"Luke," Cobie murmurs, breathing out the air that has been stuck in her throat for a few seconds. "You know how to give a girl a heart attack."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I've been sitting here since before you came out. I'm also surprised you didn't see me at all."

She turns around and leans back on the balcony railing. "I thought you would be in bed now and sleeping. What are you doing here?"

"Sitting obviously. And working" —he glances at his screen— "since I can't go back to sleep."

"Oh." A gentle wind blows over, prompting her hair to dance lazily in the air and land on her eyes. Cobie brushes her bangs away from her face. "Sorry. I shouldn't have called you."

"No, I told you it's fine." Luke closes her laptop, puts it on the table next to him, and props himself up. Sauntering over in her direction, he stops behind his balcony railing which stands close to hers. He then leans forward, resting his elbows on the top rail. "And what about you? Can't sleep either?"

"Yeah. I thought a shower would help me sleep, but it woke me up instead. I couldn't turn on the TV, either. Didn't want to wake up Georgie."

"Hmm, next time you guys should book separate rooms then."

Next time? Does he plan to have another business trip with her? Ignoring the flutters in her stomach, Cobie pushes the dangerous question to the back of her mind. "That would be nice but I don't think it's necessary. The Finance wouldn't approve anyway."

"Maybe. We don't know about it yet." Luke shrugs.

Unlike the usual neat style he wears at work, his hair is now quite messy from the lack of gel. It gives his brown lock more volume, provoking Cobie's wondrous thought to run wildly. How does it feel to run her fingers through it? And how can someone appear this infuriatingly hot when he's not even trying?

Do not stare, do not stare, do not stare. Cobie repeats the line in her head like a mantra. But it's so darn hard to look at him without being sucked into the temptation. Probably it's time to bid him goodnight again and lock herself inside, safe from the danger called Luke Williams. Yet, she stands rooted to her spot, waiting for what he's going to say next. Maybe she just doesn't want to.

"So, this Harry guy," Luke says, "your sister's boyfriend, huh?"

She wants to keep the info to a minimum but of course, he heard the convo from her side. Did she accidentally reveal too much? "Yeah."

"And he's now getting friendly with you too?"

Cobie shakes her head. "It's nothing like that. We used to be campus buddies." Cobie turns her head to him, but when her eyes meet the man's gaze, she looks away again. "It was before he met my sister."

"Did you guys date?"

"Nope."

"Did he like you?"

Cobie frowns at his question. Did Harry like her? In all honesty, she didn't even want to seek the answer to that. All she knows is Harry liked the idea that girls were crazy for him. "I don't think so. I don't know. But that's not the point at the moment."

Luke raises his eyebrows. "And the point is...?"

Cobie sighs as she turns her body to the side, facing Luke. Her left hip presses to the metal railing next to her, her arms are crossed over her chest, and her eyes are peering at her boss. Rules be damned. "Are you interrogating me, Luke?"

The man scrunches his nose. "I wouldn't use the word, but yes, I'm intrigued and want to know more."

"Why?"

Luke shrugs. "Because."

Cobie snorts, looking down at her barefoot. "Is my love life suddenly interesting after I accidentally sent you that message?"

"Good question." Luke squints his eyes, followed by a smirk growing in the corner of his lips, prompting Cobie to groan inwardly. "Maybe." Before she has a chance to reply, he extends his hand to examine the distance between their balcony railings.

"What are you doing?"

Luke grins even wider when Cobie props herself up in anticipation. "What do you think?" With that, he swings one foot over his metal railing, followed by another one. With one hand reaching out to her railing, he carefully spreads his legs so that one foot is stepping on her balcony, between the railing bars, ignoring Cobie's shriek. In one swift motion, he jumps over and lands on her balcony. "See? Easy peasy. The gap between our balconies isn't that big."

"What were you thinking! That was dangerous! What if you slipped and fell? We are on the fifth level!"

"I'm here, aren't I?" he replies, smiling while slipping his hands into his pockets. "You might want to lower your voice or you will wake up your roommate."

Cobie trudges to a veranda chair and plops down, feeling weak all of a sudden. "I can't feel my legs. I swear you're the first person who gave me a heart attack twice in less than ten minutes. That was dangerous, Luke."

"Sorry, Evans, but you should've trusted my judgment. And it's easier to talk like this." Luke walks over to the other side of her balcony, checking the view. "You've got a better balcony view. It's not fair."

