She's Like a Piece of Home

She groaned and lazily lifted an eyelid to check the clock. 8:54. She just wanted to sleep longer, actually all day would have been preferable. Why was she so uncomfortable all night? As she stretched, the lace sleeve of her dress slid down to her shoulder. She pried her eyes open and looked herself over. White lace. Why was she still in her – It struck her. Last night. No. The humiliation washed over her again. She wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her legs up to her stomach. He asked her to spend the day with him. She shouldn’t have agreed to that. Her fingers clutched the dress causing it to squeeze around her waist. Letting go instantly, she was flooded with the memory of him biting at her lip. I can’t do this. She rolled over and sank her face into her pillows. I’ll just call Quinn, get his number and tell him that Brooke’s sick. She let out a shaky breath. That I’m going to spend the day with her. Yes. You don’t have to do this.

Feeling better that she had come up with a plan she hauled herself from the bed quickly ridding herself of the memory laced dress. After tapping a few keys on her computer, music filled the room. She took her time in the shower, resolving that since she now had nothing to do today, there was no rush. She squeezed the ivory towel in her hair, shaking some of water out and then wrapped it around her body. She glanced at the clock as she came back into her room. The red numbers glared back at her, 9:40. What time had she agreed to? 10:00? She had better call Quinn now. Her eyes darted around her room. Where was her cell phone? Didn’t she bring it in with her? Shit. She remembered now. It was still tucked safely in her clutch sitting on the kitchen counter. Dammit. She had to go get it. She didn’t have Quinn’s number memorized to call him from the landline in her library.

She turned back to the bathroom and swapped her regular towel for her black towel wrap trimmed with hot pink and white polka dotted ribbon. She sang along to the music as she padded down the hall and was only few feet from the kitchen when the doorbell echoed through the house. What the – She poked her head into the kitchen and checked the clock. It wasn’t even close to 10:00 yet!

Cautiously, she proceeded to the door, praying as she got closer that it wasn’t him already. She checked through the peephole. Why?! He was looking down, hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts. His teal and white plaid button down shirt was rolled to his elbows. As she let her head fall forward it hit the wood with a resounding thud.

“Ow!” she yelped, springing backwards instantly.

“Raleigh?” Luka’s concerned voice penetrated the door. Well, so much for acting like I wasn’t home. “You okay?”

She opened the door slowly as she rubbed her forehead. He stepped through, his eyes on her face and went to reach for her head. When she automatically took a half step back, he immediately withdrew his hand and moved back. She was fairly certain there was a faint blush on his cheeks. He looked her over now and the pink became a bit darker.

“Oh – you are… not ready yet.” He was looking away from her now. She glanced down at herself, confused as to his sudden aversion of her. Her ears burned, followed by her cheeks. How did she forget she was still in her towel? Honestly.

“You can come in,” she offered, still feeling mortified. “I’ll, uh, be back shortly.” She attempted to retreat as swiftly as possible while appearing casual, but her efforts were in vain when she realized she still didn’t have her phone. She retrieved the clutch from the kitchen and gave a weak smile as she passed him again. Out of view, she tapped the clutch to her forehead. “Shit. Shit. Shit,” she muttered. Take a deep breath, you freak, she thought as she closed her bedroom door behind her.

*
Luka watched as she left, baffled by the last five minutes of his life. He knew why he had shown up early. He didn’t want her to have a chance to cancel. He wasn’t expecting her to answer the door in her towel, her hair down in loose wet waves. It had taken him a minute to realize it, since he had instinctively reached for her forehead first, seeing her rubbing it. She had rebuffed him immediately taking a step back. It stung for a moment. He noticed after that that she was standing there in a short black towel wrap lined with pink. And the thought didn’t escape him that there was likely nothing underneath it.

He puffed his cheeks, blowing air out in short spurts unsuccessfully trying not to watch her as she walked away. What kind of twisted sense of humor did fate have? Letting her answer the door in her towel in what was surely the first time they had ever been alone together after she told him she was done. He shut the door behind him and warily entered the living room. He chose the matching armchair across the room instead. His eyes dropped to the ground trying to avoid even looking at the couch.

What would have happened if Valeriya hadn’t sent him that message last night?

