He tilted his head and a slow smile spread across his face. “You mean like Gryffindor and Ravenclaw?”
I laughed and took another sip of wine, trying to hide my embarrassment.
“No, I’m afraid not. They’re not all they’re cracked up to be.”
I sank in my chair, my bubble of excitement bursting. “Are you kidding me?”
“The environment could be stifling. You’re in this studious environment from sunup to sundown. I was homesick a lot. It was lonely. At first, it was fun, but after a while you miss your mom and dad.”
It was sad to hear that. Luke stared at some point over my shoulder, his eyes echoing with the loss of his mother and the pain of being sent away after her death. I couldn’t imagine what that must have felt like. I wanted to erase that unhappy look on his face.
“You’re ruining my fantasy!”
He laughed and shrugged apologetically. Luke looked at me intently, as if he was making his mind about something. His fingers drummed on the table and he reached inside his jacket.
“I just need to ask you to fill out one more thing. You have to understand that I don’t trust very easily, and I’m going to need you to complete this form so I can do a background check.”
I shrugged. “No problem.” I had nothing to hide, right? It wasn’t any different from applying to a job. I took the form and filled everything out, which included my address, phone number and social security number. A voice inside me said that it was a lot of private information to give to a complete stranger. Then Luke slid over the two thousand dollar check already written in my name and I took it shamefacedly. I don’t know why, but I felt guilty taking it. I had such a nice time with him.
I returned the form to him, sensing that the meeting was over as he glanced at his watch.
“Well, shall we?”
I took one last sip of wine and stood up as he threw cash on the table. We walked through the bustling restaurant. The hostess reached into the closet to retrieve my sad, synthetic wool coat and I watched as Luke shrugged on his. I noticed his patent leather Italian shoes and felt so cheap by comparison. I was an impostor, a Cinderella, but with his hand on the small of my back, I didn’t feel like one.
The glass doors swung outward and the chilly air struck my bones. Luke walked beside me with his hands deep inside his pockets.
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
I cringed as I stopped and turned to face him. “I—actually I took the BART and MUNI to get here.”
The cold stung his cheeks with pink. “Oh. Why’s that?”
I tried to look somewhere behind his head, anything to avoid meeting his gaze. “Well, like I said, my car was broken into and it needed to be fixed.”
His voice was flat. “But repairing a windshield only takes an hour.” He wasn’t getting it.
I bit my lip as tears suddenly welled in my eyes. Don’t cry, you idiot. I balled my hands into fists until my fingernails bit painfully into my flesh. “Yes, well, I couldn’t afford it. So they kept my car.” I couldn’t quite keep the pain out of my voice.
None of us said anything for a while. No doubt, he was looking for some sort of phrase, some appropriate response for this situation that he had been taught in his gentlemen classes at his overseas boarding school.
“I’ll call a town car.”
I whirled around as I saw his thumb moving rapidly over his cell phone. I swallowed the lump in my throat painfully. “No, really. It’s okay. I’m fine with taking the BART; I do it all the time. It’s no big deal.” For some reason, the pressure behind my eyes doubled. I didn’t want him feeling sorry for me.
“Neither is calling a town car.”
I wanted to argue, but his hand reached out and touched my shoulder, squeezing it slightly.
He wore a nonchalant smile on his face, as if he hadn’t noticed the tears welling in my eyes, but of course he had and was just trying to make me feel better.
“Okay.”
A few minutes later, a sleek black Mercedes rolled next to the curb. I revolved on the spot with a heavy feeling in my stomach. Well, that’s it.
“Thank you so much for everything, Luke.”
He nodded. “I’ll contact you in a few days if all is well.”
Suddenly, he swept down and planted a swift kiss on my cheek. The spot burned like a hot poker and the faint smell of his shampoo drifted inside my nose. I could still feel the imprint of his lips on my face.
The kiss surprised me so much that I forgot to say goodbye. I let out an embarrassing giggle and ducked into the security of the smooth, leather car interior. Luke leaned down near the passenger’s side to exchange words and a handful of cash with the driver.
Feeling oddly light, I laid my hand across my cheek where he kissed me for a long time, marveling at how something so brief could feel so good.
I still felt like I stumbled into some kind of fairytale when the car dropped me at my house. Maybe a fairytale wasn’t accurate. It was like a bizarre dream. In what world did a gorgeous billionaire pay women to date him when he could literally have any woman he wanted?
I stepped out before the driver could open my door and gave him an awkward wave. Whoops.
He gave me a cursory look and sped away when I stepped on the sidewalk. I shrugged as I watched the town car blast down the street. I struggled opening my door for several minutes until I finally realized I used the wrong key. Finally, I pushed it open and strode inside.
The back of Natalie’s head was against the couch. She whirled around as soon as I entered and stood up, looking apprehensive.
“Jess, look, I’m really sorry for what I said.”
Seeing her looking so tired in her pajamas stirred my guilt. She waited for me all night, and probably wondered if my face would appear on the evening news.
I was too tired to argue. “It’s fine.”
Her hands fidgeted. “You didn’t text me.”
“Ah, sorry. I forgot,” I said as I hung my coat in the closet.
“Well, how was it?”
I clung to the wall and a huge grin spread across my face. “I think I’m in love!” I yelled to the room.
She grinned. “Seriously, what was he like?”
“He’s young and gorgeous. And nice and—” I shivered at the mere memory of him. “I don’t really know what he’s like, but he is hot. He looks like Ian Somerhalder!”
Her eyebrows were somewhere in her hair. “Wow. Well, what does he want from you?”