Imagining Us

Is that what friends do?

Success was a thing of beauty.

She somehow managed it—to successfully focus in her "Economics of Growth and Development" class. This whole drama with Porte made her feel like she was in middle school. She felt like such a child with her not being able to focus, to being so consumed by the thoughts of him.
That was why her focus in class felt like such an accomplishment. She should probably treat herself to a vat of 'dulce de leche' ice cream.

"Hey Esi!" Giovanni Farnese called out to her from a few seats over. She knew the Italian man from one of her introductory classes last semester, but she hadn't realized that he was taking this class too.

"Gio!" She exclaimed. "Didn't realize you were in this class."

"Oh yes, I was happy to see you in here too," he said, his words heavily accented. "Samantha—he pointed to a brunette who was waiting expectantly in the seat next to where he had sat—and I were going to form a group for the first presentation...would you like to join us?"

"Sure, that would be great," she replied. It beat her having to find a group to join.

"We just need one more person to make four," he looked around at the remaining students in the classroom. She saw the recognition on his face when he saw someone that he knew.

"I think I see someone that can join. I will find out, yes?"

"You can let me know...If you don't I'll find someone," she offered. It was a fairly large class, it shouldn't be that hard to find a fourth group member.

"Do you think maybe we can meet on Saturday to start?" Gio inquired.

"Yea...Saturday works for me," she said.

He smiled in response.

"I will tell Samantha... a presto, Esi."

"Ciao."

She waved goodbye to him and then to Samantha. Esi made her way through the rear door and out of the classroom.
~~~
As soon as she exited the class, Esi spied Luka leaning against the opposite wall. He held a stylus and his hand was making quick movements across the screen of his tablet. No doubt he was working on a digital sketch.

Esi observed him compared to the others walking by. Even slouching, he towered over so many. All he wore was a black jacket over a grey hoodie and slacks—as if it wasn't freezing in Connecticut.

She frowned.

Why was he even here?

He no longer attended the university as far as she knew.

Esi was tempted to walk over to him and greet him, but ideally she wanted to avoid talking about his brother. So, she made the decision to pretend that she hadn't seen him and to walk away.

"Is that what friends do, London?" She heard a voice call after her.

Esi spun on her heel—Luka was looking right at her.

She smiled sheepishly. "Luke...is that you?"

Luke shook his head at her feigned ignorance.

He closed his tablet cover, put the stylus behind his ear and stalked towards her. Luke narrowed his eyes as he came to stand in front of her.

"Were you seriously going to pretend that you didn't see me?" He huffed.

She would have continued the farce if she hadn't seen the look of hurt in his warm honey eyes.

"Sorry," she started. "I just couldn't—I just didn't know..."

Her words trailed off because she didn't know how to tell him that she had avoided him because of his brother. There was no way that anyone would have taken that excuse well.

"I'm gonna assume that my brother did something," he offered. "And you don't look like you want to talk about it." His voice inflected at the end making his words end in a question.

Esi shook her head slightly.

"Fair enough, he irritates me too."

"That's not what I said," she shot back.

Luka smiled a wide grin, one that was eerily similar to his brother's. His beauty mark above the left corner was the only major difference.

It struck her—that smile. The familiarity of it. And she looked away.

True to the Danvers name, there were glances being thrown at them by students walking up and down the hall. The stares forced her to look back at him.

Esi could see the gears turning in his. mind, then a smirk that could only be described as villainous found its way onto his face.

"You know what else you didn't say," Luke asked rhetorically. " 'Hello'...you didn't say hello to me, Esi." He paused for dramatic effect. "Your best friend....Unfathomable." He shook his head at her.

What was it with these brothers self-proclaiming as her friend?

"Debatable," she deadpanned.

"After I came alllll this way to see you."

"What do you want Luke?" She asked as she pulled her gloves onto her hands.

He threw his arm over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. What must people be saying?

"I'm walking you to your car," he stated as if it was obvious.

"Is the added appendage necessary though?" Esi asked as he prompted her to walk forward. It was slightly awkward to keep up with his longer strides.

"It's so cold..the added warmth helps."

"Maybe you should've worn your coat instead of trying to make a fashion statement," she threw at him.

Luke looked down at his outfit, then back at her.

"I do look good, don't I?" He grinned.

"Luke," she admonished. "How may I help you?"

With an unexpectedly serious look on his face, he asked,
"Would you like to have dinner with me?"

A/N

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