“That we’re not really boyfriends.” Kris sighed. “If she figured it out this quickly, Mom is certainly gonna suspect something before too long.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. What can I do?”
“We’re gonna meet up with Kat and Court in a few minutes in their cabin to try and figure this out. Kat thinks she can help us make this work.”
When they were all assembled in Kat’s room, they discussed options for, as Kat had dubbed it, “Operation Fool the ’Rents.”
“First of all,” Kat addressed the two of them, “you really need to act a bit more lovey-dovey. Don’t be afraid to hold hands or lean into each other when you talk.”
Drew nodded. “Okay, I can do that.”
“Me too,” Kris agreed.
“And while you don’t need to make out in front of them, a kiss now and then probably wouldn’t hurt,” Court added.
“Wait a minute, have you even kissed each other yet? Just to, you know, practice?” Kat looked between them.
“Um, no, I don’t think either of us thought to do that.” Kris sounded upset.
“Well, give it a try now,” Kat urged them.
They looked at each other, and Drew smiled. Leaning in, they kissed lightly.
“Eh, not great. You should probably practice that a couple more times.” Kat’s smile was evil. It seemed she was really enjoying this.
They kissed again, a little longer this time, and Court said, “Oh yeah, that seemed better.”
Drew noted that Kris didn’t really look all that happy.What’s wrong with him? This was all his idea, and now he’s not on board. What the fuck did I get myself into?
“Okay, I was also thinking that maybe we could set up a situation where Kris, you walk into Neptune’s Reef with Mom and Dad tonight, and Drew will already be sitting there,” Kat said. “You kiss him in greeting, sit down next to him, and grab his hand or something. Try to make it convincing so that the folks believe it. Do you think you can do that?”
“Of course, I can do that.”
“Okay, cool. You guys head out and work on looking like a couple, and I’ll figure out a way for you to accompany our parents to the bar before dinner. I’ll text you later.”
And with that, Drew and Kris left to practice being boyfriends.
* * *
They spentthe rest of the morning and part of the afternoon together, talking about likes and dislikes and discussing more family details. Drew felt much better about things, but Kris still seemed a bit standoffish, as if he weren’t really as into this whole charade as he should be.
“Is everything okay?” Drew asked.
“Yeah, I’m just a bit tired, is all.” Drew thought it sounded like a brush-off but didn’t call Kris out on it.
Just then, Kris turned to him and said, “Wait. There is something.”
“Sure.” Drew looked at him expectantly. “What’s up?”
“I need to apologize for acting like a jerk. I’m just really nervous, and I wasn’t really sure if this was gonna work. But you’ve done more than your share, and I really appreciate it.” Kris smiled shyly.
“You’re forgiven. I mean, I get it. I was scared too, but the more time I spend with you, the better I feel about everything.”
That settled, they had just decided a quick nap was in order when Kris got a text from Kat.
Drinks at Mom & Dad’s cabin at 4:30. Come alone and say Drew was tired, and we’re meeting him at Neptune’s at 6.
Power nap over,Kris changed and left for his parents’ cabin. Drew lay in bed, praying that they could sell this relationship. The problem was, he was starting to have real feelings for Kris, but he wasn’t convinced Kris was of a like mind.Crap, this always happens to me. Why do I always fall for guys that want nothing to do with me?
