One Wild Night

967  I’m A Lot

Amy sat at her desk, her thoughts drifting to waking up in Lucas' arms, the warmth of his embrace still fresh in her memory.

Even as she hurried to prepare for work that morning, he had quickly made her breakfast and then had dropped her off at the office.

Although the office buzzed with the usual lunchtime chatter, Amy barely registered it. She couldn't shake the thought of Lucas leaving and the void his absence would create, and it was all she could do not to dwell on it too much.

"Amy, your charming boyfriend is here," one of her coworkers teased, nudging Amy with a playful grin and snapping her back to reality.

She looked up, startled to see Lucas standing by her desk, a teasing smile on his face. "Thinking about me?"

Amy flushed but couldn't hide her joy as she met Lucas's gaze. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice laced with both surprise and happiness as she rose.

Lucas shrugged nonchalantly, though the sparkle in his eyes betrayed his excitement. "I figured I should have lunch with you and Lucy before I leave. It seemed like a good way to spend my last few hours here."

Amy's heart leaped at the idea, her earlier sadness momentarily forgotten. "Really?" she said, her smile wide. But before she could say anything else, Lucy stepped out of her office.

"Lucas!" Lucy's voice was bright as she spotted her brother. She made her way over to him, her eyes twinkling with familial warmth. "I was meaning to call you to find out when you'd be leaving," she said as she stopped in front of him.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, turning to face his sister. "Are you free to have lunch?"

Amy's colleagues, always quick to notice anything out of the ordinary, began to whisper excitedly.

Lucy glanced at Amy, then back at Lucas. "Well, I actually have lunch plans with Sonia and the girls today." She raised an eyebrow, giving him a playful look. "But I think you should have lunch with Amy instead. You're leaving soon and I don't intend to interrupt your time together or be a third wheel. We can all have lunch when next time you're in town."

Amy's face grew warm again as she listened to them, especially when she caught a few of her coworkers whispering about how Lucas and Lucy looked alike. Their expressions turned to amazement as they realized the connection. "Wait, is he Ms Perry's brother?" one of them asked, wide-eyed.

Lucy chuckled at the realization her teammates had come to and gave Amy a knowing smile. "Yep, he's my twin brother." She told them, and then leaned in closer to Lucas and lowered her voice playfully. "I think Amy deserves some one-on-one time with you before you go."

Lucas gave his sister a mock frown but nodded. "Alright, alright. But I still need to talk to you before I leave."

Lucy gestured toward her office. "Come on in. Let's talk." She gave Amy a wink before turning to walk back to her office.

As they disappeared inside, Amy's colleagues gathered around her desk. "Wow, Amy," one of them said with a grin. "You're dating Lucy's twin brother? No wonder we didn't know much about him!"

Amy gave them a shy smile, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "I guess you know now."

"He's so good looking. How did you two meet? Did Lucy hook you up?" Another asked, and Amy sighed inwardly as questions were thrown at her from all sides.

Inside Lucy's office, Lucas leaned against her desk, his face slightly more serious. "Lucy, I wanted to ask you for a favor."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "What kind of favor?"

"It's about Amy," Lucas said, his tone softening. "She doesn't have many friends, and I don't want her feeling lonely while I'm gone. Can you... I don't know, keep an eye on her? Take her out sometimes, maybe include her your outing with Sonia?"

Lucy's expression softened. "You don't have to ask, Lucas. Of course, I'll look out for her." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Besides, I like her. Sonia likes her too. She's sweet, and I've been meaning to get to know her better anyway."

Lucas sighed in relief and stepped forward to embrace his sister. "Thanks, Lucy. You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Lucy laughed, patting his back before pulling away. "Now go have lunch with your girlfriend. I don't want to keep the girls waiting."

Amy was relieved when the door opened and they returned, giving her respite from all the questions being thrown at her.

Lucas stopped by her desk, his easy smile back in place. "Ready?" he asked.

She stood up, grabbing her bag. "Where are we going?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Somewhere nearby," he said mysteriously, leading her outside.

He took her to a chic restaurant close to her office, one she had always admired from afar but never thought to visit. As they entered, the atmosphere changed from the bustling office environment to something far more intimate and serene. Lucas held out her chair as she sat down, his actions smooth and thoughtful.

"Being here sort of reminds me of our date with Miley," Amy said, and Lucas chuckled.

"Yeah. I hope you remember emptying your glass of water on me," he said, and she grimaced.

"Don't worry. All is forgiven," he assured her as he signaled the waiter over.

As they waited for their food after placing their order, Amy caught Lucas holding up his phone like he was taking pictures of her. "What are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Taking pictures of you," Lucas replied, not bothering to hide his smile. "So I can look at them when I miss you."

