My December Darling

11. Luke

11

LUKE

W hen Gaby’s first idea of texting Catalina about the Galactic Command Base LEGO set didn’t lead to promising results, seeing as Catalina didn’t take the bait, Aiden’s fiancée decided to kick things up a notch by having a conversation with her sister and inviting her over for dinner at our place. She uses Aiden’s cooking as an incentive, and Catalina agrees just like we thought she would.

I’ve never met a single person who could say no to a meal prepared by Aiden because he is one of the best cooks around. After having him help me meal-prep for the last year, I’ll be stuck fending for myself in the kitchen once he moves out, which is one of the many reasons why I’ll miss sharing a place with him.

Think happy thoughts , I tell myself while helping Aiden wrap up the finishing touches on his mom’s lasagna recipe.

“That smells so good.” Gaby’s eyes light up at the casserole dish being placed on the small, round table in our makeshift dining room. The cheese is a perfect shade of golden yellow while the sauce bubbles beneath the surface, making my mouth water.

Aiden takes a photo of his handiwork. “My mom always said the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.”

“Thank God I can bake then or else I’d be screwed,” I say, thinking of when he put me in charge of the Thanksgiving side dishes last month and I failed miserably.

He gives me a once-over look. “I mean, you’re not the worst cook out there.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate the honesty.”

He shrugs with a smile. “If things with Catalina go well, maybe she can teach you a thing or two.”

“Oh, yes. My sister’s mofongo is just… divina ,” Gaby says the word with a soft sigh that can barely be heard over the holiday music streaming out of the portable speaker on the kitchen counter.

Gaby took it upon herself to add some additional decorations to our apartment today, including hanging some multicolored lights along the top of our wall-length bookshelf, searching our closets for a nativity set that her mother bought us two Christmases ago and finding a place for it on a shelf, and setting the table with a holiday-themed tablecloth, placemats, and dinnerware.

Speaking of Catalina, the buzzer by our front door goes off, and Aiden presses the button to let her into our small walk-up. My heart picks up speed at the thought of Catalina seeing our place for the first time. I quickly scan the room again, double-checking to make sure that everything is in order.

Gaby rushes to open the door, acting as if she didn’t see her sister a few hours ago while Aiden and I hang back in the breakfast nook.

“Come on in.” Gaby grabs Catalina’s hand and pulls her inside.

Catalina glances around our apartment and the growing pile of boxes by the front door before looking over at Aiden and me. Her eyes narrow when they connect with mine, and for a brief moment, I wonder if this was a terrible plan.

Now you’re questioning it? I shift my weight with nervous anticipation.

“Aiden made your favorite!” Gaby drags Catalina further into the apartment before shutting the front door behind her.

“And I helped,” I tack on, earning another wayward glance from Catalina.

“By helped he means taste-tested the sauce.” Aiden’s grin expands.

I shrug. “It’s tough work but someone has to do it.”

Catalina’s eyes roll as she walks up to Aiden and greets him by pressing her cheek to his before coming up to me. The faint smell of her perfume hits me first, filling my nose with the sweet scent of flowers, along with a note of something I’ve come to accept as distinctly hers.

She grips my shoulders and rises onto the tips of her toes as she repeats the same gesture with me. My parents aren’t affectionate people, so it has taken me time to get used to the Martinez way of greeting family and friends with what they call a kiss on the cheek.

Now, come to think of it, I don’t remember a time when Catalina has made the effort for me. She has done a remarkable job preventing any physical contact, so the opportunity has probably been avoided at all costs.

“Hi,” she says as our cheeks brush, sending a current of energy rippling across my skin and down the length of my spine as my stubble rubs against the soft skin of her cheek.

The contact can’t last more than two seconds, but my heart racing in my chest makes me feel like I’ve spent the last ten minutes on the treadmill.

Pull yourself together , I tell myself as she steps away.

