Chapter 7
Lucian brought me to this hotel restaurant that felt… way too familiar.
It used to be my favorite spot before my family’s financial meltdown.
On the way in, he kept talking nonstop.
So much that I didn’t even get a chance to check my phone.
“You’re really chatty today, huh?”
I casually said while studying the menu.
So many new dishes since I was last here–I had to try them all!
Lucian stiffened mid–pour and nearly spilled the water.
“Let me help with that, sir.”
The waiter stepped in immediately and finished pouring for us.
Suddenly the room was quiet.
[ finally looked up from the menu and realized something was off.
Oh no… I think I hurt his feelings.
‘I didn’t mean that in a bad way! I like that you’re talkative today, it’s… sweet!”
[ scrambled to patch things up.
Lucian, being the adorable baby boyfriend he is, gave me a soft way out.
‘It’s fine. I’m just happy you’re here. You’ve been so busy with work lately.”
‘Can tonight just be about me? No phone, just us?”
Ugh, he’s too smooth.
With him calling me “babe” left and right, how could I say no?
I turned off my phone and dropped it in my purse.
Even if my dad called, I wasn’t picking up.
Chapter 7
I knew it’d be work drama and I was off the clock.
Lucian looked visibly relieved.
His whole vibe relaxed after that.
“You don’t like fish anymore?”
He gently placed a perfectly deboned piece into my bowl.
It was so casual, it felt totally natural.
I ate it without thinking. Then paused.
Wait a minute–I never told him I liked fish.
In fact… I hate fish.
It’s the bones. It’s the smell. It’s the texture.
There’s only one place I’ll eat fish, and it’s this exact restaurant, with this exact dish.
No one knew that except my parents and my best friends.
And they’ve all scolded me for being so picky.
So now I never order fish in public.
But here’s Lucian, feeding me fish I actually like?
And this place is members only.
Where the hell did a broke college boy get a membership card?
I know I didn’t give him mine.
I’ve been so buried in work that I hadn’t even thought about any of this.
It’s true what he said–we hadn’t seen each other in almost two weeks.
I assumed he was drowning in finals, just like I was drowning in meetings.
I looked at him, narrowing my eyes.
“Isn’t it, like, finals week for you too?
How are you this calm and chill?”
“Never skip class. Always get full participation points. Finals are just a formality.”
He didn’t even blink. Smooth as ever.
“You guys in computer science really have it that easy?”
I muttered it under my breath.
Lucian took a sip of water like he didn’t hear, then smiled.
“Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got everything under control.”
Yeah, well-
Turns out he really wasn’t worried about finals.
Because this boy wasn’t even a college student.
He’d already graduated.
Three years ago.
From overseas.
I’d been dating a full–grown adult man pretending to be a college kid.
Full–on wolf in honor–student clothing.
I texted him one night, emotions boiling over:
“You have three seconds to explain, or we’re DONE.”
Didn’t care if he was even looking at his phone. I just hit send.
