If I Were Allowed To Love You

Thirty

It was a challenging week for Lucas. Any time he wanted to talk to Theo while they were alone, it had to be about business. Otherwise, Theo had his music playing to eliminate the silence. Lucas wasn't sure of what he did wrong. He hadn't brought up Ross since their first day of working together. After his talk with Melissa, he understood that if it was in Theo's best interest to have a companion, then he should have one.

It hurt not being able to talk to Theo like before. Even if it was only for a short amount of time, Lucas enjoyed being able to talk to Theo about whatever came to mind. The silence was irritating. He wanted to talk to Theo, have conversations that the two would enjoy. Joking around was what separated his job from work and having fun.

As Theo shoved the last tray of cupcakes into the back of the truck, Lucas wanted to ask about what music they should listen to on the way to the venue. He wanted to learn more about the sort of music that Theo liked. But as he began to ask the question, Theo turned his back on Lucas and walked back towards the house. "Melissa is coming, right?"

"Yes," Lucas sighed. "And so is Ryan. Why did you want them to come?"

"Ryan's coworker had an uncle who died from AIDS, and she donates to this event each year. She brought Ryan the first time she attended, and he was such a smooth talker, that people wound up donating more than they originally attended. Alexa brings him each year to smooth talk the donors."

"But why Melissa?"

"If we're all going, why shouldn't she?"

Smiling, Lucas said, "That's very considerate of you."

Glancing over his shoulder, Theo nodded before walking into the house. Sighing, Lucas followed him and inside and walked up to his bedroom.

Melissa stepped out of the bathroom. Lucas beamed as he saw her dressed in a simple black, form fitting, lacey dress with an open back. Placing his hands on her hips, he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."

Hoisting her chin up, she smirked and said, "Of course I am."

Chuckling, he pecked her lips before taking off his shirt and pulling on his catering uniform. A plain black t-shirt, black dress pants, and a black blazer with non-slip shoes. He tied his hair into a ponytail and walked downstairs with Melissa.

Theo, dressed in the same uniform, and Ryan, dressed in a black suit with a lacey patterned suit jacket, both looked up to stare at the two in awe. Their prior conversation almost seemed lost as the two stared at their mates. Ryan noticed how Theo had been giving Lucas the cold shoulder ever since he saw the two in the midst of their foreplay. He reminded Theo that if he wanted to be close to his mate, he would have to play nice and move on from what happened. Neither Melissa nor Lucas knew about how he was his mate, and Theo needed to remember that. If there was even a chance for him to be with Lucas, he was going to have to play nice.

But the moment he saw Lucas walk down the stairs with Melissa on his arms, all he could picture was Lucas's head poking out from under the duvet, taking a break from pleasing his fiancé. He didn't have his mate. And based on how they had been acting, he had the feeling he was never going to be with his mate. All he wanted was to be with Lucas, and being friends seemed like too much after the full comprehension of the situation sunk in.

Lucas didn't miss the look on Theo's face. Despair. Regret. Defeat. He hated to see those looks on his face. He wanted Theo to laugh again, smile with him. He wanted to have fun with him during their catering job, because working with Theo was supposed to be fun. It was supposed to be fun because he was going to be working with Theo. And whatever was going on in his head, Lucas knew Theo was not going to have fun.