*
She was stuck. She had to go. She had plugged her phone in so that it could at least charge a little bit before they left. She also made it a point to turn off the music, so she could be aware of every sound in the house. She now stood in front of her closet wringing her hands trying to decide on what to wear. He looked really good. The teal was good color on him. There was no one else home. No. She promptly reminded herself. She yanked out a three quarter sleeve, baggy, pink and cream striped shirt. There was nothing to confuse with this. She would remain covered today. She got dressed quickly, adding a pair of medium wash skinny jeans, pink stoned earrings and a pink and cream chevron bracelet.

She slowed down when it came to her hair, reminding herself that he was early and could wait. She didn’t like making people wait though; it went against her nature. There was no being late growing up, everything was run on a schedule, her father’s schedule. She gave herself a happy medium by agreeing to be ready a few minutes before 10:00, since that is when she likely would have been ready had she been committed to going this morning. She brushed it up into a loose bun, trying not to do anything to over the top, but also trying to appear presentable. She frowned when she finished. She couldn’t do it. He looked so put together, she had to at least match that. She tried again, pulling it back into a high ponytail. Separating a small chunk of hair, she braided it to the tip and dug for a small clear band to tie it off. She formed the rest of the hair into a slightly tighter bun and then weaved the braid over and under it, finally securing the tip with a bobby pin.

Make up though, he wasn’t getting anything more than her standard mascara, eyeliner and lip-gloss. Her standard was all she needed, she always felt pretty enough without globs of foundation weighing down her face. She fished for a matching wristlet from the top drawer of her dresser. After quickly swapping the basic contents from her clutch into the pink Coach wristlet, she checked the time. Damn. 9:59. Well, at least she wasn’t late. She slipped into a pair of plain, but comfortable pink flats. Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to leave the room.

She found him standing in the living room, looking out the window. She observed him for a moment; his hands were again tucked into his pockets and he was rocking slightly on his heels. He was quiet, patiently waiting for her. She cleared her throat and he turned with a much more relaxed smile on his face. She twisted her lips and tried to manage a smile in return. “Okay. Ready.”

“Let’s go,” he said with a nod towards the door. She followed quietly behind him, chewing on her lip, reminding herself again that this wasn’t a date so there was no reason to be nervous, no reason to feel uncomfortable. She wished she had had time to call Brooke for a pep talk before she left. She would have known to what to say to get through today.

*
“Is all you have?” he asked breaking her thoughts. She passed him a startled glance. He was holding the passenger door open for her. He had brought his stratus grey metallic Jaguar XJL today, not his Navigator. He gestured toward the wristlet. “Is all you have?” he repeated.

She looked down at her wrist and blinked. “Oh, yeah. I travel light when I’m not with Mac.”

He nodded as she lowered herself into the car. After closing the door for her, she noted that he walked around the back of the car.

“So,” she began as he started the car. “Where are we going?”

He gave her a sly smile, some of his confidence seemed to be returning now that they were out of the house. “To city. You wait and see.”

There was more silence than Raleigh was comfortable with, only music turned down low playing. She couldn’t find the words to get anything out and wondered if he was having the same issue. She had situated her body so that she was angled away from him, her elbow resting on the door and her chin on her hand. She stared at the river as they drove, her thoughts drifting as she tried to concentrate on the music. Faint notes of a familiar song began strumming over the radio. It was song that she had on her playlist for months and just began getting radio play. Closing her eyes, she hummed along softly, momentarily forgetting the stress she had created over the situation and the situation itself.

By the time the chorus began, she was singing quietly. “And you know… we’re on each other’s team…”

The volume picked up slightly and she opened her eyes, remembering where she was. She peeked self-consciously at Luka, her cheeks warming. He was grinning and passed a quick glance at her. “So there is music you like.”

She twisted her lips holding back a bashful smile and looked at him over her shoulder. “I have a rule,” she said feigning seriousness. The music changed her demeanor. It relaxed her. She could picture Brooke now telling her to just have fun. It didn’t matter if he had an “ex” back home if they were just friends, right?

“And what is it?” he asked turning the radio back down a notch.

She turned to facing him more now, tucking her left foot under her and leaning on the center console, propping her chin up with her fist. “I have to ride in a car with someone at least two times before they are allowed to know what I listen to,” she answered playfully as she held up two fingers.

“Oh! She jokes now!” he exclaimed amused as he glanced between her and the road.

She sat back slightly and found herself giggling at the ridiculousness of the conversation. They bantered back and forth until she paused observing their gray surroundings as they pulled into a parking space. “You…brought me to a parking garage?”

