I See London

by Chanel Cleeton

  I shouldn’t have felt any sympathy for him. He was a big boy; he never should have gotten into that fight in the first place. But I couldn’t help hating the bruise on his face.

  “Whose fault was that?” Fleur snapped. “I’m the one who had to get you bailed out. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Valentine’s Day.”

  Michael rolled his eyes. “Children, please. I’d much rather hear Maggie’s Valentine’s Day story. What happened?”

  It felt awkward talking about this in front of Samir. But if I started acting weird around him, everyone was going to figure out something was up. Besides, he’d made it clear he wasn’t looking for a relationship; he didn’t get attached to girls.

  It shouldn’t matter.

  “Things are getting complicated with Hugh and I don’t know what to do,” I explained, looking away from Samir.

  Michael gave me a look. “Having a hot guy with an accent make out with you is not a bad Valentine’s Day.”

  I blushed. “Okay, fine. It wasn’t bad. But I am freaking out.”

  Samir’s head jerked up. His cheekbone was bruised; there was a cut over his right eye. He looked like hell. His mood didn’t appear to be much better. “Coffee. Now.”

  I winced, passing him the pot of coffee.

  He took it from me, our fingers grazing each other. It took a ridiculous amount of self-restraint to keep from curving my fingers around his. I jerked my hand back, placing it in my lap. Samir shot me a quizzical look before pouring a cup of coffee.

  My lips twitched at the expression on his face. He was so surly it was kind of cute. “Okay, fine, maybe Samir wins.”

  Fleur jumped into the conversation. “Uh-uh, I win.”

  “Why do you win?” Mya countered. “You were the one who ended up leaving the party with Alessandro Marin.”

  Fleur stabbed her eggs. “He wasn’t interested.”

  We all stopped what we were doing and gaped at her. Only Samir was immune to the news. Either that or Fleur already filled him in. He continued eating breakfast as if she hadn’t even spoken.

  Michael leaned forward. “What do you mean he wasn’t interested?” His voice sounded just a touch scandalized.

  “He wasn’t. We started making out and then he stopped. And walked me to the door.”

  Silence filled the table.

  “Maybe he didn’t want to move too quickly?” Fleur shot me The Look. Yes, I was grasping at straws. But given how fragile things were with her and Costa, the last thing she was prepared to handle was more rejection.

  Samir laughed at my comment, looking up from his coffee mug, his gaze piercing mine. “You can’t possibly still be that naive.”

  I glared at him. Trust this to be the time he decided to get involved in the conversation. “Don’t be pissy with me because you got your ass kicked last night,” I snapped, annoyed with him for making a dig at me and Fleur.

  His eyes narrowed. “I did not get my ass kicked.”

  “Your face suggests otherwise.”

  Fleur groaned. “It’s too early and I’m too hungover to have to deal with the two of you bickering right now.”

  “We’re not bickering,” Samir argued. A hint of a smile crossed his face for the first time all morning. “This is just how Maggie and I talk.” He winked at me. “She likes it.”

  My face heated before I turned my attention back to my breakfast.

  The fucked-up thing was—I sort of did.

  “I gotta head out,” Michael announced, getting up from the table. “Catch you guys later.”

  Mya left with him, leaving me and Fleur sitting with Samir.

  We ate in silence for a few minutes. Fleur broke it first. “Maggie needs dating help,” she announced.

  I paused, midbite, choking on a piece of lettuce.

  Samir’s gaze shifted to me. “Really?” he drawled.

  I shot Fleur a look that said drop it. She ignored me.

  “I don’t need dating advice.”

  She ignored me. “You’re a guy. Help her out.”

  Samir paused eating for a moment, a wicked, teasing smile crossing his face. “Tell me you’re not pregnant.”

  “Keep your voice down! I’m not pregnant, you ass.” I glared at him.

  Fleur grinned. “Maggie hasn’t given up the goods yet.”

  “Fleur!” The last thing I needed was for her to be talking to Samir about my sex life.

