have it all (l.h)

"you don't feel the same way?"

"I'm baking cookies," I told him just before sticking my tongue out at him.

"You can bake?"

"You're about to have the best cookie you've ever had in your life," I promised him and listened as he scoffed.

"That's a high bar, Jos. You sure they're that good?"

"Do you dare question my skills?" I asked him, calling back to his previous question. He laughed as he pulled me closer to him which was something I hadn't expected him to do.

"I can't wait for you to prove me wrong, because I don't believe you... but now I'm craving cookies," Luke told me which caused my eyes to playfully roll. "I've missed you... as dumb as it may sound."

"I've missed you, too," I told Luke as my heart began to pound. We were making intentional eye contact and I couldn't seem to look away. "The interview went well?"

"It wasn't as fun as the one I had with some professional named Joseline Culley..." I laughed at Luke's words and he sprouted a sly smile. "It went well, yes. Work's been okay without me?"

"You're full of yourself, Luke," I told him and he chuckled.

"You like it," he said confidently. "Seriously, how has work been? Have they made you head of the company yet?"

"Work has been fine," I told him, deciding to ignore his last remark. "Yesterday I was working mostly alone because Emma was out of the office. And today I had meetings all day, so now I'm a little tired."

"We'll make sure to get to bed early, then," Luke said which caused me to smile. The best part of all of this was that Luke was sleeping over.

"Thanks for coming over to help," I told Luke sincerely.

"You think I was going to let us go three days without seeing each other?" I laughed quietly and Luke promised that he was happy to help. We broke away from our slight embrace and started to get to work. I had laid everything out that Luke would need, including pots and pans. I started to gather what I would need as Luke inspected the recipe once again. "Am I making this for two or four people?" Luke asked.

"Fun fact—Howie and Madalyn hate eating alone because they think it's the only time they feel awkward. So... four."

"You know, I think eating with people can be really intimate," Luke said after nodding at my response. "So I respect them for that. I hate going on dinner dates."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Luke responded. "I think eating puts you in a vulnerable place for a multitude of reasons. People's tastes in foods can be so limited, and it's so easy for people to make assumptions about you based on what you're eating. Like, if you order something that the person you're with wouldn't dare touch, it can be sort of stress-inducing. Or if you order a steak and then find out your date is vegan at just the right time. Also, food is culturally so important because it's an essential need... I don't know. I just think food is really important and connecting with someone over food can be a lot of pressure."

"Wow," I said, not having expected Luke to say any of that. "I guess I've never really thought about it like that... but you're not wrong. I think food says a lot about a person which has always been interesting to me. I like going on dinner dates because you kind of get an understanding of someone as soon as they order. So I guess I'm guilty of making assumptions about someone based on their order."