"Am I your first kiss?" he asked.
His question caught me off guard. Wasn't it obvious? Didn't he know I'd never had a boyfriend my entire life? But I had never told him that, so why was I getting upset over his question?
"Yes..." I answered, stuttering. I tried to look away, but my eyes always ended up drifting back to his handsome face.
I noticed Lucca trying to suppress a smile. Was it really that amusing to know that my first kiss had been with him?
"Do you know why I kissed you and why I'm not sorry for what I did?" he asked.
I gulped. Wasn't this what I had wanted to know a while ago? The reason he kissed me? But now, instead of curiosity, I felt nervous.
"Because your lips kept tempting me to taste them."
As he said those words, his eyes were fixed on my lips. I didn't know what to do or what to think anymore. It felt like I was going to lose my mind because of what Lucca was doing to me.
Just as he was about to kiss me again, my phone suddenly rang.
Both of us were startled.
Lucca immediately stepped away from me and stood straight, slipping his hands into his pockets. Meanwhile, I stood there, nervously biting my nail. I must have gone crazy for wanting Lucca to kiss me again. If not for the phone call, I didn't think he would have stopped.
"Hello," I answered without checking who was calling.
"Sera, I'm at Lucca's company now. Can I see you?"
I immediately became uneasy when I realized it was Mira. What she said only made me even more anxious.
"You know it's office hours," I replied, trying to keep Lucca from overhearing our conversation.
"Don't I have the right to visit my friend? Besides, Lucca is my friend now too, right?"
"Why do you want to see me?" I asked. If I were being honest, now was definitely not the right time to meet Mira, especially when my emotions were written all over my face.
"Nothing. I was just bored at my condo. Damian seems really busy today, and he hasn't even updated me about what he's doing."
I sighed. Mira was impossible. She was bored, so she decided to bother me at work?
"Do you want to meet at the coffee shop?" I asked.
"Of course. I'll wait there," she replied.
"Okay. I'm coming."
I ended the call and looked at Lucca, who stood there calmly, staring at me.
"Can I have lunch with Mira?" I asked, trying to compose myself after what had happened earlier.
"Without me?" he asked.
Why was Lucca suddenly acting so cheesy? Why was he doing things I had never expected from him?
"Do you want to eat with us?" I asked. I didn't want to be rude.
"Yes."
Without another word, he walked out of the office.
I sighed again.
What was happening between us? How had things ended up like this?
I followed Lucca to the elevator. It didn't take long before we reached the ground floor. As soon as we stepped outside, I saw Mira smiling and waving at us.
That was probably the downside of not having a job. She was bored enough to annoy me whenever she wanted.
"Oh, hi, Lucca. You came," Mira said before looking at me. The look in her eyes clearly asked why Lucca was with me. But hadn't she just told me over the phone that Lucca was her friend now too?
"We hadn't eaten lunch yet, so I invited Lucca to join us," I answered.
"Okay. Let's go," Mira said as she linked her arm with mine.
"I didn't know Lucca was coming," she whispered.
"He might hear you," I whispered back.
Mira didn't say another word as we walked into the coffee shop.
The moment we entered, people started looking at us.
Mira and I turned around to see who had caught everyone's attention.
It was Lucca.
Of course.
Most of the people there were his employees.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am," the cashier greeted us.
"Lucca, what do you want?" Mira asked before placing our orders.
"Just order whatever you want. I'll eat anything. Here's my card, use it," he said, handing his card to Mira.
Even though Mira wanted to refuse, Lucca didn't give her a chance. He simply walked over and sat down, casually looking around the café.
"He's really bossy, isn't he?" Mira muttered, sounding slightly annoyed.
I chuckled.
"Aren't you used to it?" I asked.
Instead of answering immediately, Mira gave our order to the cashier. When it was time to pay, she reluctantly handed over Lucca's card.
She turned to me and smirked.
"What about you, Sera? Are you used to Lucca being bossy now?"
I smiled and nodded.
"He's literally my boss," I replied with another chuckle.
"Why do I feel like you're taking his side?" she asked as she took the card back.
"I'm not taking his side."
We walked to our table, and Mira smiled at Lucca. Just a moment ago, she had been gossiping about him, and now she was smiling at him?
I shook my head and sat beside Mira, across from Lucca.
"Thanks for treating us to lunch," Mira said as she handed Lucca his card back.
I noticed Mira sitting uneasily while staring at Lucca. She looked like she wanted to ask him something.
"Lucca," Mira called.
"Hmm?" Lucca looked up from his phone and turned his attention to her.
"Are you giving Seraphina a hard time?" she suddenly asked.
