Underneath the Star

Chapter 6

"How was your appointment with your movie star?"

Melanie chugged the rest of her red wine and slid the glass back to Lukas, indicating she was ready for a refill. "Are you just asking so you can judge?"

"I won't ever judge you, pretty girl."

"What happened to princess?"

He laughed as he poured the last of his best wine into her glass. "I believe Christopher has stolen that term from me."

"Christopher," she murmured, shaking her head at his name. She hadn't heard from him much in three days. He had texted her a few times to say he would call when he was finished filming for the day, but she would always fall asleep without hearing his voice. It was disappointing, but she had to remind herself that she was involved with a man who didn't have all the time in the world to give her. "He's been very busy. We were supposed to have dinner tonight, but production hasn't ended yet."

Lukas frowned. "Which means you haven't eaten yet."

"I'm not even hungry anymore."

"I'm closing up in another minute. How about you get Nora on the phone, head to my place to watch movies and order a pizza?"

"Nora is club hopping tonight with her date," she said to him. "I'm still up for whatever you had in mind though. The company is just what I need."

He nodded and then headed over to his register to pull out a few bills. He counted the remaining cash and took it into the back room where he had set up his personal office space. There was a safe back there where he locked up his daily profit behind a portrait of Midnight's exterior. Despite being the only person to know the passcode, he didn't mind that Melanie was right behind him with a clear view of every number he punched. She was one of the few people he trusted, and even though he'd only met her a little over a month ago, she never gave him a reason not to trust her.

"Looks comfy," she said, stepping into his office. It was her first time inside, and she was in awe of the decor and tidy space. His mahogany desk was placed in the corner by the black wood panel wall. There were two white couches facing one another and a large T.V. on the wall just above the fireplace. The office wasn't spacious, but there was a perfect amount of space to be comfortable. "So, how come you're always hanging out with me and Nora? Don't you ever see your friends?"

"You two are my friends," he responded. He shut the safe and covered it up with the portrait.

"You know what I mean, Teddy."

Lukas chuckled as he led her back out into the bar and locked up his office. "I spend a lot of time here, so it's rare that I see them, but Adam stops by from time to time to check up on me and the place."

"So, Adam is..."

"A high school friend," he told her. "He went to college. I didn't. He has new friends, and I have you."

She smiled at him. "I only had one friend before I moved here. He was my everything, but I do prefer you and Nora."

"Was it that ex of yours?"

She nodded and followed him out into the parking lot. "Can I get a ride with you?"

"Of course. We can come back later for your car." He opened the passenger door for her and waited until she was buckled in before making his way over to the driver side. "I don't like that you're alone at your apartment. He could come back."

"That's why I have your number to call."

"Do you mind me asking what happened between you two?"

Melanie bit her tongue and waited until they were on the main road to speak. She had only told Christopher small details of her relationship with Eddy, and Lukas had never asked until now. "Well, we were together for almost eight years. A part of me always knew that spark between us died out over the years, but we'd been together so long that I just wanted a ring. I got one, no proposal, but we had an agreement."