Three things Luke has yet to figure out are the partnership offer from Zac Legrand, how the cat tree is ruined on day five, and Cobie Evans.
His current position at work doesn't give him a bright future because he won't be able to climb to the top ladder in the organization chart; it's simply the downside of a company run by a family. On the other hand, the marketing consultant company his friend, Zac, is running now only entered its third year this summer. If it doesn't survive the first five-year test, he will lose his job and the money he'll invest in the company.
It will be shitty for him for sure, but at least he won't lose his house like Lady Cleo has been attempting to do with her tree house. It's either the stupid pink color the cat has grown to despise or the bending post is just fun for her to dangle on. He needs to send it back and ask for a refund next week.
But again, maybe he should take Zac's offer and see it as a challenge. This is the time for him to make a big step if he wants something big for his future, otherwise, he will need to spend a decade or two to hit the top level in any big company. It's not that he has anything personal that ties him to this current company. Well, maybe there is one, and the person is standing in front of him at the very moment.
"You heard everything, didn't you?" Cobie asks. It's hard to figure out if she's mad or just stating the fact right now; it's hard to figure her out.
Since the wrong email she sent him the other day, she started to occupy his mind day and night to the point he thought he experienced puberty again. Granted, she'd caught his attention from the moment she entered the meeting room for her employment interview, but he had to shove the thought to the back of his mind once his team agreed to hire her. From that point onward, he needed to put an invisible barrier between him and her. And so he did.
But the email broke the barrier.
"Loud and clear," he says. He could've left the balcony and stayed in his room to give her privacy, but he chose not to.
Cobie groans. "Okay. At the moment, he's just being Harry. He likes to poke people's nerves, especially when he's not in a good place. He can be a total douche when he's drunk too. And tonight, I was his target. That's all." She mindlessly rubs her hands over her knees and makes a little circle up to her thighs, prompting his eyes to follow her hands' movement. "Plus, things between him and my sister aren't going that great. He sounded annoyed and annoying at the same time."
"I see. That sounds rough." He averts his gaze to her face, inwardly smacking himself from getting sidetracked. Focus, you dimwit. "So, he didn't ask you out even though he was attracted to you."
"He wasn't. Not that I knew of."
"Is he blind?" He regrets it right away once the words slipped through his lips, but it's too late to undo it. He just hopes he's not scaring her off.
Cobie freezes, looking surprised at his question. "Everyone has a type, Luke," she replies with a careful tone. "I don't believe in the concept of one person for everyone."
"That's true. But didn't he want to know where you both stood back in uni? Don't you think it means something?"
"It didn't have to mean anything. And he was drunk."
"Did you know that questions coming from a drunk person are often the honest ones? Hmm, I'm smelling a potential love triangle here." For some reason, pushing her has become his new hobby. This girl is like a thousand-piece puzzle to him; she's harder to figure out than anyone he's come across.
"No. There is definitely no triangle, or rectangle, or pentagon, or circle, you name it. There was nothing romantic going on between us, and it never will," her voice hardens.
"What was stopping you?"
Cobie shifts in her seat, looking uncomfortable. "Huh?"
"What was stopping both of you from going out if the feelings were there? Was it because he was popular?" When Cobie has trouble reacting, he adds, "Your word, not mine. You wrote that in your email. I haven't given it a thought until...now."
She shakes her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. It–"
"What's the story behind popular guys being on your blacklist by the way?"
"Luke," she says, shooting him a warning glare, and he knows he's too far.
"Okay, I'll stop."
"Thank you," Cobie mumbles as she looks down at the balcony floor.
Judging from her reaction, something must have gone seriously wrong in the past. The urge to find out what was going on has never been this strong, but he has to stop. "I'm sorry. I was a bit too far. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
To his surprise, after thirty seconds of silence, she tilts her head to him and smiles brightly. "Enough about me for now. What about you? Are you dating someone at the moment?"
It takes him a few seconds to register the sudden change of topic in his brain. He didn't expect she would ask this question. "Yes and no." Dammit, he curses silently. Why didn't he just say no and make himself as available as possible? No. She's his subordinate. Self-control, dude.
