Page 6 of Meet Me in a Mile
Six
Luke
T hey went to Presto, Luke’s favorite Hell’s Kitchen pub. It was his favorite because it was never overly crowded, and it was close enough to his apartment to stumble home after a long night. The balanced combination of metal, leather, dark wood and exposed brick had always given Luke steampunk vibes. There were bare pipes stretched along the walls and stools with wrought iron legs that sat beneath the high-top tables. Everything was bathed in a warm amber hue from the tinted bulbs that hung above the bar.
“I am in love,” Lydia said the moment they walked through the door. She’d taken his hand for a brief second, squeezing excitedly, before spinning in a circle to take it all in. He could practically feel the energy radiating from her, like electricity buzzed through her veins. It was infectious, and he found himself drawn to her, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. “This place is fantastic! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it.”
“You haven’t even seen the best part,” he said, leading her between a menagerie of tables to reach the adjacent wall. Presto was on a corner lot, which meant it was exposed to the street from two sides. “On warm nights they open all these windows.” They’d been designed like giant rolling doors, mixing the din of the pub with the night noise of the city.
Luke picked a high-top table close enough to the window that they could feel whatever there was of an early-July breeze.
“You don’t have history here, do you?” Lydia asked as she climbed onto her stool.
“What do you mean by history ?”
“If this is your regular hangout spot, I just want to make sure I’m not about to be confronted by five angry ex-girlfriends.”
Luke laughed. “Is that how many ex-girlfriends you think I have?”
“Higher or lower?” Lydia asked.
Luke’s lips twisted like they were holding back a secret. “I’ll let you keep guessing.”
Lydia leaned back on her stool, eyeing him carefully. “Hmm... I’ll need a drink first.” She picked up a menu from the middle of the table, doing a quick scan. There were a few interesting cocktail options on there but for the most part it was beer and deep-fried food. “You’re not going to chastise me about what I eat and drink, are you? I really don’t want to hear that my protein ratios aren’t right.”
“You’re allowed to have a night off.”
Lydia peeked at him over the top of her menu. “Who are you and what have you done with my trainer?”
He took the menu from her hands. “I gave you those nutrition plans to make sure you were eating enough to fuel your body for all the exercise you’re now doing. A night out, eating the best nachos in Hell’s Kitchen and drinking a few beers isn’t going to change anything.”
“Best nachos, huh?” Lydia continued to eyeball him as they ordered. She was obviously suspicious that the same man who made her do burpees and run miles had talked her into eating The Brainchild: Loaded Nachos with Everything You Want and Everything You Never Knew You Needed.
Luke smirked. “I’m not a walking, talking robot of health and fitness all the time.”
“You’re saying what happens in Presto, stays in Presto?” Lydia asked as their beers arrived.
Luke picked up his glass and clinked it against hers. “Trainer Luke is gone for the night.”
“I do like Trainer Luke, but he’s just such a mood killer, you know?”
“Oh, totally. I mean sometimes a guy just wants to crush some Oreos in peace.”
Lydia giggled, and Luke didn’t know why, but his heart skipped at the sound. Away from the gym, Lydia felt different. She was passionate and bubbly and scowled at him far less. Though he supposed that could have something to do with the fact that he wasn’t asking her to run a mile here. Or maybe she was still just basking in the thrill she’d gotten from exploring the youth center. He was actually still thinking about the way she’d nudged his shoulder on the bleachers, softly resting against him as she waited for him to tell her how much the youth center meant to him.
“Back at the youth center you said you’d been going there since you were a kid?”
Luke nodded, pulled from his thoughts, though a lingering heat smoldered in his chest. He sipped his beer. “Yeah, I was there almost every day after school with my older brother and sister. Sometimes even before school. My dad passed away when I was eight, so we spent a lot of time at the center while my mom worked.”
“I’m sorry,” Lydia said. “That must have been hard.”
