I paced back and forth in my apartment, my heart racing as I replayed the conversation with Caleb in my mind.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had made my decision. I was going through with this ridiculous plan of being his fake girlfriend.
The clock on the wall ticked loudly, each second echoing my anxiety. I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone, fingers hovering over the screen and then I sent the text, asking if he would be free to meet today.. after a moment, I pressed send.
A few minutes later, Caleb's reply popped up. "I can meet you at the café near your place. 3 PM?"
I quickly typed back, "Sounds good."
As I made my way to the café, a mix of excitement and dread churned in my stomach.
When I arrived, Caleb was already seated at a table near the window, his brows furrowed in concentration as he scrolled through his phone.
I felt a flutter of nerves at the sight of him.. how was I supposed to act like a couple with him when I could barely breathe around him?
“Hey,” I said, sliding into the chair across from him.
“Hey,” he replied, looking up with that familiar smile that somehow made my heart race. “I’m glad you decided to do this.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like I had much choice,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Caleb leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Okay, first things first. We need to set some ground rules.”
“Ground rules?” I raised an eyebrow. “Like we’re kids on a playground?”
He chuckled softly, but I could see he was serious. “Exactly. We need to keep it professional. No feelings. No complications.”
I nodded, my stomach twisting at the thought. “Of course. Just a professional relationship.”
Caleb continued, “And we need to figure out how we’re going to act in public. We can’t just suddenly show up as a couple without any preparation.”
I bit my lip, trying to stifle a laugh. “What, you want to practice holding hands or something?”
“Actually, yes,” he said, his expression earnest. “It’s all about making it believable. If we’re going to pull this off, we need to get comfortable with it.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. “But where do we start?”
Caleb shifted in his seat, his intensity sharpening. “Let’s start with some basic couple behaviors. You know, casual touches, holding hands, that kind of stuff.”
My heart raced at the thought of casual touches. Was I really going to practice that with him? But a part of me was curious, eager to see how it felt to be that close to him.
“Alright, let’s do it,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
Caleb reached across the table, taking my hand in his. My pulse quickened as warmth spread through me at the contact. “Okay, just relax,” he said, looking into my eyes. “Imagine we’re at a party or something.”
“Right,” I muttered, my mind racing. This was so much harder than I thought.
Caleb gently squeezed my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “See? It’s not so bad,” he said, his voice low and reassuring.
I nodded, trying to breathe through the nervousness. “I can do this.”
We practiced small gestures.. touching shoulders, leaning in closer to talk. Each time, the tension between us grew, and it became harder to ignore the sparks flying in the air.
I caught myself glancing at his lips, wondering what it would be like to actually kiss him…. Again. Stupid me.
“Okay, let’s try a hug,” Caleb suggested, breaking me from my thoughts.
“A hug?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“Just a quick one,” he said, his expression serious. “It’ll help us get comfortable with each other.”
“Alright,” I agreed, feeling heat rise to my cheeks again.
Caleb stood up, and I did too, moving closer. He wrapped his arms around me, and I froze for a second before allowing myself to lean into him.
The warmth of his body enveloped me, and for a moment, it felt all too real. My heart raced as I inhaled his familiar scent, and I had to remind myself that this was all an act.
“See?” he said softly, pulling back but still holding onto my shoulders. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I shook my head, trying to play it cool. “No, it was fine.”
“Let’s just keep practicing until it feels natural,” he said, his eyes sparkling with determination.
As we went through more practices, I found myself laughing more, enjoying the time with him despite the absurdity of the situation. But deep down, the reality of what we were doing loomed. I was falling into a trap, and I didn’t know how to escape it.
Just as I started to feel a sense of comfort, Caleb’s phone buzzed on the table, cutting through the moment. He glanced at the screen, his expression changing instantly.
“Sorry, I need to take this,” he said, stepping aside to answer the call.
I watched him walk away, my heart pounding. My mind raced as I tried to process everything.. the boundaries, the practicing, the connection that was building between us.
When he returned, his face was a mix of concern and excitement. “My dad just called. He wants me to come to a family dinner this weekend. He invited you too.”
I blinked. “Me? At a family dinner? Are you serious?”
Caleb nodded, his eyes wide with a hint of panic. “Yeah. I told him I’d bring my girlfriend, and he wants to meet you.”
“Caleb, we don’t even have our act down yet! We barely practiced anything!” I exclaimed, the nerves bubbling back to the surface.
“I know,” he said, running a hand through his hair, clearly stressed. “But we have to make this work. It’s too important.”
“Great,” I muttered, my stomach dropping. “So, what’s the plan? We have less than a week.”
“Right,” he said, his eyes locked onto mine, a serious glint in his gaze. “We need to perfect this before then. No room for mistakes.”
As I stared at him, the reality of what we were doing sank in.
We were jumping headfirst into something complicated and messy.
My heart raced, nerves bubbling up as I tried to think of a way out.
Caleb’s phone buzzed again, interrupting my thoughts.
“Just give me a second,” he said, glancing at the screen, but I could already feel the weight of the moment pressing down on me.
I was in deep, and there was no turning back now.
“Okay,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper, the tension hanging thick in the air. “Let’s do this.”
And with that, I knew we were officially in it together, and the stakes had never been higher.
What have I agreed to??