  Samir didn’t speak for a moment. He groaned. “I’m not having this conversation. I haven’t slept. I spent last night in jail. I’m tired. I’m tired of listening to you two bitch about guys.” He paused, taking a bite out of his sandwich. “Why can’t you be more like Mya? She never bothers me with inane questions about what men want.”

  He had a point. Mya was ridiculously calm about this stuff. I wished I could be like her. I just figured the odds of that were slim to none.

  He leveled me with a steely glance. “You don’t need guy advice; you need to calm the fuck down.”

  “I’m calm,” I argued.

  “You’re not calm. This—” Samir gestured around me “—this craziness you’ve got going on…the guy can tell.”

  Unfortunately, Samir saw all of me—the sane and the not so sane.

  Fleur grinned at both of us. “Well, on that fun note, I gotta run to class. See you guys later.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, my teeth clenched. Trust Fleur to open Pandora’s box and then leave me to deal with it.

  “Why are you scowling?” Samir asked.

  I glared at him. “You’re totally useless.”

  “Why? Because I don’t tell you what you want to hear?”

  Yes.

  “Because.”

  Because I want to know if you care.

  “Why?” Samir pressed.

  “Because I never know when you’re being serious. I never know when you say things to be nice or when you’re trying to be an ass.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  I hesitated for a moment. My answer surprised me. Despite his attitude, he showed up when it counted. He could definitely be an asshole. But he was dependable. And he didn’t ask for much in return. He was always taking care of all of us in his own way—rescuing us, paying our way, providing a shoulder to cry on in unexpected moments.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I do.”

  “I tell you the truth,” Samir continued. “I always tell you the truth. I might not be telling you what you want to hear, but I’m telling you what you need to hear. You’re just ridiculously stubborn and refuse to listen.”

  “I’m not stubborn.”

  It was Samir’s turn to sigh. “Sure you aren’t.” It really wasn’t a good sign when Samir was beginning to look like the voice of reason. He cocked his head to the side, studying me carefully. “Why are you so bad at this?” His tone wasn’t judgmental; he genuinely seemed curious.

  “I don’t know. Why do you suck at giving pep talks?”

  He shrugged, a grin forming. “I’m not exactly the pep talk guy. I have other skills.” He winked.

  I choked on my drink. “Ew, gross. Trust me, I don’t want to know anything about your skills.”

  Those skills filled my dreams.

  He didn’t respond. Instead he just stared at me, daring me to keep talking. I broke our stare first, the first one to lose the game of proverbial chicken.

  A pause filled the table.

  “I think you know about my skills.” His voice was matter-of-fact, but I could hear the underlying challenge in his words. It was the same challenge that always seemed to linger between us.

  Just the memory of his skills had me warm all over.

  Samir chuckled at my reaction. “You’re so cute when you blush. I don’t think I’d ever kissed a girl who blushed before you.”

  “Shh,” I hissed. “Do you want everyone to know we kissed?”

  “I’m not embarrassed.”

  “Maybe I’m embarrassed,” I countered.

  Samir has bad idea written all over
him.

  He snorted. “Hardly. I’m a rich, hot Arab. I’m a catch.”

  I was pretty sure only Samir could deliver a line like that with a straight face.

  “You’re so full of yourself.” In a really bizarre way it was almost one of his most endearing traits.

  “It’s not being full of yourself if you can back it up,” Samir shot back, a smirk on his face.

  I couldn’t resist the urge to goad him. “You can’t back it up. Not at all.”

  “That’s not what you were saying when you kissed me.”

  I glared at him. It was beyond annoying that he’d maneuvered the conversation back to the one topic I definitely didn’t want to discuss.

  Samir grinned. “You’re so easy to play. I’m pretty sure anyone in this cafeteria can figure out what we’re talking about just from the expression on your face.”

  It was a colossal effort not to look around to see if he was right. Samir’s lips twitched.

  Ass.

  “What emotion am I wearing right now?” I asked tartly, flipping him off.

