His girl.
I know nothing about this is real, but him calling mehis girlhas my heart beating a thousand miles a minute against my ribs.
“O-of course,” I stammer out. “Thanks.”
He gently takes my hand in his as he guides me back down the stairs and out the front door of the club. Fortunately, by the time we exit the building, there’s no sign of the drunken troublemaker.
“Do you think we could take a pic before I go?” I ask, gesturing at my phone. “I should post about this later.”
He nods and pulls me into his chest, his arm looping around my waist. The embrace is so natural that it steals my breath and I quickly take the picture of us.
“We’ll talk soon?” he asks as my Uber pulls up.
“Definitely. We should meet up to go over the rules of our little engagement. This weekend maybe?”
He chuckles and nods, then opens the door of the car for me to slide in. It’s only when the door closes that I realize I’m still wearing his jacket. I turn in my seat to see Boone staring after me as the car pulls away. He lifts one large hand and waves as he vanishes from view.
Sinking back in my seat, I press one hand over my battering ram of a heart.
“This has to stay simple, Sutton,” I whisper to myself. “You’ve got to get a grip.”
Mentally, my mind adds one more statement—easier said than done.
CHAPTER FIVE
Verdant trees fly by as the Uber driver careens away from LA. The vibrant cityscape melts into vast coastline while I stare dreamily out the window.
I could swear the car is flying ten thousand feet above the street, or maybe that’s simply how I feel because I’m so unbelievably happy. I’m not even on cloud nine right now. I’m on cloud 9000.
Excitement fizzes in my veins like I’m a shaken bottle of cola. I can’t wait to get back to my girls and tell them all about this hunky guy that I managed to enchant tonight. We’ve barely even gotten started seeing one another, but I can tell that the future of our fake relationship is bright. I’ve already got a thousand different ideas for our big reveal as a couple, and it’ll take Grayson and Kali by storm.
This is about to change everything for Glossed & Glammed. We’re going to have not one cute power couple, but two. Our fans aren’t going to be ready for it at all.
Wriggling enthusiastically in my seat, I lean forward and lightly grasp the back of the driver’s headrest to see better. Any second now, the beachfront home I share with my two besties will be visible in the distance. As if on command, the warm, welcoming windows of the two-story house materialize down the street. Kali, Liv, and I take a lot of safety measures to make sure that our living situation is kept private, despite how much we share with our followers. That place is our dream home, and we don’t want anything spoiling it.
I wonder if Kali is home yet. I hope so. I’m practically bursting at the seams right now and I want both of my BFFs there when I share the news. That said, I’m still not entirely sure how I’ll explain the events of tonight, but I’m sure I’ll figure that out when I get there.
A few minutes later, the car slows to a stop in front of the house. I thank the Uber driver and tell her to have a nice evening, then I bounce out of the backseat. Just as I’m about to sprint toward the front door, a cherry red sports car parked on the side of the house snags the corner of my eye. I slow to a stop, noticing that the engine is still running.
Wait a minute. Isn’t that Grayson’s fancy ride?
More nosy than curious, I tuck Boone’s jacket beneath an arm and edge closer to the red car until I spot Kali and Grayson next to it. They must be saying goodnight. Their arms are wrapped tightly around one another and Kali is dipped slightly backward so that he can press kiss after sweet kiss against her lips. The moment is so intimately picturesque it might as well be a scene from a movie, even though they have no idea they have an audience in me and the lingering Uber driver.
The moment is beautiful, passionate, and sweet. It’s also giving me great inspiration about how Boone and I should announce ourselves to the online world. If Kali and Grayson can put on a show like that for absolutely no one, Boone and I are definitely going to smash our own performance as infatuated lovebirds. We have to. Otherwise, I’ll only end up paling in comparison to Kali and her boyfriend a second time.
Mouth going dry at the thought, I turn quickly back toward the front door and bolt inside.
“You’re back!” Liv cries cheerfully.
Dressed in a pair of dark cotton sleep shorts and a sunny, yellow cami that brings out the gold flecks in her brown eyes, Liv is looking as cute and joyful as always.
I force an equally buoyant smile back to my lips and nod. “You got that right, babe! And just you wait until you hear about my night. It was insane!”
“So was mine,” Liv responds playfully. I think she must’ve had a whole glass of wine at some point tonight because she’s looking a little flushed. With her, very little goes a very long way. “Coco and George were chasing each other around the living room and Chanel dive-bombed them from the couch. I think she was telling them to respect her space.”
“Is that right, Coco?” I gasp with feigned alarm to the sleek cat as she sidles up to greet me. I scoop her up into my arms and nuzzle her face. “Were Chanel and Georgie picking on you?”
George lets out an indignant bark, but his tongue lolls happily out of his mouth. He trots closer and presses against my legs until I scratch the top of his head. Coco rewards my affection with a soft purr and nuzzles her cheek to mine. When I set my kitty back down, she winds between my legs and gazes up at me with adoring eyes. At least once my fake relationship ends, I’ll still have her.
