“Did you just call Cara cute?” Luke asked as he tweaked something with a wrench.
“The dog, asshole. The dog is cute. You’re missing the point.” Nick blew out an exasperated breath and looked around the garage. Fuck it, he thought, grabbing a mechanic wheel board, he laid his back on top of it and slid under the same car Luke was underneath.
“Are you kidding me?” Luke asked as he continued his work.
“Well, this is the only way I can get you to listen to me for fuck’s sake! Look this thing with Cara worked while she was in rehab. I mean I get it, she needed someone, you were there, but that’s just it. You’re always looking to rescue a woman.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on Luke, give me a little credit. I’ve been your best friend for over two decades. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Whatever floats your boat man, but Cara isn’t just your typical damsel in distress.” Nick said and handed him another tool, knowing the wrench wouldn’t work the way he needed it to. “You said yourself you’re agonizing over that night the two of you had and for no other reason but that you’d do it again if you could. What does that tell you?”
“It tells me I’m fucked in the head. Maybe at first it was about rescuing her and making sure that she was okay. Maybe I was drawn to her by my promise to my brother, but now I don’t know man. She’s all I think about.” He slid out from underneath the car, letting his confession weigh heavy on him.
Nick slid out as well and peered up at Luke. “Are you actually thinking about pursuing something with her?”
Luke shook his head and wiped his hands on the front of his shirt. “I know I can’t have her. She could never be mine for so many reasons.” He ran his fingers through his hair roughly and looked over at Nick in agony. “I sit at night and I wrack my brain trying to figure why in God’s name, Jake ever asked me to take care of her. He of all people should’ve known the effect she has on someone.” He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “Her fucking laugh alone sends chills throughout my body. When she rambles because she’s nervous, I just want to kiss her to stop the rambling. She teases me and I fucking blush like a pansy.” He sighed heavily and looked at Nick. “I know I’m playing with fire. I don’t need a reminder, be a friend though will you? When I go up and flames grab a fire extinguisher.”
Nick didn’t say a word for a number of reasons. The first being, he had no idea what to say. The second being, Luke wasn’t about to walk away. That was perfectly clear. The thing was though, his friend was angry about something. Something was eating away at him and instead of dealing with that, he chose to ignore it and drown himself in Cara. Nick suddenly felt helpless, as if his friend was on a collision course and all he could do was sit back and watch him crash.
A cab pulled up in front of the garage and Luke watched longingly as Cara paid the driver and made her way out of the taxi, Benny in tow. Tearing his gaze from her as she bent down to grab something else from the cab was a struggle, but Luke turned and looked at Nick sternly.
“Act normal.” He ordered.
“There seems to be a lot of that going around lately.” Nick muttered under his breath before walking towards the office feeling defeated.
Cara walked towards Luke with Benny tucked under her arm and a large tote bag dangling from her other shoulder. She blew at the strands of hair that flew into her eyes and handed Benny to him.
“You won’t believe the morning I’ve had.” She said as she dug around in her tote bag looking for Benny’s leash.
Luke scratched Benny between the ears, earning him some affectionate licks, as he looked at Cara. “What happened?”
“You know the old man across the hall from me? Well, he’s a grump! Benny must’ve had a hard time adjusting to my apartment or maybe he missed you and Ava, but he had a bit of a rough night. It included a lot of wailing, and eventually I let him crawl into bed with me.”
Lucky dog, Luke thought as he glanced down at him. He decided that his life had taken an all-time low, seeing as he was jealous of a puppy.
“Anyway the old grump, called my landlord. I am currently not allowed to have any pets. I tried finding a copy of the lease, but who the hell knows where Jake would’ve kept that. So anyway…” She took a deep breath. “I told him I’d be out by the end of the month. Which probably wasn’t the smartest idea I’ve had, considering I now have what two weeks to find an apartment?”
Luke calculated the date in his head and nodded. “Not even.”