“Sounds like it’d do the exact opposite to me,” I muttered.
“It might do the opposite, or it might help you. You’ll never know unless you try.” He reached for his coffee again, taking a sip. “I bet you’re used to being hot air, but drawing attention to your online persona will make you realize peopledohave their eyes on you. You’ll no longer be invisible, which means you will have to learn how to interact with others. What better way to do that than being thrown right into it?”
Hot air.
The words echoed louder than they should have.
He didn’t mean it in a cruel way, I knew that. But it still hit something in me.
Was that really what I was? Air? Just something that filled the space but didn’t actually matter?
“Easing into it slowly?” I suggested, half-hopeful, half-desperate.
He waved me off. “You have to fake it ’til you make it, Ally-Bear.”
That sounded like a lot of work. I could barely fake a smile for people I couldn’t stand.
“In addition to that,” he added, “there are a bunch of guys on campus who haven’tonceheard of you, including your beloved Austin. Once they hear your name and look you up, finding out you’re dating me, they’ll reach out to you a lot because it’ll make you desirable. I’m not saying you have to go on dates with them, because guys who reach out to taken women are assholes anyway, but I do think the attention could be good for you.”
“That kind of sounds like you’ve had a bit of experience with that before,” I said. My heart felt heavy in my chest just thinking about it.
He nodded, and I instantly felt bad for him. “Some of the girls I’ve dated before only wanted to be with me to get back with their ex. Others wanted their five minutes of fame or the attention of other guys. So, I know this works.”
That was awful. But if I trusted the rumors about Eden, all those instances were nothing like he just said.
“Not with me it won’t,” I muttered, hoping he didn’t hear it. If he did, Eden didn’t say.
“That said, as my girlfriend, you’re obviously hanging around me and my friends a lot. You might want to try to become friends with the partners of my teammates. They’re all cool people, I promise.”
My eyes narrowed at him. “How do you know? They could just be dating your teammates because it gets them attention.”
To be honest, it sounded like a plausible statement to me. However, the look Eden gave me almost made me feel stupid for pointing it out.
He shook his head. “Some of them, sure, but you’ll know. Louisa, Sharma’s girlfriend, is a real one. They’ve known each other for years, and she usually hates all the new partners untilthey’re proven to be real ones. With Lousia on your side, you’ll know who to trust and who’s just there to get dick or fame.”
That sounded like a lot of unnecessary work. Why would any of the guys even bother to date if their partner could turn out to be nothing but a fraud?
“Now, because I’m sure you’ll want more than a fake sense of security, I’ll also take you to my family gatherings. I have a huge family, so you can be sure it’s always someone’s birthday or any sort of event happening,” he said, once again managing to let panic slowly creep into my body. “Do you know Colin Carter?”
I shook my head. “I’m assuming he’s a hockey player?”
Eden’s eyes seemed to be almost popping right out of his head, but he was quick to fix his face. “Well, former NHL player and my brother-in-law’s older brother. He’s my dad’s best friend, well, one of them anyway. Actually, Colin went to college here—they all did. But that’s not the point. Ever since retiring from the NHL, he’s been hosting charity events twice a year. One to raise awareness for mental health, and one for Leukemia research or something like that. The mental health awareness one is coming up in a couple of weeks, so you’ll be my date for that.”
“Why?”
“I figured you’d ask that.” He chuckled. “At those events, nobody knows you. You willneversee a single person of those attending ever again, which means you can be yourself, even totally embarrass yourself, and it won’t matter. Seeing as most of those attending are richer than anyone could ever imagine, they really couldn’t give more fucks about some random girl they don’t know. Events where nobody knows who you are, are the ones you’ll feel both the most intimidated and confident at. That’s where you’ll learn.”
At this point, I didn’t even dare to argue anymore. “Anything else?” I asked instead.
“Yeah, but that’s just small things. No need to mention them.” Eden laid his phone down on the table, his eyes set on mine. “What do you say?”
It sounded like a nightmare. “All I have to do in return is teach you how to bake?”
“Yup.”
That didn’t seem fair to me. He was going totortureme, force me to turn my whole life upside down, while all I had to do was throw flour and sugar at him.
“Are you going to tell your family I’m not actually your girlfriend?” I asked.
