Page 36 of Faking With You

Opening my Kindle, I pick up where I left off in my book. I don’t know when I fall asleep, but I’m woken up when Mac adjusts my blanket that must have fallen off.

He smiles at me when I open my eyes and whispers, “Go back to sleep.”

I smile back and see that he’s finally closed his laptop and seems to be reading now.

“What time is it?” I whisper, nuzzling back into my pillow.

“It’s only ten back home, we still have five hours left before we land.”

I yawn and stretch my arms, sitting up. I know I should probably stay awake now so I can sleep when we land. I’m thankful when food comes, not realizing just how hungry I was until I dig in. My eyes flick to Mac, and I wonder how we’re supposed to spend four more hours together like this. After going three weeks with barely seeing each other, things don’t feel quite the same as they did when we spent an entire weekend together. I throw in headphones and pull up a movie on my phone, hoping to kill time.

As the plane starts to descend, I watch out the window seeing if I can spot any landmarks. It’s dark outside, so much of what’s visible is just lights from buildings.

We slowly make our way off the plane once we land, and Mac leads us to customs. We make it through quickly and head straight for the exit where Mac finds a car waiting. He loads our bags into the trunk and opens the back door for me, and I slide across, saying hi to the driver, who nods. Mac slides in behind me and starts a conversation with the driver that tells me he knows him.

My focus is solely out the window as we make our way from the airport through the streets of London. It takes us a little over an hour before the driver is pulling in front of a building. I take in the difference between here and back home. While the sidewalks are full of people bustling around, the buildings aren’t as tall. It’s easy to tell that the architecture is much older, and the overall vibe of the area feels much more relaxed than the buzz of downtown back home.

As I slide out of the car, I look around, and when I circle around and meet Mac’s gaze, he’s smiling at me. He and the man who drove us here carry our luggage upstairs, still inconversation about what I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t been paying enough attention to be able to tell. When they drop our luggage, we say our goodbyes and I slowly make my way around the apartment.

“Is this yours?” I ask.

“Kind of. It belongs to the company, but I stay here when I’m in London.”

There are very few decorations, much like his place back in Vancouver.

“Are you wanting to head to bed or?” Mac asks.

I cover a yawn and say, “Shower then bed, I think.”

He shows me where the washroom is and hands me a towel before leaving me to clean up.v

CHAPTER 28

Mac

Being back in London is different this time. Having Eliza here makes this place feel different in a way that I can’t quite put a finger on. I enjoyed watching her take in the city on the drive here. I want to know what she thought.

When she comes out of the shower wrapped in a towel with another on her head, I can tell she’s ready to head straight to sleep. I always forget how tiring travelling can be even when you’re just sitting on a plane.

I leave her to get settled while I take her place in the bathroom. When I return, she’s already passed out, her Kindle lying beside her on the bed. I move the Kindle to the bedside table and pull the blankets up to her shoulders. I take a few seconds to take in how at peace she looks while sleeping before moving to the other side of the bed and slipping in behind her.

I should be able to fall right asleep, I didn’t nap on the plane, but instead I find myself thinking about how this is the first time in nearly three weeks that I’ve been able to spend time with Eliza. She’s been busy with work ,and while I understand that, it also feels like she’s been avoiding me. I have to work whilewe’re here, but I want to take her out sightseeing and to all my favourite places. A very selfish part of me wants us to make memories that she’ll never have with anyone else. If I only get six months with her, I want to own those six months.

She fills my dreams, images of her in a sundress in places I haven’t visited in years ,and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest with the joy those images bring. My phone ringing pulls me from my dream, and I run a hand down my face as I reach for it. I groan when I see my father’s name and answer.

“Hello.”

“Are you still in bed, Mackenzie?”

I check the time and see it’s only eight thirty. I look over and see Eliza still peacefully asleep beside me. I quickly make my way out of bed and into the living room, hoping to let her sleep some more. “We are. We got in late last night.”

”Well, there’s work to be done. Meet me in the office in thirty minutes.”

I sigh and lean against the wall outside the bedroom. “Yes, father.”

I hang up and drop my head. I was at least hoping to have today to take Eliza out, but it seems my father has foiled that plan entirely.

Eliza cracks her eyes when I return to the bedroom.