173 'sAdvice's End

Luke had known that this question would come sooner or later, so he had been thinking about what to tell Liz.

One option was admitting everything – that it was all an act.

The other was keeping up the act, to ensure that what had happened these past few days would definitely not repeat.

He hadn't been leaning towards either till now, but this moment gave him clarity.

That apology from Liz and them going back to normal was exactly what he wanted, but there would definitely be a risk if she found out that her whole introspection had started due to an act.

He couldn't ensure that she wouldn't go back to being that distant woman from before, which was something he definitely couldn't take, if she found out the truth.

It meant too much to him, so Luke wanted to make sure.

Sure that whatever this was, would stay.

And for that, the act would have to continue, and Liz could never find out what it was in reality.

So, although he widened his eyes and looked to the side as if avoiding the question, he had already made up his mind.

"Someone's shy? Really? So it's real? You two are dating now? How the hell did this even start?! And I thought you knew how Keren's relationships usually are?"

Luke was lying for the first time to Liz, but he knew that if it wasn't at least close to the truth, she would definitely find out as there was no one better in this world who understood him.

So, he shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing special and spoke without making eye contact. "Hey, you're not the only one who can enter relationships on a whim! She really helped me when I was down in the gutter. She is the reason that I admitted what I felt for you in the first place, you know. So, this started even though I knew what you told me about her. If you're not available, I'll have to find someone else eventually, right? That meant I had to start dating! So… It turned out that she was interested too…"

In this entire speech, Luke hadn't even said once that he had decided to date her, but the connotation was obvious, which meant that he wasn't lying per se.

Once again, he got the doubt whether he should be going through with this, but he shoved it aside, recalling how he had felt when Liz had kept hanging up after speaking only a few words during her weekend retreat.

In response, Liz raised her eyebrows and folded her hands, staring at Luke, unable to believe what he had just said.

Of course, she had to admit that he was right. She didn't have any feelings for him in that manner, and that meant he really would have to find someone else, just like she had found Will.

However, did it have to be Keren?

No. She couldn't judge someone completely by what they had done in the past, as this was exactly what she had always suffered with in many of her jobs, and she knew better than anyone how it would feel.

Maybe, lying inside Keren was just a woman who was looking for a true relationship.

As a friend, all she could do was advise Luke, and also support him.

If he said that he was dating her, then she would believe him and also help him in the matter.

So, breaking into a smile, Liz sat down on the bed in front of Luke.

Seeing a sudden change in temperament, Luke was suddenly bewildered but he couldn't have guessed what she would say next.

"You're right. And I'm no one to judge. But what I can do is tell you how to date, if you really are serious in pursuing that minx. So, let's start with what happened so far. Wait, so did you kiss or not?"

"No!"

"Alright, don't get so worked up about it! Anyway, I don't have that much experience, but I am a woman. So I can give you at least a few tips. They're only common sense, but it wouldn't hurt for you to listen to them anyway. Besides, she grew up with Will, so they must have some things in common, at least. First, you should take it slow. She has a lot of experience, but you don't, but that doesn't mean that you should rush into it –"

With an incredulous expression on his face, Luke could only sit and suffer through a long speech about how he had to show restraint and make sure that he was sure about what he felt for her before proceeding to the next stage of the relationship.

In the middle, he felt really tempted to just reveal everything, but he controlled himself and kept listening, while resisting the urge to claw out his ears as this wasn't something that he wanted to be listening about from Liz.

Finally, 20 minutes later, a knock on the door interrupted them, and Luke thanked whoever was standing outside for finally breaking Liz out of her monologue in which she had gotten really involved.

In the process, she had also given him a full update on everything that had happened on the weekend, except Will's past, as she had decided to only tell Luke after asking Will if that was okay.

At the door was little Derek, who had come to call them down for breakfast.

Thankfully, Liz stopped here and said, "So that's that. Remember every word I said, and most importantly, we are back to who we were, so you will tell me everything you can. Got it?"

As Luke nodded enthusiastically in order to finally get out of this room, Liz smiled, but that smile turned into an angry frown when she heard Derek start up that rhyme again.

"Sis and Boss, in the car, K I S S I N G!"

With a shout, she began to chase after the little tyke, all while he regaled the house with her exploits in the car.