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“I’m sure he is.”
Griffin took a step closer as he glanced over his shoulder at his mom, and a suggestive grin took over his lips. He leaned in so he could whisper in my ear, “You’re doing great.”
His voice sent a chill down my spine as he hooked a finger underneath my chin and forced me to look at him. His lips connected with mine in a light but affectionate kiss.
My eyes closed instinctually as I soaked in the warmth it offered me, and I nearly melted into that touch. Familiar electricity moved through us, sparking me to life again. It felt just like it had the first time, and it made me want it to never stop.
As we parted slowly, our eyes met, and I couldn’t help but find that same look of interest in his eyes. A softening of his exterior that made my heart swell.
It was getting harder and harder to decipher the real Griffin from the one who just wanted his parents to give him a break.
“You two are too sweet,” Lyla cooed from the kitchen as she held a hand over her heart. “If I had a camera on me, I’d take a picture.”
Griffin groaned, and a light sweep of color moved across his cheeks. “Mom, please.”
My face warmed the same way, caught off-guard by how real it felt.
She waved him off with a smile as she busied herself once more. “I know, I know.”
I laughed quietly at the exchange, and Griffin sighed. I could only imagine how quickly the teasing would get old for him moving forward.
When Griffin decided it was time to go, we said our goodbyes and Lyla practically begged us to come back soon. Overall, they seemed pleased by the image we presented them. They seemed like great people.
If I had witnessed that dinner as an outsider, I would’ve thought we had a genuine connection and truly were dating. I could understand how it was convincing to his parents since it even started convincing me.
As the cool night air moved around us on the way back home, Griffin’s deep breath reminded me of our goal for the evening, shattering that strange blurring of fact from fiction in my mind.
“That went well,” he said with his hands in his pockets. “I think they were thoroughly convinced.”
“I just don’t understand how you could ever be annoyed by your mother,” I said, hoping to keep my voice casual despite how I could still feel the ghost of his lips on mine. “She was so sweet.”
Griffin scoffed. “That’s what you’d think. While she is very sweet, she also doesn’t know how to take a hint. When she wants something, she doesn’t let it go.”
“I’m sure she will now.”
He shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.”
As we walked, that odd sensation simmered within my gut. The longing for how comfortable that dinner had been, and how much love seemed to exist there. How the two of us seemed like a real couple.
That feeling wanted it to be real, and there was no ignoring the slight disappointment that surrounded me.
But I couldn’t dwell on it, not when I agreed to play the part. Nothing more could come from it.
Chapter 15 - Griffin
I had never felt more conflicted than I did then.
Sara had done exactly what I needed to without even flinching. She gelled with them so naturally, it was hard to believe she was just pretending. She had me convinced.
The sun had vanished completely by the time we started walking back home, and the stars glittered above us. Everything was so peaceful, and I didn’t mind having her by my side then.
In fact, it felt almost right. That longing I had to be near her was mostly quelled and relaxed, despite wanting to be even closer. To kiss her again and again until I didn’t have the energy left to.
The kiss back at my parents’ place only tempered that desire somewhat, but as I found myself alone with her, that want flared even stronger.
She proved to be very unlike the preconceived notion I formed of her. She was pleasant and kind, and as far as I knew, unshakably willing to make others happy.
Sara didn’t need to agree to anything. She didn’t need to go along with my plan and pull off the most believable fake relationship just to appease my parents. And yet, she did so anyway without complaining once.
