Becca wasn't particularly looking forward to her office party that evening, because her female colleagues were like a pack of wild animals and they would try to hunt for any weakness in Luke and his relationship with her. But after they'd had so much fun at the ice skating, she was looking forward to spending another evening with him. For this party she'd opted for a classic LBD and a classy half up do. Luke picked her up, wearing smart trousers, a smart shirt and a tie, trying not to let his jaw drop when he saw her. Her beauty in that dress put his efforts to shame, but he had the hardest time trying to tell her that.
Once at the party, Janine and Pennie were the worst at wanting to get a good look at and talk to him, but they managed to get them to back off quite quickly.
"I'm sorry it's so tedious," Becca commented softly when they finally had a moment without one of her colleagues bugging them.
"It's okay, and I'm sure tomorrow will be no different," he said back, glancing at her as he handed her a new glass of wine.
"Well... it will be a little different," she answered, slowly glancing up at him as well as their fingers met. She was thinking of the fact that her ex and his girlfriend were going to be there, and he was going to find out whether he was going to get a big promotion or not. All Becca could do was hope that she'd done enough to help him.
"Yeah, let's not think about that just yet," Luke said as if he'd read her mind, making her chuckle. He held his glass out for her to clink hers against. She smiled as she did so, wondering what he was thinking as he smiled at her. "But either way, thank you for all your help," he added, sliding his arm around her waist.
"Don't mention it," she fought back a blush, as she lowered her gaze.
They didn't stay too late, given that they had another party the next night.
Becca felt her stomach do flip flops as she got herself ready for Luke's office party and she couldn't figure out why. She knew part of it was that she wanted him to get partner. But there was a big part of it that she couldn't put her finger on. She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she plaited her hair, wondering if maybe it had something to do with why she was putting in the amount of effort she was for tonight. 'Don't be silly, I'm trying to help Luke look good in front of his bosses,' she told herself with an internal scoff. She finished putting two French plaits in her hair, pulling them back and pinning them up. She used a small Christmas hairclip to hide the pins. She wasn't big on make-up, but she managed to use as little as possible to keep her look natural. Her dress was a Christmassy green velvet down to her knees, with long sleeves and a twisted knot at the front, enhancing her cleavage. She teamed it with a cute pair of mid-calf black boots, with a small heel; a Christmas charm bracelet; and bauble earrings.
Luke passed Derek leaving the complex to pick Gina up, as he pulled in. He was glad that there wouldn't be an audience when he picked his date up. Unlike last night for her office party, he was wearing his best suit, with a Snowman Christmas tie. He had to stop himself from running up the stairs, excited to see what she was wearing tonight.
She felt a flutter when she heard him knock on her front door. Becca looked in the mirror one last time before quickly spritzing her favorite perfume Diamonds on and heading to the door.
"Oh wow, Bexx," Luke breathed amazed when he first saw her.
"Yeah?" she blushed, twirling the bottom of her dress a little.
"You look breathtaking," he promised her, leaning in to give her a kiss on her cheek, his hand on her back. He was surprised to feel how soft her dress was, and he knew straight away that he would struggle keeping his hands off her tonight. For appearances, that was a good thing; for his head and his heart, he wasn't so sure.
"Thanks," she smiled, straightening his tie as he pulled away. "You look dashing too," she said, appreciating how good he looked in his suit.
He gave a small blush of his own. "Are you ready?" he asked, instead of focusing on what she said.
"I just need my coat and bag," Becca answered, heading back to her bedroom for her phone and bag. He took the opportunity to clear his throat and shake his head clear, loosening his shoulders as he did so. "Ready," she smiled when she rejoined him and grabbed her coat off the hook. He returned the smile as he led the way out of her apartment.
Luke left his car at Becca's apartment complex and they made their way to the party venue by taxi. This way they could both have a drink; if he decided to have more than one, he could get a taxi back home from hers.
