I needed a moment to step away from Reid. He was too adorable, lying on his couch and being such a great sport. Giving him a facial was bliss for me, and something I could see doing for my boyfriend after work. What it wasn’t however was getting me out of the danger zone. I could easily and completely fall for him.
So much for torturing him. I was the one tortured by the necessity of touching him during the whole process. Jesus, even his pores were perfect. So unfair. I busied myself in his kitchen, washing out the towels in the sink and grabbing a warm bowl of water.
“How about instead of ordering in tonight, we go out? There’s a restaurant across the street from the office that’s good,” Reid suggested while I removed his mask.
Chloe had told me about the place. It was a fancy steakhouse she’d gone to with Aiden. It had linen tablecloths, a fancy menu, an even fancier wine list, and way too many forks in my opinion. Which brought about another area of anxiety. Table manners had never been a high priority when you were lucky to have even one meal a day—often subsidized by the school. Sure, I knew to eat with my mouth closed and keep my elbows off the table, but that was the extent of my knowledge of etiquette.
“I’d prefer to eat in, if you don’t mind.” After removing his mask, I put a layer of moisturizer over his skin and marveled at how soft it was.
After cleaning up and using the restroom, I walked back out to the living room to see him inspecting his face in the mirror. The way he kept touching his newly exfoliated skin made me smile.
His gaze landed on me. “I don’t mind eating in.”
Relief flowed through me. I needed to do some research on table etiquette. Yep, I needed to buy some time and learn some things before I left for the wedding. Two days. I could do it. Watch some YouTube videos. Call Chloe. She’d know what to do.
For tonight, I sat on Reid’s couch, eating Chinese food off his coffee table and dressed in leggings and a baggy T-shirt that said, “Some days it’s not worth chewing through the restraints.” Once we’d eaten and I had a game controller in my hand, I finally felt less anxious. But I also felt bad. He probably missed going to restaurants and hadn’t wanted to go alone.
Reid got his game console ready to play.
“I’m sorry we didn’t go out,” I told him. “You could say I’m a homebody.”
“Hey, I am too. Guess I needed to ensure I wasn’t forcing my homebody, boring self on you.”
“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned being dull or boring.”
“Yes, and the polite thing to do would be to ignore it and pretend I wasn’t voicing an insecurity.” With the remote, he brought up Mario Kart Racing. It was by far my favorite game, and I was still touched he’d bought a new gaming system just so we could play it.
“Mm, ignoring something isn’t really my style. Did the twat of the ex give you a complex about being boring?”
He sighed, probably not happy I wasn’t letting this go.
I picked my character, ready to race.
“She was into the night life, you know, parties and clubs, and I wasn’t. She said my inability to try new things was one of the reasons we didn’t work.”
I snorted with laughter. “I’d say your brother’s penis in her mouth would be the major reason it didn’t work, but hey, who am I to judge?”
His cringe made me immediately regret my unfiltered words.
“Sorry. My joke is funnier if you’re not the one who she cheated on.”
“No, no,” he was quick to reassure me. “It was funny. I was just thinking…it’s Chance’s birthday tomorrow.”
Ah, the asshole brother. “I take it you won’t call him.”
“No, I won’t. It’ll be the first time I don’t wish him a happy birthday.”
I couldn’t imagine being on the outs with my sister to the point I couldn’t talk to her. Then again, I couldn’t imagine the pain if she’d cheated with my fiancé either. “Did he ever apologize? You mentioned your ex blew up your phone with saying she was sorry, but has he?”
“Apologies aren’t Chance’s style. He probably believes I should be thanking him for keeping me from marrying someone who would cheat.”
“Talk about twisting things.” Yet in a weird way, Chance actually had saved Reid from spending a lifetime with a cheater. Some people would say they’d take a bullet for a sibling; perhaps Chance had decided to take a blowjob for his brother?
