Page 8 of Fake It For Him

Grateful but a bit embarrassed, I shook my head. “Thanks, guys, but I can’t do that and you definitely don’t have to feel like you need to let me. I’m the one who blew all my money in Europe and stretched myself too thin. I’ll be fine and I don’t want to get in your way.”

Mikey’s brown eyes flickered back to mine, his stubbled jaw tightening, and he gave me a stern look. “That’s bullshit and you know it. We don’t feel like we have to. We want you to stay with us. We were going to offer once you got here anyway, but we didn’t want to if you already had a bed, since we don’t have one of those for you.”

I breathed in through my nostrils, but Kara waved her hand and turned to face forward again. “It’s settled, then. You’re staying with us. You’re going to love our apartment. It’s small, but we’ve each got our own bedroom and we’ve made the place really nice.”

“I don’t doubt it.” I chewed the inside of my lower lip before I nodded. “Yeah. Okay, thanks, guys. I’ll do my best to stay out of your hair and I’ll be gone soon.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kara said. “You’ll stay as long as you want to stay. I’ve got a privacy partition in storage at my parents’ place. We’ll get that for you so you’ll have your own space. It’s going to work.”

“This is going to be fun,” Mikey said in a sing-song voice, that sternness gone from his open features now that I’d agreed. “Tell us about your adventures. I’m pretty sure you’ve been holding back on us over the phone and we want to hear all about it.”

I chuckled, turning my gaze to the window for a moment as I thought it over. The New York skyline rose up ahead, and a sense of trepidation wormed itself into my gut as I took in the familiar sight of the city coming to life for the night.

Shit, I didn’t think I’d be seeing that again anytime soon.

I closed my eyes, deliberately turning my head away from the window and hoping that just not looking would help quell some of my anxiety. I dragged in a deep breath before I proceeded to give them all kinds of details from my travels that I’d omitted before.

Random snippets of information that were fun but nothing earth shattering. I was too distracted by being back here to delve too deep right then. “In some of the countries in Eastern Europe, nodding means no instead of yes. It’s such a mind-fuck,” and “Did you know Dublin was founded by Vikings?”

My friends listened with rapt attention, not calling me out on the lack of stories about my own misadventures. I suspected it was because they knew what was going on in my head right then. They should know. They’d been there for it all, and they were still among the only people who hadn’t alienated me because of it.

When we got to their apartment, our focus shifted from my tales to them showing me around. Their place was a well-maintained four-story walk-up with exposed brick walls and bright white ceilings. I smiled when I walked into the apartment I’d only seen on a screen thus far.

They’d moved in here together three years ago when I’d already been overseas, and since I hadn’t been back yet, this was the first time I was seeing it in person. It was even more charming than it’d looked on video, though.

They really had made it nice, with black and white kitchen tile floors, mismatched painted walls in red, navy, and yellow, open cabinets in the kitchen, and a small but cozy living room with a mishmash of furniture they’d acquired over the years from thrift shops.

Since their relationship was and always had been strictly platonic, they each had their own bedroom, but we’d all be sharing one bathroom, and the couch they’d mentioned I could sleep on was a mustard yellow, well-worn, oversized sofa that looked just as comfy as I’d been promised.

We collapsed down on it together, side by side with Mikey in the middle. He slung an arm over my shoulders and Kara’s on his other side, pulling us in closer as he sighed.

“Both of my girls are finally home with me. This is the life, huh?” He gave it a moment to sink in. Then he dropped his feet away from the coffee table he’d only just kicked them up on, withdrew his arms, and shot up again. “Okay, come on, ladies. We don’t want to be late.”

My eyebrows inched up. “Where are we going and do I have time to grab a shower?”

He leaned forward and sniffed. Then his nose wrinkled like he’d been able to smell me, even though he was now a few feet away. “Yeah. I think that might be a good idea. You reek, girl.”

I rolled my eyes, got up, grabbed my carry-on since it had all my toiletries in it, and then headed to their bathroom. I’d have to at least pick up a couple of towels of my own if I was going to stay here instead of a motel. Maybe even some cheap bedding.

I made a mental shopping list of the basics as I stepped into their shower, and by the time I emerged, Kara had changed and she was waiting for me with a little black dress on a hanger in one hand and a pair of red boots in the other. Both of us were on the bigger side, but our shapes were different. I was round while she was more pear, but we’d always worn close enough to the same size that we were able to fit into each other’s clothes.

I eyed the wine-red, shimmery dress she had on and narrowed my eyes. “Why are you dressed like that?”

She’d painted her lips the same color as her dress, and she shot me a coy smile as she thrust the hanger at me. “You’ll see. Just put this on, will you? Mikey’s ready to go and we didn’t want you to have to rummage through all your bags wearing only a towel. Speed is the name of the game, Ella. Trust me, you don’t want to make him wait tonight. He’s been looking forward to this all week.”

I took the hanger from her. She swept her arm out toward her bedroom to motion for me to change, and I stepped inside. If he’d been looking forward to this all week, it meant they’d set it up pretty much as soon as I’d admitted to them that I had to come home.

Worry and more anxiety threatened to come crashing down on my head, but I shoved it all away. I wasn’t going to let it ruin my homecoming. It wasn’t like I was a fugitive. This was still my city and these were still my friends. I had every right to be here, regardless of what I’d done before I’d left.

Besides, Kara and Mikey were the only people who even knew I’d come back to town. No one who didn’t want me to be here would even find out I was home.

Or so I thought until we walked into a swanky nightclub an hour later and I saw a bunch of our other friends waiting for us. Okay, Mikey and Kara are not the only people who know, but these are my friends. They were never Spencer’s. It’s fine. I’m fine.

I forced a smile to my lips, but it didn’t remain forced for long. It was good to see all these people I’d known for so long, and I was welcomed with open arms and huge grins all around. Before I’d even finished greeting everyone, Mikey was coming toward us with a tray of tequila shots, and for a moment, it felt like I’d stepped in a time machine and transported myself back to four years ago, before I’d left New York for Rome.

I wasn’t sure then that I’d ever come back here. In fact, just four years ago this New Year’s Eve, I’d sworn I never would.

5