Hannah waited with bated breath as Lukas paid for the only room available. By now the rain outside was torrential. She was too afraid to look at him. One room. One night. All of her wildest fantasies about Lukas Zárate were coming true. She’d long since given up the notion that she loved him. All she cared about now was exorcising him from her head and body, and the universe seemed to be helping her in that regard.
They went up to the room in the elevator. It was a four-star hotel and had a slightly worn opulence to its luxury.
The bedroom was bigger than Hannah might have expected and romantic, with one huge king-size four-poster bed complete with drapes pulled back. She studiously ignored that and went to the French doors that led out onto a little Juliet-style balcony overlooking the square, not that she could see anything through the rain.
She turned around to see Lukas putting the room key down on a chest of drawers. He said, ‘This is adequate. You should get a good night’s sleep.’
He went towards the door and Hannah’s mouth dropped open. She managed to get out a garbled-sounding, ‘Wait, where are you going?’
He stood near the door. Hannah could see droplets of rain on his hair. He said, ‘I’ll sleep in the car tonight.’
Hannah spluttered. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ And then hurt lanced her. ‘Am I really so repugnant that you can’t bear to be in the same room as me?’
A dull flush scored across Lukas’s cheekbones. ‘You know I don’t find you repugnant. At all.’ His dark green gaze swept her up and down. Hannah felt it, like little fires chasing across her skin.
‘Well then, what is it? Are you afraid I’ll demand to have my wicked way with you and you won’t be able to defend yourself?’
Lukas’s jaw clenched. ‘Now you’re being ridiculous. If anything, it’s that—’ He cut himself off abruptly.
Hannah’s heart beat fast. Was he afraid he couldn’t trust himself around her? The thought was elctrifying. Heady.
To defuse the crackling tension, Hannah said, ‘Why don’t we get something to eat?’
Lukas blinked. ‘Good idea.’
They went downstairs to the hotel restaurant that was busy with other refugees from the storm and the festival. They were seated at a secluded table in the corner and both ordered local specialities.
By some mutual tacit agreement, they conversed about general topics. Lukas’s life in America. What it was like for Hannah to work at the palace. Her mother and grandmother had worked there before her, so it was a family tradition.
‘Did you want to work at the palace?’ Lukas asked her now.
Hannah shrugged and made a face. ‘You know that I was never that academically gifted. I know you support my folks, but I couldn’t imagine not working. I like being independent.’
‘You never did run with the crowd.’
Hannah was surprised at his perspicacity. He was right though, she’d never suffered from the need to fit in. She’d always been happy on the margins, observing.
‘Takes one to know one,’ she responded.
Lukas lifted his wine glass. ‘Touché.’
The truth was that apart from the massive crush Hannah had cultivated over the years, she’d always felt an affinity with Lukas. To some extent they’d both been loners. It had been no real surprise when Danielo had gravitated to join a gang from school and Lukas had not.
There’d always been a quiet confidence about Lukas. A self-awareness and maturity that must have come in part from experiencing such a huge tragedy at a young age.
When their desserts had been cleared, Lukas asked her, ‘You mentioned you’d been living in limbo too. What did you mean?’
Hannah’s insides clenched. This was her opportunity to tell Lukas exactly what she wanted. She looked at him. ‘I’ve never been able to let go of wanting you.’ And so he could be in no doubt, she said, ‘I want you to share the room with me tonight.’
There was silence for a long moment and then Lukas said, ‘Please tell me you haven’t been waiting for me all these years.’
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