It was just that Nova's place in Levi's life had been restricted to things like lunch. He never told her anything about work, not even about the company they were supposedly building together. So she had asked the question purely out of habit, she hoped it didn't come off as overly familiar.
It didn't help that lunchtime that day had been a pivotal moment in her life. She had decided to try and move past that though, if Roan wanted to tell her, she would like to know if he had eaten lunch.
+
Roan hadn't but he didn't want Nova to get the idea that she had to do something about it so he lied with ease. "I did but I might forget tomorrow so have lunch with me."
He looked over at her to get her reaction, intrigued by how expressive she always was. She wore her thoughts on her face, it was easy to figure out what she was thinking.
He could see the way her momentary confusion turned into realization, her gaze dropping bashfully. He was curious about how she would respond, Nova surprised him sometimes, she seemed like a passive and shy person but she sometimes took risks.
And she took one now…
+
Nova didn't know what pushed her to respond, Roan was practically asking her out on a lunch date, just when she thought her current situation couldn't get any wilder.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to," She strung together words that fortunately made sense, managing to not bite her tongue.
Was this really happening? Was she actually doing this?
She tried to feel bad about the fact that she had gotten dumped literally that day but she couldn't. If anything, she deserved this for how she had been treated by the two most important people in her life.
Nova hid her face by looking out the window, although all she could see were blurry lights as the windows were tinted. So she missed Roan's slight smile at her response, her heart beating so fast, she was worried that she would faint.
She tried to calm herself down, she was probably reading too deeply into things. Maybe Roan didn't even mean it as a date and he was just trying to be nice… that had to be it, Nova was just a nobody who had nothing.
She sighed, keeping her stare at the window deep in thought. It was so easy for her to get mood swings, all she had to do was look away from the lavish life Roan owned and she remembered everything she had lost. Her time, her money, her trust… and her love.
Nova was pulled from her drab thoughts by the car coming to a halt, she looked over to see Roan already getting out and was about to do the same.
"Sit," His measured order came and Nova obeyed without thinking, surprised by the order and even more surprised by her easy compliance.
The sound of camera shutters going off and camera flashes made her heart sink. How had she forgotten just how big a deal Roan was? Of course, if he was attending any event, there would be paparazzi involved. He literally owned a media conglomerate!
How did Nova forget this very important tidbit? The media didn't care about the details of their arrangement, the fact that she was showing up with him would put her in the spotlight.
Was Roan fine with this? Was that why he told her to sit in the car? She didn't mind if she had to spend the rest of the night in the car, the last the she wanted to do was embarrass him.
Her pale green eyes went wide when her door opened, all Roan had done was go around to open her door for her. He took the jeweled purse held tightly in her trembling hands before helping her out.
Nova was instantly blinded by lights, the car's windows had protected her from the full intensity of the media barrage. She couldn't see a single thing and she was grateful to Roan for keeping a firm hand around her to lead her forward.
She had no idea how Roan was able to see right in front of him because although the paparazzi were held back by red tape and a lot of suited bodyguards, they didn't stop taking pictures until they were through the doors of the hotel that the company dinner was to be held in.
"Are you alright?" Roan stopped to ask in the foyer, tipping up her jaw to look at him.
Nova blinked a few times to get rid of the dark spots in her vision, giving him a wobbly smile, "I am."
Roan's low chuckle at her shaky response actually made her feel better but that momentary respite was immediately taken away when he took his hand away from her jaw and she became aware of the other people in the room with them.
There was a line of uniformed waiters to receive them, one of them coming over with a quiet smile to lead them to where the dinner was being held. Nova hadn't asked any questions about what to expect and now she wished she did.
Everyone in the foyer had their eyes on her, even the waiters, it was a miracle she didn't trip on the polished marble. Thankfully, Roan had a firm hold around her waist and she was too overwhelmed by what was going on to be self-conscious about it.
They went down a carpeted hallway, the lights getting dimmer the further they got away from the foyer. Fortunately, paparazzi weren't allowed inside the hotel so her eyes were spared but it also meant that she saw everything clearly.
Like the way the entire room seemed to stop when Roan stepped into the massive but elegant ballroom with her on his arm. There was no time to stop to think, no chance to reconsider what she had actually gotten herself into so she slapped a smile on her face and tried to fit in.