He gave her a cryptic grin. “Be patient. You like. I positive.”

They stayed near each other as they walked, but still managed to keep at least a six inch gap between them, as though both were afraid to get too close to the other.

“Okay. Here.” His deep voice interrupted her planning and she looked up, glancing around confused by her surroundings.

“We’re at The Point?” she asked quizzically. This was where he brought her? It was a well-known city landmark; it just seemed odd for him to take her there. She went to look at him but he had stepped behind her.

“No,” he said, his large hands clasping both of her shoulders. He guided her to the left and pointed her in the direction of the Fort Pitt Blockhouse. “I brought you here.”

She spun quickly on her heels and gave him suspicious stare. Was this a joke? What was he getting at? “You brought me to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse?” He nodded as he shoved his hands into his pockets. A look of worry flashed across his face. She softened her tone, “Why?”

“I was told it has interesting history. You study history. I know nothing about place. You teach me.” The last request came out as a whisper. She was taken aback. Of everything he could have done. He could have spent a ridiculous amount of money trying to impress her, but he didn’t. He impressed her by trying to not impress with luxuries. She appreciated that. She hesitantly had to admit to herself that she liked that.

“Okay,” she said taking a deep breath through her nose. She rubbed her hands against her pants, before clasping them together. “So you want to know about this place?”

He nodded and a pleased grin returning to his face. Her heart quickened, that smile seemed to grab her every time. Impulsively she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the blockhouse. She didn’t notice that he had firmed the grip on her hand until they had reached the building. Her eyes immediately dropped to the their hands and she quickly let go as she took a step back away from him before launching into her history lesson.

“All right. In 1783, the American Revolution officially ended. Fort Pitt remained in tact until 1785 when they began to demolish and sell it off. So they sold it an officer, Major Craig and his business partner, Colonel Bayard. Craig built a house,” she paused, taking a few steps off to her right, “right around here using the bricks from the remains of Fort Pitt. A few years later, they moved out of the house. And in 1792 Fort Pitt was officially decommissioned. Oh and over here…” She reached back and seized Luka’s hand again, dragging him along.

*
She was pulling him across the grounds now and speaking rapidly. This was certainly the most she had ever said to him. She had switched her grasp now and intertwined her fingers with his. He wondered if she even realized she had done it.

“Raleigh,” he said quietly at first. Her words were coming out so quickly they sounded like one jumbled mess. “Raleigh.” Again, a little louder. She was still going. He wasn’t expecting this reaction. He realized that often none of what she did made sense to him. Constantly hot and cold. A never-ending puzzle. He never had this problem when he was with Valeriya. She was always straightforward; there was never any confusion on what she wanted. He shook his head slightly, snapping himself out of it.

“Raleigh.” This time he gave a slight tug to her arm and she stopped. The loose fitting shirt swayed against her.

“What?”

He gave a small smile to her confused expression. “Slow down,” he pleaded softly. “Not understand you.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I just get really – ” she hesitated and gave him a skeptical glance. “Do you actually want to know this stuff?”

He nodded. True, this history had absolutely nothing to do with him, but she had gotten so excited. She looked… different. Her face was brighter while she talking and she grew more animated. He could tell she was making it a point to talk slower now. Glancing over her shoulder every so often. They roamed the area for the next two hours with her giving varying degrees of the history of the area before deciding it was time for lunch.

*
As they entered SixPenn Kitchen, Luka gestured for her to wait while he spoke with a manager. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she knew what he was asking of them. It was noisy in the entryway so she couldn’t make out what was being said. The short middle-aged manager pointed to the back of the restaurant and Luka nodded in agreement with where, she assumed, they would be sitting. He towered over him as he did most people, she often felt so tiny compared to him. He held his hand up in front of him asking the manager to wait and she quickly turned away staring at a hanging picture, hoping it wasn’t noticeable to him that she had been watching him the whole time. There was a light touch to the small of her back causing her to tense.

“Table ready.” He was close to her ear when he said it. She trailed the manager wordlessly unable to concentrate on anything but the fact that Luka’s hand was still positioned comfortably on her lower back, gently guiding her along the tables.

When they reached a booth in the far back corner, the manager turned. “Is this all right?”

Luka nodded as he reached out to shake his hand. “Perfect. Thank you.”

She waited to see where Luka would go before sitting down. As he chose sit with his back facing the restaurant, she followed suit sitting across from him and setting her wristlet down next to her.

