HE LOVED ME LAST

Chapter 37

Lucas’s POV

Dinner had never felt so… weird.

My father was glowing with joy, catching up with Alice’s dad like they hadn’t skipped a decade. Their laughter filled the room. Meanwhile, I sat there picking at my food, feeling like I’d landed in the middle of a movie I hadn’t auditioned for.

And Alice?

She sat across from me like she didn’t belong in this world—but somehow made it look like the world belonged to her.

Confident. Sharp. Elegant even in her silence.

Dad leaned back in his chair, pouring wine and smiling. “Alice, tell me—what do you plan to study after school?”

She glanced up politely. “I’m considering law, or maybe literature.”

He nodded, clearly impressed. “Good choices. Lucas could use a bit of your focus.”

That earned a soft chuckle from her. Just a little one.

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m sitting right here.”

“Exactly,” my dad said. “Take notes, son.”

Alice looked at me then, just for a second, with the tiniest smirk—like she enjoyed watching me

squirm.

Of course she did.

Then Dad asked the question I’d hoped no one would bring up.

“And Catherine? She around?”

The smile on my father’s face faltered only a little. “She’s out of the country. Business.”

I looked down, knowing that meant she was away again because she *chose* to be. She was never around unless it was a charity event or some company gala she could control.

I didn’t like talking about her.

Alice must’ve noticed. For once, she didn’t say anything sharp. She just looked away, pretending not to see me stiffen.

I appreciated that—more than I wanted to admit.

By dessert, I’d barely said ten words, but Alice was glowing. And for the first time, I was seeing what everyone else saw when they looked at her.

And I hated that I didn’t notice sooner.

Because she wasn’t just my rival anymore.

She was someone I was starting to care about.

Whether I liked it or not.

The longer dinner went on, the quieter I became.

Alice wasn’t doing anything special—just answering questions, politely laughing at my dad’s jokes, helping clear the dishes without being asked. But every tiny thing she did was… noticeable.

And that made it worse.

Because now my dad was glancing between us like he saw something.

I caught him smiling once when Alice returned from the kitchen with a tray of glasses. I shot him a look, but he just raised his eyebrows like, *What? I didn’t say anything.*

Alice’s dad leaned back in his chair, clearly relaxed and happy. “It’s funny, really. Our kids go to the same school and we didn’t even realise.”

Dad nodded. “It’s a small world.”

Small and now extremely complicated.

Alice gave me a sideways glance and muttered under her breath, “So… stalking me at school wasn’t enough, now you’ve brought it home?”

I blinked. “Excuse me? You think I *invited* you?”

“You definitely didn’t *warn* me,” she said, lips twitching.

“I didn’t know,” I whispered back, leaning slightly closer, “believe me, I’d have built a fence.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Next time, try a moat.”

Before I could reply, our dads both looked at us—curious.

We sat straight instantly.

Great. Now we looked suspicious.

After dessert, I followed Dad to the hallway while Alice and her father got ready to leave. I didn’t say anything, but I could hear them talking softly.

Just as she stepped toward the door, Alice glanced back at me.

No smirk this time.

Just a steady, unreadable look.

Like she wasn’t sure what tonight meant either.

And truthfully? Neither was I.

But I knew one thing:

Dinner with the Harpers had changed something I wasn’t ready to admit out loud.