coworker, let alone a woman, could make my heart race and my stomach feel fluttery.
Even with my four-inch heels, I only came to just above his shoulder, which is where I kept my eyes as we danced. I was afraid if I looked into his gaze I would do something stupid like try to kiss him. I had come this far, after all.
“The band’s pretty good,” Luke remarked, filling the gap in conversation since we weren’t one of those couples who could practically glue themselves together to the beat of the music.
“For this kind of thing, sure,” I said.
“Not much on acoustic versions of classic rock songs?”
“I prefer the originals.”
“And here I thought you’d say you prefer death metal.”
“It’s a common misconception,” I said. “The hair throws everyone. I look like I write angsty Goth poetry in my spare time, not recalibrate my perpetual motion machine.”
Luke laughed. “A reporter asked me the other day for a comment about this rapper, and acted mad that I didn’t know who it was. I don’t know if I was expected to know because I’m half-black, or because we’re celebrities too.”
“Please, I’m the one who listens to rap, not you!” I grinned. “The only thing I’ve heard you listen to is instrumental stuff and jazz. You like music you can meditate to, not that makes you want to fight the power.”
“That’s your department,” he agreed, laugh lines crinkling his mouth in the way that always made my insides melt.
“I think that’s the kind of thing that makes people not take me seriously,” I said, sobering. “Lainey’s my friend and I love her, but it’s, like, since she showed up, all she’s done is served as a reminder of how immature I am.”
Luke frowned. “Not everyone has to get married and have kids, Mindy. I don’t know if I’m the settling-down type, either.”
That was like a red-hot poker in my stomach, because I was the settling-down type; but I went on. “It’s not the married-with-kids thing. It’s just…how she is. And how Wesley is. They’re both so much more than us. A lot of us,” I amended, not wanting to insult Luke. “They’re like how I was when I was a kid and my parents started bringing me around the EHJ, wide-eyed and wanting to save the world. I wanted to be someone important. Not like a celebrity, but someone that mattered. Who did good. And then I joined and there were publicists and action figures, and saving the world starting taking a backseat to name recognition and patent agreements. It was all so juvenile. And then she and Wesley stood up to the Dragon and stopped the apocalypse, and what did I do?”
Luke’s face was grim. “You almost died, Mindy! I was there. You were fading fast. If it hadn’t been for your technology and Wesley’s magic, you wouldn’t still be here. And we all helped in that fight. Lainey and Wesley had a bigger part to play, but we all shed blood. Rath died, for God’s sake!”
The mention of our former team leader, who had been killed in the fight against the Dragon, made things worse. I whispered, “They’re the heroes. I’m just playing at being one. I’m a poser.”
Luke shook his head. I realized we had stopped dancing at some point in the conversation and were standing still, his hand on my waist. It sent tingles through me. “Yes, Mindy, we lost our way somewhere. That’s why I was glad to get the Reincarnist back. I really think he can help us regain our focus. The EHJ can be everything it was always supposed to be.”
“I hope so.”
Sighing, I turned and walked off the dance floor, heading for the nearby doors to the outside balcony. From that vista atop the Elite Hands of Justice headquarters, we could see Megolopolis in all its breathtaking glory. I hardly saw any of it as I walked outside, lost as I was in my thoughts. The sounds of the city filtered up to me.
“I know we will,” Luke said, following me to lean against the rail. I felt his perusal. “And it’s always good
Even with my four-inch heels, I only came to just above his shoulder, which is where I kept my eyes as we danced. I was afraid if I looked into his gaze I would do something stupid like try to kiss him. I had come this far, after all.
“The band’s pretty good,” Luke remarked, filling the gap in conversation since we weren’t one of those couples who could practically glue themselves together to the beat of the music.
“For this kind of thing, sure,” I said.
“Not much on acoustic versions of classic rock songs?”
“I prefer the originals.”
“And here I thought you’d say you prefer death metal.”
“It’s a common misconception,” I said. “The hair throws everyone. I look like I write angsty Goth poetry in my spare time, not recalibrate my perpetual motion machine.”
Luke laughed. “A reporter asked me the other day for a comment about this rapper, and acted mad that I didn’t know who it was. I don’t know if I was expected to know because I’m half-black, or because we’re celebrities too.”
“Please, I’m the one who listens to rap, not you!” I grinned. “The only thing I’ve heard you listen to is instrumental stuff and jazz. You like music you can meditate to, not that makes you want to fight the power.”
“That’s your department,” he agreed, laugh lines crinkling his mouth in the way that always made my insides melt.
“I think that’s the kind of thing that makes people not take me seriously,” I said, sobering. “Lainey’s my friend and I love her, but it’s, like, since she showed up, all she’s done is served as a reminder of how immature I am.”
Luke frowned. “Not everyone has to get married and have kids, Mindy. I don’t know if I’m the settling-down type, either.”
That was like a red-hot poker in my stomach, because I was the settling-down type; but I went on. “It’s not the married-with-kids thing. It’s just…how she is. And how Wesley is. They’re both so much more than us. A lot of us,” I amended, not wanting to insult Luke. “They’re like how I was when I was a kid and my parents started bringing me around the EHJ, wide-eyed and wanting to save the world. I wanted to be someone important. Not like a celebrity, but someone that mattered. Who did good. And then I joined and there were publicists and action figures, and saving the world starting taking a backseat to name recognition and patent agreements. It was all so juvenile. And then she and Wesley stood up to the Dragon and stopped the apocalypse, and what did I do?”
Luke’s face was grim. “You almost died, Mindy! I was there. You were fading fast. If it hadn’t been for your technology and Wesley’s magic, you wouldn’t still be here. And we all helped in that fight. Lainey and Wesley had a bigger part to play, but we all shed blood. Rath died, for God’s sake!”
The mention of our former team leader, who had been killed in the fight against the Dragon, made things worse. I whispered, “They’re the heroes. I’m just playing at being one. I’m a poser.”
Luke shook his head. I realized we had stopped dancing at some point in the conversation and were standing still, his hand on my waist. It sent tingles through me. “Yes, Mindy, we lost our way somewhere. That’s why I was glad to get the Reincarnist back. I really think he can help us regain our focus. The EHJ can be everything it was always supposed to be.”
“I hope so.”
Sighing, I turned and walked off the dance floor, heading for the nearby doors to the outside balcony. From that vista atop the Elite Hands of Justice headquarters, we could see Megolopolis in all its breathtaking glory. I hardly saw any of it as I walked outside, lost as I was in my thoughts. The sounds of the city filtered up to me.
“I know we will,” Luke said, following me to lean against the rail. I felt his perusal. “And it’s always good
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