Lucian Divine(68)

He couldn’t believe I had never had a serious boyfriend.

“I’ve just never met the right person.”

“I get that. I was with someone for seven years, and really, it never felt like it would be forever.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “I want to see you again, Evey.”

“Really?”

“You just have this thing. You’re beautiful and funny and smart, and I knew in five minutes I’d want to see you again.”

“Do you believe in fate?” I asked him.

“I want to. I’m going to start right now. Can I eat dinner with you tomorrow?”

So soon, I thought? But that was old Evey talking. “Yes.”

“And Monday?”

“Yes.”

“Tuesday?”

I laughed. “Um, that might be pushing it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ve had a lot of wine.”

After the restaurant closed, Lucian walked me to the door of my building. “I get it though,” I said.

“Get what?” He backed me against the glass lobby door and braced his hand on the back of my neck.

“How it feels to be with someone you really want to be around.”

“Exactly,” he said before pecking my lips. “See you tomorrow?”

I pulled him in and kissed him harder. “See you.”





“LUCKY BASTARD,” I said, as I twirled on the red barstool. The place was empty. It was magic hour and poor Zack couldn’t leave, so I thought I’d pay him a visit. He was dressed as Chewbacca, except that he had removed the headpiece. He basically looked like an average guy wearing a fur onesie.

“He deserves it, Mona,” Zack stressed. “Do you think I’ll ever get out of here?”

“Zack, we let a lot slip with you.”

“Can you get me a meeting? Like you got Lucian?”

“I don’t know. I’ll work on it.”

“You know he came in the other day, ordered a beer?”

“Really? How’d he seem?” she asked.

“Good. He had no clue at all. Like, do they just zap him and then give him a backstory and all that crap?”

“No. He’s always existed that way. That Lucian has always been that Lucian.”

“But he’s the same.”

“He is the same. Same soul. I don’t know if time goes back, or if they’re all created in our images, or we’re created in theirs. One thing I do know now is that whatever faith you believe in, true love is real… and it endures. Look at Lucian and Evelyn and all that they went through. He must have pleaded a pretty good case.”

Zack smirked. “I knew if anyone could pull it off, it’d be Lucian. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when he was talking to the big guy.”

“Me too, Zack. Me too.”