You don't remember falling asleep and you definitely don't remember Luke's arms wrap around you, but that's how you woke up, hot from his body's close proximity.
You didn't wait to tell him good morning, gone long before Luke as much as stirred in the bed.
He didn't call the next day and you didn't either. Both of you busy with your respective matters for the following week, cleaning up the mess that was left in the wake of Liz's resignation.
It didn't surprise you when she appointed Luke's father to take her place on the board. After all, you knew she couldn't fully let go of the company and it's better to have your foot in the door than be stuck behind it.
You knew Andrew was much warmer when it came to you and you didn't find it threatening at all when merely a week later he called you up for a business lunch.
"Is this a peace offering?" You greeted him with a smile, sitting down only after sharing a warm hug.
"I would never put us in a situation that would require us to make peace in the first place," he admitted, giving you a warm smile.
And even though you and him had never directly had a falling out, he still felt he had to apologize for his wife. "She can sometimes be too quick to judge, especially when things do not go the way she had planned. I am sorry she tooks it out on you."
"I wish I could say I understand, but I it's too early for that. I am still trying to get my life back on track," you admitted, to which Andrew simply smiled, raising his hands in surrender.
"Of course, I understand. All good things come to those who wait."
Much like Luke, Andrew had already picked a wine for this lunch before you even sat down at the table. And in that moment, you much appreciated this habit of his, picking up a glass and gulping some wine down your dry throat.
Once the business talk was exhausted and the warm food was brought to your plates, you heard Andrew sigh deeply.
"It's interesting, you know," he spoke casually, "Luke mentioned you two had divorced." Hearing him mention the divorce, you slowed your movements. "And as I was working my way through everything I needed to catch up on, a copy of your divorce papers never came up. So I couldn't help but wonder... Did it get lost in the post or was there never was a copy in the first place?"
Silently, you stared at him. Andrew slowly lifted his head, a small smile playing on his lips. Deep inside, he already knew the answer and you knew that he did.
So you simply watched as he joyfully chewed his food with a growing grin, making you involuntarily chuckle with a shake of your head.
You sipped your wine, unsure how to even begin. "Yeah, uh... The thing about that is--"
"That you're not divorced," he concluded for you, watching you with a gleeful glint in his eye. "What's stopping you? I know you have the papers, Luke told me. How come you haven't given them in?"
You blinked slowly, heat rising to your neck. You hated people catching on to you and you hated this even more because you didn't know why the papers still lay locked in a drawer of your bedside table. "I, well... I don't actually know," you admitted, lifting your eyes to meet Andrew's understanding ones.
He placed his fork down, extending a hand to gently cup yours over the table. "Darling, I know this is none of my business, but you need to make a decision. Sooner or later Luke will notice your divorce isn't getting settled and he'll have questions, especially now that I had reminded him of it. You'll want to have your answers prepared for when that day comes."
His tone was gentle and understanding, and you were thankful someone was there to support you instead of push you to make a decision.
"I know," you spoke sincerely, "I'm just not ready. I'm not ready for this to be over."
"It doesn't have to be. Not unless you decide you want it to. I know Luke certainly doesn't."
You nodded, your chest suddenly feeling tight and heavy, your throat closing up. "But it should be over," you whispered, "we're no good anymore."
Andrew stayed quiet, allowing you to catch your breath for a moment. "You don't have to stay that way. If you want it hard enough, you can fix it. Both of you."
You simply nodded in response and Andrew took that as cue to change the topic, which he thankfully did, allowing you to roll back into an effortless conversation with him.
You couldn't get it off your mind, though. Every time you walked into your hotel room, it was like the papers were calling your name, pushing you to make a decision.
You flipped through them tens of times, mulling over your decision until one day you decided to just go to Luke and see how you feel about him in the first place.
Your walked into his office with a soft knock, not being stopped once in the hallways (mostly because everyone had learned their lesson not to).
"Am I interrupting?" You asked cheerily, watching Luke's surprised expression greet you. He's not used to people walking in without his assistant announcing them first.
The second he recognised you, he looked awfully happy to see you. "No, not at all. Please, come in."
Luke stood from his chair, walking around his desk to lean on it, while you walked towards him and stopped just a couple feet short from Luke.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He smirked.
Good, you thought, at least he wasn't mad about you leaving him naked in bed without as much as a text to follow.
"Just wanted to see you. Discuss our plans for this weekend."
