Page 10 of Luca
“No, he hasn’t; it’s my fault that I can’t get over him. He told me right away that he didn’t want a relationship,” she replied, annoyance evident in her voice.
“It’s not Anton’s fault that I have a massive crush on him.” She sighed, and my heart went out to her.
“You’ve always had a thing for the military type,” I said, trying to lift the mood slightly.
“Hell yeah. Who wouldn’t? All that muscle and danger?” She smiled wickedly and winked. “You have to admit, Anton is gorgeous.”
“Hmm,” I replied. Yes, the guy was good looking, but not my type.
“Oh, I forgot, you prefer the tall, dark, and dangerous type who hides his danger behind a charismatic smile,” she said, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“Ha, ha.” I replied, huffing in annoyance at how true that was despite how much I denied it. The mention of Luca had me scanning the room, unable to stop myself from searching for his presence.
“Looking for the man himself?” Marcie said in my ear, startling me and making me nearly jump out of my skin.
“What? No, I was just taking in the atmosphere,” I denied, pursing my lips in displeasure when she grinned knowingly at me.
Turning away from her I continued my perusal of the room, biting back my disappointment at not finding who I was looking for. While I didn’t want to be with the guy, I did love to look at him, and I couldn’t deny the little thrill of pleasure the thought of seeing him again gave me. Though I’d never admit that to anyone. Especially not him.
Where the hell was he? Why wasn’t he here?
A heavy sigh coming from beside me dragged me out of my musings. Glancing at Marcie, I could sense the downward spiral of her own thoughts by the dejected look on her face.
Damn it, this was her night, and I wouldn’t have her depressed. It was her time to celebrate, and that is exactly what we’d do, and damn those men. Squeezing her hand I said, “Let’s get you another drink and mingle a bit. You’re the star of the night!”
We spent the next couple of hours chatting with the other guests. Soon, it was time for the buffet to open. Marcie gave a quick thank-you speech, managing to avoid slurring too much,which was impressive considering how much she’d drunk. To counter the effects, I made her eat some of the buffet.
Stuffing my face with tasty little pastries, I scanned the room for what must have been the thousandth time, searching for Luca. He still hadn’t shown up, and while I should have been over the moon about it—since it made staying away from him easier—I felt sick with disappointment instead.
As my gaze flitted around, searching for him, I noticed Anton’s furtive glances our way. I was pretty sure Marcie wasn’t oblivious to them, either. Why wasn’t he willing to admit his attraction to her? I didn’t get it. Marcie didn’t have the issues that Luca came with; she was a great catch. He really needed to man up. What was stopping him?
Marcie sighed heavily, and I’d had enough.
“We’re off to the loo,” I whispered to Gracie, who was deep in conversation with the others. Grabbing Marcie’s hand, I dragged her with me.
Once inside the VIP bathroom, I turned to her. “What’s going on with you and Anton? Spill!” I wasn’t going to interfere, but she clearly needed to talk.
“Obviously, I told Anton how much I liked him not long after we met, and he said he didn’t want anything more than friendship. Fine, I accepted that—I really did, Claire. But ever since he kissed me on New Year’s Eve, he’s been sending mixed signals. I finally plucked up the courage to ask him out again last week, and he rejected me. Then, at Derrick and Nick’s engagement dinner the other night, he kissed me again—and it was great. We were both panting when he broke it off, but then he mumbled something about it being a mistake and bolted. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough,” she said, her voice trembling on the verge of tears.
“Aw, babe, I’m so sorry!” I said, hugging her tight.
“What’s wrong with me, Claire? Why doesn’t he want me?” Marcie sobbed, and in that moment, I could have throttled Anton with my bare hands.
“Nothing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, Marcie. This is all on him. You are a strong, independent, successful woman—a great catch. If he’s too blind to see that, then he doesn’t deserve you. Now, dry your eyes and fix your makeup. This is your night, and I refuse to let him ruin it for you!” I said firmly.
She sniffled, nodding as she blew her nose before dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
“Seems we’re both doomed to obsess over guys we can’t have,” I sighed, shifting from foot to foot as my need for relief became urgent.
“Got to pee,” I called, darting into the cubicle.
As we touched up our makeup, I turned to her, determined to lift her spirits.
“It’s your birthday. Screw those guys and their issues. Let’s dance, have some fun, and get absolutely plastered,” I said with a wicked grin.
“Hell yeah!” she replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Let’s go tear this place up!”
CHAPTER 6