I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face. It made no sense and I was being a total dick. He was going through a crisis and I couldn’t control my giggles.Way to win the asshole award again, Greta.
“Greta.” His tone sharpened, his gray eyes grounding me. “Chill.”
“Give me a minute, please.” I poured myself a glass of water and took my sweet-ass time drinking it.Girlfriend. Fake girlfriend.“Okay. I settled a little.”
“Are you in?”
“Aaron. I need more information. We are really good friends. You know I’d do anything to help. But I don’t see it. How would us pretending to be together make your situation better?”
He winced, a vein visible in his neck. “It would be a PR stunt. We would showcase everything on social media. Play up the good parts of your life, my backstory. I need to come across stable—unavailable and even boring. I would be using you,” he said between clamped teeth. “Idespisethis plan. But it might help me and I’m clutching at straws here.”
“Jesus.” My heart raced. I thought about it for half a second before answering. It was Aaron. The guy who’d seen me cry countless times and patted my back. The guy who’d made me laugh more than anyone. The guy who’d picked me up thirty minutes outside of town without hesitation in the middle of the night. I had no choice. Not really. “Of course I’ll do it. Anything to help you.”
“No,” he snapped at me. “I need you to genuinely think about it. About what it means and what I’m bringing you into.” He tapped the bar with his fingers over and over, his gaze darting toward the exit. “I’m going to take a walk. I need one. What time will you be off?”
I got whiplash from his moods, but I answered. “In two hours.”
“I’ll walk you back. Don’t leave without me.” He then turned to go without a backward glance. The door slammed at his departure, and I felt like a truck had hit me.
Poor Aaron.
How much could one person handle before losing it? I fisted the rag in my hand and a rage so strong, so aggressive went through me that I wanted to hurt whoever had done this to him. I hated people sometimes. I really did.
“Greta.” Clyde pointed at me from behind the register. “Now that the Hulk left, can you help Elisa out in the back? She’s swamped.”
“Sure thang, boss.”
Two hours later, I waited twenty minutes without a sign of Aaron. I checked my phone at least ten times, expecting a text or a call after he’ddemandedI leave with him. My feet hurt and a glass, no, a bottle, of wine sounded perfect.So, screw Aaron.I wanted to go home.
The walk from the Lion to the apartment I shared with Callie only took fifteen minutes. It was off the beaten path, but I had done the walk alone enough times to feel comfortable. I never listened to music or was on my phone. My mom always sent me those bullshit articles about how to protect yourself and one had stuck with me. It said attackers always went for girls in ponytails and those who were distracted.Hello…phones are a distraction.
The wet air clogged my lungs and I hoped for a storm soon. Midwestern storms had the best clouds. The mixture of cold and warm fronts produced wild wind and it was long overdue. Lost in thoughts of storms and rain, I avoided the topic of Aaron until I walked into the apartment. I desperately wanted to talk to Callie about it and I wept with joy when I found her sitting on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn.
“Hey, G. Want some?” She held out the bowl, her dark hair in a long braid down her back. I’d taught her how to braid last year and now she had it down.Proud mama moment.
“Yes. Did you make it?”
“Of course.” She made a distorted face at me, knowing my obsession with her cooking. “Eat the rest. I already ate my bodyweight.”
“F’anks,” I said with my mouth full. I swallowed, attempting to be polite before bombarding her with what happened. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good,” she replied with a cheery smile, but then her gaze went to my face and her lips curved down. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I responded too quickly. Shit.
“G, your cheeks are red and you have your crazy eyes going on. Did something happen at the bar?”
“I mean, I got to play on stage for a bit. That was cool.”Why am I not telling her? Just say it.
“That’s awesome! Oh my god!” she cheered before snatching the bowl out of my hands. “No more food until you tell me what the hell is going on.”
I gulped, my pulse quickening when I thought about what Aaron had asked, his face when he’d said it, and how angry it had made me. “Aaron asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Her eyes resembled two large saucers and her mouth hung open. “Why?”
“He got caught up in a scandal that has the potential to fuck up his future, so having a fake relationship with me for six months could help him out.”
“Wait, what?”
