Page 32 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)

LUCY

Owen was leaning against the wall just outside the dining hall, hunched over his phone when I walked up.

“Hey,” he said, smiling slightly when he saw me. “Did you already eat?”

“Not yet,” I said, tightening my grip on the straps of my backpack.

“Do you usually eat here?” He nodded toward the dining hall that was currently bustling with students. “Because I can wait while you grab something if you’re hungry.”

I glanced past him, toward the glass doors and the line that had formed inside.

And that was when I saw Josh. Standing in line, laughing about something with the girl next to him.

The same girl he’d been with at the meet.

Only now they were holding hands. Fingers laced. Shoulders touching like they were perfectly in sync.

His new girlfriend, apparently.

My stomach knotted, appetite vanishing on the spot .

“I’m good,” I said, taking a half-step back. “I can just whip something up at home.”

“Okay.” Owen followed my gaze, his brow furrowing for a beat before he nodded. “Or…I was thinking of grabbing some takeout. You can join me if you like.”

Really? I looked up at him, surprised.

Were we really not playing by our unspoken rules now? Had me showing up at his place changed things?

Or I’d guess, more likely, the flirty texts we’d been sending probably started that shift.

“That would actually be great,” I said before he could take the offer away.

“Perfect.” He smiled. “My car’s just parked at my place.”

We walked quickly in the direction of his building, keeping our heads down. Campus wasn’t packed, and with it being dark already, I doubted anyone noticed us walking together.

Still, I felt amped up, a little breathless. Like being near him in public—even casually—was somehow both exhilarating and dangerous.

His car turned out to be a white sedan, probably about ten years old or so. He unlocked it with a beep and opened the passenger door for me before slipping into the driver’s seat.

“Do you like The Italian Amigos?” He turned to me once we were inside and out of view. “That Italian–Mexican place on Main?”

“Love it,” I said, smiling. “Best breadsticks in town.”

“I’ll call in our order, then.” He pulled out his phone. “My brother used to work there when I was teaching at the Academy, so I practically memorized the menu from all the times I stopped by to see him.”

“Oh cool,” I said, sitting up a little straighter, my curiosity instantly piqued since I was hungry for any details about his family. “So, your brother’s younger than you? ”

“Five years.” He nodded, scrolling through his contacts. “He lives in New York now with his wife.”

“Oh, that’s awesome,” I said, warmth blooming in my chest. “I love New York. I’ve actually been thinking about sneaking away to Manhattan during spring break. Maybe try to catch a Broadway show or something.”

“Wait—seriously?” He looked up, brows raised.

“Yeah.” I tilted my head, not sure why that surprised him. “I mean, I haven’t made actual plans yet, since who knows if Coach will even give us a break from training—but Alisha’s sister, Theo’s sister-in-law—said I could stay at their family’s hotel if I ever came to visit.”

“That’s so funny,” he said, smiling like we’d just stumbled onto some strange inside joke. “Because that’s literally what I’ve been planning to do for spring break.”

I blinked. “For real?”

“Yes, for real,” he said with a laugh. “My brother and his wife are starring in Beauty and the Beast right now. They’re almost at the end of their run, so I wanted to see the show one more time. I mean, it’s not every day your brother and sister-in-law are Belle and the Beast on Broadway.”

“No way.” My jaw dropped. “You’re related to Asher Park and Elyse Cohen ?”

“Yep.” He chuckled, nodding. “That’s my little bro and his wife.”

“Oh my gosh,” I said, laughing now. “I’ve totally seen their reels on Instagram. They’re incredible. Like, next level. I didn’t know they were your family.”

“Well, they are.” He grinned, the kind of smile that softened every edge of his face.

Genuine. Warm. Like just talking about his brother made something inside him relax.

“Anyway, you never know when he’ll get a shot like this again.

So, I gotta soak it all up while I can.” He paused, his voice dipping just slightly.

“It’s just…it’s really awesome to see him having so much success after everything. ”

My breath caught on the unspoken weight of those last two words: After everything.

What did that mean?

Was he talking about after their dad passed? He’d said he was five years older than his brother, which meant that if their dad died when Owen was eighteen, then Asher might have still been in middle school. Young enough that Owen might have felt like he needed to step into a bit of a fatherly role.

Which would have been a lot of pressure. Especially since that would have also been the age he would have been in college. At Yale.

Chasing after dreams of his own.

And suddenly, I was seeing him in a new light.

Knowing these little details—these hints of a life before we met—made Owen feel more real.

He wasn’t just the professor I’d accidentally kissed on New Year’s Eve.

Not just the guy from the bar who made my heart race on sight.

He was so much more.

“Anyway,” he said, his tone easy—like he had no clue my brain was currently spinning in circles over everything I was learning about him and everything I still wanted to know. “Do you know what you want from The Italian Amigos? Or do you want to scroll through the menu?”

