Caleb
Here. You?
I look up to the door and spot him.
Then catch my breath.
Caleb is tall and … gorgeous. He has brown hair, a few shades lighter than mine. He’s wearing dark jeans and a beige-colored sweater fitted enough to show off his broad shoulders.
I was honestly okay with whatever he looked like. Short, skinny, and cliché nerd? It wouldn’t have mattered to me. Honest. He’s a good guy. I’ve dated a cliché nerd or two in my life, given my interests and my career, and they were great guys too.
So Caleb is a pleasant surprise, and I have to squeeze my hands into fists to keep from fanning myself. Then I raise a hand to catch his eye and wave.
I’m pleased to see that Caleb seems as surprised at me as I was with him, but I was expecting that.Pleasantlyso as well, I think, based on the way he gazes at me as he makes his way over to the table. He’s wearing a small smile, and it grows as he gets closer.
I stand to greet him. “I’m a hugger,” I say when he reaches me. “Is that okay?”
He chuckles, a warm sound that I already know. “We’re already friends, right? Definitely okay.” He opens his arms, and the familiarity of his voice makes it easy to melt into him.
Yeah, I’m feelingallllthe vibes. I pray that Caleb is feeling it too. If not, that’s okay. I have two full days to act like his fake girlfriend and complete my side mission of making him fall for me.
We draw away from each other and slide into opposite sides of the table. “It’s really good to meet you in person,” I say. “I’ve always known we should be IRL friends too.”
“Agreed.” He stares at me again for a long moment and then shakes himself out of it.
Definitely a good sign.
“So,” he goes on, “if we’re doing the fake relationship thing, we should probably get our fake story straight, right?”
I nod. “Agreed. And we should keep it as close to the truth as possible. We met in that Houston gamers forum, you helped me find a place since you’d just been searching yourself, and we ended up gaming together.”
He leans forward, giving me a half-smile that’s so sexy I almost melt into my seat. The problem here is that I was already 90% gone on Caleb Gallagher before I even met him in person. The easy way he settled in to talk to me, like it was just a texting conversation brought to life, is really selling me. And the good looks? Icing on an already decadent cake.
“And then I asked you on a date and the rest is history?” he says, his smile widening.
Oh, I hope so. “Perfect.” I hope he doesn’t hear the breathlessness in my voice.
He lets out a sigh as he sits back. “My mom will probably lecture me later about dating another gamer.” He rolls his eyes. “But she won’t say anything in front of you. So no worries there about her making it awkward.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell Caleb thatI’ma CEO. But what if it would bother him? I want a chance for him to see that it doesn’t matter. Once we’ve had a chance to date (even if it’s fake) in real life, he’ll see my job is just that.
“Well, even if she does say something,” I tell Caleb, “I think I can handle it.”
He chuckles. “Of course. You have plenty of experience with it too.” He looks around for a waiter. “Should we order some dessert and then get down to the rules?” he asks, catching the eye of a nearby server.
“Rules?”
“You know, so I’m not stepping over boundaries by going further with the fake relationship than you’re comfortable.”
I try not to scowl. Telling Caleb that I’m good with all the girlfriend stuff—hand holding, snuggling, close dancing … kissing—will make it obvious how I feel about him. I need to observe if he feels the same spark I do before admitting anything.
There’s theShadow Heroesmission to think of, of course.
Also, my heart.
Also, this man with his green flags. He’s only making me love him more.
The waiter saves me from answering by stepping up next to our table to take our orders. Caleb gets a double slice of the Oreo chocolate pie, and I ask for one of the shop’s famous giant ice cream sandwiches: chocolate chip cookie with cookie dough ice cream filling.
