Hey, Everyone!

***VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER PLEASE READ***

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

I woke up with tears staining my pillow and cheeks again.

Great, I thought as I walked into the bathroom and washed the red from my eyes and the sadness from my cheeks. I rolled on some chap stick really quickly and ran a brush through my hair.

I stopped myself.

You haven't showered since he dumped you, I told myself as I looked in the mirror. And you're actually going to go somewhere? Out? With another person who will be paying attention to you?

"Oh hell no," I told my reflection.

I grabbed some new clothes from out of my dresser and took a two-hour shower.

Once I had brushed through my stiff, wet, straw-like hair, I checked my texts on my phone.

There was one from Luke from half an hour ago: "I'm canceling our meeting."

I was outraged. I had showered and everything just to be cancelled on?!

I sent a quick text back: Oh HEELLL no! I do NOT get cancelled on! You have fifteen minutes to be INSIDE Starbucks, or I'm quitting!

I got a text back in the next few seconds: "On my way!"

I smiled, chuckling at the predictability of Luke, and I left my house to go sit and wait for him outside at Starbucks.

"Hey, Annie," Luke said.

I looked up at him. I glanced at my watch. "You have ten seconds to be inside Starbucks."

His eyes glanced at the door and he looked down at me and then he lunged for the door and stepped inside.

I laughed. He stepped back outside and pulled up a chair next to me.

"My job is safe," I smiled.

"Thank goodness," he looked up at me, very serious. "I don't know what I would have done."

Then he smiled, and I laughed.

The mood suddenly turned awkward as quiet fell over us.

Luke cleared his throat and asked, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure," I replied. "Frozen raspberry lemonade."

He nodded and stood up. He dropped a folder of papers in front of me and left to go get our drinks.

I opened the folder and I looked through a couple requests for a new building they wanted to build.

There was a building that they wanted to build where the park was.

I took a pen out of my pocket and I crossed through it.

I looked through a couple other requests until Luke came back.

He dropped my lemonade on the table in front of me and said, "One coffee, on the house."

"No," I said as I picked up my drink and stirred it up a little with the straw, "it's lemonade, and it's on you."

He nodded as he sat down. "Touché."

He took a sip of his drink and I told him, "I don't even understand why you brought the one about building over the park to me."

There are too many memories there, I thought. I looked back at my last career, when I was a reporter. Before I found out what I wanted to do with my life, a year before I met…

I changed my thoughts.

Luke laughed. "I didn't even know that was in there."

We discussed the offer about making a new office building by the grocery store and turned it down, because it would make the area too noisy and probably drive the grocery store out of business.

We discussed and debated the proposals and we ended up turned them all down. None of them would benefit the town, and some of them wouldn't benefit the offices, either.

"Where they want to build is on the side of a hill, Luke," I said. "We can't level a hill. It would turn into the leaning tower of Tri. Corp. and that would not stay standing for very long."

Luke nodded. "So, we made no money today?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

I handed him back the folder full of rejected proposals. He slid them into his briefcase and pulled something else out of his briefcase.

"I got Rita's coupons yesterday," Luke laid them off the table. "But they're only two-person deals. So I was wondering if maybe you might want to-"

"Luke, my engagement just broke off," I looked him in the eye. "I need a little more time before I'm going on dates."

"It's not a date," Luke defended himself. "It's two friends going for Rita's and maybe taking a walk through the park you just saved?"

I smiled and laughed. "You know what? Sure."

Luke beamed. "Tomorrow? I have run this through my boss."

I nodded. "I'll meet you here?"

"You like it here," Luke acknowledged. "Why don't I pick you up at your apartment?"

"Because that'll feel too much like a date," I countered. "Here?"

"Here's good," Luke replied. "See you tomorrow at 11?"

"First you're forcing me to go out, and now you're forcing me to get up early? You sure are something, Luke Castellan." I said.

He laughed. "11:30. My last offer."

I nodded. "Agreed. I'll be here at 11:30 PM sharp."

He laughed again. "I know you'll make it on time. Not twelve hours late."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"You're a treasure, Annie," he replied. "A real gift." He bent over, picked up his briefcase, winked at me, and walked off toward his car.

I sighed and sat back in my chair and stirred up my drink again. It occurred to me I hadn't taken a sip of it yet.

But there was only one thought running through my mind.

Blue eyes were nothing compared to sea-green ones.

Aw, Annabeth...

So, here's the important message:

I got a review the other day for this story, and it said,

allen r: is this a percabeth story or a lukabeth story? I will read a percabeth.

Well, see...here's the thing. It's kind of neither.

Honestly, it will make more sense when the story progresses. Um, but if you look up tp the genres I put for this story, you will see...[this is the time for you to go and check the genres]...it's a Tragedy. That might give you a little clue as to where this story is going.

So, once again, if you want a destinct Percabeth story, then this is not your story. But, this is NOT a Lukabeth story, either.

But I do hope you'll read on!

Thanks for Reading!