  He laughed. “Don’t tease me.”

  I tried to ignore the fluttering in my chest. And the desire coursing through my body.

  Chapter 34

  I reclined back in the passenger seat of the Ferrari, my hand linked with Hugh’s. It was our first date since Valentine’s Day. Hugh had texted with a dinner invite—and an invitation to meet his friends.

  “You’ll like my friends. They’re all really nice.”

  I nodded, pretending I wasn’t as nervous as I felt. I hadn’t met any of his friends yet. The fact that I was likely a decade younger than most of them hadn’t escaped my notice. With Hugh it wasn’t a huge deal since we spent most of our time together—well, not talking. But with his friends—

  It wasn’t as if I could distract them by making out with one of them.

  “I’m excited to meet them.”

  I burrowed deeper in my jacket, trying to ward off the cold. It was late February and London still hadn’t warmed up. Hugh was a big fan of driving with the top down, which was totally fine except for the fact that it both ruined my hair and made me freeze. Tonight I’d opted for putting my hair in a high ponytail in order to avoid looking like a mess when we finally got to the restaurant. I ran a hand over the top of my hair, relieved to feel everything seemed to be in order.

  “Where are we going again?”

  “This place called the Tiki Room. It’s a Polynesian restaurant in the Grand Hotel. They have these giant drinks made out of carved-out coconut shells and pineapples. It’s pretty cool.”

  “How many of your friends are coming?”

  Hugh shifted gears, changing lanes with ease. “I think six. My best mate Mike is bringing his girlfriend, Violet. You’ll like her—she’s really sweet. Julia and her sister, Katie, will probably come for a bit. And Dan and his wife, Megan.”

  “Did you all grow up together or something?” I was aware of how little I actually knew about Hugh. We had talked a bit about our childhoods, but considering how much of mine was fabricated due to my fake age, I hadn’t exactly been eager to delve into childhood experiences in any great detail.

  “Well, Julia, Katie and I grew up together. Our mums are friends and we lived a few streets over. I met Mike and Dan at uni.”

  He had told me before that he only went to school for one year.

  “What did you study?”

  I was curious to know his interests. I knew he liked movies and he liked working out. But he never really talked about books he read or subjects that interested him.

  “Mostly just general subjects. Basic first-year stuff.”

  “Was there anything that interested you?” I prodded gently. I didn’t want him to think I judged him for not graduating—especially since he was so obviously successful without a degree. But at the same time school was such a huge part of my life; it wasn’t easy to not talk about it.

  “There wasn’t really anything that interested me. Uni was pretty boring. I spent my first year working at a bar to make some extra cash and after that I knew I wanted to own my own place.”

  “You’ve done well for yourself, then.”

  “I’m happy. Cobalt is a good business. We do a good profit and I get along really well with my partners. I can’t really complain. There are definitely worse jobs I could have.”

  He pulled up in front of a fancy hotel on the fringe of Mayfair. Hugh maneuvered the Ferrari into a parking spot before getting out and opening the door for me. I loved how much of a gentleman he always was. Guys my age never opened doors.

  He took my hand in his, leading me in through the hotel’s separate entrance. Pride filled me. He wore an olive-green military-style jacket that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. Dark jeans tapered down to a pair of brown leather boots that had to be Italian. I didn’t blame everyone for noticing him. He was the kind of guy you couldn’t miss.

  Hugh looked down at me, a smile on his lips. “What?”

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re too perfect?” I teased.

  He laughed. “Definitely not. But I’m not going to complain if you want to tell me.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

  I wrapped my arm through his, the feel of his strong forearm under my hand sending pleasure through my body. He was gorgeous. And I was on his arm tonight.

  “Well, you are. Perfect, I mean.”

  Hugh winked. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself.”

  One of my Christmas shopping finds was a tailored black leather jacket I was obsessed with. I paired it with my best jeans and these amazing black leather boots that were a TJ Maxx find. It felt good to know I had his approval. When he told me I was beautiful, I felt it in every pore of my body.

