The silence stretches long enough that I think she won’t answer. Then, quietly, “Have you ever been so sure someone felt the same way, only to find out you’d been reading the entire situation wrong?”
The question hits harder than she probably meant it to. Paige’s face flashes through my mind—all those moments I thought meant something real and solid, revealed as just killing time.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I have.”
Piper looks up, maybe hearing something in my voice. For a second, we just look at each other across a bin of mismatched kitchen utensils.
“Miles and I were lab partners freshman year,” she says finally. “Best friends. Studied together, ate together, built half a dozen apps together. For two years. I thought I misread things and…” She shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter what I thought. He started dating Harper last summer. I ran into them at the Sushi Palace last night and... panicked. They pitied me. So I told them I was seeing someone.”
“Enter the fake boyfriend.”
“Yup.” She picks up a colander, considering it. “You were the first person I thought of who might be crazy enough to say yes.”
“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment. Plus, I’m charming enough to make this loser properly jealous. I know that’s the real reason.” I wink.
Her cheeks flush pink; it’s adorable. “He’s not really a loser. You don’t even know him.”
“Two years, Piper? Either he’s blind or he’s an idiot. Possibly both.”
We move to the next aisle—old board games and puzzles. I start collecting Scrabble tiles while Piper examines a Twister mat.
“So what’s the endgame?” I ask, spelling out P-I-P with the tiles. “Make him realize what he’s missing?”
“I don’t know.” She sounds tired suddenly. “Maybe I just wanted to stop being the girl who waited for someone to notice her. Maybe I wanted to feel... chosen. For once.”
Something protective flares in my chest. “His loss, Pip.”
“Don’t—” She stops herself, sighs. “Can we forget I said any of this? Save me any more embarrassment.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed. I told you about how the whole school found out I was being played by Paige, right? I get it. Heartbreak sucks.”
We continue shopping, the conversation flowing easier now. Piper finds a bunch of keyboard keys that she plans to string together.
“CTRL+ALT+DELETE my feelings,” she mutters, holding up the keys.
I discover a treasure trove of old pillow cases that could make a great outfit.
“What about you?” she asks as I model a particularly ugly pattern against my chest. “Why’d you say yes to this? Won’t it complicate things if you’re trying to date someone real?”
“I don’t date. Not since Paige. Besides, who says I barely know you?” I line up more pillow cases. “And,” I continue, enjoying the pink creeping up her neck, “you’re hot enough to make girls back off.”
She blinks at that, like she expected a different answer. “That’s... not where I thought you were going.”
“Where did you think I was going?”
“Something about making your ex jealous.”
I pause, considering. Paige might be at the party—sheruns in those circles. And yeah, maybe there’s a petty part of me that wouldn’t mind her seeing I’ve moved on. But looking at Piper, the way she’s trying so hard to seem okay with this whole situation...
“Maybe that, too. And there’s this girl Lacey who hasn’t got the hint. But honestly? You seemed like you needed a win. And I’m excellent at playing the devoted boyfriend. I’ve got references.”
“From who?”
“My mom. She thinks I’m very handsome.”
She laughs—a real one this time—and the sound does something to my chest.
The store bell chimes. A couple walks in—preppy guy with perfectly styled brown hair, blonde girl who looks like she does sunrise yoga and posts about it.