“It was,” he agreed. “But my mom was a superhero. She worked a lot to make sure we never wanted for anything. I think that’s why the center is so important to me. That place took care of us so my mom could work without worrying where we were in the evenings or who was helping with our homework. She was so busy and exhausted all the time, but the volunteers at the center stepped up. Filled the void. It’s also where I fell in love with sports and fitness.”
Lydia leaned against her hand, smiling at him in a way that told him she was listening to his every word. Luke realized this was the first time he’d ever really told anyone outside his family about what the center meant to him. Not that it was a secret. It was sometimes just hard to dredge through the memories that ultimately connected back to his father. It was also difficult to find the exact words to explain everything the center represented. It was easier to show someone, to have them experience that part of his world, but there’d never been anyone he’d cared to show before.
“I can tell those kids really like having you there,” Lydia said. “Even if it’s just to trash-talk you on the basketball court.”
Luke chuckled. “When you’re young, exercise doesn’t feel like a chore, it’s just fun. So I tried to keep that in mind as I helped the center design a fitness program.”
“Did you always know you wanted to get into the fitness world?”
He shook his head. “My mom always prized education. She wanted us to go to school forever it seemed, so we could do these amazing things. Both my siblings went off and did their master’s degrees. My sister even got her PhD. I finished my undergrad, but I dropped out of my master’s program when I realized the academic world wasn’t for me.”
Their nachos arrived, and Lydia took a heaping bite, closing her eyes and humming in approval. She wiped her hands on a napkin and washed everything down with a sip of beer. “There’s so much stigma around dropping out, but when I hear people have done that to pursue something else, I’m always really impressed.”
“Yeah?”
“How many people finish their degrees with no idea what they actually want to do with their lives? Their entire goal is just to get to the end of their program and have that piece of paper. And then what? The people who drop out to pursue their passions are the ones who’ve really figured out what they want out of life.”
Luke nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Though I think it broke my mom’s heart a little.”
“Hasn’t she seen how much you love what you do?”
Luke shrugged, chewing tortilla chips and cheese. “My siblings are both so successful, I think my mom has always subconsciously measured my success against theirs. And at some point that started to rub off on me. I’ve always felt like I have to prove to them that I can make something of my life doing what I love.” He didn’t see his siblings often, mostly at holidays or on special occasions. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, they just didn’t spend time together the way they once had, and whenever they did get together, Luke got the impression that his siblings still looked at him as the baby brother who was trying to figure out his life.
“Some people would say you’re already winning if you’re doing what you love.”
Luke took a sip of his beer, getting to the bottom of his glass. “I like those people.”
“But you want to do more,” she said softly. A car horn sounded, and as Lydia glanced down the street, where twilight painted the backdrop of the city in blues and grays, Luke thought that maybe she also yearned for more .
“What I really want to do is open a gym,” he said. This was the first time he’d spoken the words into existence outside of his apartment or the bank or in whispered meetings with Jules, and it felt ridiculously good. “I’m actually working on a business plan right now. Trying to get a loan.”
“A gym?” Lydia’s eyes widened, not in shock, but in agreement. “That’s a fantastic idea. You’d be a great business owner.”
“You think so?” The funding was a hurdle he still had to jump, but it was nice to hear someone believe that he could do it. Lydia held her hand up as the waitress breezed by, asking for another beer. Luke topped up as well.
“One of my favorite things about being an architect is the moment when I reveal a design to a client. Watching their faces light up as they see the actualized version of their home or building or business. We literally draw their dreams into reality. You do the same thing with people. You take their health goals or the image they have of their future selves and create that reality. You’re already in the business of making other people’s dreams come true. Why not one of your own?”
The waitress returned with their beers, and Luke lifted his in a toast. Lydia was right. He shouldn’t be embarrassed to chase his dream. Fact was, he wasn’t really embarrassed, he was terrified. Terrified that he’d tell his mom and his siblings and they’d pat him on the head and say nice try . “I think I just put so much pressure on myself to succeed that I’ve been afraid to talk about it in case it doesn’t pan out the way I hope.”