“Shawn will be your waiter. He’ll be over shortly,” he said as he handed them each a menu. “Enjoy your meal. Please let me know if you need anything,” he added looking at Luka before walking away.

Raleigh kept her face hidden behind her menu, trying not to laugh. This brought back a few memories from when they would go out to dinner as kids. It didn’t happen often, but usually during the thick of the season is when her dad would get noticed more. Her mother would roll her eyes at her father when the staff when begin to fawn over him. “Don’t know what the big deal is. It’s just you.” She smiled with a quiet snicker at the memory. Even when she knew what was going on, she never took him too seriously.

The menu was being drawn down slightly, exposing her face. She looked at him through her lashes. “Something funny?” he asked curiously.

“Using your status for special treatment?” She couldn’t resist ribbing him about it. She set the menu down as she crossed her legs. Laying one arm on the table and using the other to prop her chin up, she quoted her mother while trying to keep a straight face. “Don’t know what the big deal is. It’s just you.”

He chuckled. “I see. Just me.”

He looked like he was about to add something more when the server came to the table. The tall blonde man greeted them politely and ran through the specials. “Can I start you off with some drinks?”

“Iced tea,” Luka said as he picked up his menu.

“I’ll have an iced tea, too.” He nodded and was about to turn when she quickly added, “Oh! Can you please make sure this is on separate checks?”

“Su – ” he started, but was interrupted by Luka’s menu hitting the table. He frowned at her before turning to the server.

“No. One check.” He spoke with an unusual calmness that didn’t match the perplexed expression on his face as he looked back at her again.

“Separate,” she stated giving Luka a defiant stare. The scowl he gave her in return told her that he was rarely contested when it came to this sort of thing. She didn’t care. She was standing her ground. This wasn’t a date and she was perfectly capable of paying for her own lunch. She needed this, to keep her footing with him. She couldn’t let him pay for her.

“One,” he fumed, not taking his eyes off of her.

Shawn cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You know what, I’ll go get your drinks while you two hash this out.”

*
“I pay,” he declared as the server left. He was trying to regroup his head. She had thrown him off again. How could she demand to have separate checks like that? That’s not how things worked for him. He wasn’t raised like that. The man always paid. Always took care of the woman. And yet, here she was demanding to take care of herself. He felt a pang of worry at the determined look in her eye.

“We are here as friends,” she reminded him as she placed extra emphasis on the last two words. He had nearly forgotten that. She was giving him mixed signals, holding his tightly at the park and then pushing him away again now. He couldn’t keep up with her. “And I will pay for my own meal.”

“I insist.” Even if they were here as friends as she was asserting again, he could still pay for her meal. Friends did do that, too.

“And I resist,” she countered as she set her folded hands on top of the menu. “I’ll pay for my own food. Thank you.”

Jesus. What was with her? She couldn’t back down for one meal? “One check. I paying.” He picked up his menu and began to look it over. The conversation was over. He would pay. He pulled the menu down and glanced over it at her. She was thinking, plotting her next move.

“Then I’m not hungry,” she stated seriously. She was studying him as she pushed her menu away, waiting for his reaction.

“Slozhnyy,” he muttered slipping back into his native tongue. Her face broke for only a second when he spoke. She quickly regained her composure as she stared at him, sitting back against the booth, her arms folded across her chest. She wasn’t relenting and he couldn’t let her go hungry. What was he getting himself into with this one? A note of confusion was plaguing him. She was beyond complicated. “Fine,” he agreed unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Great!” she exclaimed brightly, a smile returning immediately to her face. What. The. Hell. “What are you going to get?”

*
She tried to keep the cheerful demeanor. That was the second time he had said that, slozhnyy. What in the world did it mean? He appeared to be about to respond when a glass was set down in front of him. “So are we all decided then?”

Raleigh nodded at Luka, who still looked puzzled by her rapid change of emotion. He tore his gaze from her to respond to the server. “Buffalo chicken mac ‘n cheese.”

Macaroni and cheese? She had been positive he was picking on her after the zoo when she had made it for dinner. She glanced at the menu again. She highly doubted he picked that because he remembered that day.

“And you?” The waiters voice snapped her attention back.

“Oh. Monte Cristo.” She watched him write quickly on his small notepad. “And separate checks, please.”

