“I can hear you,” Sasha calls from where she’s already making herself comfortable on my couch. “And yes, we can absolutely smell the possibility of a rekindled romance in the making. A hot, sexy, former-best-friend romance.”
I shut the door harder than I should. Grabbing two moreglasses, I trudge back to the living room and set them down. “There is no romance,” I huff.
“Then what’s up with the cozy little lunch you two just had?” Sasha asks, uncorking the wine.
“It wasn’t cozy,” I protest, dropping into my favorite armchair. “We were just... talking.”
“About?” Noia prompts, accepting the glass Sasha hands her.
I bite my lip, debating how much to tell them. These are my closest friends, but Rowan’s proposal is... problematic.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt, “You already know about how Rowan is looking for a fake girlfriend.” They all nod their heads. “Well… he wants that to be me.”
Three pairs of eyes widen simultaneously. Sasha actually chokes on her wine, coughing dramatically while Reyna pats her back.
“I’m sorry,what?” Sasha finally manages after clearing her throat.
“Yeah,” I sigh, reaching for my glass. “Apparently, he needs to clean up his image if he wants to direct, and his brilliant solution is to parade around his hometown with his childhood sweetheart on his arm.”
Noia gasps. “Friends to lovers, fake dating, second chance! It’s a trope trifecta!” she squeals.
“It’s insane, is what it is,” I grumble, taking a generous gulp of wine. “If you ask me, it’s more like frenemies to lovers.” Realizing my mistake of word choice, I backtrack, holding a hand up when their eyes go wide. “Withoutthe lovers’ part.”
“Wait, hold on,” Reyna says, leaning forward. “What exactly does this agreement entail?”
I explain everything—the studio’s concerns about Rowan’s playboy image, the publicity angle, the NDA, even the boundaries I’ve set. By the time I finish, all three of my friendsare staring at me with varying expressions of disbelief and excitement.
“And you’re actually considering it?” Sasha asks, eyebrows raised.
“Maybe,” I admit reluctantly. “I told him I’d think about it. He’s coming to Trivia Night on Friday with us. We’ll hang out. See how it goes.”
Noia claps her hands. “This is incredible. You do realize your situation is how half my books start, right? Fake relationship turns real, passionate love affair ensues?—”
“Hey now. No one said anything about passionate love affairs,” I growl, heat flushing my cheeks when flashes of Rowan kissing me hit my brain for the millionth time. “But he did kiss me.”
A collective gasp hits my ears, and I cringe, waiting for the barrage of questions.
“How was it?” Sasha asks.
I groan, flopping back in my chair. “It was... not terrible.”
“Not terrible?” Reyna echoes. “That’s all you’re gonna give us?”
“Fine,” I snark, taking another gulp of wine. “It was mind-blowing, earth-shattering, toe-curling... all those stupid clichés that actually turn out to be true. Happy now?”
Noia squeals so loud I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter everyone’s wine glasses. “I knew it!”
“But that doesn’t change anything,” I insist, pointing my finger at each of them in turn. “Physical chemistry isn’t the issue here. It’s everything else.”
“Like what?” Sasha asks, refilling my glass.
I run my fingers through my hair, trying to organize my scattered thoughts. “Like the fact that he’s left me twice before without so much as a goodbye. The fact that he’s only here temporarily.Andthe fact that this is all fake.”
“Is it, though?” Reyna asks quietly.
Even though Reyna is a badass EMT, there’s a softness to her, and I still can’t bring myself to throw what happened between her and my brother in her face to save mine.
My eyes snap in her direction. “What are you saying?”