Lydia stared down at the glass caught between her hands. “I can understand that. Lately I’ve been trying to prove myself at work, but I feel like I’m in a rut. Like people don’t actually take me or my ideas seriously.”
“Like they don’t believe you could be great,” he said.
Her green eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. “Exactly. This design competition for the youth center is the first project in a long time that I’ve been genuinely excited about.”
“So how are you gonna prove yourself?”
She laughed, the sound so pretty he couldn’t help but study her face, detail by detail. The flash of her smile. The turn of her lips. The lithe, delicate line of her neck.
“Aside from kicking ass in this design competition?” Lydia said, playing with the condensation on her glass. “I’m trying to get more involved at the firm. To impress the leadership team, I guess.”
“Not just your crush?”
Her lips puckered and he thought she might roll her eyes at him. “No, not just him. The big boss also thought the marathon was a great idea, and I knew I couldn’t back out with him standing there, all enthusiastic about it.”
“Ah,” Luke teased. “So the truth finally comes out.”
Lydia bit her lip, leaving a mark that he wanted to brush away with his thumb. “I know it’s ridiculous, but now I’m sort of worried that my worth at the firm is going to be measured against how well this race goes. Logically, I know that would be a stupid thing to measure someone’s talent and ability against, but...” She shrugged. “I feel like I never know what their expectations are or where...”
“The finish line is drawn?” Luke suggested.
The corner of her mouth quirked. “Yeah. Am I doing too much or not enough? Is my work actually terrible? No one will give me a straight answer. But somehow I’m worried that if I mess this marathon up or fail to finish, they might judge me harder.”
For the first time in his life, Luke felt like he was talking to someone who could understand that nagging fear of failure. It was a whisper in the back of his head. Something he was forever cognizant of, always measuring himself against. The air around him suddenly felt stifling and he stood with his drink, cocking his head. Lydia slipped off her stool and followed him to a small booth that was closer to the window. He sat down, and Lydia slid in beside him, close enough that her thigh pressed against his, their elbows jockeying for space. It didn’t feel too close though, just comfortable. The breeze shifted across the booth, and Luke took a deep, steadying breath. “When I can’t shake that fear of failure, I just run through all the things in the world that scare me more. It sort of helps put things into perspective.”
“You mean like if the earth somehow shifts out of orbit and the gravity holding us to the ground fails, sending us free-falling into the sky?”
Luke burst out laughing, mostly at the serious look on her face. He liked that she could be serious and ridiculous at the exact same time. “That is oddly specific.”
“I have a list of fears.” She counted off on her fingers. “Sharks. Zombies. Airplanes. The ocean. Like the deep parts that are unexplored. Spiders—”
“How long is this list?”
“It goes on for a while. What’s your number one?”
He thought about it for a moment. “Definitely zombies, especially considering how densely populated the city is.”
“Right? It’s a valid concern!”
“I see why you’ve come to me now. Gotta make sure you can outrun the zombies when the time comes.”
Lydia turned to look him in the eye. “You’ve caught me. That’s the real reason I’m here.”
“Aligning yourself with the people most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse is smart.”
“I needed some muscle.”
Luke’s gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips. He couldn’t help himself. Her eyelashes were dark and fluttery, her cheeks pink from the alcohol, the gloss on her lips shining in their dim little corner. “I’ve got muscle to spare,” he said, though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what made him say it. He wasn’t supposed to be flirting with her, dammit. This, the way she was looking at him, was dangerous territory.
“I’ve noticed,” she said, the little smile at the corner of her mouth telling Luke that she knew damn well they were flirting with disaster.
“Have you?” He should put some distance between them, he thought. But he didn’t. Couldn’t. He wanted to be here, sharing the same breath of space, close enough to see the city lights reflected in her eyes. He wanted...
Her gaze flicked up and down, dragging along him in a way that made his entire body flush with heat. “It’s kind of hard not to,” she said, her voice low, filled with fire that would definitely burn him.
“What are we doing?”
“You’re flirting with me.”
“I think you’ve got that backwards,” he said, but he didn’t dare move, praying that the frantic beat of his heart didn’t break the spell that had come over them.