Luke cocked his head slightly to the side, "We have plans this weekend?"
You didn't miss the excitement in his tone, letting out an airy laugh. "Yeah, we have a wedding."
"If it's not ours, I'm not interested," Luke stood up, smirking immediately, when he noticed your surprised blink.
Silently, you begged all the gods above to not let Luke ask about the papers. You certainly weren't ready to discuss that with him.
You fought your fear with confidence, slowly stepping towards Luke, a playful hand coming to fix the collar of his shirt that wasn't messed at all. You just wanted to tease him.
"Sadly for you, baby, it isn't our wedding," you dropped your hand, meeting Luke's eyes and noticing the smirk that was still playing on his lips. "But it is your best friend's and I need to know the colour of your suit so I can match my dress properly."
"Oh?" Luke quirked an eyebrow. "Is that all you need to know the colour of?"
You raised an eyebrow at him, "What else could there possible be, Hemmings?"
"I don't know. My underwear?" He offered with a bite of his lip.
"Well, I'm not planning on wearing any, so I don't really care what colour yours is," you responded in a low tone and Luke suddenly felt a twitch just below his belt.
Oh shit.
"So what is it, Hemmings?" You continued, when Luke went short of breath. "I'm gonna need an answer soon, I have to know before the shops start closing and I'm left without a dress."
Luke blinked a few times, catching his breath and swallowing down the pit that was stuck in his throat at an image of your body covered in nothing but a flimsy dress. "Black. I'm wearing black."
You stood up taller with a smile on your lips, taking Luke's chin between your fingers so tease him, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Luke couldn't hold back a chuckle, making you let go and step back from him. "That wasn't, but something else sure is."
"Oh?" Luke's confession had you quirking an eyebrow at him in interest, eyes dropping down to see for yourself. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, darling, but I have some shopping to do and I believe you have a company to run."
Luke let out a laboured breath, running a hand through his hair, "How the hell am I supposed to do that when all I can think about is your pretty little ass, all naked for me."
You shrugged, "Not my problem to figure out."
You sent a wink his way, turning to walk through the door.
"You didn't call," you heard Luke speak right before you reached for the handle.
"Neither did you," you responded, turning around to face him again. He was slowly walking closer to you, hands in his pockets, but no teasing smirk on his lips this time.
"Yeah, but you left without as much as a text. Or a note. It didn't exactly send the most positive of messages. I didn't want to push boundaries." Luke stopped a foot away from you, you chests nearly bumping.
You took a deep breath, "I think we've crossed all the boundaries there are, Luke. You're free to call, text or visit me anytime you like." Luke quirked an eyebrow at you. "You may not get what you came for, but you definitely can try."
"Yeah?" Luke spoke so low, you could almost feel it, as he stepped even closer. Now your bodies were definitely touching. "And how will you know what I came for?"
"I have my ways," you spoke, adjusting your stance so you ever so gently brushed a hand over his crotch. "And you have a couple things that may give it away."
Luke was clearly pleased with your answer, his lips forming a smile, while he dipped his head lower, "Let's see if you have a couple giveaways yourself."
You didn't even attempt to stop him when Luke leaned down and pressed his lips against yours. It was a long, gentle, lingering kiss and it left your body buzzing.
"Now, let's see if this causes a problem for you to take care of," he whispered against your lips, but pulled away without as much as another peck and instead, opened the door for you to leave.
You gave him a look, but couldn't help the smirk on your lips as you bid him goodbye and walked out. You knew damn well he was watching you leave, so you made sure it was a sight to remember.
You spent the rest of the week texting Luke from time to time and arranging to meet for lunch some time before the wedding to discuss the details.
The lunch went as smoothly as you imagined it could, with the sexual tension so thick you could literally feel it weighing down on you. And it didn't help that Luke had been flirting non-stop.
"Did I mention you look beautiful today?"
"Yes, you did, Luke. Now, can you, please, answer me what time you're free to leave on Saturday?"
"I'm free whenever you want me to be free, darling."
"Luke."
"Yes, babe?"
A deep sigh. "Fine then. We're leaving at nine in the morning."
Luke opened his mouth in protest, but you were quick to shush him. "Not a peep, mister I'm-free-whenever-you-want-me-to-be-free-darling."
Yup, it did actually help tame him down and he was pretty civil the rest of the meal.
"Oh, I actually need you to come in to the company on Friday."