I’ve never been the type to be nervous around women, but then again, most women actually want to spend time with me—whether that be purely platonic or more. Catalina, on the other hand, can’t seem to escape me quickly enough, although I’m starting to realize it’s a defense mechanism rather than a way to snub me. She keeps most people at a distance, and I’ve never tried to fight my way out of that category.

Her eyes flicker over me once more before her sister tugs her toward the bookshelves beside our TV. They’re a recent addition to the apartment, and one Aiden insisted on us buying to add some personal touches to our drab space. He added a few model airplanes that he’s collected over the years while the rest of the shelves showcase all the LEGOs I’ve built since college.

I wasn’t really a LEGO kid growing up since my parents didn’t believe in kids having fun, but once I entered adulthood, I discovered the soothing hobby, and it stuck.

Catalina reaches out for a limited edition set I built a year ago before she pulls her hand back and tucks it behind her.

“Told you Luke was a nerd like you,” Gaby says loud enough for me to hear.

“I am not a nerd.” I walk up to them.

“Exactly how much have you spent on resale LEGO sets?”

“There’s a market for those?” Catalina asks with pinched brows.

“Ask Luke. If he’s not working, he’s online shopping.” Gaby grins.

My gaze narrows. “I stopped doing that months ago.”

“Why?” Catalina turns to look at me.

Aiden laughs behind me, and I flip him off without looking.

Gaby’s eyes sparkle. “Yeah, Luke. Why do you avoid resellers again?”

These assholes know exactly why, but I refuse to give them the satisfaction of answering.

Catalina looks around when I don’t respond. “What happened?”

“Because he was scammed.” Aiden volunteers the information.

“How?” Catalina asks with a ghost of a smile on her lips.

I huff.

“It’s quite the story,” Aiden, my future ex-best friend, says with a smirk.

“He can tell it over dinner.” Gaby walks over to the round table and takes a seat in her usual spot.

Aiden follows her lead and settles into the seat beside her. Catalina chooses to sit next to her sister, leaving me with the empty chair between her and Aiden.

Despite Aiden reassuring me that he doesn’t care if I’m interested in his ex, I can’t help second-guessing his statement as I drop into my chair beside them. Not because I’m not interested in Catalina, but rather I’m not sure if she will be willing to give me a chance given her history with my best friend.

You’re getting ahead of yourself , I remind myself.

Each of us serves ourselves a generous helping of lasagna and salad while Gaby tells the story of how I’m no longer allowed to help after almost chopping my finger off while cutting an onion.

“It was practically a paper cut,” I say when Catalina cringes.

“Paper cut?” Gaby gawks. “You needed ten stitches.”

“Good thing he knows a doctor,” Aiden adds before shoving a forkful of salad in his mouth.

Catalina turns toward me, and her knee brushes against mine, sparks flying off my skin from the fleeting moment.

“So what’s the story with getting scammed with LEGOs?” she asks.

And here I had hoped she would forget about that particular conversation.

Aiden chuckles while Gaby giggles under her breath.

I sigh as I come to terms with not getting out of this. “I was played.”

“How?”

My teeth grind together at the sight of Aiden’s smile.

Fuck him very much.

When I don’t answer right away, Gaby does. “Someone sold him a fake set.”

Catalina’s eyes widen. “No.”

“Yup.” I clench my jaw.

“When did you realize it wasn’t the real thing?”

“When the pieces said LECO on them.”

She is trying her absolute hardest not to laugh. I can see it in the way her shoulders bunch up and her lips press together so tightly, they begin to turn white.

I desperately want to hear the sound, so I admit something that not even Aiden knows.

“Wanna know the worst part?”

She nods, her eyes glimmering from withheld laughter, and damn, I love being on the receiving end of her amusement.

“The guy who conned me out of a thousand dollars?” I pause for dramatic effect. “He couldn’t be more than thirteen years old.”

She finally cracks, and a soft laugh pours from her lips, feeding me in a way food never can. Catalina isn’t the type for loud belly laughs that leave someone’s stomach aching, but I’ve never heard a better sound than the one she makes because of me .