Once they'd handed their coats in to wardrobe, he gently rested his hand in the small of her back as they made their way into the party room. "I hope they don't bother you too much," he said, referring to the senior partners and their wives. This would usually be their favorite time to get to know their employees' other halves, and especially as Becca had come in with treats in the past few weeks.
"I'll be fine, don't worry," Becca reassured him, slipping her arm around his waist and giving him a squeeze.
"Mr. Shelton, Miss Swindell, I'd like you to meet my wife Leslie," Mr. Manka beckoned them over as soon as he spotted them, before Luke could respond. They both put on big smiles as they made their way over, especially when Derek passed them with Gina and he didn't look particularly happy to see that they were getting special attention from the boss.
They spoke to Mr. Manka and his wife for a while, when Mr. Diamond and his wife joined. Both couples had been together for decades and weren't shy about dishing out the advice. But it made for entertaining conversation, so they didn't really mind. "You should ask your lady to dance," Mr. Manka said eventually, taking his own advice by leading Leslie towards the dance floor.
"Shall we?" Luke asked his date with an amused smile. After all, it would be a shame to waste how beautiful she looked tonight.
"Sure," she nodded as she took his hand. He smiled as he followed his boss onto the dance floor and pulled his 'girlfriend' into his arms. Becca returned his smile, thinking that his good looks definitely meant it wasn't much of a hardship to have to pretend to be in a relationship with him.
'I found a love for me. Darling just dive right in and follow my lead. Well I found a girl, beautiful and sweet. I never knew you were the someone waiting for me.'
"I hope you're having fun," he said softly, looking into her green eyes as he couldn't help taking in the lyrics of the song they were dancing to.
'I will not give you up this time. But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own. And in your eyes, you're holding mine. Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favourite song.'
"Yeah, I am," she nodded with a smile, trying not to get lost in his gaze.
'I whispered underneath my breath. But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight. Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know. She shares my dreams.'
It was so easy to forget they weren't alone, as they looked into each other's eyes and moved to the music together. His arm around her waist made her feel secure, as his other hand holding hers made her feel respected. She could feel his muscles under her hand, where it rested on his shoulder. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this when she danced with Derek, though if she had to be honest, she couldn't remember dancing together very often. Her ex seemed to use the same excuse for that as he did for not wanting to do a lot of things with her; that she was clumsy or at least not very coordinated. It didn't matter to him that, despite not being good at things, she still enjoyed doing them, especially dancing.
'Fighting against all odds, I know we'll be alright this time. Darling, just hold my hand. Be my girl, I'll be your man, I see my future in your eyes. Baby, I'm dancing the dark, with you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song. When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful. I don't deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight.'
Becca blushed when she heard Luke softly sing along to those last few lines, dipping her head a little. Still holding her hand, he lifted her chin up so she could look him in the eyes again. "Don't be shy, it's true. You look perfect," he said softly, making her blush even more. Her green eyes widened a little when she realized he was leaning in. His lips had just found hers when, "Good evening everyone, may I have your attention?"
Mr. Manka, Mr. Diamond and Mr. Thompson had gathered at the front of the room, which could only mean one thing: they were going to announce who was going to become the next junior partner. "As you all know, Luke Shelton, Derek Smith and Jake McArthur have all produced excellent work for us this year, which is why they're up for junior partner. But, as always, there's only one position. So… without further delay…" Mr. Diamond did the introductory spiel. Becca took hold of Luke's hand with both of hers, feeling just as nervous as she imagined he was.
"Please join us in congratulating…" Mr. Manka started, "Derek Smith." The claps that went around the room were mostly polite ones, rather than enthusiastic, as Derek stepped forward to shake hands with the three senior partners. He looked so smug as he then turned to face the room full of colleagues.
"Figures," she heard Luke mutter softly and she almost felt her heart break before she wrapped her arm around his waist to comfort him.
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, before he wrapped his arm around her, appreciating her presence in that moment. "I'm sorry Luke," she said softly as she leaned into him. To an outsider it could look like he was comforting her, like they'd been a real couple for months or years.