She noticed him look over at Luka, who gave a short nod. “It’ll be out shortly,” he said as he took their menus and left. He looked upset, but said nothing. They sat in silence for several minutes, neither looking at each other. She vaguely suspected that it had to do with check spat they just had, but pushed it out of her mind. There was no way he could seriously be bothered by that. She tapped the table nervously with her nails and looked around at the other patrons in the now full restaurant. A weight on her hand caused her to stop suddenly and she looked down to Luka’s hand retreating from hers.

“Is annoying,” he told her quietly.

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she pulled her hand back self-consciously and tucked them under the table.

“You laugh before about behind menu. Why?” he asked breaking the new veil of tension that fallen over them.

She ran her fingers over the edge of the table and shrugged. “Just a memory from when I was a kid.”

“What about?” he inquired, looking interested.

“Nothing important.”

“Lot of time to kill,” he reminded her giving a slight nod to the people around them.

She let out a soft breath before looking up at him again. “It’s just how my mom use to treat my dad when she felt like he was being showered with attention when we’d go out. What I said to you, that’s what she’d always tell him. I think she did it to help keep him from getting a big head.”

A crooked smile had formed on his face while she was talking. “She kept him…” he paused for a moment before continuing, “grounded? Is that right word?”

She could feel the corner of her lip tug upwards and she her eyes drifted to the right. “Yeah. Well, I mean, I don’t know if she kept him grounded, but they’d always laugh when she’d say it.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, realizing she had given up a piece of herself to him. Her parents were generally an off limits topic to anyone. She had to shift this before he could ask her more. “What about you? Do your parents help keep you grounded?”

*
“I guess. They still make it point to come to as many of my games as they can. Eva, too.” He started laughing. Raleigh’s brow furrowed slightly trying to understand what was funny. “I think sometimes my mother comes to make sure I eat enough.”

Before she could respond, their food had arrived. Her eyes widened a bit as she looked over the sandwich. It was bigger than she anticipated.
“I doubt you finish it,” Luka said clearly having the same thought process as her. She raised an eyebrow when she meant his gaze. “Bet you not finish it.”

“Oh, no,” she said with a shake of her head and a laugh. “I learned my lesson. I don’t make bets with you anymore.”

He swallowed the bite he was chewing and grinned. “Today hasn’t been so bad, has it?”

“No,” she answered and took a bite of the sandwich. The French toast, ham, turkey and Swiss cheese were a strange mix, but somehow worked. He shifted the topic to her dancing, adding that Cami had told him that they both danced. “I use to. Stopped after high school. Did you always want to play hockey?”

He nodded. “Long as I can remember. My mother say I come out playing.”

She suddenly looked wistful. “That’s funny. My mother use to tell me that I came out dancing.”

“What kind?” he asked intrigued. She was baffled by his persistence on the topic of her dancing. Since she had moved on after high school, it was something she rarely discussed with people.

“Um, ballet mostly, but I dabbled in a bit of everything.”

“Why did you stop?”

She shrugged. “I just did. Decided to study history. And that was that.” She chewed a bite as she watched him. She contemplated asking him a question, but Shawn stopped at the table, checking in on them. Before she could open her mouth to changing the topic, Luka continued.

“You ran, too?”

“Cross country,” she answered without thinking. “That I did keep up with. Ran through college. I still do races. Just for fun now. Okay, your turn. You’ve gotten enough out of me today.”

“I doubt that,” he retorted with a grin. She tried to frown, fighting the smile that he seemed to be so good at working out of her. She was a bit astonished by his ability to be so quick in English, but she was beginning to think she liked his fast thinking, his wit. He kept her on her toes.

“Seriously. Your turn to answer some questions, mister.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay. Shoot.”

She didn’t want to ask about hockey, she knew that, but it seemed his whole life was about hockey. She nibbled at her sandwich pondering which direction to go. “Growing up,” she finally said as she swallowed. “How different is it from here?”

*
“I not know if I have best…representation.” He stared his plate and pushed the food around. Most of his upbringing had been hockey and a lot of it. His father had played and insisted he played, it did help though, that he was a natural on the ice. He couldn’t complain. His father didn’t force him; he had formed a quick connection with the sport. A coach for the next team up had spotted him one day after he had been playing with kids his age. Next thing he knew, he was playing up. It never changed. His youth was committed to hockey.

