Calling Me Back Read Online Free Page B

won’t change, that I won’t lose you, Ash,” he said, his voice serious as he glanced up at me from under his brows.
    My breath hitched at his request and my forehead crinkled. What was he asking me?
    “Here she is,” Richard’s familiar voice came from behind me. “I thought I might catch you in here.” The room tilted slightly, and I wondered if it was the sensation people felt just before they fainted. I turned my head and tried to pull my hand from Luke’s. He resisted at first, but as he took in what was happening, he released me. The cool Formica soothed my tingling palm.
    If I closed my eyes, could I transport myself somewhere else, so the moment that was about to happen, wouldn’t happen? It felt as though the room slowed down and I was watching two airplanes about to collide. This was not what I wanted. Luke was Luke. Richard was Richard. For me, they existed in parallel universes, and if they met, everything would explode or implode, or something equally terrible would happen.
    Richard bent and kissed my forehead and quickly turned to Luke, holding out his right hand. “I’m Richard, Ash’s boyfriend.” His smile met his eyes and I could tell that there was no territory claiming. He wasn’t trying to make a point. He asked often about my friends and I imagine he was pleased to finally meet one of them.
    I continued to stare at the table as Luke stood and shook Richard’s hand. “I’m Luke,” he said. He gave no explanation as to his relationship with me. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was confident that Richard would know who he was, or because Luke wanted to keep him guessing.
    “Oh, right. Haven’s brother,” Richard said. Assisted by my description, he knew Luke as simply my best friend’s sibling. And that was what I needed him to be. “Can I join you?”
    My stomach flipped up in my chest. I stood abruptly, the legs of my chair tearing against the floor. “Actually, I need to get back,” I said. I flicked a glance at Luke, urging him to back me up.
    “Yeah, me too,” Luke replied after a second’s hesitation, and I dared to take a breath.
    I pulled on my jacket and picked up my half-eaten sandwich, wrapping it back in its wax paper then slipping it into my bag. “I’ll see you later,” I said, glancing at Richard.
    He raised his eyebrows and nodded, his face warm and open. “Nice to meet you, Luke.” He wasn’t jealous or judgmental. He was honest and kind, like Luke.
    Except that he wasn’t Luke.
    “And you. I’m sure I’ll see you again,” Luke said as he smiled at Richard.
    I shot out of the door, not waiting to see if Luke was following me. Out in the fresh spring air, I paused. How was I going to explain to him that I’d cut our lunch short as soon as Richard had arrived? I heard the café door open and Luke appeared at my side.
    “You okay?” he asked.
    “Sure,” I said, trying to sound normal. I started to walk back toward the hospital. “So what are you working on at the moment?” I was desperate not to mention what had just happened, and hopeful that he’d not sensed any kind of atmosphere that I’d singlehandedly created.
    Luke was happily diverted. “You know I can’t tell you that because it’s classified.”
    I laughed. He loved to pretend his job was slightly more interesting than it was. “You’re such a dork. It doesn’t make you sound like James Bond, you know.”
    “What does it make me sound like?”
    “Like a frustrated lawyer who is trying to be wilder than he is,” I said.
    He grinned. “You’re killing me. You know all my secrets.”
    My stomach lilted. It was true. I knew his and he knew mine.
    As we arrived at the hospital entrance, he hugged me. “Don’t let Richard change things between us,” he said over my shoulder, his tone darker than before, like it had been when we were holding hands earlier. He pulled back. “Will I see you Sunday?”
    His words, his nearness, his solemnity flustered me. “Yeah, I