Piper
The morning after accidentally confessing your feelings while pretending they don't exist is a special kind of hell.
I'm making coffee in my kitchenette like a completely normal person who definitely didn't spend half the night replaying every word Ryder said by the fireplace. My hands are steady. My brain is focused. I am a professional influencer who has survived public humiliation and can absolutely handle meeting her fake boyfriend's sister without combusting.
"You're alphabetizing the coffee pods," Ryder says from the doorway.
I drop the pod I'm holding. "No, I'm not."
"You've arranged them from darkest roast to lightest." He leans against the doorframe in worn jeans and a Fire Department hoodie, looking unfairly good for someone who also probably didn't sleep. "Sage isn't going to judge your coffee organization system."
"I'm not worried about Sage judging me." I grab a random pod and jam it into the machine with more force than necessary. "I'm just... preparing."
"For what? An inspection?"
"For meeting your sister who's going to see right through me in about thirty seconds." The words tumble out fast enough that I barely register saying them.
Ryder crosses to me in two strides. His hand settles on my lower back, warm through my sweater. "Sage is going to love you."
"You don't know that."
"She already loves you. She's been texting me since the viral video went live." He pulls out his phone and shows me a message from last night:
Sage: She's perfect for you, you emotionally constipated moose. Don't screw this up.
A laugh escapes me. "Emotionally constipated moose?"
"She has a way with words." He tucks his phone away, his hand still on my back. "Just be yourself. That's all you need to do."
Right. Be myself. The woman who's caught between a fake relationship that feels increasingly genuine and the terrifying realization that she might actually want this. Simple.
I pull out my phone and text the group chat.
Me: Sage lands at noon. I'm alphabetizing coffee pods. Send help.
Tessa: How are you not freaking out right now?
Patrice: She IS freaking out. Look at the time stamp on her Instagram story. 6 AM gym selfie = panic.
Me: I'm not panicking. I'm hydrating and getting my steps in.
Tessa: You never get your steps in.
Patrice: Meeting the family is a BIG DEAL. This is getting serious.
Me: We're just dating.
Tessa: Dating people who stare at each other like that after winning goals.
Patrice: Friends who have enough sexual tension to power the entire town.
I shove my phone in my pocket as Ryder watches me with obvious amusement. "Everything okay?"
"Tessa and Patrice are being supportive."
"That bad?"
"They're reminding me I have... visible feelings."
