Chapter 16
Sabrina spent the entire drive home trying not to overanalyze one word.
Yeah.
That was it.
One stupid word.
And somehow it had completely ruined her emotional stability.
Because Lucas hadn't answered the reporter like someone performing for cameras.
He'd looked directly at her when he said it.
Softly.
Honestly.
Like the answer mattered.
Which was deeply, deeply inconvenient.
The SUV moved quietly through snowy Manhattan streets while Sabrina stared determinedly out the window pretending her heart wasn't currently malfunctioning.
Beside her, Lucas looked equally distracted.
Interesting.
Neither spoke for the first few minutes.
Then finally:
"You're quiet."
Sabrina looked over immediately. "You literally emotionally attacked me in front of paparazzi."
A faint crease appeared between Lucas's brows.
"I answered a question."
"You answered a question weirdly."
His mouth twitched slightly.
"That sounds subjective."
"You made eye contact."
"Terrifying behavior."
Sabrina narrowed her eyes at him.
Unfortunately, Lucas looked almost amused now.
Almost.
But underneath that amusement she noticed something else too.
Nervousness.
Tiny.
Barely there.
Still there.
And suddenly Sabrina realized something deeply dangerous:
Lucas Cooper was just as affected by whatever this was becoming as she was.
The thought hit hard enough to knock the air from her lungs.
She looked away quickly before he noticed.
Coward.
"You know," she muttered toward the window, "you're very confusing."
Lucas leaned back slightly in the seat.
"I've been told that."
"Probably by therapists."
"That feels aggressive."
"It's accurate."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Then silence settled again.
But this silence felt different now.
Charged somehow.
Like both of them kept replaying the exact same moment outside the restaurant.
The way he touched her back.
The way he looked at her.
The way he'd said yeah like it meant something.
By the time the SUV stopped outside Sabrina's apartment building, her heartbeat still hadn't recovered properly.
Lucas glanced toward her as snow drifted softly outside the windows.
"You surviving?"
"No."
That pulled an actual laugh from him.
Warm and brief.
God, she loved that sound.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Sabrina reached for the door handle quickly before she embarrassed herself further.
"Goodnight."
"Night."
She stepped out into the freezing air and made it exactly three steps toward her building before Lucas called after her.
"Sabrina."
She turned immediately.
Lucas had rolled down the window slightly.
Snowflakes drifted through the cold air between them while city lights reflected softly against the black SUV.
For one second he just looked at her.
Like he was debating something internally.
Then:
"You looked beautiful tonight."
Sabrina's brain stopped functioning instantly.
"Oh."
Excellent response.
Lucas's expression softened slightly at her obvious panic.
"Goodnight," he said again quietly.
Then the window rolled back up.
The SUV disappeared down the street moments later, leaving Sabrina standing motionless in the snow like an emotionally compromised idiot.
By the time she got upstairs, Chloe took one look at her face and gasped dramatically.
"Oh no."
Sabrina dropped onto the couch face-first.
"He complimented me."
Chloe screamed.
Sabrina groaned into the cushions. "Please stop reacting like a Disney side character."
"What did he say?"
Sabrina rolled over dramatically.
"He said I looked beautiful."
Chloe looked moments away from ascending spiritually.
"That's not fake dating behavior anymore."
"I know."
"And?"
"And I'm trying not to think about it."
"Terrible strategy."
Unfortunately true.
Because later that night, while lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling, Sabrina thought about it constantly.
Not just the compliment.
Everything lately.
The almost kiss at the lake.
The hand holding.
The way Lucas kept opening up around her.
The way he looked at her when he forgot to stay detached.
It all felt too real now.
And Sabrina had absolutely no idea what to do about that.
Especially because part of her was beginning to suspect Lucas didn't know what to do either.
The next morning chaos arrived promptly at 8:12 a.m.
Sabrina woke to Chloe bursting into her room holding a phone like breaking news had personally offended her.
"You and Lucas are trending again."
Sabrina groaned into her pillow.
"Tell the internet to get hobbies."
"Too late."
Chloe climbed onto the bed beside her and shoved the phone forward.
Photos from last night covered every entertainment account online already.
One image in particular had gone viral.
Lucas looking down at Sabrina outside the restaurant while snow fell around them.
His hand against her back.
That expression again.
Soft.
The comments underneath made Sabrina want to launch herself into the ocean.
THAT MAN LOOKS GONE
THE TENSION IS INSANE
YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME THIS IS FAKE
Sabrina grabbed the phone and threw it gently onto the blanket.
"Nope."
Chloe looked deeply smug.
"You're in love with him."
"I'm in distress."
"That too."
Her phone buzzed seconds later.
Speak of the emotionally devastating devil.
