“Hi, are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” Star said, glancing around awkwardly for her bag. Damian picked it up and handed it to her. Their fingers touched, sending waves of desire spiralling through her body. Star diverted her gaze, not wanting to see the emotion written on his face – not when she was about to leave the room with another man.
Andrew smiled and waited, oblivious.
“We could have given you a lift home,” Mary stated quickly.
“Thank you, Mary, that’s very kind,” Star said quickly, “but Andrew and I are going to grab something to eat before we head home. Laura has Skylar, so I get to play grown up for a couple of hours.”
The temperature in the room dropped and Mary’s eyes flashed to Damian. Star shot him a look, the tension in his jaw the only visible factor that he was unhappy with that answer. Deciding now was definitely the time to leave, she rose and dropped a kiss on Lucas’s forehead. “Look after yourself and make sure you listen to everything Mary says. I want to be visiting you at home, not in here.”
Lucas patted her hand, peering round her at Andrew, who was waiting patiently. “Have fun. But not too much,” he said conspiratorially.
Star gave Mary a hug, “I’ll see you soon.”
“You too,” Mary said, sounding off, but returning her hug.
“See you at the office,” Star said to Damian as she passed him. Andrew held open the door for her, letting her pass. Star had never felt so visible in her life, as if the entire world were staring at her.
“Have a lovely evening,” Andrew said as he left, shutting the door behind him. “Do you like Thai food? There’s a great restaurant round the corner,” he said, dropping his hand to her lower back as they walked down the corridor. Star jumped at his touch, but if Andrew felt her response, he chose to ignore it, guiding her towards the elevator.
“That would be great.” Star replied, feeling awkward all of a sudden. What was she doing? She barely knew Andrew, yet she’d agreed to go to dinner with him.
∞∞∞
“So, how was your dinner with Dr Dishy?” Laura asked the next morning, when Star came down to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. Laura swung her legs round, sitting up on the sofa where she’d been lying with her feet up.
“Not doctor, he’s a Mister. Surgeons are Misters,” Star replied.
“Doctor, Mister. Okay, how was your dinner with Mr Dishy Surgeon?” Laura waggled her eyebrows, making Star smirk.
“It was,” Star paused, “nice.”
“Nice! Nice is a biscuit! You can’t go on a dinner date with a dishy surgeon and describe it as ‘nice’!”
“Well, it was ‘nice’ – we ate, we talked, we laughed, and he drove me home. It was a ‘nice’ evening.”
“Does that mean you’re going to see him again?”
“Of course I’ll see him again – he’s Olivia’s dad, and she and Skylar are friends … Will I see him again, just him and me? No, I’m not ready for that kind of relationship. As I said, last night was nice, but it wasn’t more than that.”
“He isn’t Damian,” Laura said, not pulling her punches.
“No, he’s not Damian,” Star retorted, before sinking down into the chair opposite Laura with a sigh. “But that is also a good thing. Andrew and I discussed this last night – he picked up on the atmosphere between Damian and me when he saw us together and outright asked me what was going on. I gave him the short version, but he said our chemistry was off the charts and I shouldn’t ignore it.” Star looked up at Laura, who was watching her intently. “Andrew told me he likes me, but he thinks Damian and I have unfinished business, and he doesn’t want himself or Olivia caught up in the middle, not that I blame him. I like Andrew, but found I couldn’t say outright that Damian means nothing to me, or that Andrew’s heart would be safe with me.”
Laura got up and wrapped her arms around Star. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m just proud of you for getting yourself out there. Damian is here, and maybe he needs to be so you and he can finally put the past behind you and move on. Your relationship never really ended. It ended on a lie and that has never sat well with you.” It was Laura’s turn to sigh. “You’ve always put on a brave face – you did this for Damian, for Lily and Skylar, but in doing so, you broke your own heart.” Laura’s voice caught on the last word, her love for Star and her devastation at what her friend had given up evident. Composing herself, she continued, putting her finger to Star’s lips, “I think you need to speak to Damian, tell him the truth, and move on with your life. For you, for Skylar, and for Damian.”
Star’s eyes burned with tears as she said, “I’m not sure I can.”
“It won’t be easy, but you owe it to yourself and to Damian. He loved you with every ounce of his being from the moment you met, and I know you felt the same.”
Star swiped at the moisture that ran down her cheeks. “What am I supposed to say?” she whispered. “Sorry, Damian, you know you found me in bed with Toby – well that was all a set up to get you to leave and move to the US office. We still had our underwear on and weren’t really having sex. I just wanted you to think we were. Your dad had asked for my help to get you to accept the job in the New York Office, but in the meantime my sister was diagnosed with cancer and I couldn’t go with you so I tricked you into going by yourself and it worked.” By the time Star had finished, her body was wracked with sobs. Laura held on tightly while her friend let out the pain of the past seven years. “He didn’t even try to fight for me, Laura.” The reality of the situation finally hitting home. For the first time, Star acknowledged that it wasn’t what she’d done, so much as that Damian had given up on them at the first opportunity. The first sign of trouble and he’d left; he hadn’t even wanted an explanation. He’d been on the next flight out and hadn’t looked back.
Laura hugged her tighter, until a kick caused them both to fly apart. Laura giggled and Star stared in wonder at her friend’s extended stomach. Placing her hand on Laura’s bump, she was rewarded with another kick.
“Someone wanted to join in on the action,” Laura said, laughing, easing the tension.
Star smiled, gently stroking the little bump knowing that her friend wouldn’t mind. It was one of the reasons Star had never questioned her choice before. She’d been there when Skylar had started kicking Lily.