CHAPTER FIFTHEEN - We Have A Problem
1394 Words
Naomi’s POV
The apartment smelled like coffee when I stepped into the kitchen the next morning.
For a moment, I just stood in the doorway.
Lucas was already there.
He leaned against the counter in a grey T-shirt, one hand resting beside the coffee maker while the other scrolled lazily through his phone. The early morning light from the window fell across his face, making him look calmer than anyone who had stayed up late should.
My chest tightened slightly.
Last night flickered through my mind before I could stop it.
The kitchen.
The conversation.
The way he’d listed the little things he noticed about me like it was nothing.
Like, it didn’t matter that those things meant he’d been paying attention for weeks.
Maybe longer.
The floor creaked faintly under my step.
Lucas looked up.
Our eyes met.
For a second, neither of us said anything.
“Morning,” he said.
His voice was steady.
Normal.
“Morning.”
I walked further into the kitchen and opened the cabinet above the counter, pretending to be focused on choosing a mug.
Lucas poured coffee into two cups.
He slid one across the counter toward me without looking up.
I blinked.
“I didn’t ask for coffee.”
“You always want coffee in the morning.”
I hesitated.
He wasn’t wrong.
Still, the fact that he knew that made something warm and dangerous settled low in my chest.
I picked up the mug.
“Thanks.”
Lucas nodded once, setting the coffee pot back on its base.
For a moment, we just stood there on opposite sides of the counter, sipping our drinks.
The quiet wasn’t awkward.
It was… aware.
Like both of us knew exactly what had changed between us, but neither of us wanted to be the first to say it out loud.
Lucas broke the silence.
“We have a problem.”
My stomach dropped immediately.
“What kind of problem?”
He turned his phone around so I could see the screen.
The group chat.
Hannah had sent three messages already.
Hannah: Brunch today.
Hannah: Everyone’s coming.
Hannah: And don’t be late this time.
Below that were Mark’s messages agreeing.
I groaned quietly.
“Of course.”
Lucas set his phone down on the counter.
“Eleven o’clock.”
I glanced at the time on the microwave.
10:12 AM.
“That gives us less than an hour.”
“Thirty minutes if Hannah’s version of ‘don’t be late’ is involved.”
I sighed and leaned back against the counter.
The thought of seeing everyone this morning shouldn’t have made me nervous.
But after last night, everything felt different.
Lucas seemed to notice the shift in my expression.
“You don’t have to come,” he said.
I shook my head.
“If I suddenly stop showing up to things, Hannah will assume we broke up.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
“Pretty dramatic conclusion.”
“You’ve never seen Hannah in investigative mode.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Fair point.”
Another quiet moment passed.
Then Lucas spoke again.
“Rules still apply.”
I looked up at him.
The words hung between us.
Rules.
Fake dating.
Temporary.
Convenient.
Safe.
Everything about this arrangement had been built on those simple ideas.
But after last night…
Nothing felt simple anymore.
I nodded slowly.
“Right.”
Lucas watched me for another second before looking away.
“Good.”
I set my mug down in the sink.
“I’m going to get ready.”
As I turned toward the hallway, Lucas spoke again.
“Naomi.”
I stopped.
Slowly, I turned back.
He was watching me carefully.
Like he was studying my reaction.
“You never answered my question last night.”
My heart gave a small, traitorous thud.
“What question?”
Lucas crossed his arms slightly.
“You know which one.”
I did.
When did it stop being fake for you?
I folded my arms.
“You said you didn’t get that answer.”
His expression shifted slightly.
“You said I didn’t get it last night.”
“That’s still a no.”
Lucas tilted his head.
“You’re avoiding it.”
“Or,” I said calmly, “maybe I like keeping you curious.”
For a moment, something almost like amusement flashed across his face.
“Dangerous strategy.”
“Maybe.”
We held each other’s gaze for a second longer than necessary.
Then my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket.
I pulled it out.
Hannah again.
Hannah: DON'T MAKE ME COME DRAG YOU BOTH OUT OF THAT APARTMENT.
I sighed.
“She’s impatient.”
Lucas grabbed his jacket from the chair.
“Let’s go before she proves she’s capable of that.”
The café near campus was already crowded when we arrived.
The sound of conversation filled the air, mixed with clinking cups and the faint hiss of the espresso machine behind the counter.
Hannah spotted us immediately.
Her face lit up as she waved both hands dramatically.
“There they are!”
Several people turned to look.
I resisted the urge to hide behind Lucas.
He leaned slightly closer as we walked toward the table.
“Relax,” he murmured.
It's easy for him to say.
Hannah grinned when we reached them.
“Finally.”
Mark shook his head.
“You act like they kept us waiting for hours.”
“It’s the principle,” Hannah said.
Then her eyes moved between Lucas and me.
A slow, knowing smile spread across her face.
“What?”
I asked cautiously.
She pointed at Lucas.
“You pulled out her chair.”
I blinked.
I hadn’t even realized that had happened.
Lucas shrugged casually.
“Basic manners.”
Hannah scoffed.
“Please. I’ve known you for three years. This is brand new behaviour.”
Mark laughed.
“She’s right.”
Lucas ignored them both and sat down beside me.
Not across the table.
Beside.
Our knees brushed lightly under the table.
I tried to focus on the menu.
Hannah leaned forward slightly.
“You two are getting suspiciously cute.”
Heat crept up my neck.
“We’re just sitting.”
Lucas rested his arm along the back of my chair casually.
“Maybe you’re just jealous.”
Hannah gasped dramatically.
“I am jealous. I want someone to pull out chairs for me.”
Mark snorted.
“Your standards are dangerously low.”
The table erupted into laughter.
Conversation shifted to classes, upcoming assignments, and weekend plans.
But the entire time, Lucas’s hand remained on the back of my chair.
Casual.
Comfortable.
Every once in a while, his thumb moved slightly against my shoulder.
The small movement sent tiny sparks of awareness down my spine.
After a while, Hannah stood up.
“I’m getting pastries. Does anyone want something?”
Everyone started listing their orders.
Lucas leaned slightly closer to me once she walked away.
“You’re quiet,” he murmured.
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s usually dangerous.”
I glanced at him.
“You started this.”
“Started what?”
“This whole… noticing things situation.”
Lucas looked amused.
“I’ve always noticed things.”
“That’s exactly the problem.”
His smile was slow.
“You’re still avoiding my question.”
I looked back at the table.
“Maybe.”
Lucas didn’t respond immediately.
Then he said quietly,
“I’ll figure it out eventually.”
I turned my head.
“What makes you so sure?”
His eyes held mine steadily.
“Because you’re not as mysterious as you think.”
My heart skipped.
Hannah returned before I could respond, dropping plates of pastries onto the table.
“Food for everyone.”
She sat down and looked between us again.
“You two look like you were having a serious conversation.”
Lucas picked up a croissant casually.
“Just discussing coffee.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes playfully.
“Sure you were.”
But she didn’t push further.
The conversation continued around us, loud and easy.
Yet something had shifted again.
Because now every glance Lucas sent my way felt deliberate.
Every accidental brush of our hands felt less accidental.
And the worst part?
I wasn’t sure either of us was pretending anymore.
Which meant sooner or later…
Something was going to give.
- Writer