"The perk of having a room at the end of the hall. We can swap, but then you'll get a single bed."

Luke chuckles as he turns around, looking at her again. "Nah. I assume you're not going back to bed yet anyway. So we can enjoy the view together while I'm listening to your love-life problem."

"So, you're a love-life specialist now?"

"I can be one if needed. Now, do tell. Did you like this Harry guy?"

Cobie bites the inner side of her cheek, not sure how to respond to his blunt question. How did they end up on a hotel balcony at 3 AM talking about her uni love drama? A week ago, Luke was just a hot boss she secretly admired from afar; her forbidden fruit. And now he's right in front of her, showing interest in her existence. It just feels surreal.

"Having feelings for our friend isn't illegal. You know that, right?" Luke adds.

"I know, but nothing happened between us back then, really."

"That's not what I was asking." Luke leans back to the railing, his elbows on the top rail while his eyes are focused on Cobie's face, assessing her. "Did you like him?"

"I don't have to answer that."

"Come on, Evans, there is no harm in sharing this stuff with me. I don't know who Harry is, and the chance I will bump into him is slim to none. Let's say we're having a morning brainstorming now." Luke rubs his palms together, looking excited. "Come on, give me something."

Leaning back to her chair, Cobie groans. She knows how pushy Luke can be when he wants something. At least he does that when it comes to working. But this doesn't work; she never had this kind of talk with him before, yet she's liking this.

"Fine. I was attracted to him. But who didn't? He was charming, friendly, smart, a bit too confident sometimes, but he was fun to be with." Cobie pauses and frowns, pushing her mind back to her early uni years. "Girls adored Harry within no time, and he became one of the most wanted guys in my uni. I was no exception, but to me, it was just fangirling. Nothing serious."

"But you two were buddies. It sounded more than just fangirling. You had direct access to him, and judging from the phone call a few minutes ago, he brought up things he shouldn't." Luke says, still with his sharp gaze on her. "About how you felt about him if I understood your reaction correctly."

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

"Loud and clear."

Cobie groans. "Okay. At the moment, he's just being Harry. He likes to poke people's nerves, especially when he's not in a good place. He can be a total douche when he's drunk too. And tonight, I was his target. That's all." She rubs her hands over her knees. "Plus, things between him and my sister aren't going that great. He sounded annoyed and annoying at the same time."

"I see. That sounds rough." Luke pauses, seemingly busy with his thoughts. He then frowns and tilts his head, a sign his brain is changing gear. "So, he didn't ask you out even though he was attracted to you."

"He wasn't. Not that I knew of."

"Is he blind?"

She blinks. And blinks again. Did he just say what he said? But this is Luke, he always says all the sweetest things to make other people feel good. Right? Focus, Cobie. "Everyone has a type, Luke. I don't believe in the concept of one person for everyone."

"That's true. But didn't he want to know where you both stood back in uni? Don't you think it means something?"

"It didn't have to mean anything. And he was drunk."

"Did you know that questions coming from a drunk person are often the honest ones? Hmm, I'm smelling a potential love triangle here."

"No. There is definitely no triangle, or rectangle, or pentagon, or circle, you name it. There was nothing romantic going on between us, and it never will." She would crush her sister's heart if she ever considered dating Harry in the future. She will never do this to Rose. Harry is just a forgotten crush from the past, and she was over him even before he went out with Rose.

"What was stopping you?"

Cobie shifts in her seat, starting to feel uneasy with Luke's questions. "Huh?"

"What was stopping both of you from going out if the feelings were there? Was it because he was popular?" When Cobie freezes, he adds, "Your word, not mine. You wrote that in your...email. I haven't given it a thought until" —Luke shrugs— "now."

She should have never underestimated Luke. Even at almost 3 AM, his brain is as sharp as a knife. It must be too easy for him to put two and two together. She shouldn't have had this convo with him in the first place. She shouldn't have opened the passage to enable him to roam around in her inner world.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It-"

"What's the story behind popular guys being on your blacklist by the way?"

"Luke," Cobie interjects in a lower pitch, feeling helpless all of a sudden. She hates it when Luke manages to hit the invisible button. It's terrifying. There is no way she will tell any soul about what happened in high school. It's still too painful to walk down its memory lane.

"Okay, I'll stop."

"Thank you," Cobie mumbles, fixing her gaze on her black-painted toenails.

