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Sure enough, Alexander pins us with a look that reads shut the fuck up.

I smirk and clap him on the shoulder. “Relax, big guy. I’m teasing. I know I can trust you to live happily in the bachelor world with me, right?”

That earns me narrowed eyes.

“Alright, alright, stop changing the subject,” Nico gently scolds me. “This is about you, not Alexander.” He tosses his mitts out of the ring and grabs his water bottle, taking a big swig before saying, “To review, you have no interest in dating seriously, and you’re in denial about how much time you’re spending in an industry that is absolutely eating your soul.” He cuts off the sound of outrage I let out with a pointed look. “As long as you’re skipping workouts with me, that assumption is going to stay. Got it?” Then, he softens his tone. “Just…think about what we said, okay? All jokes aside, we’ve been worried.”

My defenses lower at that. “Yeah, yeah. I hear you. I’ll take it easy.”

He only looks half-appeased. “And I’ll send you the redhead’s information for his contract,” he adds anyway.

I nod. “Fine. Now—” I clap my gloves together. “Where we going for lunch?”

By the next morning, I’ve managed to push Nico’s concerns from my mind. I knock on my assistant’s desk with a smile. “Good morning, Samantha. Ready for a great day?”

She returns my smile. “Always. Your calendar is up to date with your meetings for the day, and the materials for the Jefferson case have been prepped and sent to your email.”

I open my phone to check my schedule as she’s talking. “Oh good, you got Jefferson’s CFO on my calendar. Perfect timing, thank you.” I frown at an unfamiliar placeholder. “Who’s my 1:00?”

“That…would be with your undergrad philosophy seminar professor.”

My eyebrows lift in surprise. “Professor Randall called? Holy shit.”

“I figured you’d want a good chunk of time with him and outside of the office, so I made him your lunch meeting. I booked Barcelona for you.”

“What would I ever do without you?”

She smiles smugly. “Let’s hope you never have to find out.”

“Lucas! It’s good to see you, son.”

I stand from the table with a grin. “Randall. Long time no see.”

He gives me a hug, clapping me affectionately on the back. He may have been my professor a decade ago, but we stayed in contact long after I graduated. He became my mentor, of sorts, the person I went to with my career, life, and ethical questions. And even though I haven’t seen him in over a year at this point, every time we meet, it feels like no time at all has passed.

“So,” he starts, taking a seat with a smile. “How are you? How’s life? Work? Catch me up.”

I lean back in my chair with a sigh. “Honestly? Not much has changed since the last time we met. Other than maybe my win rate.”

That earns me an eye roll, even though he’s still smiling. “I would expect nothing less from my star pupil.” He pauses as he thinks something over. “You’re still doing contract law for the big corporations?”

My nod isn’t as eager as it would be with anyone else.

To no one’s surprise, Randall sees right through it.

“Little different from the type of legal ethics we used to debate in my office until midnight,” he comments kindly. A kindness I appreciate.

With a rare tinge of awkwardness, I wince and brush a hand over my mouth. “Yeah. Well, life is a little different now than it was as a twenty-year-old.”

Randall tips his head in agreement. “That it is.” Then, seeming to take pity on me, he waves me off with a smile. “Anyway, let’s not talk about work. How’s everything else? Anything new going on in your life?”

Somehow, this redirect makes me feel worse. Because it’s suddenly glaringly obvious that I have nothing else going on in my life.

“Not…at the moment,” I admit. I try for a grin and add, “You know how it is. There’s ups and downs, busy seasons and not-so-busy seasons.”

Randall nods carefully. “Of course. But you have to have something besides work…”

“Of course. I, uh, I’ve been helping my brother out with his new MMA gym. You remember Nico, right? He retired from the UFC this year.”