63

LIAM

“Whoa, slow down and back it up a little. What do you mean? How’s being in a relationship with you going to solve anything?”

Emily eyed me tentatively. “Fake relationship,”

“Yeah, I get that, but it doesn't make any sense.”

“It doesn't have to make sense, but trust me when I say it's effective as hell,”

“How? I don't see how this benefits anyone but you.”

Emily scoffed, leaning back in her seat. Her shoulders looked tense, almost like she knew getting me on board with the idea would be a tug of war.

And she was damn right. Because there was no way on God's green earth I was going to get into a relationship with her. Fake or not? It just didn't make sense. Here I was, pining over a woman I couldn't have and Emily thought the perfect idea was to throw me into a relationship.

No. That would be disastrous. Nora would finally see that there was no hope for us to ever be together. And I'd never admit this in public, but the thought hurt me more than a sucker punch to the gut.

I needed to stay single for as long as possible. This was the one way I could get Nora back. Pathetic, I know. But when you are in a predicament like mine, you tend to think outside the box.

“Liam, can't you see? That woman out there is dying for your attention. Did you see her reaction when I said I was your girlfriend?” Emily’s smug look was back when I looked up at her.

I sat up, attention piqued by the direction the conversation was going in. Why would Nora react to that? She didn't feel anything for me. It was always Mark. It had always been Mark.

“What did she say?” I asked, sounding pathetic to my own ears.

The air conditioning was on full blast and the room was colder than a dog's nose, but I could feel perspiration gathering on the skin of my forehead.

“She was distraught. She looked confused. Her hand was over her heart like you freaking broke it or something,”

“That doesn't make any sense,” I told her.

She shrugged. “I don't know what the hell you both have got going on, but I don't think you're the only one who feels something,”

I was silent for a bit, mulling over the words that had just spilled from Emily’s mouth. Nora was distraught. What did it say about me that I liked the thought of that? I frowned.

What if she wasn't distraught because I was in a relationship? What if it was more because she had asked for more at the resort, but I turned her down, and now I was showing off my newest woman? What if she thought I used her?

Shit. I ran my hands through my hair, frustration biting at me. This was why I hated feelings so much. They complicated things. But no, I just had to go and have feelings for the one woman I shouldn't have.

Emily’s sigh broke through the haze, and when I glanced up at her, she was leaning forward, elbows on the desk separating us. “Listen, I know how you are with feelings and stuff, but if you want to get this girl, you're going to have to work for it,”

I wondered why Emily was being helpful. She was one to sink a person, not lift them. What was the reason for the new leaf?

“Why are you so eager to help me?” I asked.

“This isn't about you, Liam. I couldn't care less about your relationship status. But I need you to gain something from this, so I won't owe you,”

I could almost roll my eyes. “Of course,”

A beat of silence passed between us once more. And I contemplated whether this was a good deal. Was fake dating Emily the way forward?

“Sure this will work?”

“A hundred percent. That girl feels something for you and the fact that you're with someone else would make her acknowledge it. Women always find guys off the market more exciting to pursue,”

“I don't even want to know how you know that,” I sighed, finally giving in to her crazy idea.

If that was what it took to get Nora back, I was willing to do it.

“Soooo, are we game?” Emily stretched out a slender hand, her smile widening when I took it in a firm grip.

“We’re game.”

~

Fake dating Emily was way harder than dating her. Back then, we'd just have sex and meet up whenever we could, but this time around, we needed to do a show. I needed to parade her around town like a prize I was so proud to win.

At some point, she even had the paps waiting to snap a few shots of us together.

Her ex had been a hotshot in the entertainment industry and fans were eager to know who she left the asshole for. Unfortunately, it was me.

Weeks had gone by since we made the deal in my office, but while things had begun to look up for Emily, I was still in the shithole with Nora.

It was almost like she'd started to avoid me, saying hello only when she had to; coming into my office to drop files and scampering out immediately like I had an infectious disease.

I added some creamer to my coffee. Stirred it while trying to pretend I didn't see the guy hiding behind the bushes outside and snapping photos of us.

I groaned, throwing my head back before sitting straight and running my hands over my hair. It was a Saturday morning, and we were in a coffee shop, not because we needed caffeine in our system but for a planned shoot with the paps.

Emily had chosen the booth closest to the window. On a normal day, it would've been nice to look out into the streets, but today it was a terrible choice.

“Look alive, Liam,” she warned from where she sat opposite me.

I grimaced. “The deal was to show up, not be all lovey-dovey,”

“Can you just try to be sweet?” she snapped, in between faking smiles. “Here, put a bite of the lemon cake in my mouth,”

She imperceptibly pushed the plate of a slice of cake towards me. I eyed it with disgust before reluctantly picking up a fork and showing some of it in between her lips.

She smiled while chewing, but rolled her eyes after the flash went off. “You're so grumpy. You know you used to love feeding me.”

“Yeah, before you bailed on me with so much as a goodbye,”

“I already explained why I had to. What's got your panties in a twist?”

“It's not working, okay? You're having a good time and the woman I love is slipping through my fingers by the day and I—why are you looking at me like that?” she was staring at me in surprise, like I just grew a third ear on my forehead or something.

I lifted a brow. She schooled her features, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. “It's nothing, but you just said you love her,”

My heart skipped a beat, and my hands faltered. I hadn't realized that.

The silence between us dragged on for a bit, filled only by the noisy chatter from other booths and the bar. I hadn't meant to say I loved Nora. Did I? No, no I didn't. It was just an in-the-moment situation. I was wound up tight from my emotions and I—

“Speak of the devil,” Emily perked up, color returning to her eyes as she sat up straighter. “Your girlfriend’s here. With your brother.”