My eyes widened the moment Mira uttered those words. What would Lucca think? Would he assume I had been complaining to Mira about everything that happened at work?
"Am I giving you a hard time, Seraphina?" Lucca threw the question back at me, leaving me completely cornered.
Mira waited for my answer, but I couldn't utter a single word.
"She's not answering, which means you are giving her a hard time."
"Is it beca—"
Lucca was about to say something that would probably shock Mira, so I quickly cut him off.
"He's not giving me a hard time, Mira," I said before leaning closer to whisper to her. "Why are you putting me on the spot? Stop it, or else."
She looked threatened by my warning, so she didn't ask any more questions.
I glanced at Lucca, who seemed to be enjoying my discomfort.
A few moments later, our food arrived, and we started eating.
Mira hadn't ordered too much, but it wasn't a small meal either. Each of us had a bibimbap bowl, a strawberry shake, a garden salad, a slice of cake, and a tuna panini.
I had expected Lucca to complain about what Mira ordered, but to my surprise, he ate everything without saying a word.
I focused on my food and tried to forget everything that had happened earlier.
Lucca's POV
As I was busy eating my lunch, I realized how hungry I was since I hadn't eaten breakfast. Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I stopped eating and took it out.
The message was from Dominic.
Dude, can you come to my office after work? I have something important to show you. I have a few questions too.
Dominic texted.
What was so important that he wanted me to go to his office?
I texted him back.
I'm not interested.
He immediately responded.
I'm sure you won't say that once you see what I'm going to show you.
That made me curious. What was he trying to show me? Was it a business proposal or something else important enough for me to go to his office?
Then I received another message, but this time it wasn't a text, it was a video. As soon as I opened it, I saw Seraphina and me kissing in the rain.
I frowned.
Who the hell filmed us?
And where did Dominic get this video?
I suddenly lost my appetite and decided to go to Dominic's company.
"I need to go now. I have an urgent meeting with a client," I said, not giving them any time to ask questions. I immediately left the coffee shop and headed to the parking area to get my car.
I sped toward Dominic's company. I had so many questions for him.
As soon as I arrived, I parked my car and went inside. The security guard recognized me and didn't ask any questions. When I reached the floor where Dominic's office was, his secretary greeted me and ushered me into his office.
"There you are, lover boy," Dominic said with a grin as I entered his office. He stood up from his swivel chair and walked over to the sofa where I was sitting.
"Where did you get the video?" I asked directly.
Dominic smiled at me. "I think I should be the one asking you that. Why did you kiss her?"
I didn't respond right away because his question caught me off guard.
Dominic laughed at my reaction. "This is the first time I've seen you blush."
I frowned and threw a pillow at him.
"Shut the fuck up!" I snapped.
Dominic was teasing me about the video. It pissed me off because he still hadn't told me where he got that damn video.
"Ouch! Lucca, that hurt!" Dominic complained after I threw the pillow at him. I had thrown it hard enough to make it hurt.
"Tell me, damn it! Where did you get that fucking video?" I shouted at him. This time, I was genuinely furious.
"Don't tell me you have no idea that I saw the video online. It was posted with the caption 'Kiss in the Rain.'"
"Posted online? Who posted it?" I asked angrily.
"I don't know. I thought you saw it before I did. But judging by how quickly you came here, I guess you didn't know anything."
"Damn you!"
"Hey! It's not my fault. I should be the one asking the questions. Why did you kiss Seraphina? Was it still part of the plan? Or are you finally making a big move to make her fall in love with you?" He asked so many questions that they made me question myself as well.
Did I kiss her to make her fall in love with me so I could get the ring more easily?
But when I kissed her, I completely forgot that my intention was to get the ring.
"Or did you do it because you're starting to like Seraphina?" Dominic added, making me think even harder.
Was I starting to like Seraphina?
If I was...
I didn't know when it had started.
"I presume Seraphina doesn't know about the video yet."
Then I remembered Seraphina having lunch with Mira.
What would their reaction be once they found out about the video?
Mira would surely interrogate Seraphina.
"Take down the video as soon as possible and find out who posted it online," I ordered Dominic.
"But it's already spreading online—"
I cut him off.
"You have your ways, Dominic, and I know that. You're not just helping me. You're helping Seraphina too," I said.
That made him stop and think for a moment.
"Okay. I'll ask my secretary to contact someone who can take care of it," Dominic said.
Seraphina's POV
While we continued eating our lunch at the coffee shop, I noticed that the customers had started looking in our direction. I was the first to notice when a group of friends entered the café. The moment they saw me, they began whispering to each other. Mira, however, seemed completely unaware of our surroundings. She was too busy eating.
