Chapter 7
Sabrina learned very quickly that celebrity life involved an alarming amount of waiting around while other people panicked.
Wednesday night's fundraiser was being held at one of the largest children's hospitals in Manhattan, and by the time Lucas's driver pulled up outside the building, there were already photographers crowded behind barricades near the entrance.
Sabrina looked out the tinted window and groaned softly.
"There are more cameras than actual guests."
Lucas glanced up from his phone briefly. "Probably."
"You say things like this is normal."
"It is normal."
"That's deeply concerning."
A tiny smile flickered at the corner of his mouth before disappearing again.
Over the past few days, Sabrina had started noticing that Lucas smiled more than people probably realized. The problem was that most of them barely lasted a second before he shut them down again.
Like he physically wasn't used to reacting naturally anymore.
It was strange to watch.
And even stranger that she noticed at all.
Lucas slipped his phone into his pocket and looked toward her properly for the first time since they'd left the penthouse.
"You nervous?"
"No," Sabrina lied immediately.
He looked unconvinced.
"I'm serious."
"You've been fixing your sleeve for the last five minutes."
Sabrina dropped her hand instantly. "Traitorous sleeve."
That earned another quiet laugh.
She tried not to feel too victorious about it.
The first few days of this arrangement had established one important thing very clearly:
Lucas Cooper was significantly easier to like when nobody else was around.
Unfortunately, other people were almost always around.
The second the SUV door opened, noise exploded outside.
Photographers shouted Lucas's name nonstop while flashes lit the sidewalk bright white.
Lucas stepped out first smoothly, looking perfectly composed already.
The transformation happened so naturally now that Sabrina barely noticed it at first.
The tiredness disappeared.
The emotional distance softened.
The public version of Lucas Cooper took over instantly.
Warm smile.
Relaxed posture.
Effortless confidence.
Like someone flipping a switch.
Then he turned and held out his hand toward her again.
Sabrina took it automatically this time.
The flashes intensified immediately.
"Lucas, look over here!"
"Sabrina!"
"How serious is this relationship?"
"Lucas, is she meeting your family?"
Sabrina nearly stumbled at that one.
Family?
They'd barely survived dinner.
Lucas's hand tightened slightly around hers before he leaned closer without changing his smile.
"Keep walking," he murmured quietly.
Easy for him to say.
He looked born for this.
Sabrina felt like prey escaping a wildlife documentary.
Inside the hospital lobby things calmed slightly, though not completely. Staff members rushed around organizing guests while reporters floated near the entrance hoping to catch interviews.
A woman in scrubs stopped dead the second she spotted Lucas.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
Lucas immediately smiled warmly.
And there it was again.
That shift.
Except this version felt different from the camera-ready charm outside.
Less polished.
More genuine.
The nurse looked close to tears as Lucas greeted her politely and thanked her for the hospital's invitation.
Sabrina watched the interaction carefully.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because the exhausted, emotionally detached man she'd met in the penthouse completely disappeared around the children and hospital staff.
He crouched to speak with nervous kids eye-level.
Remembered people's names after hearing them once.
Listened carefully when parents spoke to him.
Not performatively either.
Actually listened.
It confused Sabrina more than ever.
"You look shocked," Lucas said quietly beside her while a photographer snapped pictures nearby.
"I think I'm witnessing character development."
His eyes narrowed faintly. "Funny."
"I'm serious. You almost seem human tonight."
"I'm thrilled you noticed."
A woman from the event staff approached quickly.
"Lucas, they're ready for the donor presentation."
He nodded once before looking toward Sabrina.
"You okay here for a minute?"
The fact he asked surprised her slightly.
"Yeah. I'll survive."
Something faintly amused flickered across his face at her use of his own phrase.
Then he disappeared deeper into the event with staff members surrounding him almost instantly.
Sabrina watched him go.
It was honestly strange seeing him in his actual world instead of paparazzi photos or staged dinners.
People gravitated toward him constantly.
Doctors.
Donors.
Parents.
Executives.
Everyone wanted a moment of his attention.
And somehow Lucas handled all of it while still looking exhausted underneath.
"How are you holding up?"
Sabrina turned to find Adrian approaching with two champagne glasses.
"Questioning reality mostly."
"That's normal during the first week."
"The fact you have a first week category is terrifying."
Adrian handed her a drink.
"You're doing well."
