“Yep, I’m pretty sure my bank account does too.” We both chuckle lightly when I say this.
It’s then that the floodgates open and I’m assaulted with an onslaught of Harley’s panic-ridden words, “When the girls and I were talking last night about the trip, and just life in general.They’ve just been asking me over and over if I’m okay. Then, when I told them I wasn’t bringing anyone to the trip, they assumed it was because I went back to Benji! Which hell fucking no, would I even consider doing thateveragain. Then they asked me again if I was okay, and like, hello, yes, I’m perfectly fine. I mean, I guess not perfectly fine, but okay enough, and like I’m here. I’ve been here for months! Anyway, I maybe, possibly, told them that you and I needed a cabin together because we’ve been seeing each other for a few months. That’s why Sinclair was giving me the third degree before I came over today; she doesn’t believe me. At all.”
For a moment, my world stops spinning. The girl that I’ve been in love with for months just said she told her friends we were dating, because, well, I don’t know why. I think I forgot everything else that she had said before saying she told them we were dating.
“Oh my God, Collins, I am so sorry. I can’t believe I did that. You know what? I’m going to text them and tell them right now that I was lying because I’m tired of them checking on me and only me.” Harley’s frantic tone pulls me back to reality just in time to grab her wrist and stop her from texting them.
“No, wait. It’s okay.” I try to keep my tone even as I speak, “It’s just for two weeks, right? We can manage that.”
“It’s not just two weeks, Collins. It’s the entire time leading up to the trip, during the trip, and maybe even after. We can’t just break up after the trip.”
“I’ll do it.”
“You’ll pretend to be my boyfriend?” Her eyebrows are in her hairline, like it’s so hard for her to comprehend that I would want to spend more of my free time with her than I already do.
“Yes.” I throw out with no hesitation before adding, “The guys have been bothering me about dating, too, so it’ll take some heat off both our backs.”
“Okay, now what?”
“I think we need to start going on some ‘dates’,” I suggest, selfishly begging for more alone time with her.
“Collins, I think we’ll be fine.”
“No, if you want to sell this. Some things are going to have to change, Harls.” I emphasize.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” I scoot closer to her. Our thighs barely touching sends my pulse skyrocketing, “You need to get used to me being this close so that my touches don’t send you scooting away from me.” Hesitantly, I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side, fingers caressing up and down her arm. She fits perfectly here; shebelongsin this empty space.
Harley sucks in a breath as I continue, “I mean that while we’ve been hanging out alone for a while and we platonically cuddle, we have to make it look more romantic around our friends. That I need to plan dates, bring you flowers, touch you more casually, and vice versa.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” She concedes.
“Friday night? I’ll pick you up and we can go to the drive-in.” I don’t know if she remembers telling me this, but she’s always wanted to go on a date to a drive-in movie—as we know, Benji was never going to take her there. Now’s my time to shine.
“What movies are playing?” She asks and I pull up my phone to search what’s playing. I already know what’s playing, and I already know it’s one of her favorites because I was going to ask her if she wanted to go before this whole scheme came about.
“Some rom-com from the nineties that’s a play off of Taming of the Shrew. Sounds right up your alley. Or Scream, but I know horror isn’t your fave.”
“Ten Things I Hate About You!” She squeaks in delight, “I love that movie. Yes, we’ll watch that one.”
“Anything you want, Peppermint.”
Chapter 3
Easy as Breathing
Harley
Thank fuck he agreed. I mean, I figured he would, but this is fake, it’s to prove to my friends that I’m okay. That’s it.
I say that as I prepare for my first official ‘date’ with my boyfriend. Struggling to decide what I want to wear to the drive-in movie theatre. I need to be comfortable but cute.
“Sinclair!” I half groan, half scream across the hallway where her bedroom door sits open.
“What!” She hollers back. This is a normal occurrence in our apartment.
“Help.”