“Tell me about your home then. Not hockey.” Her voice drew him back out. She was bent over slightly, looking up at him, trying to catch his eye. “I’d prefer if you didn’t talk about hockey. If that’s okay with you,” she added softly. A shy smile had crossed her face. There was a comfort there, he realized, that she didn’t push him about his career. He thought for a moment before answering her.

“Most of my life has been hockey. But at home it wasn’t. My mother pushed school and other things. My father took care of her. Always.” He couldn’t read her face when he said, but noted a slight flinch. “Just how things are. When she have me, she stop working. She was devoted to house and my father. Church every Sunday.”

He glanced at her plate as she took the final bite of her sandwich. He was amazed she had eaten the entire thing. “Someone showed up early at my house and I didn’t get to eat breakfast,” she teased as she pushed the plate away. “I am stuffed.”

Before he could answer, their waiter appeared at the end of the table. “Any thoughts on dessert?”

He raised an eyebrow at Raleigh, who was dabbing her mouth with her napkin. “Oh, no thank you,” she said looking up at the server.

“Just check…s,” Luka told him reluctantly making the word plural. It still bothered him, how she had argued over something that should have been a given. He nodded and walked off. Luka returned his attention to his brunette companion. “Not sorry,” he commented trying to hold back a laugh.

“Of course you’re not,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she kicked him lightly under the table.

“Here you go. I’ll take them when you’re ready,” the waiter said as he set them down on each side of the table. He turned quickly as though he worried another disagreement was about to start. She was staring at her check, her lips twisting downward slightly. He studied her carefully. If she gave him the opportunity, he would take both of them and pay. He wanted to respect that she didn’t want him to spend his money on her, but there was a far greater pull on his ego if he didn’t cover both.

She was biting down on her lower lip as she looked up at him. He waited patiently to see what she would do. “I – ” she started, but stopped mid-thought, looking past him. A pink hue began to form on her cheeks. “I just need to excuse myself for a minute. I’ll be back.”

He looked over his shoulder as she darted to the front of the restaurant. He quickly grabbed the blonde’s attention and handed him both receipts and his credit card. He shot him an uncertain glance as he took them and appeared to be ready to say something, but reconsidered.

She had been deliberate when she left. Something had happened during their lunch that had changed her mind enough to allow her to relent. He was tucking his wallet back into his pocket when she sat back down.

“We’re good now?” she asked faintly as she stared at where the check had been. He nodded feeling reassured that he had made the right decision. She picked up the small pink bag she had been carrying with her. “There’s uh, there’s a museum down by the blockhouse. The Fort Pitt Museum. You wouldn’t, um, want to go, would you?”

*
She couldn’t believe she was asking him to continue the day, but the more time she spent with him the more comfortable she felt as she began to block out her past. She was pleased that he had picked up on her subtle permission that he could pay since she had so dramatically argued with him over it she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Something about the way he said ‘just how things are.’ It had suddenly occurred to her that she had likely insulted him. She briefly recalled her world history classes from when she was obtaining her bachelors degree. Russia was still steeped in traditional views.

He raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised that she had initiated something. She twisted her wristlet in her hands under the table. Please don’t say no. “I would like that.”

She let out a relieved breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. “Okay.” She tilted her head towards the door. “Let’s go.”

**
She laughed as they walked up the sidewalk to her house. “He lets you call him that?”

Hands in his pockets, he shrugged and looked down at her. “Yeah, why not?”

“It’s just – I don’t know.” Her lips curled as she looked up at him. The gap between them closed as they both slowed their pace to the door, neither one seeming to want their afternoon to end. “Do you have nicknames for everyone?”

“Ja. They use to it now. Before it was because my English was really bad,” he admitted. “It was bad.”

She turned to face him when she had reached the top of the steps, now nearly eye level with him. “So, um, thanks,” she said looking down, the bag clutched in her hands. She rolled back on her heels a bit before bringing eyes up to meet his. “For today,” she added shyly. “You’re not what I thought.” Her cheeks and ear immediately pinkened and he realized she hadn’t meant to say that. What had she expected of him? The confusion on his face must have given him away, because she reached out, her fingers lightly grazing his arm. “I had a good time.”

“I did too,” he admitted. And he had. A few rough moments here and there, but overall it was more than a good day. He was drawn to her in a way that felt uncharacteristic for him. The concept of American dating was fairly foreign to him, but he was finding the more he was around her the more was willing to meet her on her level.