"What for?" You questioned at an unexpected invitation.
"We have just about prepared the settlement for you to review and sign. Our lawyers will be there to answer any and all of your questions and help you discuss the conditions. You're free to bring your lawyer, as well."
You blinked at the way Luke suddenly became extremely official. "Okay."
You decided not to tell him you didn't want to settle. You wanted everything to stay the same as it was before the mess had begun. You wanted to keep your company shares and be reinstated to your position in the company. You even wanted to keep your broken marriage. Preferably, with a chance to work on it and fix it, but keep it nonetheless.
Luke smiled at your agreement, getting his wallet out to pay, but you were faster this time and didn't listen to a word he said as you stood up and walked away from the table, leaving Luke to chuckle to himself.
You were dreading Friday. Something in you told you that the divorce matter is about to be brought up into the light and you were not sure you want to see Luke's face when you tell him the documents are still with you. What if he is disappointed?
In the end, it was all worthless, because Luke wasn't even there. He had a sudden phone call and had to leave before the meeting had even begun. You had never felt more thankful for something going wrong as you were that day, because the second you started discussing the conditions of their offer, the divorce came up.
"I don't want anything you're about to offer me."
"But Y/N--" your lawyer tried to interject.
"No. All I want is to be reinstated in the position I was in a year ago. I want to regain access to all of my shares and I want this," you slid a document across the table, "to be annulled."
You watched the two men hunch over a piece of paper.
"Y/N..." one spoke up, quickly straightening up, "I don't think we have the power to annul your prenup."
"I don't care," you said standing up and grabbing your bag, "Find a way to invalidate it. I want protection from losing everything again. My marriage isn't the only thing keeping my rights to this company and I need that clearly outlined on paper. If not, you know what to expect from me next time you see me."
You left sooner than they could even bid you goodbye. You felt a deep breath leave your lungs as you exited the building. You didn't need this shit to cloud your weekend with Luke.
He arrived to pick you up at nine in the morning, sharp. As always, you were already waiting for him, your door swinging open before Luke could even ring the doorbell.
"Good morning, sunshine," he spoke eagerly, not missing a chance to quickly look you up and down. You wore ripped blue jeans, converse and a plain white T-shirt. To which, Luke raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you slightly underdressed?"
You gave him a look, stepping out with your suitcase, "No. I'm getting changed there. We're gonna get there way before the ceremony. And why would I want to be stuck in a dress for a two-hour drive, anyway?"
"What?!" Luke yelled, following you all the way to the driveway, "Why didn't you tell me we can change there?" You laughed at his distress, making him laugh with you. "I feel like a complete idiot in these tight suit pants now."
"You are an idiot, darling," you spoke, shutting the trunk of the car after you'd placed your bag in it.
Luke gave you a look, "Okay, you know what? No radio the entire ride."
"Hey! Not fair."
"I don't wanna hear it, missy," he narrowed his eyes at you and got behind the wheel before you could complain even more.
You'd think Luke was kidding, but he refused to let you play the radio for at least the first half an hour, instead forcing you to listen to terrible dad jokes he'd heard people say around the office. But you wouldn't be you if you didn't get your way in the end, so the rest of the ride was way less insufferable for you and way more difficult for Luke. Although, you had to admit, you'd missed hearing him sing along to songs on the radio.
"Okay, now you stay in the car, while I find Calum and explain him everything," you warned Luke, when he took a final turn into the driveway of the venue.
"Wait, you didn't tell him I'm coming? Fuck, what if he doesn't want me here? We haven't even spoken in a year and here I am, showing up to his wedding like some entitled asshole."
"Luke, I think you're forgetting he knows the real story. He knows what happened."
"Yeah, but still. I don't wanna fuck his day up," you waited while Luke parked his car to fully turn to him.
"Trust me, he everything but hates you. If anything, he might just want to sue the shit out of your mother, but I think he'll just be happy to know she got what she deserved. Plus, he really misses you. You guys were inseparable."
"Yeah, so were we, but look where that got us," he mumbled, playing with his fingers.
You chose to ignore his comment and instead got out of the car, telling him to stay put and stop worrying.
As expected, you found Calum lazily mingling around the outskirts of the venue, checking if everything's in place.
"Guess who," you pinched his sides, coming close from the back and making him jump in surprise.
