13
ME:
What’s your worst habit?
TRICKSTER:
Brave of you to assume I’m anything less than perfect.
ME:
I’ll guess not being the best at opening up?
TRICKSTER:
Is yours having no filter?
ME:
I think I always hope for the best, even when I can see things going wrong, I try to fix them. I can easily call it out in others, but not in myself.
TRICKSTER:
I can see that about you… sunshine in a flannel shirt.
TRICKSTER:
And you’re right. I don’t open up. With anyone. I’m trying to workon it though.
***
“Fake. Dating,” Phil says, staring at me while I finish wiping down the mats from class. We’re standing in the empty studio of the Life Vine Community Centre after finishing another self-defence class.
“Yeah.” I move to the front of the class and start rolling each one up while my best friend trails behind me, a look of stunned silence still on his face.
“Why not just take her as an actual date for the wedding?”
“You can’t ask someone you barely know as a date for a wedding. Not without risking them thinking it’s more serious than it is.”
“But you are taking someone you barely know as a date to the wedding.”
“Ahhh, but we know it’s not more serious. There’s no risk of confusing feelings for us whilst making Phoebe believe we’re serious enough to not question the past.”
Phil runs a hand down his face, then back over his shaved head. “I’m confused. Couldn’t that problem still have been solved by bringing Liv? I was promised a pistachio cannoli.”
I push past him with a chuckle, moving on to the next row of mats. “So what you’re really concerned about is pastry?”
“Yes! Vera’s gonna serve that vegan rubbish.”
“It’s not rubbish.” I sigh. I mean, it’s not my favourite, but my sister’s vegan, and she’s made me some pretty good stuff. “I’ll bring you a cannoli.”
“I still don’t get the faking business.” Phil shakes his head as he crosses his big arms over his chest. The wordsnever tap outare inked on the outside of his forearm.
“If it weren’t for Phoebe seeing us outside Parlour Tricks it would have been fine. I fucking panicked, I don’t know what made me act like that. But, it doesn’t matter, Maevyn needed some help of her own that required a fake boyfriend, so it works well for everyone.”
“I have a hunch what made you act like that,” he mutters. “She pretty?”
“Would you make yourself useful and put away the rest of the gear?”
