The ups and downs

Chapter 11

"Get here fast!" the message on my mobile phone said.
It was from Luke. Fearing a horrible fate, I rushed down to his office only to find a note giving another address. It wasn't Luke's handwriting and that increased my concern.
On reaching the address, I realised it was a former bakery, one that I knew too well since I used to spend many days there waiting for Shane. But why am I here?
I entered the small shop, a tinkle of the bell as I opened the door. It was all too familiar with too many memories.
"Luke?" I called out into the silence.
Suddenly I felt hands on my waist and horrified, I turned around, ready to fight this threat. I threw my first punch and heard the man groan. I realized I made a mistake as he turned to me with a small cut made on his lip. It was Luke.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," I said frantically.
Luke looked up and rubbed a bit of blood that was moving towards his chin.
"nice punch," was all he said.
I took out my handkerchief and offered it to him. He took it and held it against the cut.
"Luke?" Lily's voice came from behind.
She appeared looking chic as usual.
"oh Reina! You'll never believe it. Luke wants to open his restaurant, right here, in this small bakery," she said, not sounding happy as her twinkling brown eyes darted around, skeptically examining the place.
"I think it's wonderful," I said, letting my hand traces the edge of the white marbled countertop.
"It's perfect," Luke said looking at me.
Lily's eyes darted from me to Luke and Bak again. I could see it in her eyes that she needed to prove something. She reached for Luke's hand and held it to her chest.
"Luke, if you love it, I'll love it too," she said leaning in and kissed him.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Luke and Lily were kissing in the same place I first met Shane. At that moment I felt my stomach do a somersault. It made my heart pounded fast and I had this primal urge to reach for Lily's arm and pull her away.
I shook away the thoughts. I wasn't supposed to have anything against those two. I had seen Luke kiss his then wife in his office numerous times. It never bothered me then. But the fact that Lily was my friend and she was kissing the man I had feelings for...
"What?" I exclaimed a little too loud.
Lily and Luke turned to me, their questioning gazes, searching for an answer to my outburst.
"Ummm... What nice wooden floors!" I exclaimed without thinking.
"Reina," Luke started, "We're standing on a tiled floor."
Nervously peeking down I realized he was right and I just made a fool of myself.
"I was imagining wooden for the restaurant?" I said meekly hoping it would cover up my goof up.
Lily's eyebrows furrowed and I knew she had realised there was something on my mind. I excused myself and decided to drive back home.
As I drove past building after building I kept wondering why I thought I had feelings for Luke. He was my employer and now my partner. I also had Shane. I looked in the rear view mirror and wondered what was happening.
Once I entered Shane's apartment I dropped my keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed some take out Chinese food from the freezer. Once I was done, I swept the counter top with my hand and I heard a thud, realising I had dropped my keys in the bin. I was being such a klutz. What was happening to me? Do I really have feelings for Luke? He was sweet and kind. He always tried to cheer me up when I was feeling my lowest. Maybe I didn't realize it back then but there could be a chance he actually liked me.
'don't be silly, you have Luke.... No Reina! You have Shane, he's the one you love, he's the one -OUCH.'
My thoughts were interrupted when I cut myself. I carefully removed the glass that cut me from the bin to make sure it wasn't old to cause me any harmful infections. On removing the piece of glass, my eyes widened. The glass had "L+Z". It was Lily's handwriting. I touched the writing and remembered the day she took her lipstick and bordered her mirror that way. She was the happiest girl I had seen when she fell in love with her ex, Zachary. She held on to him longer than anyone expected but he had to move to another state. How did this end up here?