"What kind of answer is that?" Cobie asks but the sound of racing cars roaring from the street distracts her attention, prompting her to walk to the railings and look down.
Following her gesture, he scoots over and checks. Two cars are zigzagging on the street, but instead of bumping into each other, they manage to run side to side and speed up again, leaving the dark and empty street.
"I wonder if they will make it alive before the sun rises," he says.
Cobie looks sideways, her silky black hair dancing on her shoulder. "Who knows."
"But maybe the adrenaline produced during the race is what makes them alive. Do you want to try racing someday?" He lets his tongue do the talking while his eyes are enjoying the sight before him. And she smells sweet like fruit, probably from the shampoo she used.
"Nice try. You're not changing the subject, Mr. Williams," she replies, smiling wider.
"Alright. Yes, I'm seeing someone, but I'm not sure if I can call it dating."
"A hook-up friend?"
Luke laughs. "That's the closest definition, yes." He turns around and leans on the railing, trying to find the perfect words to explain his situation with Jasmine. "Things have been great with her. No strings attached, no nagging girlfriend, no hassle, since you know, we both are tied to our demanding jobs. Careers come first." And he hasn't seen her for a whole month. Maybe it's time to stop because he doesn't even miss her.
"Is it" —she glances at the door— "Georgie?"
"Huh? Gigi? God, no! Why would you think that? She's like a little sister to me."
"Oh." Cobie bites her lower lip. "Sorry. It was just a wild guess."
"So, you thought Gigi and I..."
She winces. "There has been a speculation going around for a while, that you and Gigi um...might have slept together."
Luke shakes his head, his mind jumping to the night when Gigi drunk-kissed him. He then gently explained to her that it wasn't how he saw her. "I wouldn't do that to her. I've known her since she was in high school. I know her brother well."
"Oh. I never knew that."
"You never asked."
The morning breeze blows again and strokes Cobie's hair, making it sway in all directions and fall on her face. She holds it in place until the wind slows down. Once she manages to tuck her hair behind her ears, she shifts her gaze to him, and her eyes widen slightly. He knows he's been staring at her which probably makes him look like a creep, but he's not planning to break their eye contact right now.
"My turn," he says, his voice turning hoarser. "When was the last time you went out with someone?"
"Uh." Cobie frowns. "Summer last year."
"Oh, wow. You've been celibate for a year now."
"Longer. I don't sleep with a guy if we haven't passed at least our third date."
"And how many guys have passed your third-date screening?"
"Not many." Cobie chuckles. "Almost none."
"I see." Luke nods, trying hard to hide his cheeky grin. "Is it that hard to find a hot-enough guy to bang? That's your word by the way. Not mine."
"Can you not quote my email for once?" Cobie crosses her arms over her chest. "And no, it's not that. I just don't wanna get involved physically with any guy that I barely know and trust."
"Is that what you expect from that breadhead guy too?"
Cobie shrugs. "I guess."
His stomach churns for some reason. "Did you ever have a boyfriend before, Cobie?"
"I did."
"Is your last boyfriend simply that irreplaceable?" he asks as he studies her face, knowing he's asking a dangerous question. Something about her makes him want to dig more; it's getting addictive. "Or is he a part of the reason you don't trust popular guys?"
Her torso stiffens. "We're not talking about this again."
Shit. "Evans–"
"I'm tired, Luke. I'm going to try to catch some sleep now. Goodnight." With that, she pivots on her heels and trudges to the door.
Fuck. "Cobie–"
He's about to apologize to her but the door in front of her is pushed open, forcing Cobie to stagger back for balance. In the next second, Gigi emerges from the door, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"What are you guys doing out here?"
"Luke just wanted to...make sure we're okay. We just got back from the club, remember?" Cobie glances at him. "He's about to go back to his room so that we can sleep."
That's his cue to bid the girls goodnight before walking out of their room through the front door, the way he should have entered their room. Right when Cobie closes the door behind him, he realizes he doesn't have his room key with him.
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