Reid sighed. “How did we end up on this subject again? You must be completely sick of talking about my ex or anything having to do with it.”
“It’s healthy to talk about it instead of bottling it all up and pretending you’ve erased it from your mind.” That’s what my sister had done when her boyfriend had up and left her with a newborn. She erased him from her life and refused to acknowledge his existence, not even going after him for much-needed child support.
“I don’t know. Erasing it sounds pretty good. Guess it’s a good thing again we’re not actually dating. Otherwise, I’d say I’m failing spectacularly. Yet another reminder to wait before getting back out there.”
Made sense. He should wait. It was clear he wasn’t anywhere close to being over his ex and what had happened. “Hey, as your friend, I should remind you we need to hit the gym hard tomorrow to make up for this salty Chinese food. You’ve cancelled the last two mornings.”
“I’m already down eight pounds, I’ll have you know.”
“It’s so unfair for men to be able to drop weight so quickly.”
“I know. But regardless of whether it’s fair or not, I’ll take my loss as a victory. To the gym it is. We only have two days until we leave. Oh, which reminds me. I bought you luggage.”
He got up and went into his bedroom, returning with two pieces of brown leather luggage.
“No way.”
“What?” He appeared confused by my expression of horror.
“That’s Louis Vuitton luggage.” I didn’t know a lot of designers, but I knew Louis.
“Yep, it sure is.”
“This is too much. Is someone seriously going to judge my luggage and say, ‘OMG, does she have Samsonite luggage? What a loser’?” Suddenly I was in jeopardy of puking up my Chinese food.
He chuckled. “Believe me, they’ll be dissecting every detail. And for the record, there is nothing wrong with Samsonite luggage. It’s what I have.”
“Then why the hell would you get me this fancy stuff? You have to return it.”
“You’re being serious?”
“Yes. How can you possibly justify spending that kind of money on luggage? By the way, it goes under the plane and gets dirty, beat up, and often lost. Fancy luggage like that is a flashing neon sign telling people to steal it.”
He seemed to contemplate. “Good point. I’ll return it tomorrow and get you something else.”
“Samsonite. Black. Or blue if you’re feeling fancy. But plain luggage, Reid. I mean it.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now will you calm down and stop looking like you’re tempted to chuck your controller at my head? We wouldn’t want to scar this handsome face right before the big weekend, now, would we?”
I realized I was indeed gripping the device as though I was ready to throw a major tantrum and take out an innocent controller in the process. “Standing down now.” I cracked a smile and sat back down on the couch.
“Phew, that was intense.” He took a seat beside me. “You were really angry.”
“Damn right I was. Designer luggage is a ridiculous expense.” On the other hand, if I was searching for a turnoff, the way he was so careless with his money could be it. But the problem was he wasn’t spending it on himself. He was being generous. Which wasn’t a turnoff. Dammit.
“I guess when you put it the way you did, it is rather silly to have expensive luggage. Now then, you ready to lose the next game?”
“Ha. I’ll have you know I’m an excellent driver.”
I wasn’t, but it didn’t matter. I had the best time regardless of my inability to come in any higher than sixth place.
“Hey, Teagan, you sounded stressed, what’s the emergency?”
Chloe’s face came into view over my FaceTime screen, making me miss her fiercely. I was in serious need of my best friend and her advice as I sat on my sofa at six o’clock in the morning my time. I only had one more day in the office before my trip. “The emergency is manners. I need some. Stat.”
She giggled. “Um, I’ll overnight them via FedEx? What’s going on?”
Where to start? “Well, I’m flying out early tomorrow morning for the Turks and Caicos to attend a wedding with Reid as his fake girlfriend. There will be fancy dinners and the reception, and I’m panicked. I’m not equipped to be around rich people with all those forks and knives on the table.”
I had to give her credit for taking the news in stride. She did a slow blink with wide eyes. “I know it’s early there, and you need to get ready for work soon, but I need a summarized version of how all of that came to be.”
