Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ANDI
Between the gym, the youth center, and spending time with Luke, the past month has flown by.
Luke and I have alternated staying at his apartment and my house, but we’ve hardly been apart at night.
School has started back, so there are more kids at the youth center in the late afternoons.
I’ve been spending more time there with the kids because so many parents aren’t home–whether they're working or just absent from their children's lives altogether.
There are a couple of girls who I’m afraid could drop out of school or get involved with the wrong crowd.
I don’t want to fail them. I feel like we’ve come so far.
I’ve been working on a scholarship plan for them to get them out of the area and into one of the smaller universities.
I talk to them daily about the advantages they will have if they just apply themselves. I’ve almost won them over.
Shane and Will came to the center last week, and I was surprised to see Luke walk in with them.
Surprised and thrilled. While Shane and Will worked with the guys on boxing, Luke took several of the boys outside and taught them how to work in the yard.
They spent the day doing manual labor to make the yard look great.
I couldn’t give the boys and Luke enough praise for all they did.
Several of the boys even said they enjoyed learning to landscape and making “their place” look nice.
I think Luke has sparked a whole new type of interest for the youth center.
It's Friday afternoon, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Luke and I have separate plans tonight. I’m going out with my girlfriends—Christina, Tania, and Katie.
Luke is going out with Shane, Will, and Brandon.
I can’t help but smile at how jealous and possessive Luke is of me.
I mean, does he not own a mirror? The man is gorgeous, he’s built like the most desired male model, and he’s just all-around great.
The girls are always after him, and he's worried about some guy hitting on me. It’s comical, really.
We haven’t said those three little words yet, though I think he feels it.
I know I do. I almost told him a couple of weeks ago after my last karaoke performance.
I sang Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” and made no attempt to hide that I was singing the lyrics just for him.
He didn’t take his eyes off me the whole time.
I left the stage and straddled him in his lap to sing the last verse, just for him.
Tonight will be fun with my girls, but I’m also looking forward to going home and seeing Luke.
We’ve planned to meet back at my place, no matter how late it is.
There’s no denying that we’re both deeply invested.
And while I don’t know what he’ll say in return, I feel compelled to tell him that I love him.
It’s something I need to express now, while it’s true and present, because I don’t want to regret holding it back when it means this much.
Luke calls just as I get home from the youth center.
“Hey, baby, what are you doing?” I answer.
“Sitting here missing you,” the low, sexy timbre of his voice sends chills through me even through the phone.
“I miss you, too. Wish I could see you. Where are y’all going tonight?” I purr back to him.
“Shane mentioned wanting to see a band playing here this weekend,” he says.
I laugh. “Hmm…I wonder if that’s the same band we’re going to see tonight.”
His sexy laugh rumbles through his chest. “I hope so. Then there’s no reason why I can’t sit with my girl on the guys’ night out.”
I want to say the words so much. But I don't want the first time I tell him to be over the phone. “I hope so, too. I would love to dance with my handsome man tonight. Maybe our friends know us well enough by now not to try to keep us apart.”
We talk for a few more minutes before I have to get ready, or I’ll be late meeting the girls for dinner.
We hang up reluctantly, but only after I promise to text him where I am and let him know I’m safe.
He’s protective by nature—even when he tries not to be—and despite what I pretend, I love that he cares enough to be.
I call a cab to meet the girls. No way am I driving tonight. I walk into the restaurant and find Katie waiting at our table. She and I order appetizers while we wait for Christina and Tania.
“So, Katie, something going on with you and Shane?” I ask, catching her completely off guard, as I planned.
She chokes on a cheese stick and takes a drink of water before answering.
“Why would you ask that?”
Oh, isn’t she trying to be coy with me?
"You know, people only say that when they're stalling and getting out of answering the direct question. That doesn't work on me. I’m a lawyer, remember?” I say wryly.
Her face turns red, and we both know she's caught. "I don't know what's going on yet. We’ll see.”
That’s as much of an admission as I’m going to get right now, so I’ll take it. And keep an eye on them. And embarrass them until they answer my questions. That’s just what friends are for.
Christina and Tania arrive, fashionably late, and we talk and laugh over dinner. I fill them in on my karaoke status. I made it through another round of cuts and have another week to practice my next song, since a band is playing at the club this weekend.
“Tell me something, Andi,” Christina taps her bottom lip with the stick of her umbrella out of her drink. “Why is this karaoke thing so important to you? I mean, it’s not like you need the win for a singing career or anything. Your voice already is amazing.”
“It’s my artistic release, I suppose. I can sing, act, and be anyone I want for four minutes in a song. Nothing else is expected of me once the song ends, but it gives me all the benefits of being in the spotlight for a short time.”
They ask whether the guys will be there tonight, too. From their excessive questioning, it appears that I’m not the only one who’s interested in the guys’ whereabouts this evening. Interesting.
We settle the bill, meaning I insist on treating my girls, and we make our way to our usual hangout.
The guys are already there and have saved our seats.
Funny how we split up and take up the vacant seats.
I’m with Luke, of course, but I watch with amusement as Tania sits with Brandon.
Then Christina sits with Will. And, finally, Katie sits with Shane.
But it’s the look on each of their faces that tells the real story.
There’s something good going on with my little family here.
The band isn't playing yet, so the music isn't too loud but gives enough background noise for a little privacy in conversations. I feel Luke's hand on my face, and I eagerly turn to face him. He kisses me like he hadn't seen me in a month, even though he left my house when I did this morning.
“I want to tell you something, Luke. Don’t freak out on me, okay?” I ask, never taking my eyes off his and silently willing him to be okay with my declaration.
“Okay," he says slowly, drawing the word out and apparently ready to freak out on me.
I take a deep breath and cup his cheek in my hand. “I love you. I just wanted to tell you.”
His hand suddenly goes to the nape of my neck, and he pulls me close to him, his lips barely hovering above mine. He sounds breathless when he says, “I love you, Andi. So much.” Then he kisses me so sweetly and completely, I am literally melting into a boneless pile of hot lava in my seat.
“If I hadn’t promised the guys that I would stay and listen to this band, we would be going home right now,” his deep voice reverberates from my ear to the very core of me.