I checked my phone, rereading his message for what had to be the hundredth time, even though I knew every single word.
Luke: First date. You and me. Meet me by the London Eye at 2pm. I’ll be on your left if you’re coming from Waterloo.
I’d bet anything Avery had told Luke how much I loved this part of London. It was easy for me to get to from my flat, but for Luke it was a much longer journey across central London, and I appreciated the effort he’d made. I had no idea what h
is plans were for the actual date, but I was excited to find out.
As I approached the London Eye, my steps slowed. Crowds of tourists queued for the large observation wheel, and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to spot Luke, but I needn’t have worried. My gaze was drawn to him through the throngs of people. He stood to the left of the London Eye, leaning casually against the wall in front of the river with his hands in his pockets, Big Ben standing tall behind him. With his battered leather jacket, dark hair messily styled, and eyes hidden behind mirrored aviators, combined with his brooding sexiness, I noticed more than one woman checking him out. Their longing looks, directed at him, sent a shot of possessiveness through me.
I wanted to tell everyone that he was mine.
“Hi.” I reached him, going up on my toes and kissing him squarely on the mouth, publicly staking my claim.
The corners of his mouth turned up as he smiled against my lips. “Hi, yourself. Come on, let’s go and find somewhere to sit.” He held out his hand, and I slid my palm into his. Linking our fingers together, he stroked his thumb leisurely over mine. I squeezed his hand, stepping closer to him.
We walked over to Jubilee Gardens, a large grassy area of parkland filled with people basking in the sun, and Luke led me under the shade of a tree, tugging me down next to him. I played with the blades of grass next to me, running my fingers through them. It was silly to be nervous, but it was our first official date and I had no idea what to expect.
Luke pushed his sunglasses on top of his head, leaning closer and brushing a strand of hair out of my face. He gently pulled my sunglasses off, placing them on top of my messenger bag, and stared into my eyes.
“Liv?” His soft tone, full of concern, combined with the feel of his touch on my skin, sent shivers through me. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I guess I’m just a bit nervous, what with it being our first date.” I laughed self-consciously. “Silly, right?”
“No, it’s not silly.”
He leaned forwards and dropped a kiss on the end of my nose, then sat with a half-smile playing across his full lips. “You want the honest truth? I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. Let’s just take it as it comes, see what happens. No expectations, no pressure.”
I nodded, reassured, and a satisfied expression flickered across his face.
“Good. Now that’s sorted, here’s the plan for today. We’re going to people-watch for a bit, then walk along the river, and then we’ll look around the Tate gallery.” His voice grew more confident as my lips curved into a beaming smile. “When you’re tired out, we’ll get the Tube or bus back to mine, depending on where we are at that point, and I’ll cook you the best meal you’ve ever eaten.”
My stomach flipped. He’d planned all my favourite things. For me. I couldn’t get over this sweet, considerate side of Luke. I could never have imagined it existed four short weeks ago. Was he finally starting to let me in? This date seemed a pretty good indication that he was at least open to the idea of us becoming closer. Regardless, whether I was reading too much into the situation or whatever, I was excited to spend a whole day with him, having fun. Without putting him under any pressure.
Leaning forward, I captured his lips with mine. When we drew apart, we were both smiling.
“You’re pretty good at this date thing, you know.”
“Thanks, but it’s nothing. Avery might have given me a few ideas.” He shrugged, playing it down. Leaning back against the tree, he pulled me into the crook of his arm and glanced around him. “Tell me, what do we do when we’re people-watching?”
Trailing up the stairs to Luke’s apartment, I smiled to myself. The afternoon had been perfect. We’d meandered along the Thames in the sunshine, holding hands, watching the sunlight shimmering on the water, street performers entertaining the crowds, skaters doing tricks in Southbank skate park. Afterwards we’d walked down to the Tate Modern, where we’d discovered a shared appreciation for art. Finishing up with ice creams on the riverbank, we’d then caught the Tube back to his flat. All in all, it couldn’t have gone better. Some people wanted to be wined and dined, but for me, today had been my ideal date.
Luke let us in to his flat and directed me to the sofa.
“Want a drink? I’ve got pink gin.” He grinned.
“You drink gin?” I raised a sceptical brow.
“Uh, no.” He screwed up his face in disgust. “I got it for you.”
I melted.
“Well, thanks,” I mumbled. “I’ll have some of that, then.”
I settled back on the sofa, sipping my gin and tonic, listening to the smooth voice of George Ezra playing through the sound system while Luke cooked dinner. He refused to let me help, so I stayed where I was, admiring how he seemed so at home in the kitchen.
Curiosity got the better of me as I watched him expertly preparing ingredients. “What are you making, anyway?”
“Paella. Is that okay?”