Not once in his life did Lucian make a selfish decision. He always pulled himself together and faced the difficulties life threw at him. He took care of his family after his father retired. The man deserved a break. His father built the company from nothing and even though the man always tried to casually see how things were going at the company he never interfered. He knew when to back off. His mother didn't. It was almost nine in the morning and he wasn't sitting behind his desk at the office yet. That was unthinkable. He received a call from Noah, he was anticipating it. He rolled to his side, grabbed his phone off the bedside table and quietly answered it.
"Morning." He grumbled.
"Are you okay?" Noah asked.
He could hear the concern in his brother's voice.
"I'm not feeling well." It was true that he felt off but he wasn't physically ill, "I'm going to work from home today."
"Your assistant isn't in yet either." Noah was on the move, he could hear the noises in the background, "What were you two up to?"
He groaned, not wanting to go there. His brother was only joking, but Noah didn't know about the confusing dinner he had with Scarlett last night. Things were fine at first, friendly even. Then things got weird and Scarlett pushed him again. The cherry on top was when she kissed his cheek and left him like that. He needed some time away from her to clear his head and remind himself of the boundaries they needed. If he had a weekend away where they were going to pretend they were dating he needed to get the weird feeling she left in him out of his system. It would help him to not get carried away.
"That doesn't sound good. Did something actually happen last night?"
Lucian rolled out of bed and strolled to the kitchen, he needed to make coffee so he could wake up his brain.
"We had dinner."
"Okay?"
Noah wasn't going to let this go, he knew his brother would be coming over if he didn't explain things. He needed Noah to stay at the office if he was going to work from home. One of them needed to be available.
"We talked about the trip to the beach house then Scarlett became flirty. I called it a night, made sure she got home safely and then she kissed my cheek and left it at that."
He rolled his eyes, trying to ignore his brother's laughter. If it was Michael he was talking to his cousin would taunt him. Michael would be laughing his ass off and then tell him he was overreacting. Noah knew him though. At least he hoped Noah understood where he was going with this.
"Isn't that so like Scarlett?"
Lucian grabbed a mug and made himself a cup of coffee, it was still too hot to sip but God did he need it right now. He grabbed it and walked to the bedroom. He placed the mug on his bedside table and sat down on his bed. After his chat with Noah he'd freshen up, his coffee would be drinkable then.
"We agreed that if something happened at the beach house we'd just let it happen and never talk about it again. But we're not at the beach house right now, are we?"
"I think you should just let it go. It might have been the heat of the moment or maybe it was the wine or whatever you were having. Until now Scarlett stayed professional despite her flirty and teasing personality."
"I thought so too."
"Then why are you staying home and feeling sorry for yourself? A beautiful woman kissed your cheek, great. Maybe it meant something or maybe it didn't. If you keep behaving like nothing happened Scarlett won't feel tempting to let it become something more. Just be your regular boring self and things will work out."
"You're such a jerk." Lucian sighed, "I don't understand why people always like you more than me."
Noah laughed, "Well, some people know how to play the game better."
Lucian rolled his eyes, "Whatever, I'm hanging up now. I'll be at the office tomorrow."
"Is Scarlett coming in today?"
Lucian didn't like that question, he had a feeling his brother was going to talk to Scarlett and make things even worse.
"She is but leave her to it."
"I will."
He didn't believe his brother but he couldn't do anything about it from home. He needed to let it go. Focusing on work after a shower would definitely help. He ended the call and started to get ready for the day. His morning started slower than normal but he was getting back into things after that phone call with his brother. It was an annoying conversation but it helped. He grabbed his now drinkable coffee and went to his home office to get some work done.
***
He managed to call it a day around five, that never happened before either. Without any distractions around, he focused entirely on work. He even skipped lunch which explained why he was so hungry right now. He could cook but he rarely used his kitchen. He opened his fridge to see what products he had. He was surprised to see a fully stocked fridge. His housekeeper deserved a raise, keeping his apartment together when he focused on other things. He made himself some pasta with tomato sauce. It was simple but filling and delicious. He grabbed a beer and settled on the couch when his phone rang telling him it was the reception desk of his apartment building. It meant that someone who wasn't on the visitor's list was trying to see him. He answered it and even though he knew it was the wrong decision to make he let Scarlett come upstairs to see him. He placed his plate down on the coffee table and made his way to the front door to greet Scarlett and let her in. He opened the door and stumbled back when Scarlett suddenly moved forward and hugged him.
That was definitely not professional!
"Scarlett?"
She pulled away and glared at him, "Just let me have that."
He really didn't know how to handle this woman. He just needed to go with the flow. He closed the door and walked around her, "I'm having dinner. I made plenty, you want some pasta too?"
"Sure."
"I'll get you a plate. Make yourself at home."
He guided her to the living room, "You want some wine?"
Her eyes flickered to the beer bottle on the coffee table, "I'd love a beer actually."
"Got it." He smiled at her, "I'll be right back."
While she settled on his living room couch without her shoes on he noticed he brought her over a plate and a bottle of beer. They got comfy together and watched some TV while eating dinner. It wasn't right to be this friendly with each other. He felt like something happened to Scarlett though. She might just need someone close to her to feel better. He wouldn't question it. He wanted to give her what she needed. They didn't talk much but it was a lovely night in together. It was almost scary how normal it felt. It felt like they did this all the time.