Sometimes, it Doesn't All Make it Into the Book - Part 3

For the past two weeks, I've been sharing outtakes from the MAC (Marita, Angel, Charli) series. Here's the final outtake, the conclusion to last week's scene with Marita and Lukas. 

Lukas plunked his plate and glass onto the table and sat down across from her. "Where were we?"

"Bets and Trevor set a date."

"Oh, wow. When?"

"Two weeks from Friday." Marita studied his face. Disapproval?

"That was fast," he said.

Ah. Surprise.

Marita washed him waiting to see if he'd as the question that would be foremost in her mother's mind or Nora's but no snark was forthcoming. "Yeah. Their first choice venue had a last minute cancellation, so they snapped it up."

"Good for them."

Marita chewed slowly, ruminating on her words and aware of Lukas watching her. "Yeah. Bets is excited. Rushing around, finalizing details, and collecting RSVPs." She let the statement hang in the air. Lukas didn't say a word.

Get over yourself, Marita. Just put it out there. "Are you coming with me or not?" Okay, not quite like that.

He raised his eyebrows. "I thought this was already decided. I'm not sure why you're arising me to an event you don't really want me to a trend."

"I neer Sadi I didn' want you to cone. Your the one who said you didn't think you should go with me."

He set down his sandwich and reached across the table, taking her hands in his. "Look, Marita, my feelings for you haven't changed. But I'm not sure I can watch you entertain your inner wild child."

"Because that would change your feelings?"

He took a bite of his sandwich, buying time, no doubt. She set hers down, her stomach suddenly in knots. What did she expect him to say? Why did she keep asking questions she didn't want the answer to?

"Watching you let loose scares me a little. It makes me feel like I don't really know who you are."

"What about all your talk about God loving me, no matter what?"

"Marita, I'm not God. I'm human. And, trust me, I've been praying about this."

"How noble of you."

He put his elbows on the table and folded his hands, leaning into them. "When you're with Bets, it's like you're a different person, someone I don't recognize. It's almost as though you've gone back in time to a Marita I've only heard stories about. And that Marita made reckless choices and impulsive decisions-- the kind of thins I though you'd--" 

"Outgrown?"

Resting his chin on his hands, he nodded. "And when..."

Marita held up her hand. "No. Don't say anything more."