“Oh!” Her hazel eyes widened a bit and she held her hands up in front of her, her small pink bag sliding down her wrist. “Just um, hold on for a second. I’ll be right back.” She turned and fumbled with her keys before she unlocked the door and darted inside. He waited patiently outside for her to return, curious as to what she was doing. She reappeared a couple minutes later carrying only a small piece of paper. “Here.” He looked down to see a neatly written Raleigh along with her phone number. This was a huge step for her. She rushed on as she pushed it into his hand. “You can call me…or text…or whatever. Anyway, yeah, so I’m gonna go now.”

He tucked the paper into his pocket as she spun herself to head back inside. “Hey wait,” he called out causing her to stop. He didn’t know what they would think of him inviting her, but he didn’t care. He needed to see more of her. She was finally treating him normally. “Paige is having a thing tonight. Do you…want to go?”

Blushing, she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. That’d be okay.”

He grinned and took a step back. “Okay. Pick you up at seven?”

Lips pursed in a tight, but pleased smile, she nodded before going back into the house, the door closing slowly behind her.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” Quinn’s voice greeted him unexpectedly. He looked up to see him cutting across the yard. He so focused on Raleigh before that he hadn’t noticed he was home.

*
Raleigh bit her lip, recounting the day as she walked to her bedroom. It’s okay that you like him, she thought, skimming her fingers along the wall. There were no phone calls or texts during the day to interrupt them. Nothing to remind her of exes. She had taken Brooke’s advice and given him a chance, gradually getting closer to him throughout the day. He was different than she had originally thought. Maybe she had unfairly pigeonholed him before. Shaking the thoughts of him out as she entered her room, she tried to figure out what to do next. She now had three hours to kill before he would return to pick her up. She thought back to her answer when he had asked. “That’d be okay.”

“That’d be okay…” she muttered heading to her dresser. When he asked her she had been struck with a sudden sense of apprehension and giddiness. Mentally, ‘okay’ seemed a much more appropriate choice than pretty much any other word she could think of, because as usual, her brain seemed to stop working. “You are so lame.”

Her mind was a mess and she desperately needed to sort it out. She pulled a white Nike sports bra and lime green track shorts from her drawer and began changing. She popped the ear buds in and headed out the side door. She was messing with the music app on her phone when she caught sight of two male figures in her peripherals. She peeked through her lashes, Quinn and Luka. He’s still here. Oh God. Quinn nodded in her direction and said something to Luka that caused him to turn. She froze and watched his eyes travel the length of her body. Other way, Raleigh. Turn around. He grinned and shook his head, no doubt remembering what she had told him at Mac’s party, as she took a step backwards. She forced a smile on her face before promptly turning and running in the opposite direction of her normal routine. Just run naturally, Raleigh. He’s not looking at you. But she could feel his eyes still on her. Don’t turn around. Keep running. She made a intense effort to keep her running form exactly as it was suppose to be. She turned down the first available street and as soon as she was out of sight from the house she managed to relax.

She started going through a mental checklist since she didn’t know where to begin. Pick out something to where. Make a light dinner. Call Brooke. Brooke. She had a lot to tell her. Why wait to call to her? She slowed down, hands on her hips and looked around. She was heading in the wrong direction. At least she wasn’t that far in. Two-ish miles. She’d get there in about 15 minutes. She couldn’t bring herself to think of anything until she finally saw Brooke’s townhouse approaching in the distance. What was she going to tell her? Hey, you were right. I just had a great day with Luka? No. Had I not kept my wits about me to today, I might have totally dragged him into the house? HA. No. She had a sudden surge of protectiveness over whatever it was that was beginning to develop between them. She wanted to be very careful in what she revealed. She had no idea why, but for the first time in all the years she had known Brooke, she didn’t want to tell her everything. Luka was best kept a secret. From everyone.

Still not knowing what to say, she found herself knocking on Brooke’s front door. She tugged the headphones from her ear, unplugged them and tucked them in the slim pocket of her shorts. The door opened to reveal a relaxed looking Brooke in black Capri sweat pants and lavender tank top, blonde hair pulled into a low, loose ponytail.

“Oh, good,” Raleigh said quickly. Brooke’s brow furrowed. “You’re home. Come running with me.”

“Why?” she asked giving her a suspicious stare. “I already went this morning.”

Raleigh sighed and put both hands on her hips. “Just come with me,” she insisted. Brooke looked over her shoulder. From the doorway, she could see several open folders strewn across the coffee table and an open laptop on the couch.

