“What’s to get?” I laugh, tickling him with my foot. “A bunch of men dressed as robots hitting each other with sticks?”
“I’m so embarrassed to call you my friend right now,” he groans, covering his face with his hands. He reaches over and slaps his hand down hard on my thigh, making me jump. “Change the subject before I leave.”
“Fine,” I giggle, kicking him. “I’ll bore you with talk about this internship.”
“On second thought, go back to dissing Star Wars,” Lucas retorts. He sits up. “So, this internship is going to take up most of your spare time if you get it, isn’t it?”
“Why, are you going to miss me?” I tease.
His face drops, surprising me. I was only joking, but I can tell from his expression that I guessed right.
“I’ll always find time for you. Besides,” I add, “have you forgotten last summer? Every night you were out with a different girl. Do you have any idea how bored I was?”
“You could’ve joined me.” He shrugs, a glint in his eyes. “You know I’m always up for a threesome.” I know that he’s only joking but I glare at him anyway, making him chuckle even more. “I’m sorry, I’m just going to miss hanging out with you, that’s all.”
I can tell from his tone that there’s something else bothering him, but I don’t push it. I’ve known Lucas long enough to realise that if he doesn’t want to talk about something, pushing him will only make the walls go up around him faster. It’s taken me a long time to get even this close to him.
“Me too, but it’ll be no different to me studying. It’s not like I’m going to be working twenty-four hours a day,” I point out.
“Uh huh,” he replies, not convinced. His arms crossed, he stares at the television with a glum expression.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I’m not used to you being this quiet,” I say, studying his face closely.
“I’m just tired, exams and all that,” he says. “Hey, we should go check out this new bar tomorrow over on the coast. They’ve got this all-day music festival thing on for their opening.”
“I don’t know,” I reply, making a face. “It sounds more like your kind of thing than mine. Besides, I have to study for my—”
“All you ever do is study,” he points out, laughing. “If it were a jazz festival you’d would be all over it. And I’m sure you’re more than prepared for whatever test you have coming up. One day out won’t kill you, Lace. Come on. You can even ask Ariel if you like.”
I sigh and roll my eyes. He’s right: I would be all over it if it were jazz. “Okay, fine. I guess it will help me take my mind off this Aaron Wilmot thing.”
Just like that, his mood changes. His eyes darken as he glares at the floor, lost in thought.
“Great. I might head off,” he finally says. “I’m buggered.”
“You can stay here if you like,” I offer, nudging him with my foot.
“I promised Harry that I’d pick him up from work,” he says.
I screw my nose up at the mention of his cousin’s name.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. And after your interview on Wednesday, we’ll celebrate, okay?”
“Let me get it first,” I plead. “There’s a good chance I won’t.”
He gets to his feet and leans over me, kissing me on the forehead. “As I said, they’re idiots if they don’t pick you.” He swaggers towards the front door, not turning back around as he waves back to me over his shoulder. “Later.”
As much as I want to be confident that I’ve got this, I’m not. Confidence in my ability is something I’ve struggled with my entire life. Confidence is what my parents strip from me at every opportunity.
I should call them and tell them about my interview, but I won’t. They’ll find some way to ruin it for me—probably by suggesting that I’m wasting my time. As hard as my course was to get into, forensic psychology was not what they had in mind for me. Five generations of law in the family and apparently I decided to ruin that.
A pang of guilt stabs through me. At least I have a family to complain about. They might not be perfect, but at least they’re alive.
Chapter Five
Lucas
I eye the blonde tittering on the stool beneath her at the bar, her skirt hitched halfway up her thigh. She laughs to her friend and glances in my direction. Her blue eyes lock on mine, and even from here I can tell she’s about a drink away from passing out. I shake my head and down the glass of scotch sitting in front of me, and then push the empty glass across the table to join the rest.