"Are you not going to eat?" Mira asked when she noticed I had stopped.
"Aren't you noticing something?" I asked.
"Noticing what?" she replied, looking around the café. "What is it?"
People kept glancing at me. They would look at something on their phones, then look back at me again.
When Lucca left, people started staring at us, and I had no idea why.
"Let's just finish our lunch. I still have a lot of paperwork waiting for me at Lucca's office," I said before finishing my rice bowl and strawberry milkshake.
"Aren't you going to eat these? I ordered them for us, but Lucca left before we could finish."
"Can we just have them packed? I'll eat them as snacks later," I replied.
Mira nodded and asked the waiter to pack the remaining food.
Before we could leave, a teenage girl approached me and gently tapped my hand.
"Hi, Miss. Where's your boyfriend?" she asked with a smile.
"Boyfriend?" Mira repeated in confusion.
I looked at the girl, puzzled by her question.
"I think you've mistaken her for someone else," Mira answered for me. "My friend doesn't have a boyfriend."
"Aren't you familiar with the 'Kiss in the Rain' video?" the girl asked.
I didn't know how to respond because I was completely confused.
"Sorry, but no. We have to go now," Mira said politely as she smiled at the girl.
Just as we were about to leave, the girl held out her phone.
"This is what I'm talking about."
She played a video.
As soon as it started, I gasped.
It was me and Lucca kissing in the rain.
Now I understood why everyone had been staring at me.
It was because of that video.
At first, Mira didn't recognize me. She even asked the girl what the video had to do with us. But when the girl told her that the couple in the video was me and my boyfriend, Mira watched it again.
Her eyes widened.
"Seraphina... and Lucca?" she gasped.
"Oh, so your boyfriend's name is Lucca?" the girl said with a grin. "It sounds nice. It was nice meeting you. You look even prettier in person."
With that, she walked away.
I couldn't move from where I was standing.
I was too stunned by the video the girl had shown us.
But what worried me the most wasn't the video.
It was Mira.
I knew I was doomed. I had a lot of explaining to do. She definitely wouldn't stop asking questions until she was satisfied.
"Let's go to Lucca's office now," Mira said as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the coffee shop.
My heart was beating so fast that I could barely hear my own breathing. I was so nervous that I didn't even know if I'd be able to answer Mira's questions properly.
I never thought this day would come, the day Mira would find out about our secret.
As we rode the elevator, Mira remained silent, which only made me more anxious.
Was she mad at me for keeping this from her?
When we entered Lucca's office, Mira sat on the sofa while I sat across from her.
"You have time to explain," Mira said, crossing her arms.
"What explanation?" I asked.
"Why did you and Lucca kiss? Is Lucca your boyfriend now?" she asked.
"He's not my real boyfriend," I answered.
"So, he's still your fake boyfriend?" she asked sarcastically.
I didn't respond, which only made her stare at me in disbelief.
"What now, Sera?" Mira asked, realizing what my silence meant.
"Have you forgotten what I told you before? It's part of my job," I said.
"Part of your job? Was kissing him part of the job too?"
Oh no.
What was I supposed to tell her about the kiss?
Should I tell her that Lucca kissed me because he was curious?
"What, Seraphina? Did you kiss him first?"
"What? No! I didn't."
"So Lucca kissed you because he likes you?" she asked again.
I couldn't answer.
Because I honestly didn't know.
All I knew was that Lucca had kissed me because, according to him, he couldn't resist the temptation.
Not because he liked me.
"Was it part of your act?" Mira asked again.
"Huh?"
"Did you kiss him to make his ex-girlfriend jealous?"
Right.
That should be my answer.
I should tell her it was all part of helping Lucca make his ex jealous.
"Yes," I answered.
"I didn't know you'd go that far just to help Lucca. I honestly thought you hated him, yet here you are, eating your own words," she said, shaking her head.
She was right.
I had completely eaten my own words.
I had never imagined that Lucca and I would become this close.
"If that video hadn't gone viral, you wouldn't have told me, would you?" Mira asked.
I bit my lower lip.
I felt guilty because I had been hiding so many things from her.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"You don't have to apologize. I understand why you kept it a secret."
I looked at her in surprise when her voice softened.
She moved beside me and gently held my hands.
"I'm not against you and Lucca ending up together. Just don't hide things like this from me anymore," she said with a smile.
"Lucca isn't my boyfriend," I insisted.
"I know. He's your fake boyfriend," she replied with a teasing smile. "But who knows? Maybe your fake relationship will turn into a real one."