Lucas: Adrian says the photos broke the internet.
Sabrina stared at the message suspiciously.
Sabrina: Your publicist speaks like a supervillain.
Lucas: Accurate.
Another text appeared.
Lucas: Busy today?
The now-familiar warmth spread through Sabrina's chest instantly.
Embarrassing.
Sabrina: Working until six.
Lucas: Want me to pick you up after?
Her stomach betrayed her immediately.
Again.
Sabrina: Why?
Three dots appeared.
Lucas: Thought maybe we could get dinner.
Not a publicity event.
Not scheduled appearances.
Just dinner.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Chloe watched her expression carefully from across the bed.
"That's not fake dating anymore."
Sabrina looked down at the phone.
And honestly?
She didn't know how to disagree anymore.
By six-thirty that evening, Sabrina stepped out of the hotel exhausted and freezing.
A familiar black SUV waited by the curb.
The second she climbed inside, warmth hit her immediately along with the faint scent of Lucas's cologne.
Dangerous combination.
Lucas sat beside her in another dark coat with his curls slightly damp from snow.
"You look tired," he said softly.
"You say that like it's my personality."
"It's becoming concerning."
Sabrina settled into the seat beside him while the driver pulled away from the curb.
"You look less terrible than yesterday," she observed.
"High praise."
"I'm serious."
Lucas glanced toward her briefly.
"I slept."
Sabrina blinked dramatically. "Character development."
That earned a laugh.
Small but real.
And there it was again.
That terrifying warmth in her chest every time she managed to pull genuine laughter out of him.
"You know," she said carefully, "you laugh more now."
Lucas looked out the window instead of at her.
"That keeps coming up."
"Because it's true."
A quiet pause followed.
Then:
"You make things quieter."
The words landed directly in Sabrina's chest.
Hard.
She looked at him immediately.
Lucas still wasn't looking at her.
Like he hadn't meant to say the thought out loud.
"You know that's an insane thing to say to someone, right?" she asked softly.
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"Probably."
The SUV stopped outside a small Italian restaurant downtown.
Less crowded than usual.
Private.
Sabrina noticed Lucas choosing places like this more often now.
Places where he could breathe.
Inside, warm lighting glowed softly across dark wooden tables while quiet music drifted through the restaurant.
Much calmer than the industry events they usually suffered through.
They slid into a booth near the back.
And almost immediately, Sabrina noticed something different about Lucas tonight.
He seemed lighter somehow.
Still tired.
Still guarded in certain ways.
But easier.
Like he wanted to be here.
With her.
The realization made her heartbeat stumble again.
"You're staring," Lucas observed while opening the menu.
"You seem suspiciously peaceful."
"That sounds accusatory."
"It is."
His mouth curved slightly.
God.
That smile was becoming a serious issue.
Dinner started normally enough.
Sarcastic comments.
Comfortable teasing.
The kind of conversation that had become strangely natural between them.
At one point Sabrina reached across the table to steal one of his fries.
Lucas looked offended immediately.
"You have your own."
"Yours looked emotionally superior."
"That's not a thing."
"It absolutely is."
Lucas shook his head while laughing quietly under his breath.
Then without thinking, he pushed the plate slightly closer to her.
The movement was automatic.
Domestic almost.
Both of them seemed to realize it at the same time because the atmosphere shifted instantly afterward.
Subtle.
Still dangerous.
Sabrina looked down quickly.
Coward.
"You okay?" Lucas asked after a second.
"Fine."
"Bad lie."
She sighed dramatically. "You keep accidentally acting like a real boyfriend."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Silence.
Lucas went still across from her.
Sabrina immediately wanted to evaporate.
Fantastic.
"Forget I said that."
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
Instead he leaned back slowly against the booth, eyes fixed on her now.
And suddenly Sabrina became painfully aware of how quiet the restaurant around them felt.
"You think it's accidental?" he asked softly.
Her heartbeat stopped.
Oh no.
Oh absolutely no.
Sabrina stared at him across the table.
Lucas's expression had changed completely.
No sarcasm.
No teasing.
Just honesty.
Terrifying honesty.
Neither looked away.
The tension between them sharpened so suddenly Sabrina forgot how breathing worked.
"Lucas..."
Her voice came out quieter than intended.
He exhaled slowly.
Like he was trying to decide something internally.
Then his phone buzzed violently against the table.
The moment shattered instantly.
Lucas closed his eyes briefly like the interruption physically pained him.
Sabrina looked away first this time, heart hammering violently against her ribs.
Coward.
Lucas grabbed the phone with visible irritation before checking the screen.
Then his expression cooled immediately.
Sabrina noticed the name.
Claire.
Again.
And just like that, reality crashed back into the room.