Amy laughed softly, shaking her head. "You already took all the pictures I have on my phone and laptop. What more do you need?"

Lucas leaned in slightly, his eyes twinkling. "That's because I can't get enough of looking at you," he said with a wink.

Amy felt her cheeks warm again, but this time she couldn't help but smile. "You're such a flirt," she teased, though her heart fluttered at his words.

He chuckled. "Maybe, but I mean it." His tone softened. "I'm really going to miss you."

Amy's smile faltered as the reality of his impending departure hit her once more. "I'm going to miss you more." She hesitated before adding, "You know, I never thought I'd be this attached. I always imagined I'd be okay with space, that I'd be the type of girlfriend who could handle long-distance without a problem. I've never had a problem with being alone. I enjoy my company and I'm never lonely. But now thinking about your departure makes me feel so lonely and I'm bored in advance," she said with a rueful smile.

Lucas looked at her thoughtfully. "I'm sure you'll readjust after a few days. And you probably feel this attached because I'm your first boyfriend," he suggested.

Amy shook her head, her smile returning as she met his gaze. "No, I think it's because you're the one. I wouldn't feel this way with any guy."

Lucas chuckled, his hand reaching across the table to take hers. "You'd never know because you e never traveled that road before. If it makes you feel any better, the feeling is mutual. I didn't plan on falling for anyone either. I thought I'd settle for... you know, something more casual."

Amy raised an eyebrow, amused. "Like with Sam?"

Lucas groaned, his head dropping dramatically into his hands. "I really shouldn't have told you about that. Now you're going to use it against me."

Amy burst out laughing, her mood lightened. "No, I'm glad you did. Don't worry. All is forgiven."

"Forgiven? I thought you said it didn't matter because we were not dating then?" He asked, and she grinned.

"But now we are dating. So, I have to forgive you for being with everyone else and keeping me waiting all these years," she said, and he chuckled.

"I see. Thanks for forgiving me then. I hope you forget too," he said, and she giggled.

Their conversation flowed naturally, the easy banter between them making the time fly by. When their food arrived, they ate quietly for a while before Amy spoke up again. "I wish I could see you off at the airport."

Lucas looked at her seriously. "Do you want me to ask Lucy to let you?"

Amy quickly shook her head. "No, I don't want any preferential treatment just because I'm dating my boss's brother. I doubt most bosses would give their secretaries time off to see their boyfriend off to the airport."

Lucas laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "That sounds like something Lucy would say. Now that I think about, you both have a lot in common."

Amy smiled at that, "Really? Like what?"

"Like me. I'm a lot," he joked, and she laughed out loud, choking in the process.

Lucas quickly handed her a glass of water, "Sorry."

"You really are a lot," Amy said after she had drank from it and was calm.

Amy looked at him for a while, her expression serious, "So, I've been meaning to ask you. Do you plan to get a job in Husla and stay back there?"

"Why? Want to come over to join me?" Lucas joked.

Amy shrugged, "I could consider it if you want me to," she said, and he smiled.

"Really?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Relationships should be about compromise, yeah? And I'm not saying I'm going to move to Husla to cohabit with you or anything. I'm just saying because I don't think I might be able to do the long distance thing, I could consider moving to Husla to be closer to you if that's what you want," she said, and Lucas grinned.

"I haven't made up my mind yet. But I'll let you know as soon as I do," he assured her.

He was bent on not letting her know about his plan to relocate to Ludus until he moved finally.

"So, what do you plan to do with Miley's gift? Are you going to quit your job?" Lucas asked, but Amy shook her head.

"Nah. I love my job. And I love my simple life. Thinking about what she left makes me uncomfortable so I'd rather not think about it anytime soon," Amy said, and Lucas smiled.

"You're something else, Amy," he said, thinking about how unmaterialistic she was.

"You mean aside being your girlfriend?" She joked, and Lucas chuckled.

Amy pouted when Lucas glanced at his watch, "Please don't tell me," she said, knowing he wanted to tell her that her lunch break was over.

"I'll call you everyday and text you often. And we will do video calls," he said but she shook her head.

"It's not the same as having you here," she said as they both rose.

"I left you my sweatshirt and a tank top. I also left my cologne. You can sniff or wear them when you miss me," he said when they got outside, and she sighed deeply.

Lucas held her close during the short cab ride back to the company and once they got out of the cab, he asked the cab to wait while he escorted her back to the entrance.

He smiled and kissed her forehead when he saw the tears that had pooled in her eyes, "I'll be back before you know it. I love you. Now go back in. I have a flight to catch." he said, and Amy hugged him again and held him close for a moment before letting him go.

Immediately she let go off him, she hurried inside without turning back, and Lucas waited until she disappeared from view before he got into the cab.

As the cab drove off, Lucas rubbed his eyes to stop himself from crying too.