"I nearly blinded myself with a curling iron an hour ago."
"I meant publicly."
"Oh."
Adrian glanced toward Lucas across the ballroom where cameras surrounded him again.
"The response online has been overwhelmingly positive."
Sabrina sighed. "You people talk about public opinion like stock market numbers."
"In this industry, they basically are."
That answer shouldn't have felt as depressing as it did.
Sabrina took a sip of champagne instead.
Across the room, Lucas smiled politely for photos while donors shook his hand one after another.
Perfect posture.
Perfect expression.
Perfect image.
But now that she'd spent actual time with him, Sabrina noticed the cracks.
The smile faded every time cameras turned away.
His shoulders tightened whenever people touched him unexpectedly.
Every genuine reaction disappeared almost immediately behind practiced calm.
Like he was permanently managing himself.
It looked exhausting.
"You're staring again," Adrian observed lightly.
"I'm observing."
"That line worked better the first time."
Sabrina ignored him.
"You know," she said slowly, "he really doesn't like this."
Adrian followed her gaze toward Lucas.
For a moment his expression shifted into something more thoughtful.
"He used to."
"What changed?"
Adrian hesitated slightly.
Interesting.
Then:
"Fame gets heavier after a while."
Before Sabrina could ask anything else, movement near the stage pulled attention across the ballroom.
A presenter announced Lucas's name through the microphone.
Applause erupted immediately.
Lucas stepped onto the stage smoothly, accepting the microphone with the same easy confidence he seemed to wear like armor.
"Thank you all for coming tonight," he began.
The room quieted instantly.
Sabrina crossed her arms loosely and watched from near the back.
She'd expected some polished celebrity speech written by a PR team.
Instead Lucas surprised her again.
His voice softened when he spoke about the hospital.
About the kids.
About losing his uncle to cancer when he was younger.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing overly emotional.
Just honest enough to feel real.
And suddenly Sabrina understood why people loved him so much.
Because underneath all the media training and controlled expressions, there were flashes of sincerity that slipped through unexpectedly.
Small enough to feel accidental.
Which made people trust them more.
When Lucas finished speaking, the applause lasted almost a full minute.
The second he stepped offstage, reporters rushed toward him again.
Questions flew instantly.
"Lucas, how are things going with Sabrina?"
"Have you introduced her to your friends yet?"
"Are things getting serious?"
Lucas handled them easily at first.
Then one reporter near the front asked:
"What happened with the nightclub model earlier this week?"
Sabrina saw the exact moment his mood changed.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
But there.
The warmth disappeared from his face immediately.
"She's a friend."
"Fans online think Sabrina seemed upset about it."
Lucas's jaw tightened slightly.
"Sabrina isn't involved in gossip headlines."
The answer sounded calm.
Too calm.
Another reporter jumped in quickly.
"So things between you are exclusive?"
The room seemed to sharpen slightly around them.
Sabrina froze near the back wall.
Because suddenly all attention shifted toward Lucas waiting for his answer.
And for half a second, he hesitated.
Not long.
Barely noticeable.
But Sabrina noticed.
Then his expression smoothed over again.
"We're enjoying spending time together," he said carefully.
Professional.
Safe.
Distant.
Not technically wrong.
Still, disappointment curled unexpectedly in Sabrina's stomach.
The reporters kept shouting questions after that, but Lucas's answers became shorter.
More controlled.
By the time event staff finally pulled him away, tension sat visibly across his shoulders.
Sabrina looked down at her drink.
Ridiculous.
She had absolutely no right feeling disappointed.
This arrangement wasn't real.
He didn't owe her romantic declarations.
The entire relationship existed because of publicity.
So why did that tiny hesitation bother her so much?
"You okay?"
Lucas appeared beside her suddenly, loosening his tie slightly now that cameras weren't directly in his face.
Sabrina looked up.
"You looked thrilled over there."
He exhaled quietly. "Reporters are exhausting."
"You dodged the exclusive question impressively."
Something unreadable crossed his face.
"That upset you?"
"No."
"You're a bad liar."
She looked away first this time.
"I just forgot the internet apparently analyzes our every facial expression."
Lucas stayed quiet for a second.
Then:
"I didn't want them turning this into something bigger."
The explanation sounded reasonable.
Logical.
Still, Sabrina couldn't shake the strange hollow feeling in her chest.
Luckily, before the conversation could continue, a small voice interrupted beside them.
