Page 28 of Lumi

“What do ye mean?”

Lumi’s head fell forward. “I wanted to lose my virginity tonight.”

I slammed the brakes of the car and turned to stare at her. “To one of those wankers?”

The car had stopped close to a lamppost that lit up Lumi’s face. She swallowed hard and shook her head.

“No. I wanted to party and have a good time. Get a little drunk and have my first time with...” Tears welled up in her eyes again, and her crazy behavior suddenly made sense to me.

“It’s all right, Lumi. Ye can trust me. Do ye have a crush on some fella? Did he hook up with someone else at the party? Is that it?"

She continued to cry.

I sympathized. “It happens to everyone. When I was sixteen, a girl that I fancied rejected me and went into a room with my friend. I got so drunk after they hooked up, that I puked all night. Whatever eejit rejected ye is sharp as a beachball. Trust me, he’ll look back and regret that he missed his chance. No one in their right mind would pick someone else over ye, Lumi? Yer brain works at warp speed, and ye could be a swimsuit model. Anyone can see that ye’re a major catch.”

“You think so?” She dried her eyes. “You’re not saying it only to make me feel better?”

I smiled. “No, I mean it. If I were ten years younger and single, I’d be all over you.”

Lumi blew her nose. “If you were ten years younger, I wouldn’t be interested in you. I like older guys.”

It made my heart race faster again, and my voice was low and gruff when I asked, “How much older?”

This time Lumi met my stare head on. “A little less than ten years older.”

She might as well have said my name.

My Adam’s apple jumped in my throat. “Eh... Lumi, listen, as I said, ye’re drunk. Ye don’t know what ye’re sayin’.”

“I wasn’t drunk when I decided I wanted to lose my virginity tonight. I was sober and sure of whom I wanted to be my first.”

It was right there as a silent neon sign flashing between us.Me!Lumi wanted me to be her first. It was ridiculous but enough to make blood pump to my midsection.

“Damian, you know that I’m talking about you, right?"

My throat felt like a desert, and my brain shouted for me to close this down now! “Lumi, I’m flattered that ye feel that way, but it’s just a teenage infatuation with the older guy in uniform. It’s normal. In the future, ye’ll laugh about it and be happy ye didn’t give yerself to me.”

“But you saved my life.”

“And I’d do it again in a second, but that doesn’t mean ye owe me anythin’. Especially not your virginity. I did what I was trained to do that night.”

“Are you saying I mean nothing to you?” Her voice broke.

“Of course not. Ye know that I care about ye. A man wouldn’t leave his girlfriend in the middle of... eh... I mean, never mind. The point is that ye matter to me, and I want ye to be happy.”

Her eyes filled with pain, and her voice grew shrill. “You were having sex with Megan?”

There was no reason to deny it, so I gave a short nod. “I live with Megan, Lumi.”

That made her cry again.

Leaning my head back, I exhaled noisily. This was not my night. First, my girlfriend flipped out because I answered Lumi’s call while we were having sex and then she shouted at me in a fit of jealousy because I put on clothes to go and help Lumi out of a dangerous situation. And now, Lumi was crying because I had sex with Megan and because I wouldn’t take her virginity.

Flinging the car door open, Lumi ran out.

I followed, but once I got to the door, Lumi was already inside her house and halfway up the staircase.

Liv came rushing to the door with confusion written on her face. “What happened?”

I sighed. “She called me from a party. There was a little too much alcohol involved, and some of the lads came on to her too strongly. It scared her.”

Liv looked up the stairs the way Lumi had just run. “Oh, poor girl. I was pushing so hard for her to go out tonight. You know she’s always complaining that people her age are boring, and she doesn’t connect with any of them. I just wanted her to be a teenager and maybe fall in love.” Liv pulled her cardigan closer around her body. “Now, I feel bad.”

“Don’t. Ye had good intentions.”

“Damian, I’m sorry that you had to drive out this late. I don’t know why Lumi didn’t call me like I told her to.”

“It’s fine. Lumi is home and safe. That’s what matters.”

Liv gave me a warm hug and thanked me again before I left. By the time I got home, Megan was sleeping, and I ended up tossing and turning in bed with disturbing images of taking Lumi’s virginity.