Chapter 213

Chapter 213
AYA POV

The past few days were… a blur.

A blur of kisses I swore I wouldn’t give in to, of touches that stole the breath out of me, of nights I told myself would not happen again—only for Nathaniel to end up in my bed anyway. And not just sleeping. Oh no, that man had the audacity to make love to me like he had been mine forever, like we weren’t supposed to be pretending in the first place.

And here I was, pacing my room like a lovesick fool, trying to figure out whether this was real or just some extended version of our ridiculous act.

Because the truth? He hadn’t said it. The word. The one word I secretly, stupidly wanted. The one that would separate this entire situation from casual entanglement. He hadn’t said “love.” Not once. And without it, I didn’t know what the hell we were.

So, naturally, I did what any rational woman in my position would do.

I ignored it.

I tried to push away the nights, the stolen kisses, the way he always pulled me close when he thought I was asleep. I pretended none of it meant anything more than convenience, that when we got back to Manhattan, I wouldn’t break in two.

Spoiler alert: I was terrible at pretending.

Because the more I tried to ignore it, the more impossible it became. Every look. Every accidental brush of his fingers. Every lazy morning kiss. It was like Nathaniel Lisbon had branded himself into my skin and laughed in my face while doing it.

And then today happened.

Our last day here. Tomorrow we’d pack up and head back to the city, back to reality, back to—God, I didn’t even know what. But a part of me couldn’t stop thinking that this was some kind of cruel countdown.

After lunch, I was still sulking in the kitchen with Lara, pretending to care about her theories of which cousin was secretly dating which farmer, when the Lisbon family got visitors.

Enter: the mayor. Big-shot of this quaint little town. And beside him? His blonde Barbie doll daughter.

Now, when I say Barbie, I mean Barbie. Perfect golden hair that probably had its own trust fund. A dress that screamed “Daddy paid for this.” And a smile so fake, I could practically hear the plastic cracking.

And the second her eyes landed on Nathaniel?

Oh, she wanted him.

She looked at him like he was a five-course meal and she hadn’t eaten in weeks. I swear, if she licked her lips any harder, I’d have to throw a bucket of water over her.

“Mayor, welcome, welcome!” Mrs. Lisbon sang, all smiles, ushering them in like royalty. “Nathaniel, darling, why don’t you come join us in the living room?”

Nathaniel. My Nathaniel. The man who had been in my bed for three nights straight, who had kissed me until my soul fell apart, who had whispered things that weren’t quite promises but felt too close.

And there he was, caught in the spotlight.

I swear I saw his jaw clench. He gave me a quick look—just a flicker, but enough for me to read it. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want her.

And damn it, maybe I should’ve felt smug. But instead, I felt something far worse.

Jealous.

The Barbie flicked her hair and beamed at him as if she had already decided she was going to monogram her towels with Mrs. Barbie Lisbon.

Oh no. Nope. Absolutely not. Over my dead, lip-glossed body.

I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and muttered to Lara, “If she bats her lashes one more time, I’m cutting them off in her sleep.”

Lara nearly spit out her lemonade. “Aya!”

“What? I’m just saying. The woman’s about two seconds away from climbing into his lap in front of her father.”

And sure enough, in the living room, I could hear Barbie’s giggle—high, fake, nails-on-a-chalkboard fake.

Nathaniel looked… uncomfortable. Stiff. His mother’s voice was too sweet, too deliberate, and I just knew this was some kind of setup. A mayor, a daughter, a possible alliance. Perfect marriage material.

But my chest burned, and before I knew it, I was up on my feet.

“Where are you going?” Lara hissed.

I tossed my hair and smirked, though my insides were on fire. “To make sure the Barbie doesn’t choke on her own lip gloss while trying to seduce my boyfriend.”

Lara gasped. “You said the B-word.”
Oh, I did!
“I panicked, okay?” I hissed back, already strutting toward the living room.

Because relationship or not, pretend or not, love-word or not—Nathaniel Lisbon was mine. And if Blondie Barbie thought she could just waltz in here with her perfect teeth and hungry eyes, she had another thing coming.