He tilted his phone toward me, the glow of the screen casting soft light between us as I leaned in, acutely aware of how close we suddenly were.

“I’m definitely in the mood for something Italian tonight,” I said, tapping that section of the digital menu .

Though, if I was being honest, part of me was tempted by something with a little more Korean flair—him, specifically.

I remembered watching an interview clip where his brother—Broadway’s Asher Park—mentioned being half Korean. I’d gone down a whole rabbit hole over the summer, obsessing over his performances and, okay, maybe learning more about him than was entirely casual.

Since Asher was still in his early twenties, I’d initially assumed he was single.

And the hopeless romantic in me—the one who’d just broken up with Josh and dreamed of finding a kind guy who wasn’t a hot-tempered jock—had totally daydreamed about meeting him someday and falling in love.

Especially after Theo’s sister-in-law Bailee once mentioned she knew him from high school.

But then, I found out he was married to his co-star Elyse Cohen, and…well, that fantasy fizzled fast.

Now, though? Knowing he had a brother—an older, arguably even hotter brother with those same soulful brown eyes?

Yeah…a new crush was very much alive.

Owen scrolled a little further, and when a dish popped up that looked good, I pointed. “I’ll get that—the rigatoni carbonara with blackened chicken.”

“That actually sounds really good,” he said with a nod. “I’ll get the same.”

He placed the order, his fingers moving with the kind of practiced ease that told me he really had been a regular at the place when his brother had worked there.

When we pulled up in front of the restaurant a few minutes later, I instinctively reached for my seatbelt and the door handle. But Owen stopped me with a quick glance and a quiet, “I’ll get it. You can just wait here. ”

I paused, hand halfway to the latch. “Don’t want to be caught grabbing food with a student?”

“Probably shouldn’t risk it.” He let out a low chuckle. “But also, it’s cold out. No need for both of us to freeze.”

My heart did a small, traitorous flutter.

Chivalry, it turned out, looked very good on him.

While he headed inside, I glanced around the car, curious.

It was clean like his apartment, which I’d seen was tidy in that not-too-fussy, not-trying-too-hard way.

The backseat only had two things: his worn leather school bag and my backpack, which I’d dropped there when I got in.

No crumpled fast-food bags. No receipts scattered on the floor. No gym gear or stray papers or whatever else usually accumulated in mine.

Tidy and understated.

Like him.

It was probably a stupid thing to find attractive. But I liked it. Probably more than I should.

And before I could stop myself, I was imagining what it might be like to ride in this car more often.

To be the reason there was an extra coffee cup in the cupholder.

To know which station he listened to without having to ask.

To have this—whatever this was—not feel secret or complicated or borrowed.

The driver's side door opened, and Owen slid in with the takeout bag in his hand.

He glanced around like he was weighing his options. “Eating in the car probably isn’t ideal, is it?” he asked, biting his lip as he looked over at me. “Puffy coats and greasy pasta don’t really mix…”

“I guess not…” I said hesitantly, trying to think of a solution that didn’t involve him just driving me home and calling it a night.

Because now that we were alone, I didn’t want the night to end. Not yet. Not when it finally felt like I was actually learning real things about him.

Plus, we were just…talking. Getting to know each other. Laughing a little.

There shouldn’t be anything wrong about that.

Okay, technically , it probably wasn’t the wisest choice. But it wasn’t like I was about to throw myself across the console and make out with him. No matter how sharp his jawline looked in the dim lighting. Or how his forearms flexed when he adjusted the gear shift.

Or how his voice somehow made my brain short-circuit on a regular basis.

I cleared my throat. “I mean this in the most appropriate and completely platonic way possible…but what would you think about taking this back to your place?”

“Huh?” He looked over, eyebrows raised slightly.

“I just—” I hesitated, not sure I should be this open with him. But since I was apparently throwing caution to the wind tonight, I said, “I like hanging out with you. And…I don’t really want to say goodbye quite yet.”

His expression softened, and the look he gave me made me think that maybe he, too, wasn’t ready for the night to end just yet.

“And,” I added, a grin tugging at my lips, “if anyone sees us, we can just say we’re planning my brother’s surprise birthday party.”

That made him perk up. “Oh yeah. That’s a good cover. I mean, you do still have stuff to plan for that, right?”

“Pretty sure the only thing I’ve done so far is pick the date and time and text his friends about it.” I laughed, then exhaled. “Honestly, I’m kind of overwhelmed. I want it to be amazing for him, but I’ve never actually thrown a surprise party before.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said, settling back into his seat, like the decision had been made. “Just two people planning an epic party over dinner.”

“Epic might be a bit ambitious.” I chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not exactly the world’s most experienced party planner.”

“Okay, fine.” He smiled, pulling out of the parking spot. “Two friends planning an adequate birthday party.”

“Exactly.” I laughed, warmth spreading in my chest as we pulled onto the street.