The second thing is how put together his place is. The townhouse has an open concept floor plan, so his whole setup is on display while I follow him into the kitchen. The contrast from the outside to the inside of the house is insane, and it is much more warm and inviting than I was expecting. The wallsare painted a dark ash, and the furniture is mismatched with dark wood tones and mostly shades of greyscale. Everything is perfectly organized with a surprising lack of clutter.
A large couch and two comfy-looking leather chairs sit towards the front of the house with a giant TV placed against the wall. There are a couple plants obviously well cared for on the windowsill, and the curtains are drawn, leaving us in the warm yellow glow of multiple lamps spread throughout the level. As I walk further in, there is a small dining room table and a granite-topped kitchen island with three stools.
“Here. Come take a seat. I’m almost done making dinner.” He motions towards the island while stirring one of the pots with a wooden spoon. “I figured we shouldn't talk on an empty stomach. Do you like spaghetti?”
I pull out a stool and sit down, propping my elbows on the counter top. “Yeah, I love spaghetti.”
“Great! I wasn't sure if you ate meat or not, so I left some sauce to the side before I put it in. This sauce is a secret family recipe. My grandma taught me how to make it when I was younger, and it’s delicious. It has a bunch of complex flavors and depth; you’re going to love it.” He leans over the counter, so we are face to face and brings his voice to a low whisper. “The secret is you let a bunch of vegetables cook down in the pot for hours then blend them into the sauce.”
He grabs a new spoon from a drawer to his left and uses it to taste the sauce. As he throws the spoon into his sink, he lets out a small moan that catches me off guard. My cheeks grow warm as my mind goes somewhere it shouldn’t.
I don’t know if it is the close proximity or the fact that he is cooking me food, but I am finding it hard to focus on anything.
Trying to gain my composure, I let out a structured laugh and sarcastically say, “You know, it’s not really a secret if you tell someone.”
“I don’t know, El. I feel like I can trust you with it.” He shrugs his shoulders as he goes back to mixing, and I find myself at a loss for words.
When we're done eating, Patrick takes our empty bowls to the sink, and I make myself comfortable at his dining room table. I’m grateful I chose pants because now I don’t have to unstick my thighs from the chair with every small movement or readjustment. Reaching for my phone, I open up my notes app to the list I made earlier.
Patrick glances over my shoulder as he makes his way back to his chair. “You really came prepared. I like that.”
“Uh, yeah. I wanted to make sure we talked about all of the logistics.” For some reason, his comment makes me feel slightly embarrassed, so I explain more than I should. “It’s an odd situation, and I want to know what I’m getting into.”
“That’s totally fair. I also made some notes.” He pulls a small notebook and pen out of his back pocket and sets it on the table. It’s fascinating how quickly the embarrassment dissipates and turns into relief. I don’t really know anything about Patrick, but seeing that he’s taking this as seriously as I am makes me feel safe.
My eyes move down to the notebook and back up to him.
“You’re old fashioned. I like that.” Without even realizing it, I find myself slipping into my natural sarcasm that I normally save for my close friends.
“Mocking a man? In his own home? You are vicious, Ellie.” Patrick gasps, holding his hand over his heart and making some over exaggerated dying sounds.
His theatrics cause me to chuckle, and I have to fight through my laughter at an attempt to be apologetic. “Oh Patrick, who knew you were so fragile? I’m so sorry. ”
He stifles his response with laughter too. “It is fine… I will live.”
I hate how pleased I am with myself when Patrick reacts this way. His laugh is utterly addictive, and it is difficult to not continue the joke.
It takes a couple seconds for me to catch my breath, but the air feels lighter now. I look down at my notes and get myself centered again. “Should we get down to business?”
“Okay, first things first. Who is going to know about our fake relationship?” Patrick grabs his pen, readying himself to take notes. “I’m honestly worried if too many people know, then it might be harder to prevent a slip up, but I want to know what you think.”
“I’m fine with keeping this a secret from everyone except for Nick.”
He gives me a questioning look. “Barista Nick?”
Meeting his gaze, I nod in response. “Yes, barista Nick. He is my best friend and roommate, so I think it would be extremely difficult for me to lie to him and tell him we’ve been dating fora couple months. Also, there's the fact that we live together and tell each other everything, so I don’t think he would believe that he’s never heard about you and you’ve never been over to our place.”
“Okay. No one knows, but Nick.” He scribbles in his notebook, and I almost don’t notice the amused look on his face. “We’ve been dating for a couple months?”
“Um, yeah, I’m pretty sure that is what I told Greg when I blurted out that you were my boyfriend.”
“Got it.” He makes another note and then looks up at me. “What’s next?”
The note that I don’t want to say out loud stares back at me. It’s nothing I should be worried about, but I am anyway. When I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, I get the sudden realization that none of these feelings matter since we are not actually dating. “Um, I don't know about your current relationship status, but if you want to see other people while we’re ‘fake dating’, that’s fine with me. I mean, you can do whatever you want since I’m not like in charge of you or whatever. But if you do, you should be discreet about it.”
“I’m not going to see other people.” The way Patrick responds surprises me. It’s quick and firm, but he must have already thought about it, which is why he was so sure about it.
“Oh, okay.” I feel flustered in my response, and there’s an awkward lull in conversation since I don’t really know what else to say.
