What does that mean? No, hang on—-
I glance between them. The wink. The comment.
Is Ash… maybe not into women like that?
I mean, yeah, we kissed. Heseemedinto it. But maybe he kisses a lot of people. Correction: I’m sure he kisses a lot of people. He’s a rockstar, for god’s sake.
Probably kisses men. Women. Fans. PR reps. Whoever. Oh god. I completely misread it.
My cheeks burn—not the flirty kind of heat, but the full-bodyplease-let-this-couch-swallow-mekind. I sink back into the cushions, trying to act normal. Chill. Unbothered. I still haven’t said a word about his proposal. And just when I should finally tell Ash to go to hell… his phone buzzes on the coffee table.
He picks it up, glances at the screen, and mutters, “Give me a sec.” Then he stands and walks toward the hallway, already answering as the door swings shut behind him.
And just like that, it’s just me and Liam again.
The silence feels louder without Ash in the room.
I sip from my tea, even though it’s gone lukewarm, and try to get my thoughts to settle into some kind of order.
Spoiler alert: they won’t.
Because I still can’t believe this is happening. That he askedme. That out of all the perfectly polished women in his world, Ash Ryder wants to fake-marry the slightly rumpled, occasionally sarcastic kindergarten teacher who once flash-bombed him with a bath mat.
My gaze flicks toward the hallway.
I exhale slowly. “I just… didn’t expect him to offer that. I mean… tome.I’m not exactly his type.”
Liam, half-scrolling through his phone, snorts under his breath. “Ash doesn’t really do types.”
I raise an eyebrow. “No?”
He waves vaguely, still distracted. “Not unless you count his weird love affair with his manager back in the day. Honestly, I think he’s sworn off the entire species at this point.”
I blink.
Manager?
Love affair?
That... wasn’t what I was expecting to hear.
The pieces slide into place sofast it’s like my brain finally catches up.
Ash’s line earlier—“Don’t worry. I don’t swing that way when it comes to women.”The casual smirk. The wink from Liam. Now this—some mysterious manager he may or may not have been in love with?
My stomach dips.
Just as I open my mouth to ask a follow-up, Liam’s phone buzzes and he stands with a groan. “Crap. I have to take this—soundcheck issue.”
He disappears down the hall, leaving me blinking on the couch.
Alone. Again.
And now—I’m convinced I’ve cracked the code.
Ash Ryder isn’t into women.
This whole fake marriage thing? It’s not about me specifically. I’m not some charming exception. I’m not some quirky romance movie plotline.