"I hate you," he burst into laughter the second his eyes settled on you, pulling you into a tight hug. "I almost screamed at you. I'm way too stressed for jokes today."
"Well, good thing I brought you an amazing gift you're gonna love," you smirked, tugging him along for a walk.
"Yeah," he laughed, "you can leave it on a table there," he pointed toward the inside of the venue, "You'll be the first one to start the gift pile."
"Oh, I don't think my gift will actually fit there."
"Oh?" Impressed, Calum turned to look at you. "If you got me something stupidly expensive, I will have it returned before you can even leave this wedding."
You laughed, intertwining your arm with his, "Yeah, I don't think returning it will work either." You stopped right before you got close enough to the car, so he wouldn't see Luke through the window. "Calum, I have many exciting news for you, with which I won't bore you now, because I think you have a lot of your mind already."
"You're starting to scare me, Y/N."
"I brought Luke."
Calum stayed completely still and silent, watching you with confusion swimming in his eyes. "Luke? Is this some kind of metaphor I don't get-"
"No, Calum. I brought Luke. My husband Luke. Your best friend Luke."
Calum felt like he couldn't even breathe in for a second, his eyes blinking repeatedly while his brain processed the information. Slowly, you started walking towards the car, leaving Calum standing.
"He knows the truth now. I've told him and Liz is gone and he knows what really happened that night. Please, don't freak out on him."
You motioned for Luke to get out of the car, which he immediately did. You've probably never seen two extremely tall men look at each other as sheepishly as Luke and Calum were staring at each other in that moment.
"Don't worry, if you don't like him, I have an extra gift in the trunk," you whispered to Calum, bringing him out of a haze and forcing a chuckle out of him.
"Hey, Calum," Luke spoke slowly, stopping right beside you and only a few steps away from Calum. He stretched out a hand to shake, "It's nice to see you again."
Calum looked at Luke's hand and back to his face.
"Oh, and congrats on getting married," Luke added, almost ready to withdraw his hand, when Calum finally took it.
You held your breath in the moment, watching the two long lost friend reunite. Calum quickly pulled Luke into a hug, patting his back, "I've missed you, man."
"I did too, Cal."
You stepped away, allowing the men to quickly catch up, a familiar laughter booming around the beautiful garden of the venue. Just like old times, you thought to yourself, unloading the bags from the trunk.
Soon after, Luke came to help, explaining to you that Calum had to go and get ready. The both of you went into the room that was originally reserved for you and your ex-fiancée Jake.
"Oh thank god," you heard Luke exhale as he walked into the room.
"What?"
"There's a double bed. I honestly thought we were going to have to share a single bed."
You turned to look at him, laughter slipping past your lips.
"Not that it would be a bad thing, of course," Luke quickly added. "But you know. It's hot as hell outside, so a double bed is preferred."
"Always," you agreed, undoing your bag and starting to get ready.
Luke had to take a double look at you when you walked out of the bathroom, already having changed into your outfit. He took his time to slowly look you up and down, the silky light-yellow dress falling perfectly on your figure.
"You look unbelievably..." Luke stopped talking, words stuck in his throat.
"What?" You looked up at him after grabbing your purse off the bed.
"I don't know. I can't find the word."
"Yeah, that doesn't sound too good," you laughed, running a hand through the material of the dress.
"No, no, it's just that... You look so fucking beautiful I don't know how to express it without sounding like a dumbass."
"Well, that worked," you shrug, walking over to him. "And thank you," you chuckle at Luke's shyness, walking past him and exiting the room, allowing Luke full five seconds to watch your ass and evaluate if you stuck to your word and not wore any panties.
The ceremony brought you to tears and you were thankful Luke kept it classic and had a handkerchief in his pocket, which he happily handed to you.
When the guests have gathered into the venue for a celebration, you and Luke didn't miss a chance to make fun of a few uncles and aunts, giggling to your own jokes. Calum tried to come closer to you both, excited out of his mind about his best friend being there, with him.
You noticed that the few raised toasts had already gotten Calum pretty tipsy, so you didn't find it surprising, when he finally stumbled to you and Luke talking in the corner, hugging you both and asking what the fuck went down there, guys.
You left it for Luke to answer and made your way out into the balcony, leaving your glass of champagne on the small table by the exit and admiring the view instead.
"Thanks for your help with that," you heard Luke's sarcastic tone behind you soon after.
You laughed, turning to face him as he walked to stand by the railing, too. "What'd you tell him?"