"I'm sorry. I was a bit too far. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Still staring at her feet, she's weighing what she's going to do. She was so close to getting up and running into her room if Luke didn't stop.

The thing is, despite the agitation from being pushed over her limits, something in her shifts. She enjoys being alone with him, away from her colleagues' prying eyes. Maybe it's because his boss is acting like a totally different person right now. A person she can talk to. A person who can see through her, yet she feels somewhat safe.

Oh no, is she liking his attention a little bit too much? It's Luke for god sake! The man knows how to make girls feel special. He's known for that reputation. Even Georgia, the person who knows him the most, hasn't succeeded to get herself out of his blinding charm.

Rule number three: do not overthink his good intention. There! Get your head on straight, Cobie!

She tilts her head to him and smiles brightly. "Enough about me for now. What about you? Are you dating someone at the moment?"

Luke raises his eyebrow, looking surprised by the sudden topic change. "Yes and no."

"What kind of answer is that?"

A sound of racing cars roars from the street, followed by the squeaking abrupt break splitting the morning tranquility. Cobie instantly jumps up to the railing to check what's going on. Two cars are zigzagging on the street, but instead of bumping into each other, they manage to run side to side and speed up again, leaving the dark and empty street.

"I wonder if they make it alive before the sun rises," Luke says. Cobie has no idea how Luke is now standing next to her, eyeing the same street but the cars are already out of sight.

"Who knows."

"But maybe the adrenaline produced during the race is what makes them alive. Do you want to try racing someday?"

"Nice try. You're not changing the subject, Mr. Williams," she replies, earning a chuckle from him.

"Alright. Yes, I'm seeing someone, but I'm not sure if I can call it dating."

"A hook-up friend?"

Luke laughs. "That's the closest definition, yes." He turns around and leans on the railing, their arms almost touching. "Things have been great with her. No string attached, no nagging girlfriend, no hassle, since you know, we both are tied to our demanding jobs. Careers come first."

"Is it" —Cobie glances at the door— "Georgie?"

"Huh?" Luke raises one eyebrow. "Gigi? God, no! Why would you think that? She's like a little sister to me."

"Oh." Cobie bites her lower lip, suddenly feeling dumb. "Sorry. It was just a wild guess."

"So, you thought Gigi and I..."

Cobie winces. "There has been a speculation going around for a while, that you and Gigi mmm, might have slept together."

Luke shakes his head. "I wouldn't do that to her. I've known her since she was in high school. I know her brother well."

"Oh. I never knew that."

"You never asked."

The morning breeze blows again and strokes Cobie's hair, making it sway in all directions and blocking her sight. She holds it in place until the wind stops, and once she can tuck her hair behind her ears, her eyes are met with Luke's intense gaze. She gulps. Has he been looking at her like that? And why is he standing too close now? This is illegal because the way his scents invade her nostrils is more intoxicating than the gin she had tonight. Her mind is clouded; she can't think clearly.

What was the last post-it rule she wrote again? Right. Keep your proximity!

"My turn. When was the last time you went out with someone?" Luke asks.

"Uh." Cobie racks her brain, trying to get it back into gear. "Summer last year."

"Oh, wow. You've been celibate for a year now."

"Longer. I don't sleep with a guy if we haven't passed at least our third date."

"And how many guys have passed your third-date screening?"

"Not many." Cobie chuckles. "Almost none."

"I see." Luke nods, contrasting the curious look on his face. "Is it that hard to find a hot-enough guy to bang? That's your word by the way. Not mine."

"Can you not quote my email for once?" Cobie crosses her arms over her chest. "And no, it's not that. I just don't wanna get involved physically with any guy that I barely know and trust."

"Is that what you expect from your breadhead guy too?"

Cobie shrugs. "I guess."

"Did you ever have a boyfriend before, Cobie?"

"I did."

"Is your last boyfriend simply that irreplaceable?" he asks as he studies her face, "Or is he a part of the reasons you don't trust popular guys?"

Despite how casual Luke's questions are, the words are like metal bullets ripping her chest and hitting the core of her heart. She's losing her balance. "We're not talking about this again," she replies, her voice hardening.

"Evans–"

"I'm tired, Luke. I'm going to try to catch some sleep now. Goodnight." With that, she pivots on her heels and trudges to the door.

"Cobie–"

Right when she's about to pull the handle, the door is pushed open from the inside, forcing Cobie to stagger back for balance. In the next second, Georgia emerges from the door, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"What are you guys doing out here?"

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