Husband With Benefits-Chapter 54: A Comfortable Friend

As Lucien walked into the cafe, his face harried, he looked around and his eyes met Nora’s who smiled and waved at him. Her smile made him feel as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds on this dreary day.

Waving back at her, he made his way to his usual table but stopped when he noticed that it was already occupied. Sighing, he looked around and was gratified when Nora gestured to him, holding an empty table for him.

Rushing there he murmured a grateful thanks and quickly got to work. It had been a few days since he had come here, he’d been so swamped with work. The only reason he had managed to escape today was he’d threatened his assistant in trying to schedule anything for him. With Gabe playing hooky these last few days, everything had fallen onto him, and Lucien was tempted to call out his older brother and give him a stern talking to.

But he had no time to do that as well! He vowed that, once things eased a bit, he was going to challenge Gabe to a match and make the man grovel for mercy!

As he quickly powered up his laptop, he wondered what he should order today. His brain was actually too tired to even look at the menu. Just then a tray was placed in front of him and a delicious fragrance wafted from it.

Surprised, he looked at the usual dose of caffeine that he had taken and then at the chicken risotto in front of him. "This..."

Nora grinned and shrugged her shoulders, "I can get you something else if you want, but this is what you usually order when you come in with that long face."

Lucien grinned at that and nodded," You are quite observant! Risotto is like my comfort food, so whenever I am under stress, I prefer to eat Chicken Risotto."

Nora grinned," Enjoy your meal then. Let me know if you need something else."

Lucine smiled back and called out," How are your studies going? Any more pop-up tests?"

Nora grinned and nodded excitedly," Well, they are going well. I have an excellent teacher for Math, so it’s never a problem now. And how is the world of numbers treating you today?"

After their second conversation where he had congratulated Nora on acing her test, Nora slowly started talking to him instead of just talking in monosyllables or to the point. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Ever since she had come to know that he worked in the finance industry, she had teased him about being her mortal enemy because he loved numbers and equations. However, Lucien did not mind and enjoyed those few minutes of chatting with Nora.

With a chuckle, he answered her question," Well, the numbers are playing hide and seek as always. But I’m determined to find them."

Nora chuckled as she answered," Ahh, the eternal War Of Numbers. Are you in a standoff with spreadsheets?"

Lucien nodded gravely as he spoke," Of course. And it’s always a fierce battle. But I can’t let my guard down. The moment I do, they start plotting their next financial crisis. I could write a book called Lucy’s Number War Strategies!"

Nora laughed at that, a sound that made Lucien blink up at her with stars in his eyes. She shook her head and questioned," Lucy and Not Lucien??"

Lucien flushed a bit as he realized his mistake and spoke a bit shyly," My older brothers call me Lucy since we were children. Actually, it was my mum who started it. She wanted a daughter after having my older brother but then I was born. And I was fair and dainty when small and could pass off as a baby girl, so..."

Nora smiled again and made a sound of pity," I can only imagine the suffering you would have endured through high school.."

Lucien shook his head and spoke," Not really. According to my brothers’ only brothers are allowed to bully each other. If an outside tries that, they will simply team up and teach them a lesson."

Nora gave a wistful smile as she heard that and said," You are lucky to have such brothers then Lucy. And now, I must return to my work before Lena or Maya come looking for me."

Lucien watched Nora walk away, her grace and warmth leaving a lingering impression. As he returned to his work, he couldn’t help but appreciate the small moments of respite and camaraderie that the cafe and Nora provided in his hectic life. It was a bright spot in the daily grind.

He wondered if it had been enough time for her to get over her previous break-up. After all, she seemed to be smiling more and appearing more carefree these days. His stomach knotted as he considered the idea of asking her out. However, he hesitated, not wanting to disrupt the easy rapport they had built. He didn’t want to rush into anything, preferring to let their friendship naturally evolve.

As he observed her interacting with other customers, her warm and friendly demeanor struck him. She had a way of making everyone feel special with her easy smile. It dawned on him that to her, he might be just another regular customer. The thought of potentially making her uncomfortable or changing the dynamics of their interactions weighed on him.

Maybe the best course of action would be to continue down this course with only easy conversations. Once he was sure that she considered him more of a friend, he would try and ask her out.

With that thought in mind, he turned back to his work, still stealing the occasional admiring glance at Nora as she worked.

As he sat there in the cafe, his phone started to buzz with messages in the group chat:" We need to have a meeting today brats. There has been too much silence in this group with only occasional news about Demetri!" Ian had messaged in the group while tagging them all with a place and time for them to gather together.