Luke's POV
Five months. This has been the craziest, most amazing five months of my life and most of it revolves around Nimue, my beautiful little one. She still hates when I call her that, or at least she says she does, but really I think she likes it. I kept the penthouse suite for Academy meetings, but most nights I'm with her in that cozy little flat of hers.
My mission has run its course, and we took down the leaders the night before Nimue graduated. I was so worried I was going to miss it and be unable to even explain why, but at the last minute, Jackson came through and got me the hell out of the reports meeting. But now, with the mission finished, I was facing my own dilemma. Where was I going next? I'd been offered a spot on the Fisher team by Jackson and Sam, and while they are a great bunch, they aren't my family. I don't think I could ever be on a team again if it's not my own. I've been talking to North a lot lately. Surprisingly, he hasn't once yelled or told me to get my head out of my ass. He's actually suggested taking a few more solo missions or short assignments with other teams, but he has encouraged me to at least come home for a bit. He says it's for Uncle, but I have to wonder if that is the whole truth.
So I need to make a plan now. I need Gabe. He answered on the fourth ring. "Luke? Hey, what's up?" his voice sounded a bit forced.
"I know I should have called sooner, but I need your help," I blurted, "There's a girl and I need to impress her." The line was silent. "Gabe, did I lose you?" I asked.
"Uh, no, sorry. I guess you just really took me off guard. So what can I do to help?" I noticed an edge to his tone. Maybe I had misjudged how we left things. Was I being an ass?
"Do you have any suggestions for a sushi dinner date? Like what to wear, flowers, etc," I asked, then followed up with, "But before you answer that, can you tell me what I did wrong." Oh fuck, that was the stupidest thing I could have said...
Gabe gave a sarcastic laugh, "Well, Lucian," he stressed my full name harshly, "How about fucking your friend for months, never discussing what we were, then running off to California with nothing more than a see you later text."
I slumped into my chair, hands on my face, "God, I'm an asshole," I muttered to him.
"If you're waiting for an argument, you won't get one from me," he replied dryly. I didn't know how to answer and before I could say anything, he cut me off by asking, "So who's the girl? Is this the same one you've been talking to North about, the British bird?"
"Yeah, her name's Nimue. She's, uh, leaving soon to return to London and I'm not sure what to do."
"Do you love her?" He asked.
Do I? "Yeah, I do, I'm just not sure how she feels about me," I finally said. "I've never felt like this about a woman before, not even Sang. I can't let her go halfway around the world without telling her how I feel, Gabe."
"Wow, never thought I would hear you say that out of all of us."
"Me either," I replied. "And Gabe, about us,"
He cut me off, "There isn't an us. You focus on your girl and be happy. Wear jeans and a button-up, bring her daisies or lilies, not roses - they're overused." Ouch.
"You're wrong. I was just an idiot and thought we were a fling. It never crossed my mind that we could be more." I said softly. "I'm sorry."
He gave a sort of growl, then said, "It's moot. I can hear it in your voice, Luke. She's your future even if you haven't realized it yet. The team is always here for you; I'm always here for you, but this lady has already stolen your heart and you need to hold onto her."
I was shocked by his response, yet again. "Thanks, Gabe."
"Yeah, yeah, just make sure I get to meet her before the wedding, you jerk," he teased. I laughed, then paused. "See, you thought about it, didn't you? Told you, she's the one." I could hear the 'I told you so' in his voice.
"I think you're right, man. Now let's just hope she thinks so too," I said and said my goodbyes.
I sat staring at the phone for a long while. That one conversation gave me a sense of clarity. I need to talk to her before it's too late. Would she stay if I asked her? Does she even want this relationship to continue, or was I just something to pass her time in the states? No, why would I think that? Sure she's hidden some parts of herself, but then again, so have I. Beyond that, she's been completely open with me. I just need to get out of my own head and take the next step, whatever that might be, as long as it's with her.
Author's Notes: I know it's short. Fair warning, I won't be able to update as quickly with this story. My sabbatical is ending, and I return to work next week, then school the following week so free writing time gets a bit difficult. However, I already have several of the stories for the one-shots in the other book ready to go.
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