To his surprise and relief, Lydia reached out, so slowly it felt like time had stopped as her hand cradled his jaw. “Is this okay?” she asked, inching closer.
Yes! he wanted to shout, even though he knew it was a bad idea. That didn’t stop him from nodding. Lydia closed the distance, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was firm, assured, her tongue darting out to tease his lips. She tasted like the beer they’d been drinking and spice from the nachos.
When she pulled away, the flush in her cheeks had spread down her neck. She blinked slowly, staring at him from beneath her lashes, in a way that said maybe she wanted to kiss him again. “ Was that okay?”
“I couldn’t quite tell,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I think we should try again.”
Lydia snickered under her breath, shifting so close she was almost in his lap. With both her hands, she pulled him to her, her fingers feathering through the short hairs at the back of his neck. This time, Luke’s shock had worn off enough to make him a more active participant. He brushed his lips against hers, holding her face steady so he could feel every delicate curve of her mouth. Sirens wailed in his head. Lydia was his client. He had to be able to work with her when she showed up at the gym for her next training session—tomorrow! But tomorrow felt worlds away, and when Lydia’s hand drifted from his neck down the front of his chest, he dismissed his worries and poured all his efforts into kissing her senseless.
“You were holding out on me before,” Lydia gasped as they broke apart for air, blinking like it was the first time they’d truly laid eyes on each other.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “I think you sort of stunned me.” Luke could feel the tension between them twisting tighter and tighter. The anticipation that beat beneath his skin was intoxicating and delicious. It felt like every moment they’d spent together had been building to this. The lingering glances. The flirty exchanges. Maybe this was inevitable. He satisfied the concerned part of his brain by telling it that Lydia had kissed him first. She’d made the first move. But what if he was reading too much into this? Maybe a kiss, however sensual it had been, was only a kiss.
As if she’d heard the thoughts in his head, she deliberately put her hand on his thigh and leaned in to peck his lips. His pulse rocketed, his heart pounding against his ribs. “I think you should close our tab now,” she whispered.
“Yep,” Luke agreed, sliding out the other side of the booth so quickly he almost toppled straight through the open window to the street. “I’ll go do that.”
He hurried to the bar, practically throwing his money down as he settled the bill while trying not to let his thoughts drift to anything that resembled a bed. He wanted her. But until she said the words, until they both acknowledged that they wanted this despite it being so, so wrong, he couldn’t let his thoughts linger there. When he turned around, Lydia was gone from the booth. He found her waiting outside, leaning against the building. Her eyes twinkled under the streetlights, her lips curling as she spotted him. She held her arm out and he went to her. But outside, away from the soft amber lights of the pub, hesitation crept in.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he said as Lydia pressed up on her toes, her lips running over his.
“Why not?” she whispered against his mouth.
“I don’t know... You, me, the gym. It’s probably a bad idea.”
“I thought you weren’t Trainer Luke tonight,” she said.
God, she really was making this difficult. “I did say that.”
“Then there’s no professional boundary at stake.”
“You’re saying it won’t affect the training?”
“I’m saying you should invite me back to your place.”
Her hands were everywhere, his body burning with fiery need wherever she touched him, making it impossible to think of a coherent protest. “Are you sure?”
She threaded her arms around his neck. “Just this one time. Get it out of our systems...”
Once, Luke thought. They could do this once. Clear the distraction. Right? He tipped his head back, pulling his lips just out of reach.
“Remember when you said sometimes we have to do things that are hard,” she teased. “That it can be good for us?”
Luke chuckled, the sound rattling through his chest. “You’re twisting my words. You know this is not what I meant.”
“You should probably be more specific when you’re teaching me something then.”
Well, hell. He looked down at her, felt the weight of her in his arms, and suddenly had no interest in fighting it anymore. She was right. They could get this out of their systems. If they walked away from this now, he’d only ever be able to think about this moment, and it would drive him to distraction over and over again. “One time,” he whispered. “Come home with me?”