Page 10 of Saved By the Wolf
To my surprise, he took my hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He wanted to know my thoughts? He was too perfect. I had thought the same about Rich when I first met him, but Luc felt different. He was quiet and didn’t push, very unlike the loud, boisterous person Rich was. It probably wasn’t fair to compare Luc with Rich, either. The likelihood of Luc being in a gang did not seem likely.
I mulled over his question. Was there a reason to keep my past a secret? It was not like Rich and I were splattered on tabloids. I decided then and there that Luc would be the first one I would share my past with.
“Everything just reminds me of my ex,” I said quietly.
I saw him tense, and now that I had said the words out loud, I regretted saying anything. Maybe I should take Becca up on finding that therapist. Pushing the thought aside, I said, “Sorry, I haven’t really socialized in quite a while. We don’t need to talk about my past. It’s boring, anyways.”
“I doubt it’s boring,” he replied swiftly. “So, does that mean you’re not seeing anyone right now?”
“Yeah, I’m free. Finally.”
“Finally?” he probed.
Ugh, another slip.I almost face-palmed my forehead.“My ex was very controlling,” I explained. “It wasn’t . . . the best of relationships.”
“I see.” His hands went to his hair, and he looked distraught. That was my doing, and I felt horrible.
I had to get ahold of my emotions. This wasn’t going to do if people around me could pick up on my distress. Even Ray had asked me the other day if I was okay when I saw a bouquet of lilies. The flowers had started to make me cry because Rich used to give me those when we had just started dating. Of course, the lilies became nonexistent once I’d moved in with him, just like all the romance.
I finally looked at Luc and realized he had already eaten half of his sundae. “Wow, you must have been starving.”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “This is one of my favorite places. I love ice cream.”
“I do too. It’s my favorite dessert.”
He smiled at me, and I could have sworn his eyes were probing. I didn’t want to dim the mood further by sharing more about myself, but Luc thought otherwise.
“Did you date him long?” he now asked.
I swallowed a scoop of ice cream to regain my confidence. “Almost three years. Long enough.”
“You seem relieved and not sad about leaving him.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Your forehead creases when you’re sad, but when you’re talking about your ex, you seem more relaxed. Sad is just normally what people feel when they break up. I’m guessing it was a while ago then?”
“Just a couple weeks ago, actually.”
He looked up at me with a scoop of ice cream mid-way to his mouth. “The day I first met you,” he breathed.
“Well, technically, that was the day after.”
“So you’re fresh out of a breakup?” A jolt of pain flashed across his face. It made my heart twist, and I wanted to hold him.
“I am, but I wouldn’t call it a healthy relationship. I’m not looking to go into a new one if you’re asking.”
“No.”
Okay, he didn’t have to answer that fast.
As I scrambled for a reply, he continued, “No, I mean, I wasn’t asking. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I just . . .” He trailed off and shrugged.
He looked adorable when flustered. I couldn’t help but smile, to which he seemed to relax and asked, “So how’s your ice cream?”
“It’s delicious, thank you. This was just what I needed.”