"Hey, kid gorgeous." I brightly say to Luca, poking my head into his room

He was standing by what seemed to be an empty closet as he spun around happily to me. I didn't trust the rest of my body to be safe in his room and so I kept firmly outside the door.

"I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm bringing a date to dinner. Luna's going to be there and it's a professional dinner not a private one so I think the easiest thing is to just...for tonight...keep it strictly professional between us." I explain and plead at the same time

It was one little dinner, one night of deception and peace. I wasn't asking for much, though considering we'd argued for two hours about whether I could go back to my place to change for dinner or if that was technically "abandoning a lovesick puppy who wouldn't survive it." maybe I was asking too much.

"A date?" Luca pries, apparently that's the only bit of this he'd heard

"Think of it as a beard, so Luna won't lose her shit about us and we can all have a pleasant professional dinner. Ok? I love you!" I explain, blowing him a kiss before making my escape back to the gardens

"Your interior architecture is the work of genius Funke." Angus MacLeod is saying across the table to me

I couldn't believe that Angus' idea of an intimate celebration of the Kinenmara indoor park project wrapping up was having a private chef interrupt the icy stares between Lucas, Luna and I. I physically inch closer to Vik, as if to try and hide behind him. Carlen was much more pregnant than I remembered and she kept giving me these...weird smiles.

Lucas is seated right next to his sister, clutching his steak knife perhaps too tightly as he glares at Luna and I am forced, because my name had been explicitly stated by his lordship moneybags, to look up at Angus MacLeod and smile

"Thanks." I softly say, completely uncomfortable with the compliment and wondering just how much of a tourist someone would have to be to put Luna and Lucas at the same tiny dinner table and not notice the... Ice.

"Let's not forget who brought her to your attention." Luna excitedly announces, her gaze directly on me,

I have to sort through my food for lost treasures to stop myself from saying anything about her wickedness and treachery and her commendation of my "laziness" to Angus! Wow, this man was so rich he didn't ever have to read a room! This was the emperor with his new clothes! I'd look over to Luca to see his reaction but honestly I didn't bring an entire date just for me to get caught slipping. This was a professional setting...look at us...being professional!

"I... I must have been unclear...that was the beginning of my speech not an open invitation to conversation." Angus declares, which forces me to turn to Vik so that I don't burst out laughing

And I oop!

Vik's eyes are wide too, as if to say what in the hell just happened here? I'd already told him about Lucas and Luna's rivalry and that I needed a beard so Luna wouldn't suspect Luca and I, the general consensus that this would be a rather tense (professional) but peaceful dinner without Luca and I flaunting our new love.

"Are all your work dinners...like this?" Vik wonders softly into my ear

"We take work rivalries very seriously in architecture." I assure him with a soft smile, making sure to show him my dimple for good measure

"I always suspected I was in the wrong profession." He teases back with an assured wink

"I've told Funke a little bit of this story...but... just as I was about to hand this project to her, Luna paid me a visit." Angus announces

I'm going to need you to stop with these dramatic pauses bruv, it's getting confusing.

I do turn to Luna and cock my head a little bit. Now that the project was wrapped up, I was feeling very "Miley what's good?" about this tonight, but headmaster Angus had asked us to be quiet and I have to obey the richest white person at the table; PROFESSIONAL.

"We had a little chat and she explained to me why I shouldn't give a project this big to Funke...that it's too much work for one person, a small firm, a virtual unknown...that there was no way Funke would be able to do this work, to not crack under the pressure of it. It was a slightly terrible conversation to have, especially because my heart was set on Funke's vision for the park... but it was important, because without that conversation, I wouldn't have called Lucas." Angus reveals, turning to the pouting handsome toff

"He was in California at the time...and I'd been giving his guys the run-around about the commission...I said, Luc, you're a decent guy, and I'm calling you now as your brother in law and I need your help. I want to give this commission to this beautiful dynamic young architect, a genius who's just starting her firm, I'm absolutely in love with her vision for this park...but I'm scared of what this might do to her, that she doesn't have the capacity to deal with a project this big and that if she fails at something this big she might not have the courage to bring her other ideas to life...What do I do?" Angus says, which is a really sweet sentiment I suppose

So this is how Luca found out I was stealing his clients? His brother-in-law snitched on me via phonecall?

