Chapter 60

**SCARLET**
Luke and I stayed at his apartment all weekend. But the time had gone by so fast; it was already Monday. I still wanted to stay in bed for another day with the sweetest man I knew. He’d treated me like a queen for the past two days. I still didn’t want it to end. But the reality struck when I didn’t find him in bed the next morning.
When I woke up, I realized Luke’s side of the bed was empty. I went downstairs, welcomed by the smell of coffee and the sound of the frying pan. The breakfast was ready, and when we finished breakfast, I went back upstairs for a fresh bath. To my surprise, he had already prepared clean clothes for me.
I came downstairs, ready to go. Luke was waiting for me by the door. He was already dressed in a three-piece gray suit. His hair was brushed up, and he smelled of aftershave. I remembered he was going back to the office today as well. I’d already seen Luke in different outfits, and they all suited him well. Even if he was only on a shirt or in an apron, I still found him very sexy.
“Books.” He picked up the book from the table and handed it to me. He didn’t let go of the book when I grasped it and instead pulled me closer. He pressed a deep kiss to my lips.
I grinned, biting my lip. “I’m going to be late.”
“I can say the same.”
“But you’re the boss.”
He chuckled, then pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I have a meeting in an hour.” He checked his wristwatch swiftly. “But I can still take you to the university.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Luke opened the door for me. “Ladies first.”
Katherine and Nate were already there when I came to our first period. They were in front of their laptops, pretending to be busy. Katherine knew where I stayed, but I told her not to mention anything to her boyfriend. Nate would not like it. It wasn’t because of his feelings for me, but he’d always thought it was wrong for me to date my stepbrother. I couldn’t blame him because I knew he was right, but I still wanted to stay with Luke.
I sat next to Katherine and found Nate in the middle row. I put my laptop on the desk.
“Hey,” I called her attention.
“Oh, hey. How was the weekend with your super-hot stepbrother?” she asked, grinning meaningfully.
“Shh! You know what happened. I called you last night.”
“You called me at two o’clock in the morning. Did you realize that I was so sleepy? I didn’t understand everything. I was dying of curiosity when I woke up this morning.”
“I called you late because I’m just waiting for him to fall asleep. I don’t want him to think I’m telling people about him. Hey, did Nate ask about me?”
“Of course. He’s worried too, you know?”
I bit my lower lip. “Did you tell him?”
“No. You told me not to. I don’t want to lie to him, but knowing Nate, he wouldn’t like it.”
“Your boyfriend is overprotective.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “So, is it official? It’s a real thing now?”
I bit my lip. “M-yeah,”
“Oh my God!’ she squealed but immediately caught her mouth. “You finally got your dream guy!”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“But you are going to Edinburgh with me, right?”
I blew out a sharp breath. “I want to stay...”
Her eyes widened. “Are you out of your mind? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Scarlet. They won’t wait for you.”
“Then what am I supposed to tell Luke? After he confessed he loved me, I suddenly wanted to leave him? You said so yourself. He’s my dream man and—”
“Don’t you think Nate isn’t my dream guy?” she said. “But I told him about it. I made him understand, and he did. He can’t come with me because you know what’s going on about his father, right? But he’s going to visit me.”
“Nate is different from Luke, Katherine.”
“Then you should not be with him if he can’t understand things like this.”
“It’s not like that.”
“You can’t possibly live together in the same house with your parents, right? Even if your relationship with him is real, the problem does not change. You are still Gene’s daughter, and he’s still Thomas’ son. You can’t sneak up forever behind the curtains.”
“Hey, it’s not like I’m going to marry him…”
“Yes, because this is just temporary. You must understand that, Scar.”
“Do you think I didn’t realize that? What’s important for us right now is the present. We love each other. It’s not our fault our parents got married.”
She sighed hard. “Alright. I give up. You still have less than two weeks to decide. I hope you think about this seriously.”
“Katherine, it’s not like what you think…”
“Be quiet. The professor arrived.” She cut off the conversation and looked away. Her brow wrinkled as she set her eyes back on her laptop.
I knew that she was only concerned about me, and it’s not that I don’t understand her. Everything she told me was right. But there was a difference now. I was not alone. Luke’s going to be with me in this fight.
Suddenly, my phone beeped and interrupted my thoughts. Someone texted me, but the number wasn’t saved in my contacts.
Hi, darling. Did you miss me? – R