“Long story short, I finally had my little intervention about Reid’s moping. He has this wedding where he’ll have to see his ex—it was originally to be in Boston but got moved to the islands and is this weekend. When I suggested he take a date, he asked me if I’d go. To act as his fake girlfriend.”
A smile spread across Chloe’s beautiful face. “And how is faking it with your crush?”
“Oh, you know. Torture, and a tale for when I have more time. Can you help me, Chloe Bear?”
She let out a long sigh. “I’m not exactly the type to win any Miss Manners contests, but I’ll try. Hold up. Let me get Kendall. She’s been to more fancy dinners than I have. If you’re okay with it?”
Kendall was Chloe’s previous roommate and was married to Liam, who’d been Kendall’s boss. I could bet she’d been to a fancy dinner a time or two. “Of course. I’ll take any advice I can get.”
A minute later, a beautiful brunette came into view. “Hi, Teagan, I’ve heard so much about you. Okay. So Chloe says you need help with table manners.”
“Desperately.”
“Okay. Let’s see. When you first sit down, put the napkin in your lap. Your drink is on your right, but sometimes I forget and wait until my neighbor picks up their drink.”
“What about the forks?” I had viewed a YouTube video, but it had been overwhelming.
“Start on the outside and work your way in.”
“Okay.” I was stressed.
“Don’t be too anxious, Teag. Just do the normal by sitting up straight, no elbows on the table, and chew with your mouth closed.”
“What if I have to use the restroom? What happens to the napkin?”
“Put it on your chair?” Kendall threw a questioning look toward Chloe as she answered.
Shrugging, Chloe brought out her phone to search for the answer. “Yep, Google says it goes on the chair. So it must be true. Oh, rip your bread or roll into pieces and don’t bite into it.”
It was some shit when a roll had proper etiquette.
“Honestly, I just mimic what other people do,” Chloe offered.
That’s what I’d have to do too. “Thank you both. My initial panic has eased. I’ll watch some more YouTube before we leave.”
“Have you fake kissed him yet?” Chloe asked.
My entire face heated. “Yeah. Once.”
“And?”
“And it was amazing for me and awkward for him.”
Her lips flattened. “Maybe it was awkward because he felt something?”
Leave it to Chloe to look on the bright side. “I appreciate the optimism, but I’m the Cheez Whiz to his brie.”
“That’s absurd. Don’t you dare insult yourself that way. I don’t know Reid like you do, but I’m convinced he’s not the type to stand on pretense or believe he’s better for having money.”
Maybe. But the designer clothes and my need to make up a fictitious background made it clear I wasn’t real girlfriend material. But I’d put on the act for him. I’d pretend to be better than my upbringing. “Doesn’t matter. He applied for a job in Australia, and I’ll probably move to LA in a few months.”
Chloe sighed. “Selfishly, I’ll be happy to have you here in LA. Maybe we could become roommates again.”
I kept my mouth shut, but I was thinking that if Aiden followed through with his plans, she most likely would be living with him. But I couldn’t give her any clues because there was always the chance he could mess it up. Let’s hope not as she deserved a happy ending.
As much as I hoped the words would come true for her, I wasn’t sure I believed in a happy ending. The whole concept seemed more fiction than real world. Like the family with a mother and father I used to dream about, who ate dinner together, genuinely loved and supported each other.
I wasn’t sure that sort of thing was in the cards for me. I supposed if I were to define the perfect man, it would be someone who got me. Who wasn’t intimidated by my personality and maybe thought my sarcasm and armor weren’t off-putting.
“In all the chaos, I almost forgot to mention I’m heading to LA after this trip. I’ll be there Monday.”
Chloe squealed. “Best news ever. I can’t wait to hear all about your weekend. Have fun and call me once you land. Okay?”
“Definitely.”
In the meantime, since getting over my crush hadn’t worked thus far, I was settling for a new plan of avoiding a broken heart.