“I’m in the middle of reviewing a patient file.”

“I spent the day with Luka,” Raleigh blurted out, exasperated by her friend’s unusual resistance. Brooke’s eyes popped open.

“I’ll go change,” she told the brunette, shock evident in her tone. Raleigh followed her into the house to wait and paced the living room. After a few minutes, Brooke returned, her hair now in a high messy bun wearing a pair of black three-quarter length Adidas running tights and a fitted yellow tank. “Okay. You better spill if you are making me run for a second time today, Lee-lee.”

The girls exited the house and Raleigh led the way. She gave Brooke a few minutes to warm up before launching into it. “Zach was a disaster.”

“I can’t even pretend to be surprised about that,” Brooke muttered. Raleigh gave her a disapproving stare. “What? I tried to warn you that it was a bad idea.”

“Ugh. Fine,” she groaned giving her friend a slight shove. “Brooke, you were right. Satisfied?”

Brooke grinned back at her. “Very. Now, onto how you ended up with Luka today.”

“He – ” she paused briefly. Don’t tell her about last night. That’s yours. “He was over to see Quinn and Cami. He saw me after I came home early from my date.”

“Early?” she asked, her voice raising an octave. Why was this so shocking to people?

“Yes. Early. Anyway, he was apparently cashing in on our bet. So we went out today as friends.” Brooke’s hand grabbed her arm and she was forced to stop. She was studying Raleigh’s face. The brunette took a half step back. “What?”

“You’re hiding something,” she declared definitively. Raleigh swallowed and shook her head. Act natural. You cannot tell her what happened last night.

“I’m not. That’s what happened.”

“Liar. I know there’s something you aren’t telling me.” She took off again. Raleigh sprang up to catch her. “So what happened today?”

Raleigh began to recount the day, beginning with answering the door in her towel after deciding to try cancel. This caused a fit of giggles from Brooke and a note about karma. “That’s what you get for trying to bail.” They slowed their pace a bit as she spent the next 30 minutes going over the events. She ended it with Luka asking her to go to Paige’s that night.

“And?” Brooke prodded. They were on nearly back to her townhouse now. Raleigh huffed. “And?”

“And I said I would go. As friends,” she added quickly.

Brooke snorted. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Seriously!” Raleigh insisted. “Friends. This is not a date.”

Brooke didn’t respond, but she could read her face from the quick glances. Disapproval.

“It’s just – What if – ” she was stumbling over her words. How did she get this fear across? Why couldn’t Brooke understand the hesitation when it came to him? She couldn’t handle another Devin. She couldn’t handle being used for a good time like she had been to a few others. She couldn’t make that mistake again. She stopped running again. Brooke backtracked as soon as she realized that Raleigh wasn’t there. “What if it’s like before? What if he’s like the guys from my dad’s team? Or worse, what if he’s like Devin and I get invested just to have it not work?”

She was frowning at her. After a moment of thinking, she finally spoke. “That stuff happened almost a decade ago, Raleigh, when you were a teenager. You’re almost 27. You won’t let anyone in. Even the ones that you dub ‘normal.’ The worst that could happen is that he’s like the others you’ve dealt with, which is unlikely. The population you dealt with was so small and a lot of them have happy and successful relationships. His career doesn’t make him who he is. It’s just what he does. He’s a person just like you and me. It seems it’s high time for you to make some grown up decisions and learn to trust people.”

Raleigh mulled it over silently. “We’re just friends,” she stated again firmly. They started running again. Brooke was almost home.

“If you say so,” the blonde commented with a shrug, clearly not believing her.

“And what if he already has a girlfriend? I mean, he apparently still texts his ex girlfriend,” Raleigh offered. Something, anything to support her thinking. She was running out of ground to stand on with her reasoning. Brooke shook her head and laughed as she climbed the steps to her door. As Brooke unlocked it, Raleigh suddenly called out, “I’m having him bring me home as soon as it’s over.”

She looked over her shoulder and shot Raleigh her signature disbelieving stare. “I’m sure.”

Raleigh turned to jog off when she heard Brooke calling her name again. “Yeah?” she answered as she took a few steps towards her friend.

“You better figure out what you want, because he’s not going to wait around forever while you decide,” she warned. Raleigh nodded as Brooke closed the door. Figure out what I want? Easier said than done. She sprinted back to the house pushing out any thoughts at all. Inhale. Exhale.