Fake smiles and Hidden Truth

Fake smiles and Hidden Truth
The sky had darkened into a velvet hue, with a scattering of stars slowly twinkling to life overhead. 

The air was cool, soft, almost too still as if the night itself was holding its breath. 

Lena stood at the front steps of her dormitory building, her arms folded over her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. 

Her long black coat fluttered slightly in the breeze, the hem brushing against her boots. 

Her hair had been curled into soft waves, lightly sprayed to hold, and her lips bore a subtle pink tint that made her look far more approachable than she felt.

She had tried to put in an effort to look beautiful tonight even if she was wasting it to go out with a person she had no interest in, whatsoever.

There would have been a million ways for her to spend tonight, instead of doing this detestable activity. 

She glanced at the time on her phone again.

7:38 PM.

He said he would be here at 7:45. Perfect. Just enough time to talk herself out of this and back in again a few more times.

It was surprisingly very tempting for her to say "fuck it", return to her room, put on her pyjamas and stream a series she has been meaning to watch.

Or better still, she could spend the evening thinking of ways to make Lily and the Alpha suffer.

Her phone vibrated suddenly. The screen lit up with a familiar name.

Ethan.

She sighed and picked it up.

"What?" she answered, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Wow," Ethan chuckled on the other end. "So warm and inviting. What's the occasion? You waiting for a funeral or something?"

"Worse," Lena muttered.

"Do tell."

"I'm going on a date."

There was a pause. Then, a loud laugh.

"You? A date? Did hell freeze over?" He said in-between laughs.

"Very funny," Lena rolled her eyes.

"Wait, wait," Ethan said, still chuckling. "Are you serious? With who?"

"Some guy named Aiden. He's one of Maya's friends. Lily too."

"And you like him?" He asked.

"No," she said flatly.

"Then why the hell are you going?"

Lena sighed, running a hand down her face. 

"Because if I don’t, Aiden will keep feeding Maya and Lily nonsense about how I’m this cold-hearted jerk. And right now, their trust is kind of important."

Ethan gave a low whistle. 

"So you’re faking a date to keep your image clean. That’s cold, even for you, but I'm impressed."

"I didn’t ask for commentary."

"No, no. I love this. It's like watching a slow-moving train wreck. So what's the plan? You going to fake laugh at his jokes, stare deeply into his eyes like you're interested?"

Lena made a sound of disgust. 

"You're enjoying this way too much."

"You're lucky you have me. Listen," Ethan said, suddenly more serious, "if you really want to make him think you're trying, don’t be too perfect. Don’t overcompensate. Just be a little clumsy, a little distracted. Guys love that. It makes them think you're nervous, which they translate to interest."

"You mean be fake but in a believable way. Got it" he went on as if he was teaching a class.

"Exactly. And don’t forget to laugh at one of his terrible jokes. Preferably early in the evening. It builds his confidence."

Lena groaned. 

"This is so beneath me."

"Yet here you are."

"Only because Maya and Lily are forcing my hand. I hate them both."

"Yeah, well, hate them later. Right now, focus on your mask. It sounds like you're going to need it."

Before she could respond, the low hum of a car engine approached. 

A black sedan rolled smoothly around the circular driveway and pulled up in front of her. 

The headlights dimmed, and Lena saw Aiden step out.

He looked... annoyingly decent.

He wore dark jeans and a navy-blue button-up that hugged his lean frame. 

His dark brown hair was neatly styled, and he wore a shy, warm smile as he walked toward her.

Ethan’s voice echoed in her ear. 

"Let me guess, he’s hot."

"Shut up," she muttered, then quickly ended the call.

"Hey, Lena," Aiden greeted, his voice sincere.

"Hi," she replied, giving her best effort at a pleasant smile.

"You look great."

"Thanks. So do you," she said.

He walked around and opened the car door for her like a proper gentleman. 

Lena raised an eyebrow at the gesture. She hadn’t been expecting such manners. 

She slid into the passenger seat.

Just as he closed the door and moved around the front to his side, she heard familiar voices down the path.

"Lena? Aiden?"

She stiffened. 

No. Not now.

Maya, Lily, and Graham were walking together, clearly out for a casual evening stroll. 

Lily looked cozy in a beige hoodie and leggings, Maya was laughing at something Graham had said, and Graham—well, his nose was already twitching.

Crap.

Graham tilted his head, his wolf instincts kicking in.

"You smell nervous," he said directly, looking at Lena.

Maya narrowed her eyes. 

"Everything okay?"

Lena plastered a radiant, toothy smile on her face. 

"Of course! Just first-date jitters. You know how it is."

Lily’s face lit up. 

"You guys are finally going out? That’s so exciting!"

Lena gave a small laugh. 

"Yeah, I figured I should give it a real shot. Who knows, maybe tonight will be something special."

Aiden, bless him, looked positively thrilled. 

"I'm really glad you wanted to do this, Lena."

Maya smiled, but her eyes lingered on Lena for a second longer than necessary.

"Have fun, you two," she said.

"Good luck," Graham added with a teasing grin. "Don’t crash the car, Aiden."

"I’ll try not to," Aiden chuckled.

"Bye, guys," Lena said, giving a little wave.

As the car pulled away from the curb and turned down the main road, Lena let her smile drop the second they were out of view.

Aiden glanced over. 

"You okay?"

She smiled sweetly again, flipping the switch. 

"Just excited. Let's see where this night takes us."

With that, Aiden drove off into the night.