That week, March arrives with warm and foggy weather which is perfect for spending time in the library. Tucked away in the corner at my favorite desk, I work on my proposal for my biomechanics project.
As I attempt to work, my mind drifts to Logan and how easy conversation flowed between us. I think about how he looked at me when we danced, the way he held my hand.
God, he was so handsome it’s hard not being completely entranced by him. Now I understand why he gets so much attention from women, the media, online… basically everywhere!
What was I thinking?
Money. That’s what I was thinking. A giant boatload of money that I can dive into and swim around in.
Okay, not really. But it’ll be enough to pay off all my bills and then some. With that kind of freedom, I can spend all my extra time getting lab experience.
When I make my way back to my room to prepare for that afternoon’s Advanced Physics Lab, I see Jane sitting on her bed. She’s wearing a pink sports bra and black bicycle shorts while she works on her laptop. Her dark hair is in a giant messy bun. She looks up at me with her blue eyes and a knowing smirk.
“What?” I ask.
She turns her laptop around to show me a photo of Logan and me at the gala.
Oh god. I’m on the internet.
“You went on a date with Logan Drake?” She asks. “And you didn’t tell me?”
My first challenge.
I nod. “He asked me to go to a charity gala with him.”
It feels weird calling it a date, but with the fancy clothes, the cocktails, the dancing (not to mention the bubbling sexual chemistry), it definitely felt like one.
“Oh my god, this is huge! Lucky bitch!”
I furrow my brow. “Hey!”
She tosses her work aside and focuses all her attention on me. “Tell me everything!”
“Well, there’s not much to tell.” I shrug. “We talked, we looked at art, we danced.”
“What’s he like?”
I pause as I stare at the photo of us. I remember how good he smelled. I remember the way he smiled when he teased me.
“He was funny. And charming.”
Jane squeals. “You’re blushing!”
“No, I’m not!”
“Oh, sure. Whatever.” Jane rolls her eyes and smiles mischievously. “Are you seeing him again?”
I nod.
“Yay! This is so freaking exciting! My girl is finally getting it.’
Not really, I think to myself. Unless ‘it’ means money.
There’s a knock at the door. We exchange a look.
“Were you expecting anyone?” I ask.
She shakes her head. Opening the door, I see an unwelcome face.
“Heyyy beautiful,” Keith appears in the doorway looking just as disheveled as usual. Jane and I groan in unison.
“What do you want, Keith?” I ask.
“I want you, baby.”
“Please leave.” I close the door but he stops me.
“Don’t worry, honey, I’m not here for you.” He looks at Jane who’s still sitting on her bed. “I’m actually here to ask Jane something.”
I open the door wider so she can see.
“What?” Jane asks in a bored voice.
“Do you want to work together for the Investigative Journalism final?”
“No! Not after you bailed on your group project and then cheated in Mr. Ross’ class last year.”
“Fine,” Keith says grumpily. “Don’t tell anyone about that, by the way. I can still get kicked out of school for that.”
“Can you leave now?” Jane asks.
Keith ignores her and looks back at me. “Wanna go out tonight? Happy hour at Merryman’s is at 7.”
“She has a boyfriend,” Jane says.
Keith’s eyes widen. “Is that true?”
Realizing that Jane is technically right, I nod. “Oh yeah. I do have a boyfriend.”
“What’s his name?” He asks suspiciously.
“Logan.” There’s confidence in my voice.
“Oh.” He frowns, realizing that I answered too quick to be lying. “Well, shit.” Without any further hesitation, he walks off.
“What a loser,” Jane says. “Everyone knows Tony’s is the better campus bar.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Making sure he’s gone, I close the door. “Why haven’t I ever lied about having a boyfriend before? I feel like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.”
“Well… you’re not lying now,” Jane says as she grabs her laptop and starts tapping away.
“Oh. Right.”
Get your shit together, Riley.
There’s another knock at the door. My smile disappears. “Please don’t tell me that’s Keith again.”
Ready to throw a whole mess of expletives at him, I open the door but I quickly bite my tongue when I see a mail carrier instead.
“Riley Jamieson?” She asks.
“Yes?”
“This is for you.” She hands me a brown envelope with the university’s logo stamped onto it. I’ve seen enough envelopes like it to know it’s a tuition statement.
“Thank you,” I say miserably.
“And this.” She pulls a large square package into view. I instantly know what it is.
She helps me slide it into the apartment and leaves.
“What is that?” Jane sits up with hungry eyes. “A present?”
I pull the covering off to reveal the red and blue painting that Logan bid on at the art gallery the other night.
“A painting,” I say, smiling to myself. “From the gala last night.”
“Look, there’s a note.” Jane grabs the card but I pull it out of her hand before she reads anything. My eyes scan the text for anything that can give me away before I read it out loud.
Riley,
Since you liked this so much, I figured you should have it.
Your Boyfriend,
Logan
“Oh my god!” Jane is reading over my shoulder. “Boyfriend? He is so cute.”
“Yeah, too cute,” I mumble to myself, noting that he’s breaking rule number two in our contract.
Once Jane exhausts all her gushing and excitement, she grabs the painting and holds it up to the wall.
“Where shall we put it? I’m thinking over here where the light hits it.” She takes down a framed poster of Casablanca and puts the painting up instead.
While Jane is busy making sure the painting is level, I open the tuition statement and quickly scan it, stopping abruptly when I notice the balance at the bottom. Half the tuition has already been paid off.
Holy shit!
“Dating Logan Drake sure has its perks,” Jane says as she admires the newly mounted painting.
“It sure does,” I mumble to myself as I stare at the statement a little while longer. Eventually, I fold the statement and slip it away in my desk with the rest of them.
Jane spins around. “This guy must really like you.”
I look up at the painting and smile.
“Yeah,” I say. “I guess he does.”
Maybe being Logan Drake’s fake girlfriend wouldn’t be so bad after all.