His response was halted as Derek then appeared before them. "Congratulations Derek," Luke said, with the smallest smile he could muster, as he let go of Becca to shake his colleague's hand.
"Yeah… Don't worry Luke, I'm sure you'll get another shot at it soon," her ex couldn't resist saying, not seeing her narrow her eyes at him in disgust. Not for the first time in recent weeks, but definitely more strongly, she was happy she was no longer in a relationship with him. It was this side of him that she hadn't seen much of while they had been together, but it was definitely the side of him she didn't like, approve of or miss.
After the announcement, Becca and Luke danced for a few more songs and spent some time talking to Tris and her fiancé, but it was hard to regain the mood from before. They got a taxi back to hers, using their flight in the morning as the excuse for wanting to leave on the early side.
"Do you want to come in for a bit?" Becca asked after they'd paid for the taxi and made their way up to her front door. He'd been understandably quiet since they'd found out that the position had gone to her ex, but sometimes it was nice to be around someone even if you didn't talk.
"No, that's okay, thank you. I think I just want to be alone right now. You know, before I have to be around mom and Leanne," Luke said, not looking up at her until he'd finished talking.
She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Okay," she nodded. "I guess, I'll see you in the morning then," she said, not sure how to say that he could always call or text her if he needed to.
He nodded as well, giving her a small smile. "Thanks for being there tonight," he said softly, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Anytime," she assured him before he took a step back.
"See you tomorrow," Luke said and made his way down the stairs to his car, feeling his eyes sting and hoping desperately that he wouldn't start crying. He'd known that Derek or Jake would be the more likely ones to get the promotion because of their more ruthless nature, but of course he'd hoped he'd be in with a genuine chance, especially after the attention that he and Becca had received from Mr. Manka and Mr. Diamond. But, he knew if he continued to work hard, that he stood a good chance next time around; Mr. Manka had taken the time tonight to chat to him about the decision they'd made and how close it had been between him and Derek. It helped soften the blow a little, but he still couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Luke got in the car and sat there for a few minutes in case he did have to cry, but he eventually started the car to head home. He took a deep breath as he waited at the traffic light to get out of the complex and realized he felt horribly alone. He didn't want to spend all night feeling like this. He made a quick U-turn and headed back to her flat.
"Becca?" Luke called as he knocked on her door. It didn't take long before she opened the door, having changed from her party dress into her pajamas. She'd taken her make-up off, but her hair was still up in plaits and pins. "I'm sorry, is your offer still valid? I don't think I can face being alone after all," he said apologetically, realizing it was gone 11 and they were supposed to be on a flight together tomorrow anyway.
"Of course," Becca said with a warm smile, holding the door open wider so he could step in.
"Thanks, I know it's late and…" he continued his apologies and gratitude, cutting off in surprise when she pulled him into a big hug as she stood on her tiptoes to reach.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I can sleep on the plane," she set him straight, feeling him hug her back now. "You deserve that promotion more than he does," she said softly after a minute, feeling him laugh a little.
"You are a little biased, but thanks," Luke appreciated her efforts.
She started pulling back now, but not before she planted a big kiss on his cheek. "I might be, but that doesn't mean I'm not right," Becca said, stroking his cheek where she'd left a faint smudge of lipstick. "You know, I think this calls for a hot chocolate with mini marshmallows," she suggested, letting go of him to head to the kitchen and missing the slight blush on his cheeks.
"Thanks, Bexx," he said appreciatively as he followed her. She gave him a big smile as she set about heating the milk up and stirring in the cocoa. He leaned back against the door opening as he watched her. Not for the first time, he caught himself thinking that he could watch her all day.
That thought reoccurred later as well when she was taking the pins and plaits from her hair, leaving her with soft waves. He chuckled when going through her hair with her fingers made the waves bigger and stand out more, taking the hit on the chest from her gladly.