with Piper. We were best friends and I was firmly friendzoned. Telling her about my feelings only felt like a surefire way to lose her so I kept it quiet and simply enjoyed the years of friendship and growing closer to her.

That is, until we got married.

The distance between us after that wasn't entirely her fault. Sure, she jetted off to NYC to follow her dreams of becoming a writer. I wouldn't have stopped her for anything in the world. But I pushed her away too. Ashamed of my feelings, of my selfishness in allowing her to sacrifice her future like that by tying herself to me through the bond of matrimony. I pulled away from her out of guilt, lost myself in building my company, and told myself I was too busy to return her calls. Soon enough, she stopped calling. I thought that was what I'd wanted but my heart shattered every time I looked at my phone and no longer saw her name.

That call from Agent Janine Ashley should have been terrifying but it felt like a second chance. And the moment she'd sat down at that table with me, looking as beautiful and radiant as she always had, I knew I wouldn't squander it this time. I wouldn't allow myself to re-enter the friend zone without telling her how I felt. I owed it to myself and I owed it to her.

And now I'd done it.

But I wasn't even sure how I felt about it. I was on edge, fidgety. My nerves were frayed and I felt wired, knowing she was somewhere on this ship, somewhere close by, thinking about everything I'd told her, considering her options, considering me. But as crazy as it was making me, I knew there was nothing more that I could do. I knew I'd done what I'd promised myself I would. I'd confessed how I felt. Now, the ball was in her court. She would decide where we went from here and, though that was terrifying, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Regardless, I couldn't focus on work. I'd been staring at the same email from Valencia for the last half hour. The detailing of the budget, the allocations to each department, each team, each project. I'd gone over it four times now but hadn't retained a single number. Finally, I decided to give up, leaning back in my chair with a sigh.

That's when I heard it. A faint, tiny knock on my cabin door. My heart leapt into my throat. There was only one person that could me.

"Come in, Piper," I called out.

She pushed the door open, softly, her wide eyes finding me where I sat at my desk. I'd thrown the shirt on that I'd left on the deck before but my hair was still a drying, tousled mess. I ran my fingers through it and watched her stare at the action.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, unsure of how to broach the subject again. She nodded, her eyes remaining firmly on my face. She was still wearing that incredible little bikini and I fought every urge to stare at her body, despite the fact that she still had it on full display.

"Thank you," she said then, her voice barely above a whisper. "For being honest with me. I'd been wondering where things stood between us and I... I appreciate your honesty. I'd like to be honest with you too."