"Excuse me?"
Both turned simultaneously.
A little girl stood nearby clutching a stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest.
Maybe eight years old.
Shy.
Lucas's entire expression softened instantly.
"Hey," he said gently, crouching slightly to her level. "What's your name?"
"Emily."
"That's a cool rabbit."
The girl smiled nervously. "His name's Pickles."
"Excellent choice."
Sabrina bit back a laugh.
Emily looked between them carefully.
"Are you really dating?"
Oh no.
Lucas looked momentarily caught off guard.
Sabrina answered before he could.
"We're trying."
The little girl considered this very seriously.
"You look nice together."
Lucas glanced briefly toward Sabrina.
Something quieter moved through his expression this time.
Less guarded.
"Thanks," he said softly.
Emily held out the rabbit suddenly.
"Can Pickles have a picture too?"
Lucas smiled properly then.
Not celebrity-perfect.
Not practiced.
Real enough that Sabrina physically felt it.
For the next several minutes Lucas took pictures with Emily and her rabbit while the girl giggled nonstop.
And the weirdest part?
He looked happier doing that than anything else all night.
No cameras.
No reporters.
No performance.
Just genuine attention.
Sabrina watched him carefully while Emily's mother thanked them repeatedly nearby.
"You're staring again," Lucas murmured after they walked away.
"You're different with kids."
He looked down briefly.
"They don't expect anything from me."
The answer hit harder than she expected.
Before she could respond, a flash exploded nearby.
Then another.
Photographers again.
Even inside.
Lucas's expression cooled immediately.
"Of course," he muttered.
Two paparazzi lingered near the hallway entrance snapping pictures aggressively while guests tried to ignore them.
Sabrina frowned. "How are they allowed in here?"
"They shouldn't be."
One photographer called loudly:
"Lucas, look this way!"
Another shouted:
"Sabrina, smile!"
Lucas visibly stiffened beside her.
Then one photographer added:
"What does Vivienne think about the new girlfriend?"
The shift in Lucas this time was immediate.
Not anger exactly.
Something colder.
More controlled.
He stepped slightly in front of Sabrina instinctively before security finally moved toward the photographers.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because Lucas Cooper might act emotionally unavailable ninety percent of the time, but his reactions around her kept contradicting him.
Once security removed the paparazzi, tension still lingered visibly in his posture.
"You okay?" Sabrina asked quietly.
"I hate people with cameras."
"You literally became famous because of cameras."
"Exactly."
That answer almost made her smile.
Almost.
Then she noticed the exhaustion returning beneath his expression again.
The public mask slipping.
"You need a break," she said.
Lucas looked toward her.
"I'm fine."
"You look one bad question away from committing tax fraud."
A startled laugh escaped him before he shook his head slightly.
"You really say whatever shows up in your brain."
"It's part of my charm."
"Dangerous charm."
"There it is," Sabrina said immediately.
"What?"
"That almost sounded affectionate."
"It wasn't."
But this time his mouth twitched afterward like even he knew the denial sounded weak.
Before Sabrina could respond, Adrian appeared beside them looking tense.
"Lucas, we need to leave soon."
Lucas frowned slightly. "Already?"
"Something's happening online."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Lucas straightened. "What happened?"
Adrian glanced briefly toward Sabrina before lowering his voice.
"Someone leaked photos from outside the nightclub."
Sabrina blinked. "There were already photos."
"More detailed ones."
Lucas's expression darkened immediately.
"With Camille?"
Adrian nodded once.
Sabrina suddenly felt awkwardly out of place.
Like she'd accidentally stepped into a conversation she wasn't supposed to hear.
Lucas rubbed a hand across his jaw slowly.
"Fantastic."
"Your publicist wants damage control immediately."
That phrase again.
Damage control.
Everything in Lucas's life sounded temporary and managed and carefully repaired after public mistakes.
No wonder he looked exhausted all the time.
Lucas looked toward Sabrina finally.
"I'll take you home."
"You don't have to."
"I know."
The answer came quietly.
Not cold this time.
Just tired.
And for some reason, while they walked out of the hospital together beneath another storm of camera flashes, Sabrina couldn't stop thinking about the way Lucas had looked smiling at a little girl holding a stuffed rabbit.
Because that version of him felt real.
And she was starting to suspect the real Lucas Cooper was buried somewhere underneath years of pretending not to care.