  I followed him through the restaurant, unable to resist gawking at my surroundings. The restaurant was decorated in a Polynesian style, giving the appearance that we were in a huge tiki hut.

  Hugh waved at a large group of people sitting at a table in the corner. I straightened my shoulders, studying the group as we approached. The girls were definitely pretty but not in an intimidating way. The guys were cute and looked to be about Hugh’s age. They all looked older, but they weren’t the model-looking friends I’d feared. I said hi to everyone, slipping into the booth next to the girl Hugh introduced as Katie.

  The conversation was stilted at first, probably more from my own nerves than anything else. But little by little I relaxed. Dinner was amazing. The drinks were everything Hugh promised—mine was a carved-out coconut decorated to look like a hula girl. I didn’t talk much; instead I watched Hugh interact with his friends. It was obvious that they were close—there was plenty of teasing and joking around. I answered a lot of questions but it felt comfortable.

  When the meal was done we gathered our stuff to go, saying goodbye to everyone. Hugh leaned over and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

  “You were great tonight.” He flashed me a smile that had my heart tumbling in my chest. “They loved you.”

  It was sad how much those three words meant to me, the hope I hung on them. We hadn’t even had the talk yet. There had been no discussion of exclusivity—of boyfriends and girlfriends. It wasn’t a talk I even knew how to begin. I wasn’t naive, despite what Samir might have thought. I saw Hugh exactly as he was. The odds he was seeing me alone—that I was enough to hold his attention in a city as vast and slick as London—were slim. And yet, meeting his friends left me with enough hope for the possibility of us, that I felt a sense of calm with him I hadn’t felt before.

  For the first time, I could see a future.

  And still, my dreams were full of Samir.

  Chapter 35

  “What are you doing for spring break?”

  I looked up from my book. Fleur stood in front of me, a huge smile on her face. I shrugged, gesturing toward my book. “Probably studying. I need to get my grades up this semester.”

  “Wrong answer.”

  Sometimes I wondere
d if Fleur and I lived on the same planet. School for me was a desperate attempt to keep my grades up so I could keep my scholarship. School for Fleur seemed to be an endless round of parties. Still, at this point I’d learned better than to argue with her. She was tenacious when she wanted to be.

  “Fine. What am I doing for spring break?”

  Fleur grinned, sitting down on the edge of my bed. “Picture this. A gorgeous apartment near the George V. Paris in the springtime. A group of your favorite friends. A week of shopping, fabulous lunches in cafés, the best nightclubs.”

  “Sounds too good to be true.”

  “It’s happening. Mya, Samir and Michael are in. I think Samir was talking about inviting Omar, but they can keep each other company. Besides, Omar’s the best person for handling Samir when he gets into one of his moods,” she added. “It’s going to be amazing. Samir’s offering up his parents’ apartment for the trip. It’s gorgeous and there’s plenty of room for everyone.”

  There were way too many mentions of Samir. The secret to not hooking up with Samir seemed to be avoiding him completely. The dream thing I couldn’t control. But the rest of it? I had Hugh now. Things were good with us. I didn’t need to confuse things by hanging out with Samir again.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Fleur pulled a face. “What’s wrong with you? How is Paris not a good idea? Everyone’s going. You have to come.”

  “I don’t want to leave now. Things are good with Hugh.”

  “Hugh will still be here when you get back. If you can’t go to Paris without worrying about him, then you have bigger problems.”

  She was right, of course.

  I hesitated. What the hell. “What about Samir? Does he know I’m coming?”

  Fleur shot me a weird look. “Of course Samir knows you’re coming.”

  “And he’s cool with it?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Yeah. Why? Has he been a dick to you lately? ‘Cause I can totally talk to him.”

  “No, please don’t talk to him. He’s been fine.” I grimaced. “Is his family going to be there?”

  “They’re going to be in Lebanon or Switzerland or something. It’ll just be the staff and us. The place is huge.”