"I... I thought he'd say the same thing Luna did, that it was too risky, that I should choose a more established firm, that I should choose him... Luc sighed in that handsome way he does, and he said Ang, if you're in love with her vision and that's what you want for the park, I can offer my firm's capacity and its connections to help her bring your park to life." Angus says wistfully, lifting his glass to Luca

Why did Luca call him Ang like he was the last airbender or something? White people are maaaad! Luca smiles pithily at him and lifts his glass too. He was big mad about Luna being here...

"So I said, can you get on the next flight out? I'm meeting her tomorrow to give her the great news and I would love it if you're there, so you can meet her and work out the kinks of the collaboration between your firms. And because he's an absolute rockstar, Luc shows up, early, straight from the airport, handsome as a button, and Funke walks in, on time, the same beautiful dynamic energy that swept into my office and showed me my wildest dreams for the park were possible. I saw these two, together, Luc and Funke... and I can't explain how I knew; I just knew." He shrugs kind of emotionally

He chokes back something, Carlen grabbing his hand as I awkwardly wonder what was going on.

"Seeing you two wrap up the project in the last three months has been very inspiring." Carlen adds, a loud desperation in her voice that makes me think she was perhaps holding back tears too.

Luna was damn uncomfortable in her seat, but she deserved worse. To hear that Luca offered a complete stranger help just so his brother-in-law could have the park he wanted... This was doing nothing for operation don't look at Luca with heart eyes. Angus finally takes in a deep breath, pulling himself together...

"Funke... You've given my wildest hopes fertile ground to grow. If I had ever thought otherwise, the last eight months have confirmed it. Thank you." Angus supplicates, the rest of the table going quiet

"To Funke!" Carlen cries, lifting her glass as I shrink awkwardly in my seat

"To Funke!" The entire table chimes, Vik tipping his glass and making eye contact as he mouths congratulations to me

I smile shyly back at him just as Carlen's voice pipes up

"Funke's work and yours marry quite well, won't you say so Lucas?" Carlen prods her brother, clearly eager for him to say more

I look from Vik to Carlen, seeing her turn to her husband for support. Angus MacLeod smiles dotingly at his wife. HE thinks HE'S the one that won the lottery in that marriage!!!! I used to think I'd won the lotto with Luna too. I sip on some prosecco, to wash the bitterness away.

"Indeed. And I'm glad I get to have such an intimate celebration of the project in stead of a big annoying party. I'm looking forward to more of your work as a team to be honest." Angus says brightly, his gaze only shifting from his wife to look at me.

As a team? We are NOT a team at all, or a package deal!

"A team? I thought Funke's firm should be up and running by the end of the month? Making her own work...like a star!" Luna dryly inquires

I'm shocked she knows about esthetisme's opening and all, but then again, what didn't she know? I think she realizes just how jealous and ugly she'd just sounded because she turns a smile to me

"Of course I'll be right there to hold your hand through it. I know how incredibly difficult it is as a black woman to start your own firm in this space." Luna says, to me, stretching her hand out to mine from across the table

I'm forced to look at that hand, that soft lovely hand that I had been so enamoured by for so long, and to see it for the empty platitude it had always been. I consider letting her know that she had been right about me, that I had slept with Lucas, that I'd been foolish enough to develop feelings for him while I was at it. I want her to maybe feel whatever hurt she thought she'd feel from the knowledge of just how right she was, but I couldn't. I wouldn't use my time with Luca as a punch line for my ex, I was too moist to. And I brought a date just so I can avoid Luna and Carlen and Angus and the conversation around Luca and I being in love. I had expected at some point that he would use it in retort to some silly smug thing Luna'd said. I was waiting, for her, confident in herself to cross the line that would make him say something about how many times we had slept together. I was just about to sip my prosecco when Lucas cleared his throat.

"I would like to say something." Lucas announces, breaking into my staring at Luna's outstretched hand

I don't know why, but he reeks of emotional turmoil and I seem to understand it almost intuitively. This must be it!

"I haven't been completely honest with you...Luna..." He announces

I pretend not to see the catty smirk Luna gives him. I don't want to make eye contact with him! He's about to say some wild blatant shit that will let Luna know we've fucked. He's about to say some shit about a cum-stain on his desk!

Oh my word! You don't have to be honest with her! She doesn't deserve your honesty mate!

His eyes meet mine, I consider pleading with him to keep his and everyone's sanity, just for this professional dinner, just for a few hours! He stands up...

"You were right..." He states

"You're absolutely right. I'm in love with Funke." He declares

Carlen makes a noise, Angus clears his throat and grabs her hand,holding them so tightly I start to slightly worry that she might have gone into labour. Luna just drops her champagne flute and stands up.

I've decided that I'm actually having a nightmare.