Emily scoffs at me. “That was one time! Besides, we were camping. I was off my game.”
I chuckle and stride into the bathroom, the room still warm and steamy from her shower. I empty my bladder and then throw some cold water on my face. Em’s things are already taking over my sink. I’ll never understand why women need so many goddamn products.
I sigh and move some of my stuff aside so she can have more room.
I walk into the kitchen and find her with her head in the fridge. For a split second, the scene makes something pulse inside me. I shake it away. When she pulls herself out of the fridge, her arms are full of eggs, cheese, and some random vegetables from my crisper.
“I’m shocked. You actually have fresh veggies,” she teases.
I open a cabinet to get out some coffee grounds and start scooping some into the coffee machine. “Whatever, Em. I’ve seen the inside of your fridge and all the nasty stuff you need to throw out.”
Emily swats me with a towel and turns her attention to cracking eggs. When the coffee’s ready, I pour some for each of us, making sure Em gets a cup without any chips.
“Sorry I don’t have creamer,” I say.
“It’s okay. I can drink it black.”
“I’ll get some later.”
She smiles at me as she cuts up the vegetables. “Really, it’s okay. I can survive a few days without it.”
I shut down the part of me that secretly hopes Emily has to stay with me for more than just a few days.
Just as we’re sitting down to eat, Emily’s phone pings. She checks it as she chews a bite of her omelette.
“That your landlord?” I ask.
“Nope. My mom.” She puts her phone down without texting anything back.
“Everything okay?”
Emily shrugs. “She’s been a bit overbearing lately.”
“You want to talk about it?” I’m not much of a talker myself, but I’m always willing to listen. Especially when it’s Emily talking.
Emily eats another bite before answering. “It’s dumb. She keeps trying to set me up on dates. I don’t know why it’s so concerning to her that I’m not dating anyone, but she’s taken it upon herself to remedy that. She keeps trying to set me up with, as she puts it, ‘very eligible bachelors’—as in, the sons of her friends at the country club, guys that I don’t have any interest in going out with.”
Something weird churns in my chest. Thoughts of asshole rich boys appear in my head, and I don’t fucking like it. Taming my jealousy, I reply with an unaffected, “I see.”
“I’ve told her I’m not interested, but she just ignores me.”
“That’s hella annoying.”
“It’s my mom. You know how she is. She gets an idea in her head and she’s set on it.” Suddenly Emily breaks into a laugh. “You know what I should do? Tell heryou and Iare dating. Then she’d have to stop trying to set me up.”
That other feeling comes back into my chest and I try to focus on my food. “Do it.”
Emily looks at me as if I’m the one who just suggested a crazy idea. “I was kidding.”
I shrug. “It could work.”
“But isn’t that a bit much? I know it’s a thing in movies and stuff, but do peopleactuallydo fake relationships in real life?”
“No idea. I’m just saying, it could work.”
She looks surprised at my encouragement. Frankly, I’m surprised at it, too.
After another moment of hesitation, she says, “I don’t know, Rock. I really hate lying.”