"I told him it's nothing to think about on his wedding night and gave him a glass of water. As far as I can remember, the first night as newlyweds should be pretty steamy," he gave you a wink, drawing a laugh from you.
"I doubt it will be. At least, not for them," you pointed your chin at Calum drinking yet another toast with a couple of his friends.
Luke laughed, "Well, at least I tried. Maybe I can help in some other way," he spoke, turning back to face you.
"For example?"
Luke shrugged, "For example, give him some pointers on what not to do to end up divorced from the love of your life."
"Luke..." you shook your head gently, "It wasn't your fault."
He simply nodded, turning to rest both of his elbows on the railing, facing the night air and the beautifully lit garden in front. "It was, at least half of it. I didn't know you lied-"
"I didn't--"
"-were forced to lie about having children, but I didn't have to be such a dick about it. You were right. I may make a good business partner, but I'm one shitty-ass husband."
You stayed quiet, watching Luke's face in the dark.
"I hate weddings," he concluded after a minute of shared silence.
"No, you don't," you argued, wanting to lighten the mood with a memory from a wedding you both once attended, but it left stuck on your tongue when Luke interrupted.
"I do. It's bittersweet. It's a happy time to look back to, but it brings a horrible feeling to my chest thinking about it."
You stood silently, waiting for Luke to elaborate. He turned to face you again, stepping just half a step closer.
"Our wedding day was amazing, remember?" His voice was low, a soft smile playing on Luke's lips. "It was the happiest day of my life. But then somewhere along the line, when it all went to shit, our wedding day... It only brings pain now."
Luke ended his sentence in a whisper and you felt your chest tighten.
"Why are you in so much pain, Luke?" You asked him. This was the moment. This is when you could tell him the truth.
"Because I don't want to lose you. I don't know what you're going to do now and that scares the shit out of me. I don't even know if there is anything I can do to make you stay. I just know that I don't want to let you go again," he brought up his hand to your face, slowly brushing your cheek with his fingers. "If I could turn back time, I'd do it so much differently."
Weirdly, it felt like a promise from Luke and you couldn't hold it any longer. You leaned gently into his touch, "Then do it."
He stayed silent, his eyes fixed on you.
"The papers. I still have them. We still have time to do it all over again," you explained. "If you really want it, we can start over."
Your heart sunk, when Luke suddenly took a step back, his eyes staring into yours. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't breathe.
Even though he barely had been touching you, you immediately felt cold without him close.
"What do you mean you still have them? Why are they still with you?"
You took a deep breath. Your heart was beating so fast, you felt like your head will never stop spinning.
"Well, at first, when you gave them to me on Christmas, I was going to send them immediately. But then all of that shit went down with Jake leaving me and you finding out the truth about your mother and I just... I forgot, I guess. It was pushed to the back of my mind and when you helped me get this all sorted out, I just thought that maybe you and I could still make it work, you know. And the longer I thought about it, the stronger I hoped. Until I reached a point, where I didn't know what to do anymore, because I still want you. I want you so fucking bad and I love you so much that I just can't... I can't do it. And I think that if we both want it strong enough, we can heal. We can start over and be better."
Your mouth felt so dry that you didn't think you could utter another word. You just stared at Luke, who stood frozen in his spot.
"I understand if you want to divorce me and get the hell away from this toxic mess, I really do. But if what you just said is true..." Luke's silence made you so scared, you couldn't think anymore. "Or I can give you the papers and you can--"
Luke's mouth was suddenly on yours, leaving the words stuck in your throat.
You don't remember the last time Luke held you so strongly against him, his hands tightly wound around you and his lips hungry for yours.
"I never," he breathed against your mouth, pulling back just enough to get the words out, "never ever want to see those papers again. Tear them apart. Burn them. Do whatever you want, but please, baby, don't give them in. Stay with me."
Your breathing was hard, but you didn't care, because Luke's lips have never tasted sweeter than in that moment.
The second kiss was slower, deeper and more intense. It literally took your breath away and you had to pull back to get some oxygen in your system.
You felt dizzy and drunk on Luke, and you could tell he was feeling the exact same way.
"Are we really doing this?" You asked quietly, your fingers playing with the hair on the back of his neck. "Are you sure you want to do this again? It's going to be hell."
"Baby, I'd walk hell back and forth a million times, if that's what it took to have you by my side for the rest of my life."